The Itch: Allergies, Asthma, Eczema & Immunology

#14 - Interview with Shahla: how cooking has empowered her family with their allergy diagnosis

How does a mom turn a food allergy diagnosis around to help empower herself and her children?

 

A new food allergy diagnosis can be overwhelming as a parent, but there is a lot of good that can come out of it. Many food allergy moms have turned a food allergy diagnosis into a new cooking passion, helping them make the transition from diagnosis to life much more manageable and empowering.

 

We talk to Shahla from My Berkley Kitchen about her journey with her daughter's diagnosis and the changes she made as a response.

 

What we cover in this episode:

•  Shahla's journey into becoming an allergy mom and fabulous cook

• Why you don't want to restrict your diet if you don't have to and how to work with your allergist to expand your diet

• When and how to try new foods

• How to navigate foods that are 'cross-reactive' to your allergens

• How to empower yourself and your kids in the kitchen by teaching them to cook and recreating foods that you can't have out at home

• How to make food fun and take away any fear that food could bring 

• Tips on eating out: allergy cards and why to call ahead

Supporting information: https://www.itchpodcast.com/post/episode-14

#13 - Asthma Part 4: Asthma Medications - Inhalers, Nebulizers & Montelukast

Do you know why mental health history is essential when deciding your controller medication?

 

Dr G shares her top tips on using inhalers and when it is appropriate to use a nebulizer. She also explains the side effects of certain controller medications and why doctors need to know more about you as a patient (even your mental health) when prescribing a controller medication. The decision of going on medication should be made with you in mind. 

 

What we cover in this episode:

• Inhaler tips: know that there are different brand names for the same medicine, using a spacer, how to remember to take your controller
• The side effects of inhalers
• What are nebulizers and when are they used (at home and the ER)
• Montelukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist. When it is prescribed and the side effects. 
• Why you want to disclose your mental health history with your allergist when decided what medication to go on. 

 

Supporting information and a graphic of all asthma medications: https://www.itchpodcast.com/post/episode-13

#12 - Asthma Part 3: Asthma Medications - Inhalers

Did you know asthma medication encompasses more than just inhalers?

 

Asthma medications are a massive topic to cover! We will be covering them all in three episodes. The first part we discuss the types of inhaled medications, both for quick relief and controllers. Dr G breaks down how the medicines work in the body and why it is essential to know the function of each type of inhaler.

 

We also cover what medication you would be prescribed and how you would introduce it using step therapy.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• Types of inhaled asthma medication: Inhalers: short-acting beta 2 agonist (SABA), long-acting beta 2 agonist (LABA), inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), combination LABA/ICS, and anticholinergic inhalers (tiotropium bromide)
•  How allergy shots can help with allergic asthma 
• How asthma medication work - are they receptor agonists or an antagonists
• Step therapy

Supporting information: https://www.itchpodcast.com/post/episode-12

#11 - Interview with Joey Salmingo: founder of FATE

What do you do when a family member passes away from an anaphylactic reaction?

 

Kortney interviews Joey Salmingo, the founder of FATE. Joey founded FATE after his sister Joanna passed away from eating a mochi ball made with cashew milk. Joey is making it his mission to advocate and educate on behalf of people with food allergies as he never wants another family to experience experience what he and his family had to go through in August 2018.

 

They talk about what drove Joey to start the initiative, how he spreads awareness and education through the FATE forums, and why we need to get the message out.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• The reason Joey started FATE
• What FATE does to educate those with food allergies 
• The importance of educating people who do NOT have food allergies
• Why education for restaurants, schools, the airline industry, and even paramedics is important for people with food allergies to remain safe
• Why restaurants need to hear about personal stories about how allergies impact people to understand why they need to take allergies seriously
• Why the use of Epinephrine needs to be a part of basic first aid
• What Joey is up to besides working on FATE

Supporting info: www.itchpodcast.com/blog/episode-11

#10 - Asthma Part 2 - The classification of severity & types of asthma

What are the different levels of severity and types of asthma?

 

Asthma is not a one size fits all diagnosis. The advances in medicine have given doctors the ability to pinpoint a patient's asthma severity level and the type of asthma they have. Knowing the severity level of a patient's asthma and what type or types they have is critical in finding the best treatment possible.

 

In part two of the three-part series on asthma, Dr G outlines the different classifications of asthma severity by going over all the aspects a doctor looks at when making a diagnosis. She also reviews the types of asthma.

 

Kortney chimes in with her real-life experiences of living with uncontrolled asthma, and how she worked to get it back on track with controller medication.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• What is uncontrolled asthma and why is it dangerous
• The classification of asthma severity: mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent, severe persistent
• The types of asthma: allergic asthma, non allergic asthma, eosinophilic asthma, exercise induced asthma, cold induced asthma, cough variant asthma, occupational asthma
• Nighttime symptoms of asthma
• Thunderstorm's impact on asthma

Supporting info: www.itchpodcast.com/blog/episode-10

#9 - Chat with Emma Amoscato - how to vet information about allergies & asthma

How do you decide what online information about allergies and asthma to trust?

 

There is only so much a doctor can cover in an appointment, which means the vast majority of patients do lots of research on their own. Not only do patients want to know about the medical side of their new diagnosis, but they also want to know how it will impact their lives. With social media and forums, it is easy to find those everyday life answers, but not all information is correct or helpful.

