Research from Scientific Meetings - Cautious Optimism

In light of the recent meeting of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), I wanted to take a little time to explain to the non-science folks out there:  1) what is a scientific meeting and 2) what can we conclude from meeting highlights that are press-released and thus have been shared like wildfire across various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.  By the way, those live tweets from various scientists/MDs, such as the Allergist Mommy, convinced my to join Twitter (FYI - you can find me at FdAllergySleuth, although I have NO idea what I am doing!).

1) What is a scientific meeting?

Poster session from a recent meeting for the Society for Neuroscience.  Image source:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/helloooo/4045778043/

Why should you contact congress today to save biomedical research?

Basic science research is near and dear to my heart for many reasons.  I spent nearly 7 years of my blood, sweat, and tears, in training to be a research scientist. For this reason, I wanted to share a little more of my experience, to put a face to this mysterious world of white lab coats (or so you think!), and provide tangible reasons why basic science research is so very important to things we care deeply about - solutions for allergic conditions among many others.

Food Allergy: Denial to Paranoia and Everything In Between

Raw.  That's the best emotion to describe the events of this past week.  I'm generally the type of person to sort stuff out in my head first, rationalize, come up with a plan, seize control, and move on.  Needless to say, with the events of the past week, I'm still in the "sorting stuff out in my head" phase.  The following post is either catharsis or some kind of message haphazardly stuffed into a bottle and tossed out to a virtual sea with a "hope for the best."  Maybe someone out there has been here before, shares the same emotions, or can relate in some way, shape, or form.  Sometimes this food allergy journey can feel so lonely.

Can we establish safe allergen thresholds in foods? What does the current science say?

In light of the open request from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking public feedback on whether food manufacturers can set a “safe” threshold for major food allergens (peanut, milk, egg, etc.), I wanted to reason through this question with the existing scientific evidence regarding food allergy.