Mia Silverman on Choosing a Vibrant Life with Allergies

Episode Transcript
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Speaker (00:01):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..

(00:22):
Welcome back to the summerseason of Don't Feed the Fear,
where we are talking aboutmaking positive, helpful choices
to help us live vibrant, fulllives.
And our guest today is anincredible young adult and
advocate content creator MiaSilverman is here to share how
she does it from taking on foodchallenges, trying new
treatments to navigatingfriendships, dating, bullying.

(00:44):
And pursuing her goals for herown future.
She brings honesty, resilience,and a whole lot of inspiration
and life experience to thisconversation.
She'll also share with you hergo-to resources, the mindset and
helpful thoughts that keep hergrounded and the choices she's
made that have helped her moveforward without letting fear
take over.
Whether you're already familiarwith Mia or if she is new to

(01:07):
you, I know you're gonna lovelistening to her.

Amanda Whitehouse, Phd (01:10):
Mia, I am so happy to meet you.
Thank you for being here ondon't feed the fear.

Mia Silverman (01:14):
Yes, likewise.
I'm super excited to chat withyou today, Amanda.
It's such an honor to be here

Oh, well, I know everybody is
enjoying listening to all you'resharing about your life and your
experiences, and probably manypeople are already familiar with
you.
But why don't you give us alittle bit of background about
how you found yourself to bethis allergy celebrity,
superstar person.

Well, started posting content around COVID
during like March of 2020, sokind of in the beginning of the
whole lockdown era I would say.
I posted a video listing all myallergies.
I have over 50 allergies and Ilisted like my top 10 and it was
like to like a quirky, sillysong.
I posted it online, did notthink anything of it, then

(01:56):
overnight got around I thinkalmost a million views or or a
million views.
I forget how much and.
I show my parents, they're like,mom, dad, like this video that
my allergies went viral, andthey're like, Mia, this could be
a chance for you to like findyour people online, educate
people, share your story.
You should keep posting and seewhat happens.
Like, you know what?
Why not?
I'm in lockdown.
I have nothing to lose.

(02:17):
So I did that.
I kept posting like all thetime, but my allergies, showing
how I travel, what I eat in aday, dating anything that
involves like how I live mylife.
But with allergies, I wouldshowcase that on my page and it
brought me to where I am todaywhere.
I have, you know, a, a reallybig following on TikTok and
Instagram and YouTube, and I'vebeen able to work with amazing

(02:37):
brands, work with differentnonprofits, speak at
conferences, and even being onyour podcast today,

I imagine that part of the way
that that video blew up was whenpeople hear someone say, I have
Over 50 allergens.
That's, that's to some people,just shocking.
Did that happen from when youwere young?
Did they develop over time?
How did you discover that youhave so many allergens?

Yeah, so when I was around one-ish or two-ish
years old, um, my mom or my dadcame home from work one day and
brought these cookies from hisoffice.
I don't know if it had eitherpistachios or cashews.
I always forget which nut itdid, but it had one of those
nuts.
And my, I was already kind of acolicky baby.
Whenever I would consume milk, Iwould start crying and having
stomachaches.

(03:18):
My parents kind of knew I hadsome sort of intolerance to
something, but not actual, likesevere food allergies and, and
so I ate one of these cookiesand.
My throat closed up.
I was covered in rashes andhives.
I could not breathe.
I was vomiting, so I wasexperiencing anaphylaxis for the
first time and that was reallyscary for my parents.
And so they called 9 1 1, gotinto an ambulance, they gave me

(03:39):
epinephrine and they ran lots oftests on me and all these
allergies.
Came back really like positive,like skin tests.
And they said, you have thislong list of allergies.
Here's this list for my parents.
Go figure it out.
And so they referred me to anallergist and I did, you know,
tons of allergy testingthroughout the years.
And I just gained more as I grewup.
So I was diagnosed with like avery long list and I've only

(04:02):
outgrown six or seven allergiesin my lifetime.
And I'm 22 years old.
That's not a lot, but it'ssomething

Right.
Well, and and you've just beenposting about that.
I was so excited that you saidyou did just recently outgrow
your almond allergy.
Right.

