I would like to send out a big THANK YOU to the brave and patient families who have volunteered for the food allergy studies that are currently underway. I truly believe that their devotion will result in a treatment that will allow my daughter to be free of her severe food allergies someday. I wish you success!

There are currently three types of food allergy studies being conducted under doctor supervision (don’t try these at home!):

• Oral immunotherapy: Patients build immunity to food allergen by swallowing gradually increasing amounts of the foods.
• Sublingual therapy: Patients build immunity by putting drops of allergenic proteins under the tongue (this allows for faster absorption into bloodstream).
• Food allergy herbal formula-2: “FAHF-2″ is a pill that contains nine botanical herbs, including ginseng and oil made from cinnamon tree bark. I wrote about this one: Could Chinese herbs be used to treat asthma and food allergy?

To learn more about these studies and also about the sacrifices that some families have made to be a part of the studies, read USA Today’s story: New strategies may help overcome food allergies.

Related articles:

• What is anaphylaxis?
• Why are food allergies on the rise?
• How many outgrow nut allergies?
• What some ignorant people think about food allergies
• Will your child outgrow egg allergy?