As a former program director for a UT system afterschool program with a focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math), our owner is always following the latest in scientific achievements, and sometimes those crossover with the interests of parents. One of the purposes of the blog is to share information that we believe is important for you, so from time to time we will post about different elements of STEAM. Today’s blog post is about food allergies.
Most schools have restrictions on foods that your children can bring, specifically due to the possibility that another child could have a dangerous allergic reaction. No one wants a child to have to take a trip to the emergency room for something avoidable. This means peanut butter sandwiches and having nuts in their lunches in general are things that typically are not allowed.
But the world of medicine is every changing. We have medications on the market for one problem that over time we find solve a different problem. One drug with newfound potential is Xolair, which was originally developed for treating asthma. The drug is still being studied, and they are moving towards larger clinical trials, but numerous smaller studies show the drug could possibly have a protective use against multiple food allergies.
For more information, we have two links for you:
Press Release from the National Institute of Health
While this is still being studied, it is exciting to think that one day, children might not get sick by simply coming into contact with peanuts or shellfish at school.