 

Kortney and Dr G chat with Emma Amoscato the author of the book Living with Allergies: Practical Tips for All the Family to discuss how people living with allergies and asthma can vet the information they find online. They also talk about how to build a trusted community both online and off, why Kortney and Emma started their blogs and what role doctors have in helping patients navigate the online sphere from pseudo-science websites to Instagram.

 

What we cover in this episode:

•  How to determine whether a source is legitimate and what things to look out for when choosing your source of information

•  How to navigate social media

•  How to build a trustworthy online and offline community that is informed and provides a safe space for mental health: forums, meet-ups, and Facebook groups 

•  Briefly discuss Emma's new book, touch upon gut biome, why the increase of food allergies, and feeling guilty about your child's allergies

•  Anxiety with allergies and asthma: when to experience it and when information can be helpful or harmful

 

Supporting info: www.itchpodcast.com/blog/episode-9

#8 - Interview with Dr Alex Thomas: using comics help educate patients about asthma

The power of learning about asthma through comics! Kaboom! Pow! Inhale!

 

Dr Alex Thomas doesn't think educating patients about their conditions needs to be boring, instead, he thinks it should be an adventure! Dr Thomas talks to Dr G and Kortney about how he uses comics to help his patients understand their asthma and what tools doctors can learn to become better communicators.

 

Dr Thomas is a paediatric allergist and immunologist, and cartoonist. He is a co-founder of Booster Shot Media, a company that uses diverse forms of media to help teach patients about different health conditions.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• Dr Alex Thomas's journey into creating comics about asthma and how he started his company, Booster Shot Media
• How Dr Thomas works with medical students using comics to learn how to use different communication methods with patients
• The methods doctors learn and practice to better educate their patients

Supporting information: www.itchpodcast.com/blog/episode-8

#7 - Asthma Part 1 - What is asthma & how is asthma diagnosed?

How is asthma diagnosed?

 

Similar to many of the atopic diseases, asthma is not black and white. When it comes to diagnosing asthma, there are many factors including history, allergies, biology, and tests that are performed by your doctor (allergist, pulmonologist or primary care doctor).

 

Asthma is a massive topic, and we can't cover in it one episode, let alone take a deep dive. We will be breaking down asthma into three episodes covering all the essential aspects you need to know.

 

In the first part of our three-part series, we outline the symptoms and triggers of asthma as well as the tests that doctors perform to diagnose asthma. Dr G and Kortney also talk about differentiating an asthma attack and allergic reaction.

 

Part 2 of the series will be about the types of asthma and severity. Part 3 will cover the treatments available for asthma and what goes into an asthma action plan.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• Dr G and Kortney briefly discuss their time advocating for patients with asthma and allergies on Capitol Hill
• The anatomy of the lungs
• Define asthma and outline its symptoms and triggers
• How doctors diagnose asthma
• The tests used to diagnose asthma
• How an asthma attack can mask an allergic reaction

Supporting info: www.itchpodcast.com/blog/episode-7

#6 - Interview with Meg from Allergy Awesomeness: her allergy mom journey with EOE

Managing life with 2 multiple allergy kids and EOE

 

Dr G and Kortney talk to Megan Egbert Lavin the blogger behind Allergy Awesomeness and author of An Allergy Mom's Lifesaving Instant Pot Cookbook.

 

Meg opens up about her journey as someone who knew nothing about allergies to having two sons with multiple allergies. On top of the food allergies, Meg's oldest son was diagnosed with EOE before the age of two. She also shares how she works with her husband to manage allergies in the home and how you can get your partner to take a more active role as a caregiver.

 

Not sure what EOE is? No worries, Dr G breaks it down.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• Meg's journey from her son's first reaction to yoghurt to his EOE diagnosis
• How to engage your partner when managing food allergies.
• Whether to keep an allergy-free house or not
• Cooking for multiple food allergies
• What is EOE (Eosinophilic esophagitis)

Supporting info: www.itchpodcast.com/blog/episode-6

#5 - The types of allergy testing & why they can be so hard to interpret -- TUNE INTO Ep. 97 FOR UPDATED CONTENT

TUNE INTO Ep. 97 FOR UPDATED CONTENT

 

Figuring out the art of allergy testing.

 

Allergy testing can feel overwhelming, scary, and not always black and white. Like most things that pertain to allergies, both food and environment, the answer is not always a straight path. So what do you need to know about allergy testing?

 

Dr G explains the types of allergy testing you can expect to undergo at the allergist office (skin prick, blood test and oral challenge). She also describes how an allergist uses the data from tests and patient history to help deduct what the allergen may be. Kortney chimes in with her own experience, since she has experienced it all from passing an oral challenge, to failing one, and many false negatives.

 

What we cover in this episode:

• Types of allergy testing: skin prick, blood test, and oral challenge
• Explain why allergy tests are a challenge to interpret
• Why it is important to know what a false positive and false negative are in regards to allergy testing
• The importance of patient history when it comes to interpreting allergy tests
• The mind-body connection when undergoing an oral challenge
• What happens in a double-blind oral challenge

Supporting info: www.itchpodcast.com/blog/episode-5