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August 12, 2009
Letting Go
On my son's first day of preschool, I dropped him off and then drove home and cried. It was such a mix of emotions — tears of relief because I finally had some time to myself; tears of worry because I was entrusting my son's safety to people I'd only recently met; and tears of joy because I knew that despite his food allergies, it was possible for him to lead a healthy and full life. Preschool represented the beginning of that journey.
I know that in these next few weeks, many of you will be letting go in various ways — whether it's hiring a babysitter, sending your child to a friend's house to play for the first time, or sending your child off to preschool, grade school, or even college. Just remember you can do this — plan ahead, teach your child to be responsible, teach others how to care for your child, have an emergency plan and medications ready, check out food being served ahead of time or send your own and then let your child go out into this wonderful world and live his life. And if you cry along the way, may they be happy tears.
Warmest regards,
Lynda Mitchell
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Feeling overwhelmed? Connect with other parents of food allergic children on our Support Forums. |
Children's Dance-a-thon, Music Concert, and Arthur!
KFA's Family Fun Event & Expo in the Philadelphia area is right around the corner. If you are planning to attend, please register at Firstgiving.
 The expo will feature an enjoyable allergy education musical program for kids by Kyle Dine on Sunday, September 13 at Whole Foods, North Wales, Pennsylvania. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the expo runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. More than 20 allergy-friendly businesses will have exhibits. Activities and entertainment for children will include a dance-a-thon, costumed characters, Kyle's performance and more! This will be a great opportunity to pick up back-to-school allergy information and allergy-friendly products, as well as fun for your whole family. Admission is free.
KFA thanks Presenting Sponsor Whole Foods Market North Wales, Platinum Sponsor Nutricia North America, as well as Gold Sponsors Sunbutter, STATkids, Allergaroo, Twinject, Elecare, EpiPen and Carlson Labs. Silver Sponsor Cherrybrook Kitchen will be sending PBS Kids' Character Arthur to visit with the children!
We are still accepting sponsors and exhibitors for the expo and donations for the gift basket raffle. If your business is interested in contributing to the expo, please contact Michele Cassalia.
How to Make KFA Your Home Page
You can set any KFA web page to be your browser's home page that loads when you open your browser.
This is a simple and easy way to show your support for KFA, and it also directly logs you in if you choose a members-only page as your home page. Select "Remember Me" when you first login.
For Internet Explorer: Open the KFA page that you want to set as your home page. Then click on the "home" icon at the top of your browser and follow the instructions to add or change your home page.
For Firefox: Click on Tools | Options | Main. Select "When Firefox Starts: Show my home page" and enter the URL of the KFA page that you want to become your home page.
Click OK and the next time you open Firefox, it will immediately open the KFA page of your choice.
Food Allergy Resource Center
Each month, KFA provides new or updated food allergy articles to educate families, caregivers, and the public about different topics regarding food allergies. Premium resources are available to KFA Family Members only.
Available to the public:
The articles below are available to all Web site visitors.
 NEW!
FAQ: How Can an Allergist Help with School Plans for Your Child with Food Allergies?
Before they hit the books, make sure your food allergic children are adequately prepared for school this fall by setting up a meeting with their allergist. KFA spoke with pediatric allergist Michael Pistiner, MD about the role of an allergist in back-to-school preparation.
KFA's School Planning Resources Kit
KFA offers a collection of back-to-school resources that include planning guides for parents, a must-have list of allergens in preschool arts and crafts, peanut-free zone posters and much more! |
Premium Resources for our KFA Family Members:
Become a Family Member to have instant access to premium resources, more than 1,000 allergy-friendly recipes, and our wonderful online community! Family Members will need to log in for exclusive access to the resources below.
Asthma and Allergy Inhalers: Inactive Ingredients
From soy lecithin to lactose, find out what inactive ingredients (potential allergens) are hiding in your food-allergic child's inhaler.
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A Message from Our Sponsor
Click on the image above to visit the Web site of this month's newsletter sponsor.
Sign up for a free Associate Membership to read the messages posted in our "Main" POFAK online support forum. Better yet, become a Family Member and join the discussion! Some of these topics may discuss foods. Remember to always verify the safety of any products mentioned on our forums to make sure they are truly safe for your child's unique food allergy issues.
