With the onset of fall and winter season, my clinic in the Bronx braces for a flood of worried parents. A toddler coming in with itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose becomes a far too common sight. Parents share of their battles against poorly ventilated apartments, mould and cockroach infestations, housing insecurities; adding to this, the threat of RSV, flu, and COVID-19 exposures in day care and school causes …
As the holiday season approaches, many people look forward to gatherings, travel, and celebrations centered around food. For those living with food allergies, however, this time of year brings a different reality. It means navigating crowded parties where allergens are everywhere, traveling on airlines that may or may not honor allergy precautions, and repeatedly encountering people who still do not fully believe that food allergy is real or life-threatening. The …
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Food allergy advocate Lianne Mandelbaum discusses her article “Why Hollywood’s allergy jokes are dangerous.” As the mother of a child with a life-threatening food allergy, Lianne shares her personal trauma and outrage …
For twenty years I have been the mother of a child with a life-threatening food allergy. I know what it is to watch my son’s throat close, to see terror in his eyes, to hear him beg not to die. It felt like time slowed down as we waited for epinephrine to work. Those moments are seared into me. They are not, and never will be, a joke.
That is why …
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Leading food allergy advocate Lianne Mandelbaum discusses her article, “What one diagnosis can change: the movement to make dining safer.” She explains how for millions of people living with food allergies, dining …
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Patient advocate Lianne Mandelbaum discusses her article, “What Avarie’s death in Rome teaches us about the gaps in food allergy education.” Lianne reflects on the tragic death of Avarie, a young American …
Some people eat to live, but most of us live to eat. Meals are more than sustenance; they are how we celebrate milestones, connect with loved ones, and mark the passage of time. But for people living with food allergies, dining out can feel less like a joy and more like an exercise in survival.
Trust becomes the most important ingredient on the plate. Trust that an unfamiliar chef has taken …
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Physical therapist and food allergy advocate Lianne Mandelbaum discusses her article, “Flying with food allergies: Combating misconceptions and advocating for safety.” Sharing harrowing personal experiences with dismissive airline staff that ignited her …
I’ve just returned from the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Conference in Michigan, an inspiring confluence of advocacy, research, and business, all focused on one shared mission: Improving the lives of those living with food allergies. I’ve been attending food allergy research forums around the world for over a decade, and I can honestly say the momentum and possibilities in this field have never been more exciting. We’re entering an …
A personal discovery
“I used to have respiratory allergies back home, but since I moved to Málaga, they didn’t bother me anymore,” a patient answered to the usual question, “Do you have any allergies?” during a checkup in my occupational medicine practice. He was from India, and he had moved to Málaga two years before our talk. He was the fourth patient within a month telling me the same story (before …
Why do so many people share their harrowing airline experiences with me yet never document them or file complaints?
Some say they do not want to relive the trauma. Others feel embarrassed for having been ridiculed, either themselves or in front of their child. Many simply want to move on because, thankfully, nothing catastrophic happened.
But silence does not equate to safety.
If I …
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Lianne Mandelbaum, a leading advocate for airline safety measures to protect food-allergic passengers, discusses the article, “Navigating the uncertainty of food allergies in air travel: a call for compassion and change.” In …
Food allergies are a serious, life-threatening medical condition that remains widely misunderstood. For millions of travelers with food allergies, navigating airline policies is an unpredictable challenge, where inconsistent accommodations and societal skepticism create unnecessary risks.
Those living with food allergies must often navigate a world that does not always recognize the severity of their condition. Although we teach those with food allergies how to live in a world with …
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I went to the emergency room 16 times for allergies and asthma as a college freshman. Each time I was given a prescription for an EpiPen, an auto-injector pen that administers a dose of epinephrine, used for the emergency care of an acute allergic reaction.
I was told to figure out what I was allergic to. I tried very hard but couldn’t. All my life, I have had hives, eczema, asthma, …
My daughter Amelia’s first bottle of formula was a turning point. The innocent act triggered a terrifying anaphylaxis that catapulted us into a world of food allergies. As a young mother, the diagnosis was a gut-wrenching blow. Every food label became a riddle to decipher, and every social event a logistical nightmare, as we didn’t want our daughter to grow up facing the social exclusion, bullying, and isolation that all …
Almost 1 in 3 U.S. adults and more than 1 in 4 U.S. children reported having a seasonal allergy, eczema, or food allergy in 2021. That’s more than 100 million people and rates are rising. While many people experience relatively mild symptoms, for others, living with an allergy can be debilitating, with symptoms being severe and, in the worst cases, even fatal.
Therefore, it is essential to ensure …
As an allergy, immunology, and autoimmune disease specialist, I frequently see patients whose stories are a harsh indictment of our medical system. They’ve been dismissed, misdiagnosed, and forced to navigate a maze designed for quick fixes, not the complexities they endure. These unseen patients fight multi-system illnesses that defy textbooks. Their journeys highlight just how broken our approach to chronic disease truly is.
Playing “medical hot potato,” they bounce between specialists …
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Join Kara Wada, an adult and pediatric allergy and immunology physician. We’ll delve into the world of allergy treatments, exploring the challenges faced by millions dealing with seasonal and year-round allergies. From traditional methods like …
As winter chill thaws and the spring flowers begin to bloom, many of us find ourselves grappling with the unwelcome return of sneezing, itching, and congestion that signals spring allergy season. This year, like nearly every in the last decade, seems to have arrived earlier—a trend that’s becoming increasingly common. As a physician specializing in allergy and immunology, I’ve observed firsthand the impact of climate change and air pollution on …
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