Inside this issue

Feature length

22 Searching for a cure
Peanuts made headlines earlier this year with a UK group saying they have found a ‘cure’. While this is a little premature, the news is exciting and is just one of many other treatment programmes being tested around the world. Allergy Today takes a look at potential new treatments for food allergy.

26 Sulfites: from wheezes to sneezes
Sulfites have been used since Roman times to preserve food flavour and colour, inhibit bacterial growth, reduce spoilage, stop fresh food from spotting and turning brown, help preserve medication and increase shelf life. But for some people, they cause reactions. Are they causing you to wheeze?

30 Sun, sand, itch!
Many people find that their eczema improves with exposure to sunlight while others experience a worsening of their condition. Whatever your own experience, the skin will still need protection from the sun’s harmful rays during a New Zealand summer.

44 Getting ready for another school year
It’s almost the end of another school year, but before you get your kids to pack away their school bags for the summer holidays, there are a couple of things you should attend to. Now is a good time to plan for allergy updates for next year.

3 Editorial
4 Feedback
6 Making headlines
11 Allergy New Zealand news
12 Your questions
44 Getting ready for another school year

Real people

16 Real people: Mike’s story
20 Real people: That was then, this is now
64 Parting shot: The year of... nuthin’ rilly

Food for thought

54 Surviving Christmas eat outs
58 Recipes: Christmas fare to tempt your taste buds

Your health

30 Skin care: how to look after eczema in summer
36 Environmental: not sure if that sneeze is hay fever? Use our checklist.
40 Healthy home: chemicals and your health; carpet care

Allergy help

48 Directory
49 Giveaways
52 Marketplace
62 Classifieds