Easter madness

It's that time of year again and the emails have been running hot with

tips on where to find certain Easter Eggs and how many are left on the shelves.

In fact, exactly the same scenario as every other year. I pity anyone who does not belong to an allergy network at this time of the year as otherwise you would end up eggless.

Last year, after doing several reconnaissance missions to K-Mart to see if they had yet stocked the elusive Kinnerton chocolate Easter egg, a group of us hit the jackpot. These chocs had just been stacked on the shelves.

After buying our booty, we let our network know and within a couple of hours there was not a single Kinnerton choc egg left.

(I have to add here that each of us was very responsible and only bought one per family.)

We were all very happy - especially when we discovered Heritage chocolates that made peanut and nut-free eggs.

A couple of days before Easter I hit the same aisles to get eggs for the rest of the family and overheard a mother talking to her daughters. She was looking for peanut/nut-free eggs and they were all gone. I felt so sorry for her, and made me appreciate my network all the more.

This year, our network has been keeping a steady stocktake - letting us know that there were three eggs left at one Warehouse store, or two at K-mart way out somewhere. It would be quite entertaining if there wasn't the stress of getting that egg!

People have asked why Allergy New Zealand doesn't import Kinnerton chocolate and it is not for want of trying. We contacted them last year (after Easter) and we would have to order it by the refrigerated container load, and one container contains a lot of chocolate. A bit too much for a very small organisation to handle.

Now we have more drama on the Easter egg front with Lindt recalling 11 of their products because some of them have been filled with peanut butter and not labelled as such. Hopefully no one here with a peanut allergy has had one of these.

Does this mean there will be an Easter egg shortage all round, and will there be a backlash again those with peanut allergy if there is?

What lengths have you gone to to get Easter Eggs for your kids - or for yourself? And do you have any alternatives?


Inga Stünzner
Allergy New Zealand

Christchurch disaster - and finding safe food

No one has been left untouched by the horror of the Christchurch earthquake - even if we don't live there, we know someone or have family who are affected.

With the lack of water and limited food, we have been worrying for people on specialised diets - particularly those with food allergies.

During the last earthquake, we helped people locate specialised formula and our concern at Allergy New Zealand is that there will be families affected again.

If you know anyone in Christchurch who needs help with specialised food, please let us know so we can do what we can to help. You can call us on 0800 34 0800 ext 2.

This does bring home the message that everyone needs to prepare for disaster - particularly if you or someone in your family has a food allergy. We see the Get Ready, Get Through ads on TV, showing us what to do in case of a national emergency and many of us think it will never happen.

So go to the Get Ready, Get Through website and see what you need to do.

In the meantime, here is their basic list of what you should have in your cupboard (which will hopefully survive a disaster).

Torch with spare batteries or a self-charging torch.

Radio with spare batteries.

Wind and waterproof clothing, sun hats, and strong outdoor shoes.

First aid kit and essential medicines.

Blankets or sleeping bags.

Pet supplies.

Toilet paper and large rubbish bags for your emergency toilet.

Face and dust masks.

Check all batteries every three months. Battery-powered lighting is the safest and easiest. Do not use candles as they can tip over in earthquake aftershocks or in a gust of wind. Do not use kerosene lamps, which require a great deal of ventilation and are not designed for indoor use.

Food and water for at least three days.

Non-perishable food (canned or dried food.

Food, formula and drinks for babies and small children.

Water for drinking. At least 3 litres per person, per day.

Water for washing and cooking.

A primus or gas barbeque to cook on.

A can opener.

Check and replace food and water every twelve months. Consider stocking a two-week supply of food and water for prolonged emergencies such as a pandemic.

If you have ever been in a disaster situation - or you have prepared for one - please let us know what you have done.

In the meantime, our thoughts are with everyone in Christchurch.

Catering a function for 10 people — how hard could it be?

Recently I volunteered to cater for my work’s board meeting. I’ve done catering before — how hard could it be? All I had to do was supply morning and afternoon tea and lunch for 10. Here’s the catch: half of them had food allergies.

