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
58 episodes
Steady and Calm: Immunotherapy Dosing Meditation for Teens and Adults
This grounding meditation supports tweens, teens, and adults navigating oral immunotherapy (OIT), Tolerance Induction Program (TIP), sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), or any allergy dosing protocol. Using science-based nervous system strategies,...
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5:24
My Little Garden: Immunotherapy Meditation
This gentle, imaginative meditation helps kids feel calmer and more confident during oral immunotherapy (OIT), Tolerance Induction Program (TIP), or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) allergy dosing. Together with their trusted adult, children vis...
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6:55
How the Food Allergy Nursing Association (FANA) is Redefining Food Allergy Care
The Food Allergy Nursing Association (FANA) is celebrating one year of transforming the landscape of food allergy care. In this special anniversary episode, I’m joined by FANA’s president Dr. Olga Kagan, and secretary Sarah Pederson to talk abo...
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Season 7
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Episode 52
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30:36
Bonus Meditation: Cloud Release For Food Allergy Anxiety
Feel anxious about food allergies? This 10-minute guided meditation helps teens and adults gently observe anxious “what-if” thoughts without being overwhelmed by them.Using a calming sky and drifting clouds visualization, you’ll learn t...
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10:02
Bonus Kids Relaxation: Silly Animal Thoughts
This playful 5-minute, science-based meditation helps kids (and their grown-ups!) understand how their brains work, and that not every thought is true.Children learn that just like hearts beat and eyes blink, brains think thoughts: some...
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4:49
Bonus Relaxation for Kids with Food Allergies: Inside My Bubble
This gentle 5-minute guided meditation helps children with food allergies calm their worries and feel safe in their bodies and their world. Together with a trusted adult, kids will imagine creating a special “bubble of safety” around themselves...
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8:01
Safe Epi Use in Infants and Toddlers with Dr. Michael Pistiner
In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Michael Pistiner, pediatric allergist at Mass General for Children, we focus on anaphylaxis management in young children and epinephrine use.Dr. Pistiner walks us through which epinephrine dev...
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Season 7
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Episode 51
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23:39
New Criteria for Infant and Toddler Anaphylaxis with Dr. Michael Pistiner
In this first of a two-part conversation, I’m joined by Dr. Michael Pistiner, pediatric allergist and Director of Food Allergy Advocacy, Education, and Prevention at Mass General for Children, Harvard Medical School.Dr. Pistiner discusse...
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Season 7
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Episode 50
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31:56
Connection Not Perfection: Holiday Talk with Megan Lavin
In this special holiday episode, I welcome Megan Lavin, the creator behind Allergy Awesomeness. She is a trusted voice in the food allergy community, allergy mom of four, and now a morning TV anchor. Together, we explore what it means ...
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Season 7
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Episode 49
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32:40
Gratitude, Grief, and the Gifts We Don't Choose
In this deeply personal Thanksgiving episode, I reflect on the ways that grief and gratitude are intertwined.This episode is dedicated to my brother Adam on his birthday. Acknowledging Worldwide Bereaved Siblings Month, I share how his ...
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Season 7
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Episode 48
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23:29
Safe to Eat: Devin Sailer's Mission to Change the Food Allergy World
This inspiring episode features Devin August Sailer, teen allergy advocate and founder of Safe to Eat, an organization providing Top 9 and gluten free foods to domestic violence and emergency housing shelters in upstate New York. W...
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Season 6
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Episode 47
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36:59
Living Out Loud While Invisibly Allergic with Zoe Slaughter
In this episode I am joined by Zoë Slaughter, the influencer behind the Invisibly Allergic blog and social media accounts and author of the upcoming book by the same name. Zoë shares candidly about her airborne and contact reactivity, her exper...
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Season 6
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Episode 46
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44:34
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
