Hi Reader, With October comes Halloween - and a flurry of thoughts swirling around in the minds' of parents of kids with food allergies. "How should we approach Trick-or-Treating?" "Should I even let my child Trick-or-Treat?" "If we do, how do we balance safety and fun?" The truth is, the answers to these questions come from a shared decision-making process between parents, their child, and sometimes even the allergist. (I highly encourage you to call your healthcare team to ask safety...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I am so excited to share this incredible news with you.... My debut book, Navigating the Overwhelm of Allergy Parenting is finally happening, and will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press! Here's the official announcement being shared on Publisher's Marketplace: "Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC, international speaker and allergy mental health expert, has signed with Johns Hopkins University Press to author a book offering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based guidance for...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, As I mentioned in the last Allergy Counseling Zone email, my recent fall conference preparations means that there's a lot of useful information at my fingertips to share with all of you! Since we previously used a developmental lens to look at the impacts food allergy has on people, let's now take a different view by looking through a functional lens. More specifically, let's look at exploring how food allergy impacts functioning in these four areas: mental health, behavioral...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Have you ever wondered if those managing food allergies have higher rates of eating disorders (ED) or disordered eating patterns than those without food allergies? While research has established that there are higher rates of ED in those diagnosed with chronic conditions managed by dietary interventions such as diabetes and celiac disease, there isn't much research available about food allergy and ED. Which is why I was excited to see this article which explores a review of the...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Recently, my time has been filled with preparing for SIX presentations I'm either presenting or co-presenting this fall, which got me thinking....what tidbits of information from these sessions should I share in these Allergy Counseling Zone emails? While I can't go as in depth as I will in these presentations, these next few emails will share little snippets of clinical information that you can dig deeper into as time allows. So let's jump right in! Did you know that there are a...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Let's talk about online health groups. Inevitably, this topic comes up in my work with clients, as well as in my community presentations.....often. That's because research shows that many use online health groups and social media as a main source of health information. In fact, this Pew Research article shares the following related stats: 77% say they began at a search engine such as Google 13% say they began at a health information site like WebMD 2% say they started their...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, I often get asked the following questions about food allergies and counseling: "Does everyone with a food allergy diagnosis need therapy?" "If not, when would those managing food allergies most benefit from mental health services?" Have you wondered about these questions, too? Let's explore.... Q: Does everyone with a food allergy diagnosis need therapy? A: No, not everyone managing allergies needs to attend therapy. Whether someone feels they need therapy is based on a number of...
over 1 year ago • 5 min read
Hi Reader For parents with kids and teens managing food allergies and allergic conditions, the start of the new school year can be a particularly stressful time of year. Especially when transitioning to a new school or building, the fear of the unknowns can take over and crank up the anxious thoughts. As a parent of a teen with food allergy, I get it! I have experienced (and still do experience) food allergy-related anxiety at various points in this parenting journey. After all, just because...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader, Emotions....we all have them, right? If you've ever wondered what the data says about the emotions that parents and kids with food allergy experience, and what some of the psychosocial research is focusing on in order to address these big emotions, then my conversation with psychologist Lisa Lombard, PhD. and allergist Dr. Ruchi Gupta will interest you! In the podcast episode titled "The Data About Our Feelings", here are some of the topics we explored: What the most common...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read