Don't Feed the Fear: Food 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 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
Episodes
46 episodes
Why Social Anxiety in Food Allergies Deserves Attention with Dr. Melissa Engel
Food allergies don’t just bring the fear of anaphylaxis. They also bring unique social challenges that are often overlooked. In this episode, I sit down with psychologist clinician and researcher Dr. Melissa Engel, whose recently published pape...
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Season 6
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Episode 45
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33:35
Behavioral Health Insights with FAACT's Emery Brown
In this episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, Emery Brown, school psychologist and FAACT’s Behavioral Health Director, joins me to talk about how parents and schools can better support children with food allergies. We explore practical strat...
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Season 6
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Episode 44
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50:26
The ADINA Act: Fighting for Allergen & Gluten Labeling in Medications
In this episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, the family behind the ADINA Act joins me to talk about the federal bill's recently reintroduction to Congress. The Act seeks to require clear labeling of the Top 9 food allergens and gluten in pr...
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Season 6
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Episode 43
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42:21
Diagnosed Celiac During the Pandemic: Gabby Hemond on the Importance of Community
In this episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, Gabby Hemond (@noglutengabby) joins us to talk about being a young celiac influencer diagnosed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk about the unique challenges of navigating a new ...
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Season 6
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Episode 42
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42:59
Suki the Gluten-Detection Dog and Her Celiac Human, Kendra Williams
This week on Don’t Feed the Fear, I’m joined by Kendra Williams, who lives with celiac disease and has a gluten detection dog Suki trained to keep her safe. In this conversation, we talk about when a food allergy detection dog is a goo...
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Season 6
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Episode 41
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37:38
Candid Conversations about Celiac with Kayla King
Kayla King (@celiacwithkayla) joins us on Don't Feed the Fear this week for an open and candid conversation about the realities of living with celiac disease. Kayla is a young celiac influencer who speaks candidly about her experiences growing ...
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Season 6
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Episode 40
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41:18
Celiac Journey's Advocacy: The Bari Family's Call for Change
This episode of Don’t Feed the Fear opens our month-long focus on celiac disease with a powerful conversation featuring father and son advocates Jon and Jax Bari. Together, they share their personal experiences with celiac and the urge...
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Season 6
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Episode 39
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39:31
Safer Schools: Christine Creter on the Food Allergy Management in Schools Recommendations
Heading back to school can feel stressful for families managing food allergies. Last year, new recommendations for food allergy management in schools were released, offering schools a roadmap for keeping students safe and included. In this epis...
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Season 5
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Episode 38
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43:01
Our unexpected paths to homeschooling: Exploring our options with Lyndsie Iiams
In this heartfelt and honest conversation, I sit down with Lyndsie Iiams, a fellow homeschooling food allergy mom and social media creator, to talk about how our journeys led us to educate our children at home. Neither of us ever expected to ho...
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Season 5
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Episode 37
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46:54
Finding Freedom Beyond Food with Jenna Gestetner
With only 14 foods she can eat safely, Jenna Gestetner could have built a life defined by restriction. Instead, she’s chosen to create one rich in joy, connection, and possibility. Living with MCAS, POTS, and multiple food allergies, she shares...
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Season 5
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Episode 36
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48:50
Innovations to Improve Food Allergy Prevention and Care with Meenal Lele
Meenal Lele is the founder and CEO of Hanimune Therapeutics, which she founded with the aim of developing food allergy preventative products. The company's goal is to create solutions for parents preventing food allergies and doctors seeking be...
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Season 5
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Episode 35
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43:30
Mia Silverman on Choosing a Vibrant Life with Allergies
In this episode, Dr. Whitehouse is joined by an inspiring young adult living with multiple food allergies, Mia Silverman. Mia shares her journey of navigating the world with confidence, resilience, and clarity. Together, they discuss what it re...
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Season 5
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Episode 34
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46:07
One Year of Don't Feed the Fear: Birthday Episode
In this special birthday episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, I’m pausing to reflect on a whirlwind year, both personally and professionally. I answer some of the questions I get most often, including what inspired the name of the podcast, ...
