Welcome Dr. Meng Chen!

Gramercy Allergy and Asthma is excited to welcome Dr. Meng Chen, MD to our practice.  Treating both adults and children, Dr. Chen is an expert the field of hives (urticaria) and angioedema, food allergy, aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, drug allergy and recurrent fever disorders. 

Dr. Meng Chen’s practice style focuses on delivering high quality patient-centered care. She believes that carefully listening to a patient’s concerns and providing education and counseling are key cornerstones of a productive and meaningful healthcare experience.  She works diligently with you to find solutions so you can live your best life, allergy free.  She treats you the way she would treat her family and believes is best accomplished by truly caring for the patient.  She also prides herself in timeliness and efficiency.

Dr. Meng Chen, MD brings southern charm with a west coast feel to New York City.  She is originally from Beijing and grew up in both Charlottesville, VA  and San Francisco, CA.  She is a recent graduate from the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital where she completed her Allergy & Immunology fellowship under the guidance of national leaders in the field.  Prior to that Dr Chen completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley where she studied Immunology.  She received her doctorate of medicine from the University of California, San Francisco.  She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of California, Los Angeles.  

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family (husband, a sweet toddler, 2 cats, and dogs).  They all enjoy hiking together and exploring New York City.  She enjoys yoga and cooking. 

Milk and Egg #Allergy – Can My Kid Eat Cake?!

Milk and Egg Allergies – Can My Kid Eat Cake?!     
By Dr. Meng Chen, MD

Food allergies are on the rise, especially in children.  Cow’s milk and hen’s egg allergies are common culprits in young children.  The good news is that studies have shown that about two-thirds of children who are allergic to cow’s milk and hen’s egg can actually eat them when they are cooked into a baked good, such as muffins and cakes!  In fact, eating these goods on a regular basis may help speed up resolution of the allergy.  Plus, it can significantly improve your family’s quality of life and expand dietary options. 

How do I find out if my child can eat baked goods?

• Come into GramercyAllergy  for a thorough evaluation.  GramercyAllergy  will go over your child’s history of reactions to milk and egg and determine what testing is most appropriate.
• Testing can include skin testing and bloodwork to help determine whether your child will likely be able to eat baked goods.
• If the testing indicates there is a good chance that your child can eat baked egg or milk, GramercyAllergy will recommend an in-office oral food challenge.  During an oral food challenge, we feed your child a baked good in graded doses under careful monitoring and observation.
• If your child passes, we will send you home with instructions on how to incorporate baked goods into the diet! 
• GramercyAllergy recommend coming into the office for a full evaluation rather than trying baked goods at home as serious reactions can occur.

Tips if your child can already eat baked goods

• -Eat baked goods at least three times a week
• -Make sure the products are cooked all the way through!  Undercooked batter can trigger reactions
• -It is important to avoid other forms of milk and/or egg that are not mixed with batter and heated extensively.  For example, watch out for frosting!
• -Follow up at GramercyAllergy so we can monitor your child’s food allergies over time.  There is a good chance that your child will outgrow milk and egg allergies.  Regular follow up helps us provide guidance on when it might be appropriate to test if they have outgrown their allergies!

Does your child have a milk or egg allergy?  Need more specific help?  Please call GramercyAllergy  or click here to schedule an appointment to determine if your child might be able to consume baked goods!

You can follow us on facebook and @gramercyallergy for more specific advice.  

Spring time #Allergy in #NYC

Do you have questions about spring time allergies you've always wanted to ask?
Now's the perfect chance!

Tomorrow between noon and 2PM I'll be on NYU's Doctor radio with Dr. Max April, a pediatric ENT, talking about springtime allergies. 

 Call with questions tomorrow  877 NYU DOCS (877-698-3627)