Cupcakes for Peanut Allergy, Nut Allergy, Milk Allergy and Egg Allergy

My friend and support team leader extraordinaire, Carol shared her recent Egg-less Cupcake Experiment. She tried three different recipes for egg, milk, peanut and nut free cupcakes with varying results.
1ST PLACE: Divvies recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes had the right texture and a nice dome. Carol, did you say that the icing didn't hold up as you expected?



2ND PLACE: The Duncan Hines cake mix with a can of soda. For yellow mix add white soda, for chocolate mix add a can of dark soda. The cupcakes did not dome as good as the Divvies Recipe, but they were good for a quick recipe, or a recipe for family and friends. Basically, you don’t add any other ingredients but the cake mix and the can of soda, but apparently take a few sips out of the soda first as it doesn’t need too much liquid.



3RD PLACE: The Duncan Hines cake mix with Ener-G Egg Replacer which you can buy from www.allergygrocer.com and other specialty markets. The cupcakes tasted fine, and domed a little better than the soda can recipe, but they were VERY fragile. They were separating from the liners when I was trying to get them out.

Carol asks if anyone knows how to make the Divvies recipe for yellow cupcakes. Anyone? Anyone?

Egg Allergy, Flu Shot, and Thimerosal

An article in Health magazine titled, "Before you get a flu shot," adds some interesting fodder for the discussion that I addressed in Egg Allergy and Flu Shot. This article debates the effectiveness of the vaccine, explaining the process with which it is produced. Basically, scientists at the CDC decide on their best guess as to the top three strains that are going to be prevalent in any given year and put those in the vaccine. The resulting formula should be 70-90% effective only against the 3 strains they have selected.

The article presents both sides of the argument. The flu kills 40,000 people every year from flu complications. It quotes Dr. Nancy Cox, M.D., director of the influenza division at the CDC who swears by the shot and never fails to get one herself every year. On the flip side, Dr. Hyla Cass, M.D., author of a book on nutritional supplements, never gets one and recommends frequent hand-washing, hydration, vitamin and herbal supplements as a more holistic and effective way to prevent the flu without "adding to the toxic load on your body."

What is this toxic load she is referring to? The flu vaccine (as Dr. Bock also points out in his book) is one of the vaccinations that still contains the controversial preservative, thimerosal. Despite the federal government's phasing out thimerosal from most other vaccines, this vaccine is still recommended for pregnant women and infants! From the CDC website:

There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site. However, in July 1999 the Public Health Service (PHS) agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure.

Dr. Tom Jefferson, M.D., who leads an international group of researchers is quoted in the Health article saying he is not comfortable with the safety data, citing that there have only been SIX limited safety studies… "a surprisingly small number considering the widespread use of the vaccine and its mixed bag of ingredients.”

Yikes! If that isn't scary enough, Dr. Boyd Haley talks specifically about the harmful effects of thimerosal on children and pregnant women in this video:



If you are considering the flu shot for your child, sanofi pasteur is projecting 10-12 million thimerosal-free vaccines for the 2007-2008 flu season. And like the mother in the video clip recommends, ask to read the label on the vaccine itself to verify that it is thimerosal-free.

Egg Allergy and Flu Shot

The leaves are turning, the morning grass is covered with frost. Yes, flu season is upon us! My daughter came home from school yesterday reporting, "Two of my friends got flu shots today." For her little brother, who has a severe egg allergy, I've decided against the flu shot this year. In the past, I've been a big fan. A shot in the arm beats days whimpering in bed. But in Tanner's case, I weigh the probability of him catching the flu among his duely vaccinated peers and the certainty that he will be vomiting violently from the egg. It is a contentious decision among parents of kids with egg allergies.

Eggs are used in the production of the flu shot so if you or your child is allergic to eggs, there is a chance for a reaction to the vaccine. Some health centers explicitly state, "The flu vaccine should not be taken by anyone who has a history of severe egg allergy or a previous serious allergic reaction to the flu shot."

This decision is even more delicate for parents of kids with egg allergy and asthma. If it were not for the allergy, asthma is one of the conditions that put someone in the PRIORITY GROUP for the flu shot because viral respiratory infections like the flu are a double whammy for asthmatics. They cause inflammation and mucus production in the airways and heighten the body's response to other allergens. Research has shown that the flu virus may be responsible for as many as 19% of asthma attacks. (Ford, Williams, Mannino, and Redd) According to the CDC:

People with asthma who contract the flu are at higher risk than the general population of developing complications (such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and ear infections), of time lost from work and school, of being hospitalized (especially among children younger than two, and the elderly), and of dying (especially among the elderly).

The advice that I received from our allergist and that is backed up by ACAAI is that someone who is allergic to eggs should be skin tested to the flu vaccine. If the skin test is positive, the severity of the reaction should be weighed against the risks and benefits. If you still decide to give your child the shot, it can be done in your allergist's office, where emergency treatment can be provided if necessary. Note that vaccine preparations are widely varied with significant differences in the amount of egg protein in different batches. I also found an article published from 1999 in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics that showed that patients with confirmed egg allergies tolerated the vaccine in 2 doses with no more than 1.2 µg/mL of egg protein, 30 minutes apart. This study was based on 83 subjects and 124 control subjects between 1994 and 1997.

The ACAAI says that 1.6% of children in the general population are allergic to eggs but "it is more common in children with other allergies." (I had to put that in quotes because I don't even know what that means!) If you or your child are newly diagnosed with an egg allergy, might I suggest two helpful references: 1) How to Manage Your Child's Life-Threatening Food Allergies and 2) Bakin' Without Eggs: Delicious Egg-Free Dessert Recipes from the Heart and Kitchen of a Food-Allergic Family.