Hives, swelling of the eyes, mouth, or tongue, sneezing, wheezing, sudden vomiting, a sense of impending doom: these are just a few of the symptoms of an allergic reaction. For over 10 years, Dr. Richard Wasserman’s focus has been on developing a treatment for food allergies called oral immunotherapy (OIT), a method by which a very small amount of an allergen is given to an allergic individual as a way of prompting desensitization. Over time, the amount of allergen is gradually increased until the individual is able to consume a full, meal-sized portion of the allergen. To date, IOT has been used to treat allergies to 20 different foods, including peanuts, cashews, eggs, milk, wheat, chickpeas, and sunflower seeds. In today’s podcast, you will learn:

• Why food allergy testing is often of no value or otherwise misleading
• Risk factors for the development of food allergies
• What exactly is going on when an allergic response occurs
• Why the gradual increase in amount of allergen works to treat allergies and extremely rarely causes an allergic reaction

Dr. Richard Wasserman has a medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed a pediatric residency and fellowship training in bone marrow transplant recovery and immunology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Tune in to hear the full conversation. Learn more about food allergy by visiting  foodallergy.org.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed