South Bay Allergy & Asthma Associates' Joyce Schoettler, MD, Edward Buchsbalm, MD, Katie Marks, MD, and Christine Shim, FNP

Joyce Schoettler, MD, is always astonished when a child with anaphylaxis does not receive epinephrine – in some cases even after arriving at the emergency room.

Why? Too many people don’t take anaphylaxis seriously enough, Schoettler believes. Some turn to over-the-counter antihistamines as a first line of treatment.

This is “dangerous” – a point that Schoettler, Edward Buchsbalm, MD, and the nursing staff at South Bay Allergy & Asthma Associates in Torrance, Calif., drive home as part of AANMA’s Anaphylaxis Community Experts (ACEs) program.

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By Laurie Ross

Searching for new products at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) annual meeting exhibit earlier this year, I found numerous products claiming to eliminate dust mites with cold water washing. Since the research gurus have always said it takes at least 130 degree water to do the job, Read the rest of this entry »

School children with asthma and food and venom allergy face uncertainty and challenges not experienced by most classmates. The average classroom, lunch room, playground, class party and athletic field is teeming with allergens capable of provoking asthma or allergy symptoms that students with these conditions must prevent and treat with vigilance and balance. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chef Michelle Austin

Crank up some salsa tunes because we’re heading south of the border. They’ll be asking for seconds when you serve these always endlessly adaptable, incredibly edible Bang-Up Burritos and Simple Salsas!

Oh – and while we’re talking:  My recipes are meant to become YOUR recipes! Let me know what works or what you did to substitute one ingredient for another. Read the rest of this entry »

“One thing is clear,” said Nancy Sander, president and founder of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), “breathing is bipartisan. Families and schoolchildren with asthma and anaphylaxis are fortunate that state legislators are changing laws and instituting new policies Read the rest of this entry »

Rhode Island is the 49th state to protect students with anaphylaxis! The law now protects their rights to carry and self-administer epinephrine auto-injectors and for bus drivers to help out if needed! Read more here: http://www.aanma.org/advocacy/meds-at-school/ including a copy of the Rhode Island legislation.

Louisiana allergist Prem Menon, MD, AANMA Board Member and ACE Team Leader, reports that LA just passed a law requiring schools to adopt policies for treating anaphylaxis emergencies! On its way to the Governor’s desk!

By Linda Marienhoff Coss

In May 1993, I was determined to find a preschool for my son with severe food allergies. Life-threatening food allergies were far from mainstream knowledge, and there were few reliable resources on the subject. I had no idea what it would take to create a Read the rest of this entry »

By Richard Weber, MD

Q: Sometimes my mouth tingles when I eat melons – is this a food allergy?

A: It’s a kind of allergy called oral allergy syndrome, tied to the fact that some fruit and vegetable proteins are genetic cousins to certain pollens, like ragweed. Read the rest of this entry »