I have always preferred Nightly News to the other evening news programs. However, tonight, I was very disappointed by the segment about food allergies. I understand the need to present both sides of an issue but segments like “Food Allergies Often Misdiagnosed” undermine the severity of the very real cases of children with food allergies. Viewers see this kind of coverage and are quick to dismiss the condition – a condition that can be isolating, alienating and, in some cases, life-threatening. For food allergy sufferers, it’s not enough to avoid the foods that cause an allergic reaction. They must also watch out for hidden allergens (milk is in a lot more than just dairy products, for example) and avoid cross-contamination. Imagine what its like to be threatened by something so essential to sustaining life. Many parents, myself included, are fighting to protect their children from this every meal threat. During Food Allergy Awareness Week, shouldn’t your program focus on what’s … [Read more...]

When I look at photos of my son at four-months-old, I can’t help but think of the milestone that marked. Not the kind that you read about in parenting books and not one I realized until two months later. It was at four months that my son – my exclusively breastfed son – started exhibiting symptoms of a food allergy. It began with eczema and I think it bothered me more than it bothered him. I tried different lotions and bath soaps and nothing seemed to make it better. I asked his doctor who quickly dismissed it as a weather-related. It was fall in the mid-Atlantic. It wasn’t weather-related. Then, my already-not-a-great-sleeper got worse. He wouldn’t sleep unless he was being held. We tried cry-it-out. Didn’t work. We tried the swing. Temporary relief. I resorted to co-sleeping because it worked and saved me from completely losing my mind. In December,  I went to a breastfeeding support group meeting. I was determined to exclusively breastfeed my son until he was six months old … [Read more...]