Bo's Peanut Allergy Treatment Over 7 Peanuts!
March 02, 2009
Bo is now eating enough peanut flour every day to equal more than 7 peanuts!
The peanut allergy desensitization treatment study that Bo is participating in at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock is based off of the Duke University Medical center peanut allergy treatment research directed by Dr. Wesley Burks that is mentioned on page 4 of the Feb. 26, 2009 Time Magazine article "Why We're Going Nuts Over Nuts". Before joining the staff at Duke, Dr. Wesley Burks conducted his food allergy research at the Arkansas Children's Hospital.
Our experience with Bo's peanut allergy desensitization treatment and that of the many kids we have met that have been in these research studies for over a year, echoes the successes of these peanut allergy desensitization treatments described in this quote from the Time Magazine article entitled "Why We're Going Nuts Over Nuts":
In a new strategy called oral immunotherapy, doctors try to retrain the immune system by hitting it with the offending protein enough times, in increasing doses, that the body's defenses eventually relent and accept the protein as friend rather than foe. "It's the first generation of treatment that would make people less or even no longer allergic," says Dr. Wesley Burks, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Duke University Medical Center. On average, children treated this way for a year are able to tolerate the protein equivalent of 15 peanuts, while the untreated group developed allergic reactions after 1 ½ peanuts. For parents, allowing their kids to participate in the study was a leap of faith.
New Peanut Free and Allergen-Free Foods Store a Hit
Bo and his Dad devoured our initial supply of delicious Nonuttin' Granola Clusters and KitKat bars from the AllerNeeds online store, so we had to order more, lots more! Allerneeds carries a great-tasting selection of peanut free and allergen free foods including chocolate, snacks, cake mixes, brownies, muffins and more. All the products they carry are produced in guaranteed peanut/tree nut free facilities. Shop the AllerNeeds web site.
We Updated Our Disney Peanut Free Dining Page
Bo recently returned from a trip to Disney World in Orlando over the Mardi Gras holiday where he was able to eat peanut safe food at several Disney area restaurants he had not tried on previous Disney trips. Check out our updated list of peanut safe dining options in and around the Disney World parks of Orlando. Note the list of restaurants and park food items on this page are ones Bo has safely eaten at while at Disney, but there are many more peanut safe options then just the ones we list.
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