The Allergy Mom

Welcome to a new season of The Allergy Mom Podcast! In this new season, I am looking forward to having more guests and topics that address mental health, parenting, and family life issues when living a life with a family member with severe allergy, anaphylaxis, or a related, chronic health condition.

In this episode, I interview Dr. William J. Doherty, the past-President of the National Council on Family Relations, the oldest interdisciplinary family studies organization in North America.

About Bill:
William J. Doherty, Ph.D., is Professor of Family Social Science and Director of the Citizen Professional Center at the University of Minnesota. He is also a practicing marriage and family therapist and co-founder of The Doherty Relationship Institute, LLC, a new venture designed to help engaged couples through couples on the brink. 

Bill has received the Significant Contribution to the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

He is a national leader in the movement to solve the problem of overscheduled kids and underconnected families. Prominent in this work are four community initiatives focused on reclaiming family time in the hurry-up world of contemporary childhood.

He has appeared in a wide range of national media outlets about this issue, including Oprah, The New York Times, USA Today, all of the major network morning shows and evening news programs, Time, and National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation.

His book Take Back Your Kids: Confident Parenting in Turbulent Times (Sorin Books) is a call for parents to assume leadership in their families, instead of anxiously surrendering children to the peer culture and the consumer culture. It won Forward Magazine’s Parenting Book of the Year Award for books from independent publishers.

His book Take Back Your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World That Pulls Us Apart (Guilford Press), describes how marriage has been undermined by the me-first consumer culture, by frenetic busyness, and by over-indulgent parenting, and shows how couples can take back their marriages through rock-solid commitment, rituals of connection and love, and participation in communities that support their marriages. It won the Self-Help Book of the Year Award for books from independent publishers.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Family traditions and meals planned with intention to create a safe and fun celebration without the drama
• How to navigate difficult conversations with extended family members about your child’s allergies
• How to discuss and plan with family members to get them involved in the creation of intentional family practices and to improve family life through defining roles
• Bill’s expert insights on how to make changes in the family in ways that won’t be met with resistance and will be accepted by the rest of the family
• How a chronic health issues is what Bill calls, “A call to consciousness”
• “Love and Limits… and leadership” – our role as parents
• “Pinch points & Crunch Points” – when to pick our battles and how to prioritize family 
• Family dinners are the single most important thing you can do as a family
• Why you should force your kids to do stuff with the family even if they don’t want to…
• Why Bill thinks your kids’ opinions of you really don’t matter until they’re 25!
• Peach & Pit, Rose & Thorn, Grateful for & Hopeful for…. my faves! Sharing without Grilling
• Bill’s political work to address polarization and divide -using Couples therapy to heal a country!
• Covid & Family life and what happens after the pandemic ends
• …and more!

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with my personal hero, Dr. Inderpal Randhawa (affectionally known as Dr. R by his patients), the Medical Director of Pediatric Pulmonary, Clinical Immunology & Allergy at the Miller Children's Hospital (one of the top 50 programs nationwide in the U.S.) and CEO of the nonprofit Southern California Food Allergy Institute, whose Tolerance Induction Program (TIP™) is providing true food freedom to those with severe allergies. 

He is a leading clinical academic scientist with five board certifications in transplant immunology, allergy, pulmonology, pediatrics, and internal medicine. 

How Dr. R began working with Allergies:

Early in his career, Dr. Randhawa began to question conventional protocols for the treatment of life-threatening food allergies. Distressed by watching parents suffer the loss of their children to fatal allergic reactions, he purposed to find innovative solutions and change the status quo. His early experience in lung transplant immunology coupled with his collaboration with national allergy and immunology specialists, led him to develop the safe, innovative solutions now offered through Southern California Food Allergy Institute.

About Southern California Food Allergy Institute:

Southern California Food Allergy Institute is the largest food allergy treatment center of its kind, dedicated to providing innovative and safe treatment for the six million children in the United States who suffer from food allergies. 

