Don't Feed the Fear: Allergy Anxiety & Trauma

Send us Fan Mail What does food allergy safety look like when systems don’t work equally for everyone? In this episode, I’m joined by Erin Malawer, founder of Allergy Strong, to explore how inequities in education, resources, and institutional support shape the lived experience of food allergy families. Erin’s work focuses on improving safety and access at the community level so that protection do...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m joined by Renia Butler, founder of Black Allergy Mama, for an honest and powerful conversation about race, food allergy advocacy, and mental health. Renia shares her personal journey navigating food allergies as a Black mother, the systemic gaps she witnessed firsthand, and how those experiences fueled her advocacy work. We explore the emotional labor families...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, psychologist Lisa Lombard, Ph. D. shares insights from her clinical experience and research background in food allergy. She also shares aspects of her work that led to the creation of Comfort Kits, tools designed to support children experiencing trauma. We talk about why safety and imagination matter so much for healing, and how small, intentional interventions ca...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Zachary Rubin, board-certified allergist-immunologist, educator, and one of the most trusted voices in allergy and immunology on social media. Dr. Rubin has built a massive following by breaking down complex medical topics with calm, evidence-based guidance. In our conversation, we go beyond viral posts to explore what it actually means to naviga...

Send us Fan Mail When you live with food allergies, celiac disease, or another chronic condition, your nervous system is asked to stay alert every single day. This ongoing vigilance is not imagined anxiety. It is a physiological adaptation to real risk. In this guided meditation, Dr. Whitehouse invites you to experience self care as nervous system re-education rather than another task to perform....

Send us Fan Mail Self-care is often framed as indulgent, aesthetic, or optional, but for individuals and families managing food allergies or other chronic conditions, it is essential. In this solo episode, I explore misconceptions about self-care means, and how it is uniquely difficult in food allergy and celiac life. This episode covers: Why food allergy management creates chronic nervous system...

Send us Fan Mail As we begin a new year and many are reflecting on their health and recommitting to self-car, this episode invites a deeper, more expansive conversation about what health actually means, especially for those living with food allergies, chronic illness, or caregiver stress. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Gary Soffer, allergist-immunologist and integrative medicine physician, for...

Send us Fan Mail This guided pranayama meditation is led by Dr. Gary Soffer, allergist-immunologist and integrative medicine physician, and was recorded as part of our New Year conversation on health, healing, and self-care (episode 57). In this practice, Dr. Soffer offers a gentle, accessible breathing technique drawn from yogic traditions and adapted by Dr. Andrew Weil. This practice is a gentle...

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring New Year episode, Riya Jain joins us to share how growing up with food allergies fueled The Land of Can book series. She is a young entrepreneur, author, and food allergy advocate who won a major venture prize at Duke her freshman year to develop her business. Riya also talks about participating in an upcoming documentary about food allergies, what it's like...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is a heartwarming and eye-opening look at what life is like with a food allergy detection dog. My guest, Natalie Rice, shares how their family decided to train a peanut detection dog to help manage her daughter's food allergy. Natalie shares how having this remarkable companion has transformed daily life, and how she is using Harley's skills to help others w...

Send us Fan Mail Food should bring joy, comfort, nourishment, and safety, but food allergies and chronic illness often turn food into something stressful, restrictive, or scary. Lauren Less, creator of Less with Laur, is here to talk about her experiences with adult-diagnosed food allergies, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Sy...

Send us Fan Mail This 11-minute guided reflection helps food allergic/celiac individuals and food allergy parents pause, reset, and listen to their own internal “yes” and “no” signals during the busy holiday season. Using gentle, polyvagal-informed cues and somatic reflection, you’ll explore what feels nourishing versus uncomfortable and create an internal guide for identifying boundaries to honor...

Send us Fan Mail In this special crossover episode, Dr. Whitehouse shares a recent guest appearance on The Itch Podcast ( episode 132), where she joined hosts Dr. Payel Gupta and Kortney Kwong Hing for an open and compassionate conversation about navigating difficult family interactions during the holiday season. Together, they unpack how to set and maintain boundaries, communicate effectively, an...

