Help I'm Allergic to Pumpkin....

This time of the year we see pumpkin in everything from beer to ice cream.  I thought it'd be the perfect time to talk about pumpkin allergy.

Pumpkin is a delicious gourd and commonly added to salads, pies, and beverages.  The seeds can be cooked and ground into flour.   Some people use the flour as bait for fish.

Luckily, allergy to pumpkin  is rare and only a few case reports exist in the literature.


Interesting Facts About Pumpkin Allergy

• Pumpkin belongs to the Curbitacea family. Other members of this family are watermelon, zucchini, squash, muskmelon, and cucumber
• We don't know the incidence of pumpkin allergy; there are a few case reports in the literature
• Most allergy to pumpkin is caused by the seed rather than the pulp. 
• You can be allergic to the seed, pulp or both.
• If you have pumpkin allergy, you make also react to squash, zucchini, watermelon, muskmelon and cucumber and other seeds. 
• Some people may develop pumpkin allergy from a cross reaction from a tree pollen, called birch.
• You can be tested for pumpkin allergy by an allergist by pricking the skin

Symptoms of pumpkin allergy are:

• Itching or blisters in the mouth
• Swelling
• Hives
• Shortness of breath or
• Asthma 

If you're worried you have pumpkin allergy, see an allergist and they can test you.

Want to talk to me about your symptoms? Please call the office at 212-679-3574 or email me at jcollins@grammercy.com. As always you are welcome to visit our website to learn more.

Allergy and Nutrition- Expanding our Practice

Over the past year I've written several posts on the role of nutrition and allergy.  It's an important topic to me and I often spend time with my patients learning about what they are eating to see if it might be affecting their health.

I'm so excited to announce that starting in September, we'll have a nutritionist in the office!  Her name is Stefanie Casillas, RD and she'll be starting with us every Thursday.  When I asked Stefanie about what she hoped to add to the practice she said, "My passion lies in helping clients learn to nourish their bodies and optimize their health. Whether your goal is to lose weight, manage blood sugar, live healthfully with food intolerance, or improve your overall nutrition, I would love to help your patients on their journey!"  I knew then she'd be the perfect addition.

A bit about Stefanie- her original background is in education in NYC where she worked as a teacher.  She decided to change career paths and became a dietitian at Beth Israel Medical Center.  Afterwards, she joined the staff at Beth Israel Medical Center as an inpatient nutritionist.  She's had extensive experience in teaching cooking classes and even working on a roof-top farm!

Whether you have questions for her like, how do I deal with food intolerance, food allergy or lose weight?  I know you'll love working with her and know a consultation with her will change your life in a positive way.

Want to schedule an appointment with Stefanie?  Call the office at 212-679-3574, www.gramercyallergy.com, or email me at jcollins@gramercyallergy.com

Potential Treatment for Peanut Allergy?... MAYBE!

Recently the first multi-center double blind placebo trial on sublingual immunotherapy for peanut allergy was released....and the results are promising!

What do we know about peanut allergy?

• Peanut allergy is on the rise in the US for unknown reasons and affects approximately 1-2% of the population.  
• This allergy causes havoc in families homes and schools.  Fear of accidental exposure leaves parents worried their child or love one will have a possible deadly reaction. 
• Sadly about 10 people a year die from fatal reaction to peanut.  
• Peanut allergy is rarely outgrown;about 20% of people will go on to tolerate peanut.  

Until recently there was little hope of treatment or prevention other than strict avoidance, changes to diet, and label reading.

For those allergic to peanut, good news may be around the corner....

The study:

• Recently researchers from 5 centers across the US introduced escalating doses of peanut powder over  44 weeks to 40 patients with history of anaphylaxis to peanut.   
• Most of the recruits had an allergic reaction with as little as <2 2="2" a="a" g="g" li="li" of="of" only="only" peanut="peanut" s="s">
• Groups were divided equally into 20:20.  The placebo group was given a placebo over 44 weeks and one was given escalating doses of peanut.
• They started with 0.000165 ug of peanut- this is REALLY REALLY tiny given by mouth. 
• The goal of the study was for the treatment group to be able to tolerate 16 peanuts (5 grams).

What happened?

• At 44 weeks, 70% (14/20) of the treatment group ended up being able to tolerate 496 mg of peanut powder (~ 1 2/3 of a peanut).
• At 68 weeks, 3/20 were able to tolerate 5 grams of peanut powder (~ 16 peanuts) and 2 tolerated 10 grams of peanut (32 peanut).
• At 44 weeks, 15% (3/20) people in the placebo group developed spontaneous tolerance and were able to tolerate 496 mg (1 2/3 of a peanut).

What does it mean?

• Sublingual immunotherapy with peanut does induce some level of desensitization in a majority of people with peanut allergy
• This may provide an important treatment method for kids who are exquisitely sensitive to peanut and worry about cross contamination

This is exciting news for families with peanut allergy and in the future may provide an important and life saving treatment. Please do not try desensitization at home.  This is not ready for prime time YET!

 Interested in reading the actual study?  You can access it here http://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(12)01824-6/abstract.