Unlike OIT (Oral Immunotherapy), the nonprofit’s Tolerance Induction Program (TIP™) uses trillions of data points to create customized treatment plans for each child. Their allergies are mapped out to form an individualized program that builds tolerance to the unique proteins each child is allergic to, all before introducing their most anaphylactic allergen. This ensures patient safety, and over time, alters their immune system to not react to their allergens.

To date, TIP™ has treated over 12,000 children with a 99% success rate, giving people a life of food freedom when they can eat whatever they want, whenever they want, without fear of reaction. 

On a personal note:

I'm contacted ALL the time to ask if I would recommend this program. My answer is unequivocally yes! This program is life-changing and potentially life-saving. I am happy to answer any questions or share my personal opinions and insights anytime if you would like to know more about how we experienced the program. As a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, I also offer counselling to families dealing with food allergies, contemplating treatment options, and past or present patients in the program. It can be really helpful to speak with someone who "gets it". 

There are no words to adequately thank Dr. Randawha for the gift of food freedom that we are experiencing as a result of the Tolerance Induction Program. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. Forever and always, I will be indebted to you for the work you are doing.

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with the Alan App‘s founder and CEO Katherine Schug.

About Katherine Schug:

In eighth grade, Katherine told her teachers that she wanted to create a food allergy app. They all thought she was joking, of course. Many years later, she decided to act upon this idea and designed Alan (Allergy Life Alliance Network). The app is now available.


About The Alan App:

The Alan (Allergy Life Alliance Network) App is unlike any other food allergy app. They understand the importance of safety, but also the need for a community.

At Alan, they recognize the severity of food allergies - those who suffer from this medical condition should be recognized for their strength and vigor. It is their mission to connect food allergic people to one another to share experiences, concerns, or questions - and to provide resources that will relieve any food allergy-related concerns.

The Alan App is a food allergy mobile application that provides helpful resources for the food allergy community. They post new recipes every week, so be sure to subscribe!

Download the app on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/alan-food-allergy-guide/id1522751134

Download on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elannin.allan.android

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Katherine’s experiences with her own food allergies
• Her motivation to create an app for the food allergy community
• Food allergy bullying and more about the realities of living with a food allergy
• Her website to combat food allergy bullying:  Teen FAAB
• Being a food allergy advocate (Bystander Revolution)
• Katherine’s worst reaction at university and how she advocated for herself and influenced the school to investigate and evaluate their safety protocols for students with allergies
• …and more!

Katherine’s Links:

Teen FAAB: https://www.teenfaab.com

The Alan App website: https://www.thealanapp.com

The Alan App @thealanapp  https://www.instagram.com/thealanapp/ on Instagram

Zestfull on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/zestfull/

The Alan App on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thealanapp

The Alan App on Twitter https://twitter.com/thealanapp

The Alan App Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtfCb4WysH3DjZonyzIw0FQ

Download the app on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/alan-food-allergy-guide/id1522751134

Download the app from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elannin.allan.android

Welcome to Episode 14 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with online food allergy magazine – Zestfull‘s cofounder Kortney Kwong Hing.

About Kortney:

Kortney has only known life with food allergies. She manages multiple food allergies, asthma, eczema and OAS. Kortney is the co-founder of Zestfull, an online magazine that celebrates life with food allergies. She is also the co-host of The Itch Podcast. She wants to spread joy in a community that can easily see the hard side of life with atopic disease and believes that you can have a full life with food allergies, it may just be lived a little differently!

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Kortney’s early diagnosis as a baby with food allergies
• Oral Allergy Syndrome
• The Allergic March
• Asthma vs. Anaphylaxis
• How Kortney developed her “secret” blog in her 20s- Allergy Girl Eats (Note – this site is now retired)
• Kortney’s partnership with an allergy mom to share the positive side of food allergies through an online magazine called The Zestfull
• Traditional, cultural foods and food allergies 
• Intuitive Eating -listening to your body and eating mindfully
• The Itch Podcast with Dr. Gupta – where Kortney and Dr. Gupta dive deep into allergic disease and asthma – you will learn and understand while keeping it simple enough for the lay person to get it
• Kortney’s asthma wake-up call – how she learned the serious cues she was ignoring and what she did about it
• …and more!

