Food Allergy Tests at National Jewish Health Help Young Boy Eat Again 

For two years, young Blake Ringstrom didn't eat any food. The only nourishment he received was an amino acid formula delivered through a feeding tube in his stomach.  But after a three-week visit at National Jewish Health, Blake returned to the family dining table and enjoyed holiday feasts at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"National Jewish Health has changed our lives," said Blake's mother, Becky.  "Blake is eating again. He is gaining weight. And his eczema and asthma are under control with fewer medications.  We are so thankful."

Blake's case is complex, like many seen at National Jewish Health. He suffers from eczema, food allergies, asthma, gastrointestinal and endocrine problems.  Blake ended up on a feeding tube because doctors thought that replacing allergenic foods with an amino acid formula might help his eczema and gastrointestinal distress. When blood tests showed extremely high levels of antibodies, an indicator of severe food allergies, Blake's physicians did not want to resume a food diet.

But Blake's parents, Becky and Ryan Ringstrom, knew there had to be a better answer. When they saw a news report in Minnesota about another child whose severe eczema had been helped by doctors at National Jewish Health, they decided they had to come to Denver.

At National Jewish Health, doctors and staff completely reevaluated Blake's situation from head to toe. Unwilling to rely solely on blood tests, they gave Blake numerous food challenges, the gold standard for evaluating food allergies. In a food challenge, patients eat tiny, then increasing amounts of the suspected allergenic food under close supervision of staff who watch for any sign of an allergic reaction.

"Blood tests can be helpful but they are an indirect measure of food allergies, and can be misleading," said National Jewish Health pediatric allergist David Fleischer, MD. "We see many patients, especially those with eczema, who have severely restricted their diets because blood tests indicated they were highly allergic. But food challenges showed they could tolerate a wider variety of foods.  Fortunately, that was the case with Blake."

Over the course of 24 days Blake and his family learned that he could tolerate 30 different foods, including apples, pears, peaches, turkey, pork, salmon, corn, carrots, sweet potatoes and more.  Physicians and staff also were able to reduce his asthma medications and teach the family about managing his eczema.

Days after returning home to Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, Blake enjoyed a full Thanksgiving feast followed shortly thereafter by holiday treats and a Christmas dinner.