Send us Fan Mail This grounding meditation supports tweens, teens, and adults navigating oral immunotherapy (OIT), Tolerance Induction Program (TIP), sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), or any allergy dosing protocol. Using science-based nervous system strategies, you’ll practice shifting from anticipatory anxiety into a steadier, more regulated state—without increasing interoceptive focus or fueling...

Send us Fan Mail This gentle, imaginative meditation helps kids feel calmer and more confident during oral immunotherapy (OIT), Tolerance Induction Program (TIP), or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) allergy dosing. Together with their trusted adult, children visualize their dose as a tiny seed planted in an imaginary garden, growing stronger over time. Through slow breathing, grounding, and playful...

Send us Fan Mail The Food Allergy Nursing Association (FANA) is celebrating one year of transforming the landscape of food allergy care. In this special anniversary episode, I’m joined by FANA’s president Dr. Olga Kagan, and secretary Sarah Pederson to talk about their mission to elevate nursing education, improve patient care, and establish certified allergy nurse educators. Together, we discuss...

Send us Fan Mail Feel anxious about food allergies? This 10-minute guided meditation helps teens and adults gently observe anxious “what-if” thoughts without being overwhelmed by them. Using a calming sky and drifting clouds visualization, you’ll learn to notice your worries, label them, and watch them float away, without pushing or holding onto them. This meditation teaches that you are not your...

Send us Fan Mail This playful 5-minute, science-based meditation helps kids (and their grown-ups!) understand how their brains work, and that not every thought is true. Children learn that just like hearts beat and eyes blink, brains think thoughts: some helpful, some worried, and some downright silly! Together, you’ll explore why anxious thoughts happen (your brain’s way of trying to protect you)...

Send us Fan Mail This gentle 5-minute guided meditation helps children with food allergies calm their worries and feel safe in their bodies and their world. Together with a trusted adult, kids will imagine creating a special “bubble of safety” around themselves that travels with them wherever they go. Through simple breathing, imagination, and connection, children learn how to notice their worried...

Send us Fan Mail In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Michael Pistiner, pediatric allergist at Mass General for Children, we focus on anaphylaxis management in young children and epinephrine use. Dr. Pistiner walks us through which epinephrine devices are appropriate for infants and toddlers, and demonstrates the best techniques for administering them safely. He shares practical guidance for hold...

Send us Fan Mail In this first of a two-part conversation, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Pistiner, pediatric allergist and Director of Food Allergy Advocacy, Education, and Prevention at Mass General for Children, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Pistiner discusses his work on developing the newly updated criteria for recognizing anaphylaxis in infants and toddlers, breaking down medical terminology into c...

Send us Fan Mail In this special holiday episode, I welcome Megan Lavin, the creator behind Allergy Awesomeness. She is a trusted voice in the food allergy community, allergy mom of four, and now a morning TV anchor. Together, we explore what it means to create a happy and connected (not perfect) holiday for our families. We also discuss Megan’s recent experience with a brand partnership, how she...

Send us Fan Mail In this deeply personal Thanksgiving episode, I reflect on the ways that grief and gratitude are intertwined. This episode is dedicated to my brother Adam on his birthday. Acknowledging Worldwide Bereaved Siblings Month, I share how his death reshaped what gratitude means to me. Join me to explore how we create meaning after trauma, how you're doing gratitude wrong, and ways...

Send us Fan Mail This inspiring episode features Devin August Sailer, teen allergy advocate and founder of Safe to Eat, an organization providing Top 9 and gluten free foods to domestic violence and emergency housing shelters in upstate New York.  We talk about what it's like navigating the world with food allergies as a young person, how Safe to Eat was created, and how even the smallest act...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I am joined by Zoë Slaughter, the influencer behind the Invisibly Allergic blog and social media accounts and author of the upcoming book by the same name. Zoë shares candidly about her airborne and contact reactivity, her experience using the new nasal epinephrine Neffy, and how she has navigated a safe work place. We also talk about what it means to advocate for...