"Everyone's Gone Nuts"

Meredith Broussard wrote an article in this months Harper’s Magazine about food allergies as an exaggerated threat.

You can check out the article through the site CanadianParents.com [Page 1 -- Page 2] or listen to her talk to Leonard Lopate on WNYC.org.

I was distressed by the article and confused by her statements. So I asked a colleague, pediatric allergist Dr. Mike Pistiner, to help me sort through her assertions.

You can find the Q&A on MyAllergyNetwork.com.

I’d love to hear what you all think though.

Comments

ByTheBay said…
I read the article a month or two ago when it first came out, and showed it to my GF who has a life-threatening shellfish allergy. We were both disgusted with it and found many questionable statements, lots of bias, and some less than professional language. I had been hoping that someone would publish a rebuttal, and the collaboration between you and the allergist you interviewed is just perfect. Keep up the awesome work.
Allergic Girl® said…
THANK YOU GFbytheBay!
Katherine said…
I read your rebuttal before stopping by your site today. Thanks so much for your continuing efforts. You probably already know that Dr. Sampson from FAAN's medical advisory board will be appearing on the Lopate Show on WNYC to refute her appearance on same - According to the website: "On Thurs., Jan. 31 at 12:40, we're doing a follow-up segment addressing listeners' concerns about Ms. Broussard's
interview about food allergies. Leonard will speak with Dr. Hugh Sampson of Mt. Sinai School of Medicine; he's Chief of Pediatric Allergy & Immunology and Director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute."
Allergic Girl® said…
yes but THANK YOU for posting the info about Sampson's rebuttal on WNYC.org for others.
Meg said…
Articles like this seem to pop up regularly and they make me crazy. The implication, as often as not, tends to be that some people have such a need for drama that they MAKE themselves (or their children) allergic to something, or pretend to be. You had an incredibly constructive response to it. I think I would have just screeched angrily.

To an extent, the media is guilty in promoting pieces like this. Articles of this kind have a dramatic, yellow press-like quality that grabs attention in a way that a measured discussion of allergies just doesn't seem to.

I've been reading your blog for a while (we made the unpleasant discovery in the spring that my daughter has a nut allergy); you have been incredibly informative to me, particularly in learning how to cope in restaurants. Thank you.

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