Still it didn’t seem too hard, as where I live there are many stores catering for those with food allergies and all those I was catering for are reasonable people, none of them expecting to be able to eat everything I supplied. I like to make sure everyone is happy and I wanted to be able to offer at least some choice to those with allergies.

So I started designing my menu around the person with the longest list of allergies. Here comes the hard part. Apart from the allergies to wheat, eggs, dairy, nuts, sesame and soy, he also is allergic to salicylates, which means a lot of fruit and vegies are off his list. I had a mission on my hands but I was not going to let it beat me.

Usually once I have decided on my menu I go shopping (taking about an hour) then prep and cook (around two hours) then pack and take to the venue and dish up (about another hour).

This time I took three and a half hours to shop, reading all the fine print on the labels and double checking. At the deli counter I asked for the ingredients of their salads, explaining that because of allergies I must have an exact list (not just a vague list off the top of their heads then being offered a taste!!!) otherwise I didn’t want it. I decided against this option anyway after I saw someone else being served and some of their salad choice dropped in the salad I was thinking of buying.

Compared to the supermarket, the specialist shops were like a breath of fresh air where I didn’t have to explain about cross contamination and that ‘spices’ on an ingredients list was too vague (exact means exact). When I had finished shopping I was exhausted from the mental stress, and then I had to start cooking.

I looked at my clean kitchen and worried. “What about cross contamination in my own house?” I have no allergies so cook everything I want in it. Even before I unpacked the groceries I scrubbed all surfaces and utensils I was going to use. I also bought ‘normal’ bread and dressings for those on the board who did not have allergies so I was extra careful with the packing as well to make sure nothing contaminated anything else. I also printed out a menu stating the whole ingredients list.

I managed to pull the whole thing together, but I was worn out from the stress involved in making sure all the ingredients were fine for the guests. I slept that night for 11 hours straight.

But I also feel I achieved something. All the board members could eat most things on the menu, it was tasty and it looked good on the plate. What more could you ask for, apart from all the stress!

Barbara Haughey
Office Manager
Allergy New Zealand

PS Our summer issue of Allergy Today is out now. Click here to get your copy!

What do turning 40 and sky diving have to do with allergies?

Charlotte Korte wanted to do something exciting for her 40th birthday - and the idea of jumping out of a plane at great height appealed. She also has had two children with severe allergies and, having been through the allergy journey, decided to put her dare-devil antics to good use. So the idea of sky diving and raising money for Allergy New Zealand's education and research programmes was born.

Charlotte will be doing the dive on 20 November, so please help her raise funds for us (and ultimately you) by donating online here.
Thank you for your support.

EpiPen funding and research

Most people understand allergy as something in the air that makes you sneeze. Many find it hard to grasp the concept that allergy can also be something you eat that makes you so sick it could stop your breathing or even your heart. Fortunately such severe reactions (anaphylaxis) rarely cause death, but they are becoming more common because of the increase in food allergy, particularly in young children.

No cure

At this time, there is no treatment or cure for food allergy: in fact we don’t really understand why it exists or is increasing in prevalence. But we estimate that every day in New Zealand about 10 babies are born who will go on to develop the condition. That makes around 3,600 new families every year who are suddenly faced with the unknown.

Undiagnosed, it can cause ongoing misery for the child with conditions such as severe eczema, constant stomach upsets, and even delayed physical development. There may also be repeated hospital visits for severe asthma attacks. The family may be coping with endless sleepless nights, frequent visits to the doctor, worry and concern for their child who never seems to be quite well, and hours every day applying creams to soothe eczema. They may be aware that avoiding certain foods helps, but unaware that their child could be at risk of a life-threatening reaction anytime, anywhere, that food is involved.

Impact on quality of life

Properly diagnosed, families can learn how to manage the condition, and reduce the symptoms through complete avoidance of the food concerned. This may mean a change of diet, more time spent on food preparation, and possibly some restrictions on day to day activities. They can also learn how to make sure their child gets adequate nutrition to replace what is lost through not being able to eat food containing such allergens as dairy, eggs, or nuts. And they will need to learn what to do if their child does have a sudden, severe reaction. Most importantly they will come to understand that this is a condition that requires day-by-day vigilance as well as planning ahead for every eventuality.

