Journalism Skills Help Find Answers on Peanut Allergy Journey

By Jeanne Acton | Thursday, August 13, 2009 12:05 PM

Our peanut journey started more than a year ago.

When my two-year-old son was diagnosed with the allergy, I went a little nuts. Yeah, I know — the play on words is a little much, but it is the truth.

You may remember I wrote a column documenting my slip into insanity and my transition back to reality. The bottom line was, his life-threatening diagnosis reminded me to keep life in perspective.

Since that column, I’ve had numerous calls and well wishes from journalism teachers across the state.

You really are an amazing support group.

Since I shared the initial diagnosis with you, I wanted to share the latest news. My little guy is almost free from his peanut/nut allergy.

It’s been a long journey and a somewhat expensive one but definitely well worth it.

After I recovered from my grief over the initial diagnosis, I began doing what all journalists do — I researched. I read everything I could get my hands on about peanut/nut allergies. Most of what I read depressed me and scared me, but I kept reading. Knowledge has always been my best defense against things that scare me, and I wasn’t wrong this time.

After about two weeks of researching, I came across a research study from Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. A doctor there was testing an herbal drug that blocked the anaphylactic shock caused by peanut allergies.

I dove into the study. Honestly, science papers scare me. Too many big, unknown words. But this time I didn’t have a choice. So I pulled out my dictionary and trudged forward.
In a nutshell, the study reported that Dr. Xiu-Min Li, a professor and doctor at Mt. Sinai, had created a nine-herbal formula that blocked anaphylactic shock in peanut allergy-ridden mice when they were exposed to peanuts.

When I read the reports, Dr. Li had already begun her human trials. I was stunned by the study. Most of the information I had read up until this point has been depressing. The message was the same. Avoidance is the only protection, but avoidance usually fails at some point.

That scared me.

I didn’t want to live in fear — waiting for the inevitable.

Dr. Li’s research meant I wouldn’t have to. She gave me hope.

Like any good journalist, I decided to go straight to the source. I emailed Dr. Li, thinking there was no way this leading peanut-allergy researcher had time to talk to me.

Luckily, I was wrong. Dr. Li emailed me back within a day. She agreed to see JoJo and treat him if we would come see her in her clinic in New York City.

In July 2008, armed with tons of questions and two steno pads, we made our first trip to New York to see Dr. Li. She was an amazingly kind and nurturing woman. She answered every one of my questions and then examined JoJo and his test results to determine a plan of herbal treatment for him.

In her soft-spoken voice, Dr. Li explained to me in very simple terms and diagrams what we would be trying to do. She wanted to decrease his allergy levels, increase his immune system and protect him if had accidental exposure to peanuts/nuts.

We would begin with three herbs, two for a tea and one for a capsule.

Dr. Li warned that the tea was bitter, and the contents of the capsule were even worse, but she promised that JoJo would get used to the taste. Start with just a teaspoon, she said.
We trekked back to Texas to begin the journey of duping our son into drinking the teas and eating the capsule contents.

It was hell.

We mixed the tea with everything we could think of — smoothie, cranberry juice, root beer. Nothing worked.

JoJo would take a drink, and then my sweet two-year-old would hand us back the cup and say, “Poopie.”

Nice.

Tired of ruining a host of drinks, we finally just mixed the tea with a simple teaspoon of honey. That worked. It was a slow process, but finally he started taking the correct dosage of tea.
The capsules on the other hand were not edible — at all. They were too big for him to swallow and too nasty for him to eat.

Finally, a wonderful pharmacist suggested recapsulating the pills into tiny capsules. It worked. The pills were small enough for JoJo to swallow.

Success at last.

But it wasn’t the last success. Six months after our initial visit, we returned to Dr. Li in New York, again armed with the latest test results and plenty of questions.

JoJo’s allergy level had been cut in half. And he had not had a single reaction during the six-month period. Dr. Li was ecstatic, and so were we.

This past July, we saw Dr. Li for the third time. JoJo’s peanut/nut allergy levels dropped again. He is getting very close to being non-allergic to peanuts/nuts. I can’t explain my joy and happiness. It’s been a month, and I think I am still smiling.

But this column isn’t just about my son’s allergies. It’s about how this journey was possible because of the skills I learned in journalism.

When we first had success with Dr. Li, I shared our story on several different allergy websites. I wanted to give other parents this knowledge and know this opportunity. Many parents emailed me with questions and expressed gratitude for renewing their hope. The most frequent question, though, was “How did you find Dr. Li?”

And I answered simply, “I am a journalist.”

Journalists find the information. We get the answers. We read. We ask. We listen. We find.

I am well aware that most of the budding high school journalists won’t become full-fledged, hardcore reporters. But the skills your students learn in journalism will serve them for the rest of their life.

A week ago, I was co-teaching a session at the ASNE (American Society of News Editors) Teacher Institute and my co-presenter (Janet Elbom from here in Austin) said a very wise thing.
“Your students will learn everything they need to know to be successful in life from your journalism class.”

At first, I thought this was a mighty bold statement.

And it might be.

But it also is a pretty true statement.