Just after my father's funeral years ago, I had to stop back at the funeral home to handle some sort of business, and the place was packed that afternoon for the viewing of a high school senior who had died eating a cookie at a Christmas party. The cookie had peanut butter in it, although it looked like another type of cookie, so he felt safe in eating it...
I am sure that everyone knows this sort of peanut-allergy story. It's a tragic situation, but it looks like there might be hope on the proverbial horizon.
The US Food and Drug Administration has okayed the use of the drug known as Xolair, an injectable drug for treating asthma, for people who live with dangerous food allergies.
Doctors at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, here in Baltimore, says Xolair counteracts the body’s natural response to allergens. It's been used since 2003 for people with asthma, hives, and nasal polyps.
The doctors add that this will not give people with peanut allergies the ability to start enjoying those goober peas, but it will alleviate the most serious effects. In other words, people allergic to nuts, milk, eggs, or what-have-you will still need to avoid those foods, but regular injections of Xolair will make accidental exposure less lethal, and that's a big plus.
As always, trust in science.
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