Traditional treatment for food allergies includes avoiding the food that a person is allergic to and treating the symptoms of an allergy attack. For many this is a minor inconvenience, for others it can not only turn their lives upside down but can cause them to be in and out of emergency rooms and doctors offices for a good part of their life.

Recently some alternative treatments for allergies are beginning to get some notice and at the top of the list is traditional Chinese medicine. Dr Xiu-Min Lee is the Director of Mount Sinai’s Center for Chinese Herbal therapy for Allergy and Asthma, and for the past 2 years she has been doing research focusing on a treatment for asthma and allergies using herbal remedies.

Many doctors believe that the answer for severe food allergy problems in children may be in tradition Chinese medicine, since food allergies in China are rare and asthma rates in China are one third of those in the US. Many of the medicines developed in the US are ineffective at best, and can be downright harmful; a good example of this is the use for steroids which can have an effect on growth especially in young children.

Two very promising studies are underway under the supervision of Dr. Li, along with other studies being initiated around the country. The food allergy study focuses on those with severe peanut, fish, shellfish and tree nut allergies. What is so exciting about this study is that this medicine unlike other modern medicines is preventative, meaning that this medicine would be taken ahead of exposure and block the allergic reaction to the food.

While this does not necessarily mean that a person can go on to eat the food they are allergic to, in fact they will still need to do the best they can to avoid the food, what it does mean is that accidental exposures will be less likely, resulting in less emergency room visits and a reduced risk of the dangerous anaphylactic reaction that can be such a concern for these patients.