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Season 5
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Episode 33
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23:04
Building Bravery: Tackling Allergy Anxiety with Dr. Katherine Dahlsgaard
In this week's chat about choices, psychologist/researcher Dr. Katharine Dahlsgaard and your host Dr. Whitehouse explore what we can do about the emotional side of food allergies, exploring when everyday anxiety crosses the line into specific p...
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Season 5
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Episode 32
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45:21
Creating a Healthy Food Foundation with Children's Dietitian Lucy Upton
In this episode, host Dr. Whitehouse welcomes dietitian-author Lucy Upton @childrensdietitian to explore developing healthy relationships with food. Topics discussed include:Nervous system–informed eating strategiesSafe and...
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Season 5
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Episode 31
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53:28
Ilana Golant & the Food Allergy Fund: Turning Donations into Discoveries
In this World Allergy Week episode, I'm joined by Ilana Golant, Founder and CEO of the Food Allergy Fund. She exposes the significant gap between the prevalence of food allergies and the amount of research dollars devoted to this. Ilana ...
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Season 5
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Episode 30
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51:23
How to Talk to Children About Food Allergies and Death
This challenging and important episode concludes our spring season, "I Don't Want to Talk About It." We tackle one of the most difficult questions food-allergic families may face: “Could I die from my food allergy?” Though we hesita...
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Season 4
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Episode 29
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41:50
Food Allergies and Kissing Part 3: Charlotte's Story
This episode is the third in a series of recent discussions about Food Allergies and Intimacy. I encourage you to listen to Parts 1 and 2 to provide the medical background and social/emotional context for this episode.In this deeply tou...
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Season 4
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Episode 28
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34:54
Father’s Day Tribute with Thomas Silvera of the Elijah-Alavi Foundation
It was an honor to record this Father's Day and Men's Mental Health month episode with Thomas Silvera, co-founder of the Elijah‑Alavi Foundation. In this discussion, Thomas revisits the tragic passing of his 3-year-old son, Elijah, due to a fat...
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Season 4
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Episode 27
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55:50
Food Allergies, Dating, and Intimacy with Sloane Miller, Part 2
In Part 2 of our series on dating and intimacy with food allergies, author and mental health professional Sloane Miller joins me to explore the emotional and social dimensions of navigating relationships while managing food allergies.We ...
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Season 4
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Episode 26
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48:19
Food Allergies, Dating, and Intimacy with Dr. Scott Sicherer and Sloane Miller, Part 1
In this insightful episode of Don't Feed the Fear, researcher/physician Dr. Scott Sicherer and author/food allergy coach Sloane Miller join Dr. Amanda Whitehouse for a panel discussion focusing on the complexities of dating and physica...
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Season 4
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Episode 25
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54:23
The Legal Landscape of Food Allergy Accommodations with Laurel Francoeur
Season 4: I Don't Want to Talk About PoliticsIn this important episode, we’re joined once again by legal advocate and friend of the show, Laurel Francoeur, to unpack the Texas v. Becerra lawsuit—a case brought by 17 states challenging h...
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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33:24
Remembering Allison Rose & Saving Lives in Her Honor
In this special Food Allergy Awareness Week episode, we sit down with Chief Mike and Becca Suhy, the founders of the Allison Rose Foundation. Their vibrant, fun-loving, caring, and slightly mischievous daughter Allison's life was tragically cut...
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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44:12
Mothering Through It: Dr. Ruchi Gupta on Guilt & Grace in Food Allergy Parenting
Season 4: I Don't Want to Talk About ItIn this special Mother's Day episode, I'm joined by one of the world's leading allergy researchers — who also happens to be a food allergy mom. While Dr. Ruchi Gupta's professional credentials are impr...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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56:17
Changing Menus to Save Lives: Robyn and Addie Lao and CA SB 68 ADDE
Season 4's theme is "I Don't Want to Talk About It." Today, Robyn and Addie Lao and I are talking about it and we hope you'll do more than listen. We hope you'll take action.Mother-daughter advocates Robyn an...
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Season 4
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Episode 21
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34:11
