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BASEBALL GAMES AND SCHOOL
LUNCHES THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF
PLACES WE CAN FIND PEANUTS.
WHAT IS AN INDULGENCE FOR
SOME, IS A DANGER FOR OTHERS.
ONE IN EVERY 13 AMERICAN
CHILDREN HAS A FOOD ALLERGY.
AND PEANUTS ARE A FEAR IN MANY
HOMES, BECAUSE EVEN A SPEC CAN
THREATEN A CHILD'S LIFE.
UNTIL NOW, DOCTORS HAVE ADVISED
-- ADVISED KIDS TO AVOID THAT
AND HOPE THEY OUTGROW THE
ALLERGY.
ONE MINNESOTA ALLERGIST IS
APPROACHING FOOD ALLERGIES IN A
WAY NO OTHER IS IN THE STATE.
AS SUSAN ELIZABETH LITTLEFIELD
REPORTS, IT IS A RISK, BUT
THERE IS ALSO A REWARD.
[LAUGHTER]
REPORTER: DESTINY IS SEVEN
YEARS OLD, HER SISTER'S ELBOW
IS NOT THE ONLY THING SHE HAS
TO LOOK OUT FOR.
SHELLFISH, WEED, DAIRY, WHEAT
WHEAT.
REPORTER: THE SANDWICH SET UP
HER FIRST REACTION YEARS AGO,
AND THEN THERE WAS LAST SUMMER.
IT STARTED WITH A TOY IN A
NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE.
OFTEN TOUCHING A TOY THAT
HAD SOME PEANUT RESIDUE ON IT,
TO EATING A CARROT LEAD TO HER
GOING INTO ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK.
I HAD TO USE AN EPIPEN TO GET
HER TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
IT WAS A NIGHTMARE.
REPORTER: HER DAUGHTER'S LIFE
WAS IN JEOPARDY, AND SO WAS THE
FAMILY'S EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING.
I WAS WALKING AROUND WITH A
CONSTANT PIT IN MY STOMACH,
FEARFUL EVERY TIME I WOULD FEED
HER THAT SHE WOULD DIE.
HI EVERYBODY.
REPORTER: FOR YEARS, THEY
SOUGHT ADVICE, FROM THIS MAN,
DOCTOR MICHAEL WEXLER.
WE SEE AN OUT OF -- A LOT OF
PEANUT ALLERGIES, EGGS, MILK
AND SO ON.
REPORTER: IT IS NOT CLEAR WHY
HIS PRACTICE IS FULL OF KIDS
WITH FOOD ALLERGIES.
ONCE THERE --
WE HAVE HAD SOME CHILDREN
WHO ARE AFRAID TO GO TO SCHOOL.
THEY ARE AFRAID TO GO TO
BIRTHDAY PARTIES, BASEBALL GAMES
P1 AND THAT IS THE STORY THAT
HAS MARKED THE LIFE OF THIS
PRETEEN, HIS BROTHER INSTITUTE
INSTITUTE -- INTRODUCED HIM TO
PETER BETTER AS A PEANUT BUTTER
AS A TOP.
I BURST UP IN HIVES.
REPORTER: AND SO BEGAN A LIFE
OF AVOIDING HIS BELOVED PETER
-- PEANUT LADEN SPORTING
EVENTS.
GOING TO ANY RESTAURANT
COMING UP TO ASK ANY SERVER,
HOW IS THIS CORRECT?
WHAT WAS A COOK NEXT TO.
REPORTER: IF YOU NOTICE, HIS
FAMILY FEARS ARE SPOKEN IN THE
PAST TENSE.
THE STRESS IS GREATLY
REDUCED.
REPORTER: SIMILAR TO THE ONES
DESTINY'S MOM NOW USES.
SHE CAN BE FREE, FINALLY NOW
. IT IS AMAZING.
REPORTER: THAT FREEDOM CAME
AFTER A GAMBLE.
IS IT A RISK AND A SENSE?
ABSOLUTELY, CHECK MY
ATTORNEY AT LEAST ONE YEAR TO
SIGN OFF ON ME DOING THIS.
REPORTER: DOCTOR WEXLER'S
DOING SOMETHING NO OTHER
ALLERGIST IN THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA IS.
HE IS SERVING PATIENTS SEVERELY
ALLERGIC TO PEANUTS, PEANUTS.
