Mothers of food-allergic kids want more than menus from dietitians

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Tweeted by @FoodAllergyBuzz

"Mothers of food-allergic kids want more than menus from dietitians: study"
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/mothers-food-allergic-kids-emotional-support-study-article-1.2059746

“I think for me the main finding from our results was the varied needs and range of needs that parents have in dealing with food allergies in their child, particularly the need regarding emotional support,” Venter said. “That highlights the fact that dietitians need training to develop these skills or that the role of a psychologist in the Allergy Clinic should not be overlooked.”

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Dr. Pistiner says it best, in my opinion.  The facts need to be taken seriously, incorporated, cooperated with.

I have never found that I need psychological counseling, but legal counsel and documentation from the medical professional that both supports and identifies what strict avoidance requires according to best practices.  It's not keeping a tighter grip on your EpiPens while you throw avoidance out the window to appease the psychology of others applying peer pressure to abandon practices "just once" or "loosen up" for "a little".

As a parent of a child with a nut allergy, Pistiner empathized with parents who have to educate their peers even as they're trying to protect their children. It can be difficult to pass on that responsibility to others, he added.

"I'm trying to teach my mom how to use an EpiPen and read labels, and she's not taking me seriously, and I'm a pediatric allergist," he said. "Imagine if I'm a school teacher, imagine if I'm a stay-at-home mom. Now who's going to take me seriously? It's a really hard position to be in."

Give me a mediating medication and I'm all ready to put the low tech constant vigilance aside necessary for strict avoidance.  Even allergists are in an impossible position when they are on the allergy parent side of the table.  I don't need my mommy emotions managed as I'm sure Dr. Pistiner doesn't need his daddy emotions managed.   We need a clear medical course that is safe, effective and FDA approved.

[CMdeux]

Hear, hear.

Walk a mile in the shoes of a parent who really is just trying to keep a child with a low threshold out of the emergency room on a daily basis.

Get back to moms like me when you've seen how that goes with your "healthy" approach to avoidance that doesn't go "overboard" into "neurotic" behavior.  THEN you will have my attention.  Until then, I'm skeptical that you truly have any idea what "healthy" looks like.  It's all about context.  This isn't a contextually normative situation to start with-- and there's no mitigating that fact.