DHA and ARA Baby Formula May Reduce Food Allergies In Babies

Can vitamins cure food allergies?  

The benefits of DHA/ARA in infant formula are still being discovered years after its introduction as a supplement that mimics an amino acid in mother's breast milk.   While the use of DHA/ARA has become somewhat controversial in some circles, new evidence suggests that it may actually be helping babies overcome and outgrow food allergies to milk, egg, peanuts and other foods.

Some people believe that adding synthetic DHA/ARA may be doing more harm than good as babies are unable to digest the oil that the DHA/ARA delivered in.  In that case, breast feeding may be the best option for giving babies the best DHA/ARA amino acids for the potential prevention of food allergies.

DHA and ARA supplements are typically derived from algae and mold which make them not identical to the DHA and ARA found in breast milk.  One brand of DHA and ARA supplements for babies is extracted from egg yolks which may be of concern for those with a history of food allergies and especially egg allergies.

Is baby formula with synthetic DHA/ARA unhealthy?  That's one question that remains to be clearly and factually unanswered.  What is known for sure is that natural DHA/ARA promotes healthy brain and eye development.  Let's just hope there really is a cure one day for food allergies using DHA/ARA supplements.
Sources:
http://www.justmeans.com/DHA-in-infant-formula-experimenting-with-children-s-health/41966.html

http://www.pediatricsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=81874

http://www.babygooroo.com/index.php/2010/05/23/usda-calls-for-removal-of-dhaara-from-organic-formula/

Epi-Pen Cases and Travel Packs

For a lot of my life I've had to carry around Epi-Pens for myself.  It is only until recently that I discovered you can buy Epi-Pen cases that descretely and safely carry your Epi-Pens and Benedryl with you.  I just thought I'd write a little about this because I noticed that some of my friends are carrying Epi-Pens and Benedryl around without protective cases.

There was a girl here in town a few years back who carried two EpiPens, neither of them worked in her life threatening allergy emergency.  She never made it to the hospital in time.  Its never been made clear why her Epi-Pens didn't work when she needed them but one guess is that perhaps they got damaged in transportation.

That story is one of those reasons why I urge all of my friends who carry Epi-Pens to carry them safely in an Epi-Pen Case or Epi-Pen travel pack.  We carry them for an emergency.  In that emergency, they absoltely need to work.  

Did you know you can carry your Benedryl in your Epi-Pen Case too?

One of the best things Benedryl has ever done since the invention of Benedryl is make single-serve doses of Benedryl that can easily be fit in most Epi-Pen travel cases and be transported from one place to the next without mess or worry.  So often my bottle of benedryl for my kids would leak in my bag causing a huge mess.  The single serve Benedryl for kids also reduces the chances of dosing errors.

For those of you who don't know, liquid Benedryl enters the blood stream faster than the alternatives which is why I carry the liquid Benedryl for children.