Social Life?
"How do you choose (or even find) babysitters? Do you get time away from the kids? With your spouse? Does your spouse get out more often than you, and if so, how do you handle it?"
Raising food allergic children can be emotionally draining and stressful, but it's important not to isolate yourself. Discover new tips and strategies on how to enjoy an active social life.
Granola Snack Bars: Milk, Peanut and Tree Nut Free?
Parents share their
favorite brands of allergy-friendly granola bars.
Visit KFA's Allergy Buyer's Guide to find foods and products that cater to the food allergic consumer. Please let our sponsors know that you found them through KFA!
Advertisements
Click on the banner to visit the Allergaroo Web site.
NoNuttin' Foods
Nonuttin' Foods is home of the original peanut free granola bar and so much more! Created for our food allergic child, Nonuttin' products are free of most common allergens, gluten free, GMO free and all natural. Toll free 1-866-714-5411. www.nonuttin.com
Sunbutter
SUNBUTTER® is made from sunflower seeds, contains NO peanuts or tree nuts and is produced in a peanut and tree nut free facility. We even test every batch for any traces of peanuts. SunButter is healthier than peanut butter with 1/3 less saturated fat and is high in vitamin E. Tastes great too! www.sunbutter.com
Pamela's Products
Pamela's Products makes the best gluten-free foods. Try our delicious cookies like crunchy Ginger Mini Snapz, chewy Peanut Butter or decadent Chunky Chocolate Chip. Enjoy fast, easy & delicious baking mixes that bake up easily. Available in natural food and grocery stores, or check www.pamelasproducts.com for online retailers.
Shop On Amazon.Com (bookmark this link for future shopping)
Follow any of these links and purchase items on Amazon.com and a percentage of your purchase will go to Kids With Food Allergies.
Food Allergy Knowledge Found Lacking in General Public
"Among the misconceptions, investigators reported, 'Almost half of participants erroneously believed that a cure exists for food allergy, and more than two thirds stated that a daily medicine could be taken to prevent a food allergy reaction. They also tended to overlook the necessity of strict allergen avoidance: more than 40 percent of participants indicated that other means exist to prevent life-threatening reactions.'"
Bacteria Associated with the Development and Severity of Eczema
Positive cultures of staphyloccus aureus from nasal swabs at age 6 months is associated with the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and its severity. Frequent colonization of this bacteria in the first year of life is a risk predictor of moderate to severe eczema in the second year of life.
Understanding Children's Allergies
Line between anaphylactic allergies, food sensitivities and other allergies blurry, doctor says
"So many people go to an allergist and come back with a lot of positive results," Dean says.
But a positive result does not necessarily mean somebody is going to have an adverse reaction to that food.
"Perhaps the best example of that is two per cent of all children have a positive skin test to peanuts, but only one percent get symptoms on ingestion," Dean said. "So half of the skin tests you've got there are false positives."
Updated Diagnostic Criteria for Eosinophilic Esophagitis
"The objective of this study was to determine whether eosinophilic esophagitis has been unrecognized based upon the observation that the diagnosis based solely on the number of eosinophils per high powered field does not, in the estimation of the authors, appear to capture all patients with eosinophilic esophagitis."
Food Alerts! Have you checked the Allergy Recall Alerts section at KFA recently? The following foods were recently recalled:
U.S. Allergy Recalls
- Indian Groceries & Spices: Nirav Golden Raisins (undeclared sulfites)
- Tiffany Food Corporation: Bifeng Nong Fu Shanzhuang Plum Candy and Chi Ling Gourmet Foods Hot Olive (undeclared sulfites)
Canadian Allergy Recalls
- Haitai: ButterRing cookies (undeclared milk and egg)
- Wong Wing: Vegetable egg rolls (undeclared sesame)
- Bite: Korean biscuits (undeclared milk)
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Copyright © 2009, Kids With Food Allergies, Inc., all rights reserved.
ISSN 1939-8166
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Project Manager: Lynda Mitchell
Editor: Melanie Carver
Proofreaders: Tanya Bumgardner, Jennifer Blanford, and Melanie Croft
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