The Allergy Mom The Allergy Mom

Welcome to a new season of The Allergy Mom Podcast! In this new season, I am looking forward to having more guests and topics that address mental health, parenting, and family life issues when living a life with a family member with severe allergy, anaphylaxis, or a related, chronic health condition.
In this episode, I interview Dr. William J. Doherty, the past-President of the National Council on Family Relations, the oldest interdisciplinary family studies organization in North America.
About Bill:
William J. Doherty, Ph.D., is Professor of Family Social Science and Director of the Citizen Professional Center at the University of Minnesota. He is also a practicing marriage and family therapist and co-founder of The Doherty Relationship Institute, LLC, a new venture designed to help engaged couples through couples on the brink. 
Bill has received the Significant Contribution to the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
He is a national leader in the movement to solve the problem of overscheduled kids and underconnected families. Prominent in this work are four community initiatives focused on reclaiming family time in the hurry-up world of contemporary childhood.
He has appeared in a wide range of national media outlets about this issue, including Oprah, The New York Times, USA Today, all of the major network morning shows and evening news programs, Time, and National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation.
His book Take Back Your Kids: Confident Parenting in Turbulent Times (Sorin Books) is a call for parents to assume leadership in their families, instead of anxiously surrendering children to the peer culture and the consumer culture. It won Forward Magazine’s Parenting Book of the Year Award for books from independent publishers.
His book Take Back Your Marriage: Sticking Together in a World That Pulls Us Apart (Guilford Press), describes how marriage has been undermined by the me-first consumer culture, by frenetic busyness, and by over-indulgent parenting, and shows how couples can take back their marriages through rock-solid commitment, rituals of connection and love, and participation in communities that support their marriages. It won the Self-Help Book of the Year Award for books from independent publishers.
Topics Discussed in this Episode:


Family traditions and meals planned with intention to create a safe and fun celebration without the dramaHow to navigate difficult conversations with extended family members about your child’s allergiesHow to discuss and plan with family members to get them involved in the creation of intentional family practices and to improve family life through defining rolesBill’s expert insights on how to make changes in the family in ways that won’t be met with resistance and will be accepted by the rest of the familyHow a chronic health issues is what Bill calls, “A call to consciousness”“Love and Limits… and leadership” – our role as parents“Pinch points & Crunch Points” – when to pick our battles and how to prioritize family Family dinners are the single most important thing you can do as a familyWhy you should force your kids to do stuff with the family even if they don’t want to…Why Bill thinks your kids’ opinions of you really don’t matter until they’re 25!Peach & Pit, Rose & Thorn, Grateful for & Hopeful for…. my faves! Sharing without GrillingBill’s political work to address polarization and divide -using Couples therapy to heal a country!Covid & Family life and what happens after the pandemic ends…and more!

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with my personal hero, Dr. Inderpal Randhawa (affectionally known as Dr. R by his patients), the Medical Director of Pediatric Pulmonary, Clinical Immunology & Allergy at the Miller Children's Hospital (one of the top 50 programs nationwide in the U.S.) and CEO of the nonprofit Southern California Food Allergy Institute, whose Tolerance Induction Program (TIP™) is providing true food freedom to those with severe allergies. 
He is a leading clinical academic scientist with five board certifications in transplant immunology, allergy, pulmonology, pediatrics, and internal medicine. 

How Dr. R began working with Allergies:
Early in his career, Dr. Randhawa began to question conventional protocols for the treatment of life-threatening food allergies. Distressed by watching parents suffer the loss of their children to fatal allergic reactions, he purposed to find innovative solutions and change the status quo. His early experience in lung transplant immunology coupled with his collaboration with national allergy and immunology specialists, led him to develop the safe, innovative solutions now offered through Southern California Food Allergy Institute.
About Southern California Food Allergy Institute:
Southern California Food Allergy Institute is the largest food allergy treatment center of its kind, dedicated to providing innovative and safe treatment for the six million children in the United States who suffer from food allergies. 
Unlike OIT (Oral Immunotherapy), the nonprofit’s Tolerance Induction Program (TIP™) uses trillions of data points to create customized treatment plans for each child. Their allergies are mapped out to form an individualized program that builds tolerance to the unique proteins each child is allergic to, all before introducing their most anaphylactic allergen. This ensures patient safety, and over time, alters their immune system to not react to their allergens.
To date, TIP™ has treated over 12,000 children with a 99% success rate, giving people a life of food freedom when they can eat whatever they want, whenever they want, without fear of reaction. 

On a personal note:
I'm contacted ALL the time to ask if I would recommend this program. My answer is unequivocally yes! This program is life-changing and potentially life-saving. I am happy to answer any questions or share my personal opinions and insights anytime if you would like to know more about how we experienced the program. As a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, I also offer counselling to families dealing with food allergies, contemplating treatment options, and past or present patients in the program. It can be really helpful to speak with someone who "gets it". 
There are no words to adequately thank Dr. Randawha for the gift of food freedom that we are experiencing as a result of the Tolerance Induction Program. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. Forever and always, I will be indebted to you for the work you are doing.

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with the Alan App‘s founder and CEO Katherine Schug.

About Katherine Schug:


In eighth grade, Katherine told her teachers that she wanted to create a food allergy app. They all thought she was joking, of course. Many years later, she decided to act upon this idea and designed Alan (Allergy Life Alliance Network). The app is now available.


About The Alan App:

The Alan (Allergy Life Alliance Network) App is unlike any other food allergy app. They understand the importance of safety, but also the need for a community.

At Alan, they recognize the severity of food allergies - those who suffer from this medical condition should be recognized for their strength and vigor. It is their mission to connect food allergic people to one another to share experiences, concerns, or questions - and to provide resources that will relieve any food allergy-related concerns.

The Alan App is a food allergy mobile application that provides helpful resources for the food allergy community. They post new recipes every week, so be sure to subscribe!
Download the app on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/alan-food-allergy-guide/id1522751134
Download on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elannin.allan.android

Topics Discussed in this Episode:


Katherine’s experiences with her own food allergiesHer motivation to create an app for the food allergy communityFood allergy bullying and more about the realities of living with a food allergyHer website to combat food allergy bullying:  Teen FAABBeing a food allergy advocate (Bystander Revolution)Katherine’s worst reaction at university and how she advocated for herself and influenced the school to investigate and evaluate their safety protocols for students with allergies…and more!Katherine’s Links:


Teen FAAB: https://www.teenfaab.com
The Alan App website: https://www.thealanapp.com
The Alan App @thealanapp  https://www.instagram.com/thealanapp/ on Instagram
Zestfull on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/zestfull/
The Alan App on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thealanapp
The Alan App on Twitter https://twitter.com/thealanapp
The Alan App Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtfCb4WysH3DjZonyzIw0FQ
Download the app on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/alan-food-allergy-guide/id1522751134
Download the app from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.elannin.allan.android

Welcome to Episode 14 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with online food allergy magazine – Zestfull‘s cofounder Kortney Kwong Hing.

About Kortney:

Kortney has only known life with food allergies. She manages multiple food allergies, asthma, eczema and OAS. Kortney is the co-founder of Zestfull, an online magazine that celebrates life with food allergies. She is also the co-host of The Itch Podcast. She wants to spread joy in a community that can easily see the hard side of life with atopic disease and believes that you can have a full life with food allergies, it may just be lived a little differently!

Topics Discussed in this Episode:


Kortney’s early diagnosis as a baby with food allergiesOral Allergy SyndromeThe Allergic MarchAsthma vs. AnaphylaxisHow Kortney developed her “secret” blog in her 20s- Allergy Girl Eats (Note – this site is now retired)Kortney’s partnership with an allergy mom to share the positive side of food allergies through an online magazine called The ZestfullTraditional, cultural foods and food allergies Intuitive Eating -listening to your body and eating mindfullyThe Itch Podcast with Dr. Gupta – where Kortney and Dr. Gupta dive deep into allergic disease and asthma – you will learn and understand while keeping it simple enough for the lay person to get itKortney’s asthma wake-up call – how she learned the serious cues she was ignoring and what she did about it…and more!Kortney’s Links:


The Zestfull Online Allergy Magazine https://thezestfull.com
Zestfull on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/theZestfull/
Kortney @allergy_girl_eats https://www.instagram.com/allergy_girl_eats/ on Instagram
Zestfull on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/zestfull/
Zestfull on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theZestfull
Zestfull Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpPzqK_oY93Xd823Hy3XZNw?fbclid=IwAR1gx5xwhGKeK3-yabaLRLZBHSjkPF3HvGcHG81N-pGqw4nPxLNPq6rm9SQ

Welcome to Episode 13 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with Heather Brooker: Actress, Emmy Award-winning journalist, and host of the popular podcast, Motherhood in Hollywood.

