Peanut allergies make life very scary.
More kids are being diagnosed with this response to nuts and their reactions are more severe than ever. Two million Americans have peanut allergies.
In order to stop this trend, a wearable skin patch has been developed for kids ages 4 to 11 who have the allergy.
The patch “trains the skin’s immune system to tolerate small amounts of peanuts”, rather like the “immunization approach” of feeding babies tiny portions now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
About 80% of kids who used the patch for a year had a mild reaction. Most of the kids were able to eat 10 times the amount of peanut protein after the patch treatment than they were before it.
It’s a treatment to prevent accidental exposure and not a license for you to eat a handful of peanut butter cups. It’s progress.
Ask your pediatrician if your child is a candidate for the peanut patch.
Claudia
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