Living with life-threatening food allergies: What does the future hold?

These families are part of a growing trend. Food allergies have been on the uptick in the past few decades. According to National Institutes of Health, as many as 10 percent of people in developed countries report food allergies.

The trend of increased food allergies – along with an increase in environmental allergies – is probably related to society’s increase in hygiene, known as the hygiene hypothesis, according to Dr. Doug McMahon, Allergist at the Allergy and Asthma Center of Minnesota. He says when we grow up in a very clean environment, our bodies aren’t used to fighting germs. Our immune system overreacts to when it is exposed to something it perceives as a threat.

“Delaying the introduction of foods has not done us any favors either,” says Dr. McMahon. Medical experts have now reversed the recommendation to wait to introduce food until children are older. If babies have no eczema and no family history of food allergies, doctors now recommend introducing foods at four months. If children do have eczema or a strong family history of food allergies, they should go to an allergist for testing first, he says.

Dr. McMahon, who has a tree nut allergy himself, says there are currently two options for people with allergies – avoidance or desensitization treatment.

People with food allergies need to worry about eating specific foods, and also about touching any surfaces where the food has been. “People with allergies should always carry two doses of epinephrine,” he says. “That’s the only treatment once an allergic reaction starts.”

Dr. McMahon says that for children and young adults, desensitization can be a viable alternative. Patients allergic to peanuts, for example, would first receive a dose of 1/50,000th of a peanut. Then, they continue to take higher doses for the next eight months. “At the end of the eight months, they then need to continue to eat that food daily to maintain desensitization,” he says.

“It can be very stressful on parents and on a young patient,” he adds. But Dr. McMahon says it’s worth it – he feels like it’s a better option than avoidance in the long run.

What’s on the horizon for new treatments? Dr. McMahon says he’s developing a new epinephrine device. Companies also recently have introduced skin patches that can be used for desensitizing patients to peanuts. He believes biologic treatments, using immune cells to try to calm down the body’s response to allergens, will soon become available.

Both Danette and Don want to see more protections put in place to make it easier to avoid allergens. More diligence is needed in food labeling and food handling protocols.

“I’d like to see food companies increasing their allergen policies and procedures,” says Danette. She says some progressive companies have information that is available by scanning a code on the label – where it was manufactured, if they process allergens, and what cleaning protocols they follow. “I want to make an educated decision,” she says. “If food manufacturers don’t share information clearly, they don’t just lose one consumer – they lose all five people in my household.”

Don also would like to see clearer allergen information from both restaurants and food manufacturers. He doesn’t like the umbrella labeling of “may contain” because he worries that people may not take that seriously and will assume the allergen isn’t present. “I’d like to see better technology in testing food and surfaces,” he says. “The prep and cooking areas in restaurants should be tested for cross-contamination.”

Dr. McMahon sums up what he tells his patients: “You have to be very diligent. Pay attention to labels and always carry epi devices. With a few deviations, like bringing your own cupcake to a birthday party, you can still live a normal life.”