The need for a book on treating food allergies

In the Fall of 2012, and following our first terrifying case of anaphylaxis, I brought my 2-year-old daughter to see her new allergist. I was nervous, but also full of hope. It was a scary diagnosis - my daughter could have her throat swell closed from eating certain foods, and possibly even die - but I was sure that the allergist would help us find a solution. I was also hopeful that perhaps it was just a temporary thing, and she would quickly outgrow her allergies and we could all go back to living normal lives. I was confident that a good doctor with knowledge of modern medicine would provide the answer.

Our new allergist was warm, caring, and full of information. He prescribed an Epi Pen, and made sure we understood how and when to use it. He made sure we knew how to avoid her allergens, and how careful we needed to be at parties, potlucks, and when eating out. As I gradually realized that he wasn't telling us how to cure her allergy, but rather how to manage it, I asked in desperation if there was anything we could do to get rid of the allergies. He said that we could hope that she might outgrow her allergies - and that some kids do. I asked about books to read, and he gave me a few recommendations. All of them were focused on how to face the challenges of managing a life-threatening allergy.

As much as I liked our allergist, not once did he mention that only 10% of kids with a severe tree nut allergy ever outgrow the allergy, and that for kids with multiple severe allergies (like my daughter) it is even less likely. Nor did he mention that there is actually a much greater chance of the allergy becoming more severe as she got older. Not once did he mention that other allergists in the area, including an old buddy of his from medical school, are now using advanced medical treatments to reverse allergies – to take kids to the point where they can free eat their allergens and live normal lives.

Now, 5 years later and just 2 years after seeking a second opinion, we have completed treatment for all of my daughter's allergens. She can freely eat any of the 13 foods to which she was previously anaphylactic, including peanuts, tree nuts, buckwheat, and fish. Other parents, hearing about our story are reaching out, wanting to know how they can learn more about the treatment options we pursued. I am always happy to talk to other parents and share our experience, but I find it shocking that there is no reliable reference that they can turn to for more detailed information.

This book is what I wished I had had at that first allergists visit. It is a guide for parents, not on how to manage a severe allergy, but how to use modern medicine to cure the allergies so that your kid can live a normal life.

Dr. Sanjeev Jain, MD PhD has treated the anaphylactic food allergies of hundreds of patients, including both my kids. My daughter's younger brother had even more severe allergies than his sister, and his trip to the emergency room for anaphylaxis at age 11 months was the triggering event that pushed us to seek a second opinion on treatment. Dr. Jain has changed our lives, and the lives of the many other patients who can now freely eat the foods to which they were previously anaphylactic. When I told Dr. Jain about the idea of writing a guide for parents on food allergy treatment, he immediately agreed that such a guide is desperately needed, and said he would happily co-author the book.

This book is primarily written by me, a parent, for other parents. But the science and the medical advice is all that of Dr. Sanjeev Jain, MD PhD, one of the most sought after food-allergy treatment doctors in the United States.

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