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What Does New Peanut Allergy Research Mean For Parents Of Allergic Kids?
ResumeIt's likely that, as a kid, you didn't know many people with peanut allergies. But now, things are different.
About 2 percent of American children are allergic to peanuts, and while that may not sound like a lot, the number has more than quadrupled since 1997, which is why a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine — published just last week — suggests that some peanut allergies might be prevented if parents introduce infants to foods containing peanuts, instead of avoiding them.
Guests
Erin Brazil, Boston food allergy activist. Her 4-year-old son is severely allergic to peanuts and other foods. She tweets @westendboston.
Dr. Wayne Shreffler, director of the Food Allergy Center and chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He tweets @WayneShreffler.
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CommonHealth: What New Peanut Study Means For Kids With Food Allergies — And What It Doesn’t
- "Erin Brazil is frustrated. She’d hardly had time to digest the peanut allergy study that got heavy media coverage this week when, she says, she got 'inundated by calls and emails and Facebook posts saying ‘There’s a cure, there’s a cure!’'"
WBUR: Kids, Allergies And A Possible Downside To Squeaky Clean Dishes
- "Could using a dishwashing machine increase the chances your child will develop allergies? That's what some provocative new research suggests — but don't tear out your machine just yet."
This segment aired on March 2, 2015.