Most of the 35,000 New Zealand children affected will outgrow their food allergy by the time they start secondary school, but for some their allergy will be life-long. For teenagers and young adults, daily vigilance and planning ahead are strategies that are challenged by peer pressure; and some may be at risk of developing anxiety and even phobias over food. Adults may find their employment, social and even family life significantly restricted by food allergy.

Generation of food allergy babies - few specialists

We believe that many of those 10 ‘food allergy’ babies born every day are likely to remain undiagnosed for a long time, and their health and well-being (and that of their families) compromised as a result. (This is based oon the Statistics New Zealand's number of babies born each year, and the 4-6 per cent of young children who have food allergies.) This is because there is limited public awareness of the impact of allergies; and few dedicated services and resources in our health sector.

Meanwhile Pharmac continues to ignore the plight of thousands of people who need an adrenaline auto-injector to treat anaphylaxis but can’t afford the unsubsidised product on the market.

There is only a handful of paediatric and adult allergy specialists (a report in 2007 stated “the current number of specialist units and number of allergy/immunology specialists per unit in New Zealand is well below international benchmarks and inadequate to manage the burden of disease”. As a consequence, very few resources are available to assist health professionals (including general practitioners, paediatricians, nurses, lab technicians and dietitians). Meanwhile Pharmac continues to ignore the plight of thousands of people who need an adrenaline auto-injector to treat anaphylaxis but can’t afford the unsubsidised product on the market.
So how can you help us to do something about this?

Target set

Allergy New Zealand has set a target of $150,000 for research into food allergy in New Zealand. We need to know about the patterns of food allergy across different ethnic groups; prevalence and trends; and impact on health, families and communities in order to demonstrate the improvements needed in services and resources in the health sector. We want health services to be ready to take advantage of treatments that may become available for people with food allergy in the next decade. And we want to encourage New Zealand researchers to look at why food allergy exists and how to prevent it in the future.

You can help by making a donation to our Food Allergy Research Fund here, and passing this request on to your family, friends and colleagues. If you have experienced food allergy, tell your friends your story. We need people to understand that food allergy exists, it can have a major impact on life, but can be managed successfully with the right help, in the right place, in the right time.


Penny Jorgensen
Chief Executive

Aqueous cream can aggravate eczema

If you have a child with eczema and have found it doesn't improve after the use of Aqueous cream BP, you may have an answer.

A UK study has found that Aqueous cream BP actually reduces the thickness of healthy skin and aids irritation.

The study was carried out with six volunteers, who all had healthy skin. It as applied to different areas, and after four weeks it as associated thinning and dehydration of the skin.

However, the effect wasn't found in all areas of the skin tested, which the study suggests that the cream may not have the same effect on everyone who uses it. (You can read the story on our homepage and listen to an interview with Dr Vincent Crump on the subject.)

This is not the first time Aqueous cream has had a bad rap. Another UK study carried out a couple of years ago found preservative caused reactions in a significant number of users.

The team looked at the notes of 100 children aged 1-16 years of age attending a paediatric clinic at the Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Of the 100 children audited, 71 had used aqueous cream and of these 40 (56.3 per cent) had developed an immediate skin reaction.

A preservative, 2-phenoxyethanol (2-PE), is found in aqueous cream, and it is effective against a broad spectrum of microorganisms. There have been several reports of eczema and hives due to this preservative.

In New Zealand, the two nurse-led eczema clinics will not recommend the use of aqueous cream as a moisturiser for eczema. And it isn't mentioned at all in the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy's eczema care plans, which you can find here.

What have you found helps your eczema, or your child's eczema?

Mad Butcher honoured in This Is Your Life

Allergy New Zealand's Honorary Ambassador Sir Peter Leitch featured in This Is Your Life on TVNZ this past Sunday.

We have known for years what a good bloke the Mad Butcher is - and we're thrilled that the rest of New Zealand can see this too. We can't thank him enough for what he has done for Allergy New Zealand - not only has he donated and raised tens of thousands of dollars for the organisation, he has thrown an enormous amount of energy behind promoting us.

For more information on the show and to view some clips, click here.