Beyond Allergy

More Tips For Halloween…

Heather Legg — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:16:41 +0000

For those of us with older children, who have done Halloween and food allergies for year’s, habits start to form. It’s not as scary (though we’re still vigilant), the kids start to take more responsibility and things get just a little easier. However, with younger children, some who may be trick or treating for the first time, or with a newly diagnosed allergy, Halloween night may be a scary time.

Here are a few more tips to go by to try to make your night, and this week, easier: (more…)

Allergy Meds - Do You Really Need Them?

Heather Legg — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:16:27 +0000

I was laughing today with some friends when one of the ladies was telling us how she just had to buy Claritin for her dog. Her dog suffers from allergies. Then, of course, the conversation shifted to human allergies, as they’re hitting pretty hard right now between the ragweed and the mold. So by all means, treat your allergies! Take the allergy medicine if you need it, and take it the right way - for some that means on a daily basis. (more…)

Milk Allergy FAQ

Heather Legg — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:54:05 +0000

With new foods entering the markets on a daily basis, we’re gaining easier access to some foods that weren’t available before. It used to be just cow’s milk that we could get, than soy entered the stores. Now it’s not uncommon to see goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, almond milk. These provide some great alternatives to cow’s milk if you suffer from allergies. Here’s a quick rundown of some commonly asked dairy allergy questions, and some information on the other types of milk. (more…)

School, Student And Family Responsibilities In School

Heather Legg — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:53:40 +0000

I’m pretty involved at my kids’ school and the other day we were talking about communication. How best to get all of the information out to all the parents? It’s tough. But we also realized that those that want the information will seek it. Granted, we’ve got signs and memos and online feed blitzes going out. We’ve got principal call outs and teacher blogs full of information. What I’m trying to say is a lot of people use the fact of lack of information, or difficulty getting it or inconvenience as an excuse not to do something. But if there is something that means a lot to you, tugs at your heart strings and gut, there’s never a reason not to do it. (more…)

School, Student And Family Responsibilities In School

Heather Legg — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:39:25 +0000

My mother was recently telling me of a friend of hers who has a grand child allergic to a few different foods. Apparently, the child’s mother was searching for a private school for the girl and chose the school based on the fact that another child went there with the same allergies. It was reassuring to her that she would have that support from the school already being aware of allergies (the same ones her daughter has) and she felt safe with the protocol they took on allergies. There was also the added support of the family who was already involved in the school. (more…)

Mold Allergy Prevention

Heather Legg — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:36:24 +0000

It has been one rainy Autumn here in the South, and though ragweed may not be in its usual height of causing discomfort with its allergy effects, mold allergies are playing havoc with those sensitive to them. We had some serious weather a couple of weeks ago, floods causing major damage and even some loss of life (my heart goes out to those families). And while we’ve had some nice sunny days mixed in, the rain is still coming. Many families experienced flooding in their homes, especially their basements, leaving the perfect environment for mold to grow. How do you prevent this from happening, and causing allergy symptoms? (more…)

More Tips on Beating Fall Allergies

Heather Legg — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:35:58 +0000

It’s the time of the year for Fall Allergies. And with the beautiful,cooler weather and the fun outdoor events, be it a football game, soccer game or a Fall Festival, there’s too much good stuff to stay indoors. However, if you suffer from ragweed allergies, outside may be the last place you want to be. There are some strategies you can implement to make things a little better, however. Besides the usual tips like keeping your windows closed (car and home) or leaving your shoes outside to prevent pollen from coming indoors, here are some more helpful tips for keeping your fall allergies in check: (more…)

FoodAllergyMama.com - Check It Out!

Heather Legg — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:25:18 +0000

Always searching for food allergy blogs and information - here’s a good one to keep on your favorites page - the Food Allergy Mama. This is Kelly Rudnicki’s blog and she is the mother of four young children in suburban Chicago. Her second child was diagnosed at age one with severe dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut and legume allergy. Being asthmatic, the likelihood of a life threatening reaction from food is increased so Kelly spent a few years learning the ins and outs of food labels, ingredient and product information, and most importantly, how to cook and bake for not only her son, but for the rest of her family as well. (more…)

It’s October…

Heather Legg — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:12:18 +0000

October 1st has already come and gone and the stores are full of Halloween candy! My rule is that I don’t buy it until the month of October since it’s in the stores way before then and because I love it and well, I eat it. However, with Halloween comes some scary times for those with severe food allergies, because so many candies are off limits to them, dairy allergies, peanut allergies, tree nut allergies… (more…)

Dairy Allergy Symptoms

Heather Legg — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:05:27 +0000

Sometimes when we think of a food allergy, we think of the extreme reactions like anaphylactic shock or facial and neck swelling. There are so many other symptoms to consider, though, and this all came up in a conversation the other day. (more…)