WE ARE TRAINING THEIR IMMUNE
SYSTEM TO TOLERATE SOMETHING
THAT THEY WERE ONCE VERY
ALLERGIC TO.
REPORTER: IT STARTS AND HAS
OFFICE WITH A SPECK OF PEANUT,
KIDS TRIGGERED IN KUWAIT AND
EVENTUALLY WORK UP TO SPOONFULS
THAT ARE MIX WITH YOGURT.
OR, THEY PEANUTS WHOLE, AT
HOME.
DESTINY WAS HIS FIRST PATIENT,
A YEAR LATER,.
12 PEANUTS IN THE MORNING
AND 12 AT NIGHT.
REPORTER: SHE IS OKAY?
YEAH, SHE IS GREAT.
NO REACTIONS, NOTHING.
REPORTER: THIS PATIENT ALSO
CONQUER THE PROGRAM HE STARTED
IN MARCH, HE HAS 12 PEANUTS
EACH DAY, DISGUISED BY
CHEETAHS.
I THINK IT IS MIRACULOUS
WHAT DOCTOR WEXLER'S DOING.
IT DISGUISES THE CRUNCH OF
THE PEANUTS IN A LITTLE BIT OF
THE TASTE.
REPORTER: THE PROGRAM HE
LAUNCHED 13 MONTHS AGO HAS SEEN
ABOUT 70-80% SUCCESS RATE.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF
PATIENTS WE HAVE STOPPED THE
PROGRAM BECAUSE OF A DEVELOPMENT
OF SYMPTOMS.
REPORTER: DOCTOR REX'S
APPROACH DOES NOT GO WITHOUT
QUESTION FOR EARLY
IMMUNOTHERAPY AS IT IS
TECHNICALLY CALLED HAS BEEN
SUCCESSFUL IN EUROPE, BUT IT IS
NOT HAVE TO GABRIEL.
ONLY ABOUT 50 DOCTORS IN THE US
USE THE TECHNIQUE.
DOCTOR SILLERMAN OF PLYMOUTH IS
NOT ONE OF THEM.
THERE STILL SOME VERY
SIGNIFICANT AREAS THAT NEED
CLARIFICATION TO CONFIRM ITS
EFFECTIVENESS, TO CONFIRM IT
SAFETY.
REPORTER: HE CALLS THE
TECHNIQUE PROMISING,
CONSIDERING WORKING ON A STUDY
HIMSELF. BUT HE SAYS IT IS TOO
EARLY TO IMPLEMENT, AND THE
REWARDS MAY BE SHORT-LIVED.
NOT EVERYBODY MAINTAINS THE
STATE OF TOLERANCE. THEY CAN
LOSE IT.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE TELLING THE
FAMILIES THAT THEY SHOULD PLAN
EATING THE PEANUTS INDEFINITELY
AND FOREVER.
MIGHT THAT CHANGE IN THE
FUTURE, MAYBE, HOPEFULLY.
REPORTER: DOCTOR WALKER SAYS
HE IS CONVINCED, AND SO ARE
THEY.
EVERY DAY I EAT THE PEANUTS.
TOUCHING A TOY AND HAVING
ANAPHYLACTIC, AND NOW EATING
PITA BUTTER JELLY SAVAGES.
REPORTER: ANALOGOUS HOUSE,
THEY ARE, JUST PEANUTS.
FOOD IS NO LONGER THE ENEMY.
NOW, THEY CAN CONCENTRATE ON
FRIENDLIER OPPOSITION.
DON'T PLAY WITH THOSE.
QUIT IT.
REPORTER: THE INTERESTING
THING HERE, MOST OF THE KIDS
WHO WERE NEAT -- NEWLY PEANUT
TOLERANCE A THEY DO NOT EVEN
LIKE THE TASTE OF PHOENIX NOW.
BUT, THEY SAY THEY ARE HAPPY
THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO BE
ISOLATED TO THE PEANUT TABLE AT
SCHOOL.
ANOTHER TAKE AWAY HERE FROM
BOTH ALLERGIST WE TALK WITH,
THEY SAY THEY WANT PEOPLE TO
INTRODUCE BABIES TO PEANUTS
EARLY ON IN LIFE WITH DOCTOR
SUPERVISION TO TRY TO AVOID
THIS ALLERGY ALTOGETHER.
THANK YOU TO SUSAN
ELIZABETH.
DOCTOR WEXLER PLANS TO DO THIS
WITH OTHER FOODS, TOO, AND IF