"So it's important to know that everyone involved in this kind of work stresses 'don't try this at home'," Sicherer said. "That could obviously be very dangerous. The work being done is being conducted in very rigorous, careful settings. And this is something that is not ready for prime-time yet."
That said, Dr. Clifford Bassett, a clinical instructor at New York University School of Medicine, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York and chair of the AAAAI's public education committee, said he's "extremely encouraged" by the studies.
"This builds upon what we know, and although this is preliminary with a small group of children, it's extremely exciting," he said. "It's always a positive when we have more information leading us to more strategies for reducing risk for a potentially life-threatening situation. And although we don't know if this type of approach could potentially help with respect to other food allergies, this is the kind of work that should ultimately go some ways towards easing the enormous anxiety shared by all parents of food-allergic children."
More information
For more on peanut allergy, head to the Nemours Foundation.
SOURCES: Tamara Perry, M.D., assistant professor, pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, and Arkansas Children's Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, Ark.; Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., professor of pediatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, New York City; Clifford Bassett, M.D., clinical instructor, New York University School o
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