Don't Feed the Fear: Allergy Anxiety & Trauma
Welcome to "Don't Feed the Fear," where licensed psychologist Dr. Amanda Whitehouse offers expert guidance on managing the social and emotional challenges of food allergies, celiac, and related conditions. Tune in for compassionate advice, practical strategies, and inspiring stories to help you navigate anxiety and trauma with confidence and resilience.
For more info on resources from Dr. Whitehouse, go to www.thefoodallergypsychologist.com
Theme song: The Doghouse by Kyle Dine, www.kyledine.com
Used with permission from the artist
Full transcripts are available to support accessibility and inclusive listening: https://www.thefoodallergypsychologist.com/dont-feed-the-fear-blog
Episodes
94 episodes
Mindset and Mental Health in OIT with Prof. Adam Fox
In this episode, UK allergist Prof. Adam Fox joins us to explore the emotional and psychosocial layers of oral immunotherapy.Dr. Fox shares how he approaches difficult conversations with honesty and compassion, including addressing guilt...
BONUS EPISODE: Magic Wand Exercise for Teens and Adults
Beneath our wishes, we often discover important clues about our values, needs, fears, hopes, griefs, and the parts of ourselves that may not receive enough attention in everyday life.When was the last time you used your imagina...
BONUS EPISODE: Magic Wand Meditation for Kids
What would your child change if they had a magic wand?What would they wish for?What would they want the adults in their life to understand?The Magic Wand Exercise is one of my favorite tools for helping children express tho...
Fear, Hope, & Self-Compassion: Guest Host Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins Interviews Me About My New Book
This month, the tables are turned.In this special episode, psychologist, food allergy mom, and friend Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins joins the podcast as guest host to interview me about my new book, From Fear to Freedom: A Workbook for Navig...
Misconceptions, Myths & More: What Dr. Tom Chacko Wants You to Know About OIT
We covered what OIT is last week.This week? We’re talking about what it’s not.Dr. Tom Chacko joins me to bust common myths about oral immunotherapy and answer the questions families ask in his clinic and on social media e...
From Controversy to Collaboration: The Evolution of OIT with Dr. Doug Jones
In this episode, we begin a deep dive into specific food allergy immunotherapy treatments with a conversation about (OIT).Dr. Doug Jones, one of the early pioneers of OIT in the United States, joins us to discuss how it looks in real cli...
My Month of Awareness & Why It Matters
In this solo episode, I’m wrapping up an incredibly meaningful awareness month by taking you behind the scenes of the advocacy events, conferences, legislation, research, and community moments that left me feeling hopeful about the future of fo...
May Contain: My Life - Behind the Scenes with Mandi Kearns
This week on the podcast, I’m joined by filmmaker and advocate Mandi Kearns of Just Like You Films to discuss the upcoming food allergy docudrama, May Contain: My Life.This conversation explores not only the making of the film, but the e...
From Awareness to Action with AAFA's Kenneth Mendez
In this special Allergy & Asthma Awareness Month episode, psychologist and food allergy advocate Dr. Amanda Whitehouse sits down with Kenny Mendez, President and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), for a conversation...
Understanding FPIES with iFPIES Founder Fallon Schultz
FPIES (Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome) is a type of food allergy that often goes unrecognized, leaving families confused, dismissed, and searching for answers.In this episode, I’m joined by iFPIES founder Fallon Schultz, MSW...
Immunotherapy Options for Environmental Allergies with Dr. Manisha Relan
Environmental allergies can significantly impact daily life, from chronic congestion and itchy eyes to sleep disruption and reduced quality of life. If daily medications aren't enough, there are longer-term treatment options available.In...
Preparing for Immunotherapy: Dr. Dave Stukus on Tests, Challenges, and Expectations
My second guest for this special podcast season guiding listeners through the immunotherapy process welcomes back Dr. David Stukus, Director of the Food Allergy Treatment Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio and Pres...
Shared Decision Making in Allergy Treatment Choices with Dr. Shahzad Mustafa
We are living in an exciting time in food allergy medicine with multiple treatment options to choose some and likely more on the way soon. But more options can also mean more overwhelm. I've invited some of the world's foremost experts in aller...
When Options Feel Overwhelming: Our Immunotherapy Journey (& A Big Announcement!)
This season we are discussing options in food allergies. This week's episode begins a deep dive into one of the most complex and emotional parts of living with food allergies: treatment options.With more treatment options available than ...
Another Needle-Free Epi Option?: An Update on Nasdepi
In this episode, I'm joined by Scott Lyman, CEO and Co-Founder of Belhaven BioPharma, to discuss Nasdepi®, an investigational dry powder epinephrine nasal spray currently in development for the treatment of anaphylaxis.Nasdepi® is design...
AUVI-Q and Epi Confidence with Dr. Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Vivian Hernandez-Trujillo, board-certified allergist and food allergy mom and patient, for a grounded and practical conversation about epinephrine confidence.We talk about what it’s like to manage food ...
BONUS Meditation Episode: Finding Glimmers (Teaching the Nervous System to Find Safety)
Many of our nervous systems become very skilled at scanning for danger. This is not a flaw. It is a protective response that develops when life has required us to stay alert. But when the nervous system spends most of its time looking for what ...
Simplifying Epinephrine with Dr. Farah Khan
This is the first guest episode in a season of the Don't Feed the Fear podcast dedicated to something many of us are feeling deeply right now: the excitement and overwhelm that comes with how quickly the food allergy landscape is chang...
BONUS Meditation: Be Careful, Not Fearful
Living with food allergies or celiac disease often requires careful decision making. Reading labels, asking questions, and evaluating risk are important parts of staying safe. Over time, though, the nervous system can become so used to scanning...
Your Anxiety Isn't Keeping You Safe. It's Feeding The Fear.
Of course you feel anxious sometimes managing food allergies and celiac. Many patients and families believe that a little anxiety keeps us safe, that fear keeps us vigilant, and that without it we might become careless.But is that actual...
Kyah's Legacy: Food Allergy Education and Advocacy
Lisa Cohen created the Kyah Rayne Foundation in honor of her daughter Kyah, who died following to an allergic reaction.As we approach Kyah’s birthday on March 17, Lisa shares Kyah’s story and the mission behind the foundation, with a foc...
Understanding Barriers in Food Allergy Care with Dr. Linda Jones Herbert and Dr. Hemant Sharma
Food allergy care does not exist in a vacuum, and neither do the families managing it.In this episode, pediatric psychologist Dr. Linda Jones Herbert and pediatric allergist Dr. Hemant Sharma from Children’s National Hospital join the co...
When Safety Creates Distance: Isolation, Connection, and Boundaries in Food Allergy Life
Living with food allergies often creates distance between us and friends, family, schools, and communities that don’t fully understand what our safety requires. This episode compassionately addresses the growing sense of isolation many food all...
Allergy Strong Kids and Communities with Erin Malawer
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 sha...
Black Families and Food Allergies with Renia Butler, Black Allergy Mama
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 Bla...
