Peanut Allergy Patch

Is there a Skin Patch for Peanut Allergies? Wouldn't that be grand. Something like a medicine skin patch for sea sickness. It is not so far fetched as you might think.


The good news is that two French pediatricians have developed a skin patch for peanut allergy.

Dr. Pierre-Henri Benhamou told the Daily Mail: "We envisage that the patch would be worn daily for several years and would slowly reduce the severity of accidental exposure to peanuts. " 'The beauty of the patch is that it is absorbed just under the skin and is taken up by the immune system."

"But because it doesn't go directly into the bloodstream there is no risk of a severe reaction.”

The doctor also stated he and his colleague have already conducted a few safety trials. Their next steps will be to conduct trials to establish the size of the dose needed and the amount of time the patch would need to be worn. Read more at Mail Online

In June 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an application that allowed DBV Technologies, a private French company that specializes in food allergies, to begin conducting clinical trials on a new “Peanut patch” called Viaskin. 
Researchers at National Jewish Health are also testing the peanut patch with hopes that clinical trials will commence.

The peanut patch would work in a similar way to the Oral Immunotherapy treatment (OIT) used to desensitize my son Alexander to his peanut allergy. 
Yes my son is desensitized and doing well.  
His entire treatment journey is explained in detail on my blog Just A Little Peanut.
See my posts "Peanut,Milk, Egg Allergy Treatment Explained" and Peanut Allergic Teen Desensitized to Peanuts:Progress Report. You can follow us on TWITTER http://twitter.com/PeanutBlog

For updates and the latest information can subscribe by Email to this blog- top right section

How does a medicine skin patch work? 
A patch is placed on your skin like a bandaid. The patch contains medicine which is slowly absorbed through the skin. How convenient!

The peanut patch slowly releases minute doses of peanut oil under the skin. The amounts are increased over time to hopefully desensitize the patient the allergy.

Alexander my peanut allergy teen recently used a medicine patch on his knee, prescribed by his phyical therapist.

An increasing number of medicines are now available in the convenient form of a patch. Medicine patches are currently being used to treat the following ailments:
Anti-inflammatories. Pain, Nicotine, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Anti-depressants, Sea Sickness, Alzheimers, Parkinsons (and many more).


If the peanut patch clinical trials prove safe and viable, it is unknown how long it will take before the patch is available for patients. I suspect this type of immunotherapy might be the wave of the future.

Sources:
Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1392034/Doctors-invent-patch-cure-deadly-peanut-allergy.html
Physorg.com http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-peanut-allergy-patch.html

AFRICA Kony Atrocities and Links to Ways You Can HELP THE VICTIMS

This post is a departure from my usual Peanut Treatment topic but I thought it important to allow my readers across the globe (in over 83 countries) to read this post from my other blog- "Salt and Light". Let us all help those in need. 
I share this with you with the hope that something good may result from this post.

Atrocity for 25 years -You Can HELP the Victims of suffering and injustice.
Africa has experienced years of atrocity and tragedy in countries such as Biafra, Congo, Sudan and Rwanda to name but a few. Acts of genocide,tribal warfare, kidnapping, slavery, political violence and injustice have been common in Africa for decades. This is not new information. 

Now is your chance to help. Africa has not been the only place to suffer such horrors but it is the focus of this article.
HELPING the victims is the purpose of this post.

Children and families in Uganda and Central Africa have been terrorized for years by Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). (See the Video below).
The group is responsible for murder,mutilations, massacres, kidnapping of children to serve as soldiers or sex slaves and the displacement of up to 2 million people in Uganda in neighboring areas. Unimaginable crimes. His tactics brutal,using machetes and clubs regularly and forcing children to kill their own families. 

A new video documentary,"Kony 2012",made by Invisible Children,Inc. is part of a campaign raise awareness of Kony and his LRA. It highlights his crimes in an effort to create a public outcry and increase the chances Kony is finally brought to justice. The International Criminal Court has already indicted Kony and LRA leaders for crimes against humanity. 
Kony has not operated in Uganda since 2006 (see below-"Uganda Today"). His LRA has dwindled in size to around 200 according to various reports yet he continues to conduct raids in Congo,Central African Republic and Southern Sudan in order to survive.

The pain and suffering Kony has wrought is real and ongoing. People physically and psycologically devastated. He needs to be brought to justice.

