ARTICLES RELATED TO:
Rheumatology and Allergy

As an infant, I had gross motor delays. I did not sit up until I was a year old or walk until I was two years. I was placed in a developmental preschool in my township in Maple Shade, New Jersey. When I was four years old, the physical therapist through that program felt that I needed a hip X-ray, as she thought I might have hip dysplasia. It was recommended that I be taken to Dr. Bowen at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Bowen diagnosed me with Bilateral Congenital Hip Dysplasia. Because my Hip Dysplasia diagnosis was caught so much later in life (normally diagnosed in infancy), I had to have multiple surgeries, when I was around four and eight years old, to reconstruct my hip sockets. I was in a body cast after each set of surgeries. Later, when I was 14 years old, I developed […]

For parents whose children live with an allergy to peanuts or tree nuts, avoiding the ingredients can become a matter of cautious routine. It’s never easy, but parents grow accustomed to avoiding certain foods and contaminants, watching for symptoms, and carrying the necessary supplies in case of an accidental exposure. But what about friends, friends’ parents, or other family members? It can be hard to give a simple overview of the dangers and limitations that come with a peanut or tree nut allergy – especially when you’re trying to allow your child to live a life that’s as close to normal as possible. Here’s what friends and family members should know about caring for or spending time with a child who has a nut allergy – whether it’s a sleepover, family vacation, or a babysitting gig. It’s a real thing. No matter what your own experiences with peanut or tree nut […]

For over 100 years, allergists have used a method called “immunotherapy” to safely and successfully treat environmental allergies. Unlike medications, which only treat the symptoms of allergic reactions, immunotherapy actually teaches the immune system to become more tolerant of allergens. For allergic nasal and eye symptoms, asthma, and atopic dermatitis (eczema), immunotherapy is very helpful in the form of allergy shots. An oral form of immunotherapy (“oral immunotherapy,” or “OIT”) is available for certain types of allergies, and has been shown to be effective as well. How Does Oral Immunotherapy Work? The goal of oral immunotherapy is to make the immune system less reactive to a food allergen by eating small, gradually increasing amounts of the food over time. Researchers have been working for decades on a way to apply immunotherapy to the treatment of food allergies, with mixed results. However, a recent study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical […]