Caring for Your Child with Severe Food Allergies: Emotional Support and Practical Advice from a Parent Who's Been There » (New Edition)

LISA CIPRIANO COLLINS, M.A., M.F.T., is a marriage and family therapist. Since her son was diagnosed with severe peanut and tree-nut allergies, she has used research, knowledge, and her family's experience to help families, schools, and others understand and cope with food allergies.

Understanding and Learning to Live Well with Food Allergies

Considering that severe allergic reactions can be life-threatening, parents often find that protecting children can be a daunting task–trying to make sure they are safe, while still creating a sense of normalcy as they grow up.

But it can be done. Sorting the truth from the myths and misunderstandings, Caring for Your Child with Severe Food Allergies presents not only pertinent facts but, more important, it helps families cope with the emotional aspects of raising a child at risk for severe food reactions. With compassion and insight, Lisa Cipriano Collins blends her own experiences raising a child with severe peanut and tree-nut allergies with practical observations, interviews with parents, and data from recent medical studies. By learning how to reduce risks while promoting a child’s normal emotional development, parents can address the needs of their allergic child and his or her siblings, as well as their own needs–and work toward a happy, healthy family.

Caring for Your Child with Severe Food Allergies covers:

• Identifying allergies
• Working with schools
• Restaurant and travel concerns
• Encouraging independence
• Finding treatment
• Safety risks and solutions
• Helping your child help himself
• Identifying ingredients
• Making an emergency kit
• Finding support
• Developing community awareness

Library Journal

Collins, a family therapist and the mother of a child with severe nut allergies, outlines the management of life-threatening childhood allergies and the stresses they create within the family. She presents a short, concise manual for parents and other family members and caregivers. Most of the text is devoted to providing techniques for maximizing safety and minimizing the risk of anaphylactic shock. Although brief, the book explores the emotional family context as well as the complexities of allergy management outside the home--in school settings, in restaurants, and on trips. The medical components of the book are well documented, and a short resource guide accompanies the text. Recommended for hospital/patient education libraries, consumer health collections, and appropriate social service settings.--Andy Wickens, Univ. of Washington Health Sciences Lib., Seattle Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

First Encounters with a Severe Food Allergy.
Food Allergy Basics.
Keeping Your Family Healthy.
As Your Child Grows.
Branching Out: Working with Caregivers and Schools.
For Caregivers.
Resource Guide.
References.
Index.