The capture of Kony is another issue. This is a complicated subject.(See "Capture" below) 

YouTube, Twitter and other social media, perfect tools for such a campaign, have already been used to spread the message a wide audience. (Please share this post).

WAYS YOU CAN HELP the Victims 

Please open your heart and help bring healing,love and hope to victims still suffering and those trying to recover from great pain and loss. 
Genesis 1:27 We are all made in the image of God and deserve to be treated with love. 

We sponsor two orphans from Uganda. 
One is a young boy in Gulu,Uganda who was a victim of the LRA. He was abducted to serve as a child soldier. By the grace of God he escaped.Consider Orphan Sponsorship below.

The stories from Uganda are not new to me 
and although my family has supported many of the charities working in Uganda and Central Africa listed below I have not done enough to spread the word. 
Please share this blog post on Facebook and Twitter so your friends may have the opportunity to make a difference.

"and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds"   Hebrews 10:24. "keep on loving each other as brothers" Hebrews 13:1

If you would like to read more posts like this one click here for my Salt and Light blog.  You can "subscribe by Email" box in the upper right corner.

Links to Organizations that HELP 
ALARM,Inc -Donate , What We Do  African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministry -
I highly recommend them. I have met the founder. Their work is life changing.

Empower African Children - Donate I know the founder personally. Their work in Uganda is life changing. We sponsor an Orphan from Uganda that is now studying in the U.S.
They have several initiatives such as Holistic Care for Children

Every Child Ministries  In Africa- offering hope for child slaves, street children and forgotten children. Take time to explore their website. Learn more about their work and numerous projects. 
Click here to Donate to their Uganda project and read more about the child tragedy in Uganda.

Samaritan's Purse - Worldwide. Donate to Uganda PROJECTS scroll on the left to UGANDA
Samaritan's Purse UK
Samaritan's Purse CANADA

Hope International- Micro-finance - Donate Rwanda,Burundi,Congo,DRC and 12 other countries

Hope for Kids International- UK
World Hope CANADA
Hope International Development Agency- CANADA

Invisible Children - donate

Orphan Sponsorship
Compassion International- Sponsor a Child
Every Child Ministries- sponsor an orphan in Uganda - Sponsor an orphan in Uganda or other vulnerable child

World Vision -sponsor a child in Uganda. We sponsor 2 orphans (Zambia & Uganda). Fantastic organization!
World Vision UK- 
World Vision CANADA
World Vision AUSTRALIA
World Vision GERMANY

I applaud the tireless work of the 3 American videographers of Invisible Children. 
Visit the website. They have a passion for this cause. 
Compassion and love is evident
CAPTURE

Four LRA-affected countries are involved in the "hunt" to capture Kony and his men. The effort includes the Ugandan army which does have a record of human rights abuses. In October of 2011 the  U.S. sent 100 soldiers to help in the effort. 

If you are considering a donation to Invisible Children you may want to do your own internet research on this entire topic. Click here for their financial statements. There will be opinions on all sides. 

Where is Kony now?  He is operating mainly in DRC,Central African Republic and Southern Sudan. According the LRA Crisis tracker in the past month the LRA has abducted 42 people and killed 2 people. Kony and his men may operate in small groups but their effect is still devastating. 

What if one of those kidnapped was your child.

UGANDA TODAY

Joseph Kony no longer operates in Uganda. His long running and brutal attempt to overthrow the Ugandan government failed. Northern Uganda has been free of Kony's violence since 2006. Gulu, once the center of the LRA activities, has not seen the rebels since that time. 

It is now a peaceful area. The region and its people are getting back to a more normal way of life and healing is slowly happening. Many Christian and humanitarian groups work in all the areas affected including surrounding countries. 

Uganda has suffered so much. Remember their former dictator Idi Amin? (read here)

Isaiah 1:17 

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed; defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow" 

Proverbs 24:11-12  

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?"

(note- Southern Sudan,a new country in July 2011, has a refugee crisis and ongoing violence unrelated to Kony and is facing possible food shortages according the U.N -Feb 2012) 

Peanut Allergic Teen Desensitized to Peanuts: Progress Report 9 Months Later

My son Alexander was desensitized to peanuts on April 12,2011. Today marks 9 months since this momentous occasion. What has happened during the last 9 months??
First let me provide a little background.
Alexander was diagnosed at 22 months old with an allergy to peanuts. He is now 16 years old.

When he tested positive for a peanut allergy I was aware that this allergy could be dangerous.
I was very surprised to be told there was no cure or allergy shot or any protocol to eliminate or reduce his allergy to peanut.
We were told to strictly avoid peanuts.
The doctor said that was "all we could do." This was hard to believe in this age of modern medicine.

So.... we avoided peanuts, peanut dust, peanut contaminate snacks, certain types of restaurants etc.
 
I read every food label and asked every restaurant if they had peanuts in "x" dish.
In those days, restaurants and fast food places did not care. There we no allergen statements on menus. They did not pay attention to cross-contamination. Schools were unconcerned and unprepared.
Perhaps someday I will write a post about it.

In order to protect my son, I prepared and sent "special snacks" to school and provided non-peanut snacks to the class on our snack days or birthdays. In addition Alexander was not allowed to eat any cookies or desserts served on a tray which meant parties, school events etc.

Not to mention the series of precautions and steps necessary for Alexander to fly on commercial airlines especially SW Airlines. For these of you with a peanut allergy, you know the drill!

All these efforts were successful. Alexander never had an allergic reaction or scare, even though he tested off the blood chart for his peanut allergy.
You may want to check out my post "Peanut and Food Allergy TESTING Results for Alexander Over the Years"
We never had to use an EpiPen!

By God's grace we learned of a program to desensitize my son to peanuts.

Thankfully this new and revolutionary treatment was offered in our hometown (and only 10 minutes from our house).

Click here to read my blog for all the details. You will find posts describing every aspect of Alexander's treatment by Dr. Wasserman and his fantastic staff.
Be sure to check out the "Helpful Links" on the right side of my blog.

Now 9 months after completing the treatment program and becoming officially desensitized to peanuts, I am happy to report Alexander has never had an allergic reaction to peanuts.
In fact he never had a reaction during the treatment program.
Alexander eats a "maintenance dose" of 8 peanuts every day, which I hope he continues as he gets older and makes his own decisions. 

Alexander loathes eating the peanuts but for the most part sticks to the rules thus far.
The taste of peanuts makes him want to choke.
He recently asked me "Mom what food do you truly hate and cannot choke down ever?"
My answer was asparagus.
Then he said "Imagine having to eat asparagus every night. Now you know what I have to go through"

I still remind him to takes his peanuts and then I rely on him to eat his maintenance dose.
He has missed doses.
Sometimes Alexander just does not want to choke them down!

Peanut Sniffing DOGS Detects DANGER for the Peanut Allergic

Peanut sniffing dogs help people with peanut allergies. Yes it is true.
What is a "peanut sniffing dog"? How does a dog help someone with a peanut allergy?
Specially trained dogs are now being used to detect trace amounts of peanuts and other life-threatening allergens.

Sherry Mers whose daughter has a severe peanut allergy started a non-profit foundation, Angel Service Dogs Inc, as a ministry so children with 
"hidden disabilities" such as severe allergies and seizures can afford specially trained dogs or animals to help them. These dogs are expensive.

According to their Website, "Angel Service Dogs, Inc., a 501-C-3, is devoted to placing Allergy Alert Dogs, specially trained 
for peanut, tree nut, and allergen detection, with individuals and families who are inhibited by life-threatening allergies."

Training a peanut allergy dog to detect peanuts is similar to the training a drug sniffing dog receives.
In reviewing their website- here is what I found out.
Allergy Alert Service Dogs are trained to detect a specific set of allergens and to alert their handler of the presence of those allergens.
Angel Service Dogs states that their dogs can protect against contact or ingestion of these life-threatening allergens. 

Their dogs are trained by Master Scent trainers. These trainers have decades of experience working with scent dogs and working specifically with Allergy Alert dogs.

Dogs are carefully selected for the Allergy Alert dog program.

I found it interesting to learn which breed of dogs are used in the program.  They include Australian Labradoodles, Portuguese Water Dogs and other allergy friendly breeds. 

Click here to visit their website. For information on another breeder of Peanut Detector Dogs click Peanut Dogs

What a wonderful idea! 

In my research I also found a story about a black Labrador Retriever trained to sniff out the most miniscule traces of peanut -- she can even tell whether a chicken nugget has been fried in peanut oil.
I find that truly amazing! As a fairly experienced cook I don't think I could detect exactly what type of oil was used to fry chicken. Seriously!


The dog sniffs down everything and everyone that his owner may come into contact with letting he and his Mom know where it's safe to go or alerting them when peanut traces have been found. 
Watch this video.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Last but not least take a look at the video below for an MSNBC story on Peanut sniffing dogs. 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Thanks to these specially trained dogs (trained by Angel Service Dogs and other breeders) 

and their unique ability to detect traces of food allergens such as peanuts and tree nuts, the allergic children and adults they service can be safe to live a more normal life.

Angel Service Dog's company slogan sums it up- "life is better with someone watching over you".

Of course in this case that "someone" is a specially trained 4-legged friend.

I hope this story is helpful to you. Please share this story on Facebook or directly with friends you know who have the hidden disability of an Anaphylactic peanut or food allergy.

PEANUT ALLERGY TREATMENT - INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM with WORLDWIDE INTEREST

Peanut allergies and food allergies are an International concern. They know no borders. 
It's one world  where the effects of living with food allergies cross all boundaries. 
Food allergic individuals and parents of food allergic kids worldwide are desperately seeking help for their children or themselves. 
For more information read my post "Peanut and Food Allergies". 


Since launching my blog last year I have been surprised by the International composition of my audience and their ability to find to my rather obscure blog.
As of today this blog has received visitors from over 67 countries which are listed at the end of this post.
The international scope of interest in peanut allergy and food allergy problems is evidenced by the diverse audience that has read this blog. 

Although I have not fully kept track of every visitor's country,the geographic dispersion of the audience is fascinating.

The audience is from 6 Continents and such diverse cultures as Greenland, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Nepal, Nigeria, New Zealand and Qatar. It is an intriguing list.

Thus far the majority of my posts have been about the dreaded peanut allergy. 
Why?  The answer is simple. 
My son Alexander is undergoing treatment for his life-threatening allergy to peanuts.
The new treatment is cutting-edge and very successful thus far. 
Currently Alexander is in the "maintenance phase" of treatment. He is officially "desensitized" to peanuts. 
Alexander ingests 8 peanuts per day (unless he forgets- scary but true). Thus far there are been no reactions or complications. 
Explore my blog to read the entire story. 
It is truly an amazing experience to see my son eat peanuts. Due to the life-threatening nature of his allergy we are used to altering our lives to strictly avoid peanuts. 
Stories abound about the lifestyle changes that must occur in order to survive life with a dangerous food allergy.

So I write this blog to help others with peanut and food allergies and to spread the good news that real treatment is finally available for Peanut, Milk, Egg and Wheat allergies. Click here for more information. 

Yes, access to treatment is currently limited unless people have the determination, time and resources to travel to the few places offering a treatment program or clinical trial. 

Research is ongoing and there are new treatments on the horizon for peanut allergies. Subscribe my email to be notified of future posts.

67 Countries - as of 10/24/11
United States  
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Brazil
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Greenland   (57,564 pop.)
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Japan
Kuwait
Latvia
Lithuania  (newest country on the list)
Malaysia
Mexico
Moldova 
Mozambique
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Pakistan
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Quatar
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Ukraine
Uruguay
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Vietnam


TOP 10 COUNTRIES- (in order of highest number of page views) are:
United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Romania, India, Phillippines, Germany, New Zealand and France

Wisdom - Part 1

Wisdom is precious and not easily obtained. I have found true wisdom to be a rare commodity. For me, the source of wisdom that is worth pursuing comes from God. 

In the Bible, the purpose of the book of Proverbs is for "gaining wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight; receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair."
That is the kind of wisdom I desire. 

Below I have shared a passage worth reflecting upon. It is worth your your time. 

Moral Benefits of Wisdom - Proverbs 2:1-22 

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, 
[2] turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, 

[3]  and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 

[4]  and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 

[5]  then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

[6]  For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

[7]  He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 
[8] for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   [9]  Then you will understand what is right and just and fair---every good path.                               

[10]  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

[11]  Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. 

[12]  Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are commodity

[13]  who leave the straight paths to walk in dark ways,

[14]  who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
[15] whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.
[16] It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words,
[17] who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.
 [18] For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. 

[19]  None who go to her return or attain the paths of life. 

[20]  Thus you will walk in the ways of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous.

[21]  For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
[22]  but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Do you seek God's wisdom? or the wisdom of the world from your friends, family,
colleagues and acquaintances. 
Or perhaps from the internet or from sound bites and snippets from various sources?

I used to and if I am not careful,  I will seek wisdom from other sources before I seek what God has to say and reveal to me. 

What source is totally reliable and best for you? The wisdom of the world or the wisdom of God. 

You get to choose which path you will take. 

You can find God's wisdom and truth in the Bible. Have you read it?

Resources: How To Recieve Eternal Salvation

Click here to look at an Online Parallel BIBLE

Peanut Allergic Teen Officially DESENSITIZED to PEANUTS

On April 12,2011 my son Alexander, who is deathly allergic to peanuts, was officially declared "DESENSITIZED". 


The term sounds like a condition out of a science fiction movie void of feeling and sterile. 
It actually befits our situation as Alexander experienced No Reaction to the ingestion of peanuts during the entire OIT process.


So you may ask "how did we achieve this?" Dr. Wasserman and his staff, especially Angela Galucci,P.A. are the medical heroes making history with their Oral Immunotherapy program.
Our part was being a willing and dedicated participant in the Dallas Allergy Immunology oral immunotherapy program (OIT) for peanuts.


It is important to note that Dr.Wasserman also offers OIT for milk, wheat and egg allergies.
It is surprising the talk to other patients and discover that many peanut allergic people are also allergic to one or more of these other food allergies.


Alexander was not only brave to agree to ingest peanuts to which he is deathly allergic 
(you should read his testing results in a previous post)
but he followed all the rules and requirements with little complaint other than cringing at the mere thought of having to take his distasteful dose.
Yes he also mastered the art of delay when it came to taking his dose. I've heard many funny stories from other patients whose children have taken the slow-playing of dose taking to a new creative high.


As for our journey since April 12th with Alexander's " maintenance dose" of peanuts, I will write a future post on his progress.


I want to thank Dr.Wasserman and his staff for all of their encouragement, candor and support. 


This program is a real breakthrough for everyone who suffers from the dreaded peanut allergy.
I implore you to investigate this program for yourself.  
Read past posts and comments and do your own research. 
Helpful links are on the right side of my blog.


As an expression of our joy and excitement for becoming "desensitized to peanuts" we want to express our prayerful thanks to God our Father for his many blessings 
and
as we say in Texas "yeehaw".

Peanut Allergic TEEN to EAT 24 PEANUTS all at once - Big Day!

Today is the "BIG DAY" in our peanut allergy oral desensitization treatment.
There have been many such "vital days" and milestones along the ways.


Click on the names of the following posts to read them. There are many more.....
Peanut Allergy Treatment Day 1
Shucking Peanuts for Alexander's Big Day
Peanut Allergic Teenager Eat First Peanut

Yesterday I dutifully drove to Sprouts Grocery store to pick up a bag of "In-Shell RAW Peanuts" as our peanut supply was dwindling.  I arrived home and began my shelling regimen. These peanut smelled pretty good. 
The brown paper skins were easy to remove from the peanuts. This had not been the case before. Hmmmm?  I checked the package. UGH!
To my unhappy surprise I had purchased "Roasted" in-shell peanuts. 


The last bag of peanuts was "Raw" in-shell peanut but these had been the bane of Alexander's existence the past few weeks because the skins really stuck to these peanuts. 
The time it took Alexander to "ingest each dose",which was already painfully slow, doubled.  
I did not know why until I saw him laboring to remove the skins. 
He asked for more peanuts so I was happy to oblige. I had purchased the raw peanuts at another store so I decided I'd just return to the first place I purchased them. I thought "perhaps there is a difference in brands".

When I discovered I had purchased the wrong peanuts I sent an email Angela Galucci 
at Dr. Wasserman's office. It has been my understanding that roasting changes the peanut protein content slightly. Somehow I was wrong.
Here was her response- "Roasted peanuts are fine. They taste much better and are absolutely fine to dose with.  In fact, we usually recommend the roasted peanuts.  Maybe Alexander will like the taste a little better!"
Okie dokie! Problem solved.


Today Alexander will go to Dr. Wasserman's office for a "peanut challenge".
He will eat 24 Peanuts all at once. 
That is pretty amazing. 
A peanut allergic kid eating 24 peanuts at one sitting. 


This is the end of what I call Phase 1 of our peanut de-sensitization treatment.
The peanut oral desensitization treatment has been a HUGE SUCCESS for my son.
He has experienced NO allergic reactions.
Please pray for today to be another success.


More later....
If this blog has helped you in any way I would love for you to post a Comment below. 
It would be encouraging to us and to others. We have an international audience.
People from 48 countries are reading this blog.  And the list is growing.


Thank you for following Alexander's journey thus far.