Kortney’s Links:

The Zestfull Online Allergy Magazine https://thezestfull.com

Zestfull on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/theZestfull/

Kortney @allergy_girl_eats https://www.instagram.com/allergy_girl_eats/ on Instagram

Zestfull on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/zestfull/

Zestfull on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theZestfull

Zestfull Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpPzqK_oY93Xd823Hy3XZNw?fbclid=IwAR1gx5xwhGKeK3-yabaLRLZBHSjkPF3HvGcHG81N-pGqw4nPxLNPq6rm9SQ

Welcome to Episode 13 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with Heather Brooker: Actress, Emmy Award-winning journalist, and host of the popular podcast, Motherhood in Hollywood.

About Heather:

Heather Brooker has appeared in over 40 films and TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Office,” “Fresh Off The Boat,” “The Mindy Project” and more. Heather is also in the groundbreaking role of digital entertainment reporter for KNBC in Los Angeles, where she regularly interviews celebrities and influencers in Hollywood. On her podcast, Motherhood in Hollywood, Heather discusses her two passions — parenting and showbusiness — and has a hilariously addicting, tell-it-like-it-is personality. She recently spoke at the GirlUp Leadership Summit alongside Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Meghan Markle about gender equity and body positivity. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, 7-year-old daughter and internet famous cat, Gracie I Love You. Heather has also recently been working with FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) to share her humour and insights into the trials and tribulations of motherhood in an allergy context. You can check out her YouTube videos for FARE on their Living Teal Channel.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Humour when talking about serious subjects such as food allergies – the good, the bad and the ugly!
• Humour as therapy and as a source for education and advocacy
• How Heather became involved in the Food Allergy World 
• Food allergy bullying
• Teal Pumpkins
• …and more!

Heather’s Links:

Heather @theheatherbrooker on Instagram

Heather @theheatherbrooker on Facebook

Heather @heatherbrooker on Twitter

Heather @heatherbrooker on TikTok
Heather’s podcast site: motherhoodinhollywood.com

Heather’s acting website: heatherbrooker.com

Stay Tuned:

That is Episode 13! Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already– there are so many amazing interviews and topics coming out in the next few weeks that I don’t want you to miss including:

• TIP vs OIT
• Get Zestfull with Kortney Kwong Hing (Allergy Girl Eats) 
• The Alan App – An app for allergy sufferers

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with Daniel Kelly of May-Contain. I came across Daniel’s instagram and loved the images he shared from his May Contain Allergy Magazine – a project that he designed that took the epi-pen out of the medical context to make it more relatable and engaging for young people.

About Daniel & May-Contain:

Daniel Kelly is the founder of May Contain; an Allergy Blog and Podcast breaking the stigma of allergies. He is also the host of an allergy podcast on iTunes of the same name and has amassed a widely engaged allergy audience through social media (IG: @_maycontain). Recently Daniel became the First-Ever Youth Ambassador for Anaphylaxis Campaign. 

• First-ever Youth Ambassador for the Anaphylaxis Campaign Charity – https://www.hud.ac.uk/news/alumni/anaphylaxis-campaign-youth-ambassador/
• Created an allergy magazine at Univesity that went viral within 24 hours – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsKWESXh3tQ
• Daniel felt his podcast was the way forward to break down the stigma of allergies
• He gave his first-ever talk at St Johns College, Cambridge University – Amazing experience and story
• His blog May-Contain is one of the fastest-growing allergy blog in the UK

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Dan shares his allergy journey and how he’s been led to advocate for this community through his university project, blog and podcast
• The increased prevalence of allergies in the UK and Europe
• Living and travelling with food allergies
• Advice for teens (and their allergy moms and dads) as they move into high school and the years of growing independence
• Educating others for empathy to create awareness and caring for individuals with food allergies
• Daniel’s scariest food allergy incident story – a delayed reaction 
• Eating in restaurants with severe allergies
• Educating your friends on what to do in the event of a reaction – “Keep calm and carry on” with seeking medical attention
• Daniel’s advice for allergy moms and dads as someone who grew up as a child with severe food allergies

