"I’m going to kill you with this peanut butter cracker.” As an allergist and mom of a child with food allergy, I was shocked and disturbed by this headline quote. The idea of food being used as a weapon is horrifying. School should be a safe environment for all kids, including the 8% who suffer from food allergy. Unfortunately, a food allergic child must navigate a minefield of food exposures every day: in the cafeteria, in vending machines, at school parties, used as crafts, and traded with friends.  An accidental exposure can result in severe or fatal consequences. Bullies do use food as a weapon. Why does this happen? One reason is false assumptions about food allergy. Some people think that food allergies aren’t real, minimize the seriousness, or think they are exaggerated.  Parents of children with food allergies can be perceived as over-protective. Media can portray food allergy sufferers in a negative way -often as the joke of the scene, trivializing the disease. To an uninformed child who doesn’t understand the danger of food allergy, threatening another child with food seems like an effective intimidation tactic without serious consequences. Unfortunately, 57% of bullying incidents of allergic kids involve the actual dangerous food.  Bullies may wave the food in their face, slip it into their food, or contaminate work space or craft items. The worst examples include forcible touching and force-feeding. In 2017, a boy in England died from anaphylaxis after being exposed to his food allergen at the hands of his classmates. The classmates said they were unaware of the nature of his allergy, and investigators concluded that the school had missed an opportunity to educate students about the seriousness of food allergy. This incident was a tragedy for all involved, including the children who accidentally triggered a classmate’s death. This article  is a legal analysis discussing that parents of bullies who use food allergies against victims may be liable for their child’s conduct, specifically when the parents  become aware of  their child’s bullying behavior and fail to take adequate steps to stop it. Failure to act encourages...

We can't wait to see you again this year for our FREE 4th Annual Food Allergy Friendly Trunk Or Treat hosted by Food Allergy Institute of North Texas and Family Allergy & Asthma Care on October 28, 2019 at our Flower Mound office! In addition to treats that are FREE OF THE TOP 8 ALLERGENS (egg, peanut, milk, fish, nut, soybean, shellfish, wheat), we will have fun games, a firetruck, kid-friendly prizes, and the fan-favorite Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train! Share the Facebook event to invite family and friends.

When you have an allergy, your immune system overreacts to a substance (allergen) to which you are exposed. Allergy testing can provide useful information which an allergist can then use to treat your symptoms.

Sinuses are hollow spaces in the bones of your face. The lining of the sinuses normally makes small amounts of mucus. Inflammation in the sinuses leads to swelling and extra mucus. Symptoms of sinusitis, also called rhinosinusitis, include:

Medications affect each of us in different ways, and reactions to drugs are very common. However, not all reactions are allergies. This is important because the type of reaction you are having (an allergy, a side effect, or intolerance) will determine what medications you can take in the future.

Patch tests are used to identify substances which cause a type of allergy called delayed-type hypersensitivity. A chronic or worsening skin rash is the most common reason a patch test is done.

Penicillin is one of the most commonly reported drug allergies. However, at least 80% of people who were penicillin allergic will no longer be allergic 10 years after the reaction. In fact, 95% of people labeled allergic turn out to have negative testing and can take penicillin again without problems. Simply avoiding penicillin anyway may sound simple, but there are risks:

Your immune system is constantly fighting germs that could cause infections. While everyone’s immune system loses a battle occasionally, suffering from lots of infections, or even just a few very severe infections, can be a sign of an immune system problem.

It is almost October which means that Halloween is upon us! Halloween should be a fun time for children, but it can be a challenge for families with food allergies. In order to better serve our community, we have an annual Trunk or Treat at our office that is free of the top 8 allergens (egg, peanut, milk, fish, nut, soybean, shellfish, wheat). This is an awesome opportunity for your child to experience trick-or-treat in a safe environment where you don’t have to worry about allergies! In addition to trick-or-treating, we will have a fire truck, teal goodie bags, prizes, games, and the Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train! Trunk or Treat 2019 will be October 28 at 6:30pm-8:00pm at our Flower Mound location (3051 Churchill Dr, Flower Mound, TX 75022).   We have also compiled some creative tips and an allergen-free candy list you can use to ensure your kids have a fun and safe Halloween while trick-or-treating in your neighborhood.   Trick-or-Treating Tips Enforce a “no eating while trick-or-treating” rule, so that you have time to review all food labels. Use sorting through your child's candy as an opportunity to teach him or her about hidden allergens and reading labels. Stock up on safe treats to trade for any unsafe candies your child might receive. Be careful with chocolate candies, which often contain some type of nut or nut contamination Always have an epinephrine auto-injector available Look for teal pumpkins. They mean that the house has food allergy friendly candy or non-food prizes Start a tradition by allowing their kids to leave their unsafe candies out for the “Good Witch” to collect and leave behind small gifts and safe treats. Instead of trick-or-treating, have a Halloween party instead, featuring safe and delicious treats. Let your kids trick or treat as normal, and then switch out their candy bucket with an allergen-safe bucket when you get home. Consider passing out non-food goodies such as glow sticks, stickers, finger puppets, bubbles, silly glasses, kazoos, etc. Keep the emphasis on the fun, rather than the candy. Food Allergen Safe Lists As...

Dr. Marie Fitzgerald shares insights with CBS 11 News for continuing heat and fall allergies beginning to appear in August.