My December 4, 2017, Email to Scott H. Sicherer, MD, FAAAAI

Dear Dr. Sicherer:

I read your article (referenced below), and was pleased to read your recommendation that people with allergies should avoid consuming their particular allergens.  In fact, I have read many articles recommending the same avoidance policy.  It is for this reason that I was alarmed by your following statement as it relates to corn allergies; and, for the safety of the corn allergy population, I appreciate that this article has been removed from the AAAAI website.  

I read heartbreaking daily testimonies from the 7,000+ members of our corn allergy group (one of many); particularly from parents of corn-allergic infants, due to the lack of commercially-manufactured corn-free formulas.  These parents are resorting to goat's and camel's milk in an effort to nourish these suffering babies, many of whom have been diagnosed with "failure to thrive" as a result of their allergy to corn.  Other members struggle just to find safe sources of drinking water (corn-derived purification chemicals in tap water), and many are required to have their medications compounded to exclude corn (common filler).  It is not just corn, but everything derived from corn that can actually be fatal to the anaphylactic corn-allergic individual.  Please understand that removing the corn "protein" does not render corn hypoallergenic (per numerous personal testimonies); and, thus, all corn/corn derivatives must be strictly avoided for anyone suffering with a corn allergy (also includes corn starch, corn syrup, glucose syrup, dextrose, or high fructose corn syrup, all corn-derived acids, etc.). 

I have recently shared other "Ask the Expert" articles with our corn allergy group that appear to approve the ingestion of corn/corn derivatives for corn-allergic patients.  As with any allergen, this advice can result in a life-threatening reaction; and it is my hope that the no further "Ask the Expert" articles reflect this recommendation.

Statements by Dr. Sicherer, “Avoidance of Corn Allergen," AAAAI, Ask the Expert, 2012

"From a clinical perspective, we use formulas that contain corn syrup and corn syrup solids without difficulty for patients who are allergic to corn. We therefore do not restrict a formula with these ingredients for a patient with corn allergy. However, we are not aware of specific allergenicity studies on these ingredients.

Corn starch is an ingredient that may have a very trace amount of corn protein (which probably has no clinical relevance for most people with a corn allergy). Baking powder contains corn starch, but the amount of baking powder ever used in a product is so small that the amount of corn starch would be even smaller, and, therefore, the amount of corn protein would be extremely miniscule- almost surely undetectable in a serving of such a product.

Corn starch (already with only very trace protein) is the starting material for corn syrup. The final products of corn syrup, glucose syrup, dextrose (granular) or high fructose corn syrup should have undetectable corn protein."

"Patient education: Food allergy treatment and avoidance (Beyond the Basics)," Scott H. Sicherer, MD, FAAAAI, UpToDate, April 25, 2017

"People with food allergies can have serious or even life-threatening reactions after consuming certain foods. The most important strategy in the management of food allergies is to avoid eating these foods."

https://www.uptodate.com/contents/food-allergy-treatment-and-avoidance-beyond-the-basics

Diane H., Corn Allergy Advocate

Corn Allergy Advocacy/Resources

https://cornallergyadvocacyresources.blogspot.com/

@CornAllergy911

Research by Theron Grant Randolph, MD

"Dr. Randolph was a founding member of NOHA’s [Nutrition for Optimal Health Association, Inc.] Professional Advisory Board. He educated thousands of his patients on the environmental impingements on their health and pioneered an ecological orientation in medicine. In the early 1950’s he discovered that a number of his patients were being make ill by environmental exposures to everyday chemicals such as pesticides in foods, auto exhaust, and gas cooking stoves. They would recover from what had often been chronic symptoms when the exposures were removed."


"Common foods (such as corn) turned out to be the most frequent causes, but first the food had to be unmasked and avoided."


"In 1949, he was invited to testify before the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, DC. He requested that all food ingredients, especially corn, cane, and beet sugar, be listed on all processed food."


"Dr. Randolph's approach involved much more time and effort for both the doctor and the patient to discover exactly what this patient's individual sensitivities were, and then to avoid them. On the other hand, starting with the mind altering drugs in the early 1950s, the conventional doctor simply had to prescribe a pill and have the patient to take it. This led to the rapid growth of our billion dollar pharmecalogical industry. Drugs simply smother the symptoms, and often lead to additional bad side effects. Dr. Randolph's ecological approach, while it initially takes much more time and effort, identifies the true cause(s) of the patients symptoms, and allows them to return to healthy, happy, productive lives without taking any drugs at all."




http://superiorsites3.com/Biographies/RandolphBio.htm
http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80-50140/
http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~med00062
https://books.google.com/books?id=oXypBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=Theron+Grant+Randolph,+MD&source=bl&ots=UaFfElnOKM&sig=FwZVqnwd89jprEp0PbtuIeb4hqY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjl_KKjqIjMAhVFTSYKHQP4CVoQ6AEIOzAF#v=onepage&q=Theron%20Grant%20Randolph%2C%20MD&f=false

Corn Allergy Advocacy/Resources

https://cornallergyadvocacyresources.blogspot.com/

@CornAllergy911