About Heather:


Heather Brooker has appeared in over 40 films and TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Office,” “Fresh Off The Boat,” “The Mindy Project” and more. Heather is also in the groundbreaking role of digital entertainment reporter for KNBC in Los Angeles, where she regularly interviews celebrities and influencers in Hollywood. On her podcast, Motherhood in Hollywood, Heather discusses her two passions — parenting and showbusiness — and has a hilariously addicting, tell-it-like-it-is personality. She recently spoke at the GirlUp Leadership Summit alongside Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Meghan Markle about gender equity and body positivity. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, 7-year-old daughter and internet famous cat, Gracie I Love You. Heather has also recently been working with FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) to share her humour and insights into the trials and tribulations of motherhood in an allergy context. You can check out her YouTube videos for FARE on their Living Teal Channel.

Topics Discussed in this Episode:


Humour when talking about serious subjects such as food allergies – the good, the bad and the ugly!Humour as therapy and as a source for education and advocacyHow Heather became involved in the Food Allergy World Food allergy bullyingTeal Pumpkins…and more!Heather’s Links:


Heather @theheatherbrooker on Instagram
Heather @theheatherbrooker on Facebook
Heather @heatherbrooker on Twitter
Heather @heatherbrooker on TikTok
Heather’s podcast site: motherhoodinhollywood.com
Heather’s acting website: heatherbrooker.com
Stay Tuned:


That is Episode 13! Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already– there are so many amazing interviews and topics coming out in the next few weeks that I don’t want you to miss including:
TIP vs OITGet Zestfull with Kortney Kwong Hing (Allergy Girl Eats) The Alan App – An app for allergy sufferers

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Allergy mom podcast, an interview with Daniel Kelly of May-Contain. I came across Daniel’s instagram and loved the images he shared from his May Contain Allergy Magazine – a project that he designed that took the epi-pen out of the medical context to make it more relatable and engaging for young people.

About Daniel & May-Contain:


Daniel Kelly is the founder of May Contain; an Allergy Blog and Podcast breaking the stigma of allergies. He is also the host of an allergy podcast on iTunes of the same name and has amassed a widely engaged allergy audience through social media (IG: @_maycontain). Recently Daniel became the First-Ever Youth Ambassador for Anaphylaxis Campaign. 


First-ever Youth Ambassador for the Anaphylaxis Campaign Charity – https://www.hud.ac.uk/news/alumni/anaphylaxis-campaign-youth-ambassador/Created an allergy magazine at Univesity that went viral within 24 hours – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsKWESXh3tQDaniel felt his podcast was the way forward to break down the stigma of allergiesHe gave his first-ever talk at St Johns College, Cambridge University – Amazing experience and storyHis blog May-Contain is one of the fastest-growing allergy blog in the UKTopics Discussed in this Episode:
Dan shares his allergy journey and how he’s been led to advocate for this community through his university project, blog and podcastThe increased prevalence of allergies in the UK and EuropeLiving and travelling with food allergiesAdvice for teens (and their allergy moms and dads) as they move into high school and the years of growing independenceEducating others for empathy to create awareness and caring for individuals with food allergiesDaniel’s scariest food allergy incident story – a delayed reaction Eating in restaurants with severe allergiesEducating your friends on what to do in the event of a reaction – “Keep calm and carry on” with seeking medical attentionDaniel’s advice for allergy moms and dads as someone who grew up as a child with severe food allergiesStay Tuned:


That is Episode 12! Thanks for listening! Be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already– there are so many amazing interviews and topics coming out in the next few weeks that I don’t want you to miss including:
TIP vs OITGet Zestfull with Kortney Kwong Hing (Allergy Girl Eats) Heather Brooker, Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of the Motherhood in Hollywood Podcast