Stay Tuned:

That is Episode 12! Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already– there are so many amazing interviews and topics coming out in the next few weeks that I don’t want you to miss including:

• TIP vs OIT
• Get Zestfull with Kortney Kwong Hing (Allergy Girl Eats) 
• Heather Brooker, Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of the Motherhood in Hollywood Podcast

Welcome to Episode 11 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with Jim Garner, Chief Executive Officer of AllerGenis . AllerGenis’ mission is to develop precision diagnostic solutions that can help healthcare providers better assess and manage the well-being of millions of food allergy patients. Specializing in immunology and bioinformatics, they have created a highly multiplexed analytical platform to address the limitations of current food allergy diagnostic tests.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• 21st century diagnostic methods that allow us to look at the antibody response to proteins that cause allergic reactions
• Without having to do a food challenge, you can find the same information with a drop of blood – this means you can bypass having a patient having to ingest the protein to gauge the response (hives, shortness of breath, cardiac and Gastrointestinal issues – aka an allergic reaction)
• Statistically these tests are the same as doing an oral food challenge and they are reproducible results providing a more objective measure without the stress and anxiety of doing an oral food challenge
• These diagnostics will tell you a) what you’re allergic to and b) what to do next 
• If a test comes back negative, the likelihood of the child having a reaction is low and so the doctor can safely do an oral food challenge
• This also prevents people from unnecessarily avoiding foods that they could safely ingest foods
• These tests take the risks and guess work out of whether there is going to be a reaction
• Introducing allergenic foods to children at a young age and the threat of avoidance and putting kids at risk for developing allergies

Jim’s Links:

www.allergenis.com

https://www.allergenis.com/technology

https://www.allergenis.com/resources

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.19.20136002v1

https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(18)31567-7/abstract

That is Episode 11! Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already– there are so many amazing interviews and topics coming out in the next few weeks that I don’t want you to miss including:

• TIP vs OIT
• Daniel Kelly from May Contain
• Heather Brooker, Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of the Motherhood in Hollywood Podcast

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with Jennifer Roberge, founder of The Eczema Company, Yoro Naturals and the blog Itchy Little World. Jennifer is an expert on eczema and in this episode we get down to the nitty gritty – or should I say… itchy, twitchy details of everything Eczema related!

It’s an Itchy Little World features natural remedies for eczema, allergies and asthma that work based on Jennifer’s family’s experience in battling these conditions using an integrative approach. It also features related news and stories from guest bloggers and industry professionals.

Jennifer's Journey:
Years ago, Jennifer’s son Tristan suffered from terrible eczema. At only 3 years old, he was covered head to toe in red, itchy, dry skin that was inflamed and extremely painful looking.

She desperately searched for answers and tried everything she could to help him. Her and her husband argued constantly about the best way to treat their son’s skin. Physicians encouraged them to apply ever increasing strengths of topical medication to his angry looking skin. But his skin continued to get worse. Something didn’t feel right.

It was when JenniferI hit rock bottom, crying all day and night, not sleeping in order to prevent her son from scratching, and feeling so hopeless when conventional medicine didn’t work for them, that she decided to look into healing from within and holistic treatments.

They tried countless herbal eczema creams, eczema clothing and a variety of natural and holistic treatments before they started to see healing. They also learned their son had many pollen allergies, food allergies and food sensitivities (through an elimination diet) which exacerbated his flare-ups. Removing those triggers was huge for them.

Out of research and their own trials, they discovered a variety of products that helped their son’s and many other eczema sufferers’ skin. Today, those very same products are sold at The Eczema Company.

Jennifer started this store in hopes of bringing you and your loved ones relief from eczema. She knows first hand how unbelievably difficult eczema can be both physically and emotionally. Her hope is that The Eczema Company can help bring relief to your itchy little world!

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Eczema and the Allergic March
• Jennifer’s experiences with allergies and eczema with her son
• Homeopathy, natural treatments and all the other things Jennifer and her family have tried over the years
• What she’s learned along the way and how she helps other families now!

Click here for the Podcast Episode Page with all of Jennifer's Links to the sites and topics she discusses in the show!

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with Kyle Dine of Equal Eats amongst his other amazing endeavours to support the Allergy Community over the years.

Kyle Dine is a food allergic individual who has turned his diagnosis into several positive impacts for the food allergy community. Growing up with multiple food allergies, Kyle experienced first-hand the challenges that food allergies play during adolescence. After experiencing a harrowing anaphylactic reaction in his early twenties, he changed his career path in order to create tools and resources to help people avoid allergic reactions and improve overall quality of life. 

He is a trusted food allergy educator and musician who performs engaging allergy awareness assemblies in elementary schools across North America. Along with his “Kyle Dine & Friends” DVD, which was funded through the allergy community on Kickstarter, his music and live assembly contain empowering, supportive, and educational messages for children with or without food allergies. 

His educational efforts guided him to working with Food Allergy Canada on their programs, resources and advocacy. Since 2008, he has specialized in the development of materials for youth and led projects such as elementary and high school awareness programs, educational books, videos, and the Allergy Pals online mentorship program.
An avid traveller, Kyle founded www.allergytranslation.com in 2006 to help people travel with allergies by providing cards with professional translations of allergens in foreign languages. He earned a master’s degree in 2019 at Queen’s University for innovation management and entrepreneurship, and is currently relaunching his allergy travel resources under the new name Equal Eats. His goal is to help people with dietary restrictions enjoy food safely all around the world.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• Food allergy safety when travelling and eating out in public spaces.
• Kyle Dine’s history of advocacy, education and support for the Food Allergy community.

Kyle’s Links:

• Allergy Education Video (Free to watch) – www.foodallergyvideo.com
• School allergy assemblies – www.kyledine.com
• Equal Eats – www.equaleats.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/equal_eats
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kyledinemusic
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kyledinemusic
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kyledine

Welcome to Episode 8 of the Allergy mom podcast an unboxing of my new Candid Clean safety products with the founder of Candid Clean Corp. – a neuroscientist, mom, and in general AWESOME human being who is making it her personal mission to provide SAFE, healthy products with natural and non-toxic ingredients to protect yourself and your loved ones from the Coronavirus as we head back to work and school this Fall. These products are also great for families with severe allergies who are always looking for ways to prevent cross-contamination, keep surfaces clean and protect themselves and their loved ones from their allergens. 

As we start to recognize that having to wear masks and use hand sanitizers amongst other protective measures are the “new normal” and not going away anytime soon, we are thinking more and more about what the ingredients and materials are in these products and how they affect our health and wellness. In this interview we deep dive into the various products and measures that are being undertaken and important considerations when choosing your PPE.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:

• All about masks – how to wear them safely, how to prevent fogging of your glasses when wearing, how to remove them safely and the do’s and dont’s of mask wearing and safety!
• Hand sanitizers – gels vs. sprays, what’s in them, how to know they are regulated and safe, and more!
• Portable Hand Soaps – these are AWESOME! They smell amazing and are the greatest little things! As an allergy mom, I absolutely LOVE these and am sure you will too! For years, I told Kate NOT to use the soap at stranger’s homes and in public for fear of allergens contained within them – this is the best portable BYO-Soap option I’ve come across! 
• How to save your ears when wearing a mask with ear-savers and headbands

That is Episode 8! Thanks for listening! If you have questions about any of the topics discussed in this episode I highly encourage you to reach out to Candid Clean or myself for more information.  Candid Clean has graciously offered discount codes for The Allergy Mom followers:  Use code: allergymomgetscandid for 10% off your entire order! They are also offering free shipping over $75 and for friends and family in my local area you can get free shipping with code pickupcandid02 – let me know if you are doing this and I will let you know when your items arrive!