I did.
That was one of my most severelike deadly allergies that I did
my very best to avoid at allcosts.
Because it was super, super highwith my skin and blood tests.
And last year I did a skin testand it came back negative.
I was like, oh my gosh.
So I did one more skin test andblood test to confirm it and it
was negative.
So I did a food challenge and I.
And so it was super exciting andI mean, I've been trying to eat

(04:37):
almond butter every single daynow just to get my body used to
the taste and the texture, butit's still very anxiety
inducing, like eating that.
'cause I've considered it likeone of my most of your allergies
my entire life.

Well, you're no stranger to dealing
with that anxiety in some formor another.
That's one of the really bigthings I wanna talk about first.
Food challenges are one of themost terrifying experiences, and
and they be so helpful thoughmedically.
Right?
This was not your first foodchallenge, it sounds like.

I've probably don't like ten in my life and I
actually have one more coming upin like less than two weeks for
salmon.
So I, I do them when I canbecause even though they're
super scary'cause you're eatingyour allergen, I try to view it
as like an opportunity topotentially have a new safe food
to eat and I'll do anything todo that.
If that means eating my allergenat my doctor's office for like

(05:22):
three hours.
So be it like so be it.

Well, especially if you were to gain
back almond and salmon, thoseare two of like the healthiest
foods in the world.
So

Oh yeah.

freedom and safety, and it might be
something that's really good foryour health in the long term.

Exactly.
I'm always wanting to expand mydiet'cause my diet is quite
limited.
So when I have an opportunity todo a food challenge, I was like,
I'm like, okay, when can I bookit asap?
Like I need to do it now.
So I'm very excited about thisSalmon food Challenge.
So I did actually do the salmonfood challenge when I was in
middle school and did not pass.
So I'm hoping this time around Ido pass.

(05:56):
So fingers crossed.

Well, and I appreciate you sharing it
because that's huge for peopleto hear.
You've been through this, youdid not pass, right, and you're
still willing to do it.
Can you talk people through howdo you psych yourself up?
How do you prepare?
How do you, what do you do onthe day of to actually get
through all that stress andworry?

Yeah, so for starters, medically, I can't
take any antihistamines forabout a week prior to the food
challenge, which is difficultfor me.
I take Zyrtec every single dayfor once.
I have terrible seasonalallergies and I sneeze a ton,
but also two because it's like aprotection layer for me.
Whenever I eat food, I, it makesme feel a little bit less
anxious.
So removing that protectionlayer essentially kind of makes

(06:34):
you feel already anxious enough.
So usually when I go to a foodchallenge, I either have my mom
or my dad go with me.
So I have like someone that Ifeel safe with and can distract
me and talk to me and make mefeel safe.
I also will bring, you know,activities like books or watch
some shows to distract me aswell.
But during the days leading upto it, I try to do extra
self-care and things that makeme happy and make me feel safe.

(06:56):
So I'll go to my favoriterestaurant if I want to.
I'll, you know.
my favorite movies, read somebooks, go outside, exercise,
hang out with friends.
Um, call my boyfriend'causewe're long distance right now.
So doing things that make mefeel happy and confident.
So when I go into the foodchallenge, I feel as prepared as
possible and I will still feelanxious and nervous during the

(07:17):
food challenge.
Like I cannot deny that.
But I feel better knowing I havethese different self-care like
tools in my toolbox essentially.
And I have like someone with meto keep me company in case
something does go wrong.
And also just to keep me likecompany and like a safe person
to be there with me.
That makes sense.

It makes so much sense.
I mean, there's so many parts ofthat sitting here as a
psychologist, I'm like, oh yes,you're checking off all these
boxes.
Number one.
Some people really like if theyhave one allergen and they just
can avoid it their whole lives,you know, they still might have
a really high level of anxietyaround it, but they can just
avoid it all the time and youhaven't had that luxury.
So we know that r ealizing I canfeel anxious, but I'm okay.

(07:56):
I can tolerate this is justsomething that you haven't had
the choice to avoid.
You've had to learn that hardlesson.

Exactly.
Exactly.
'cause as someone that has somany allergies, one of my
biggest concerns is crosscontact.
And that's something that like Iexperience a lot, so I could
have just one allergy and avoidit at all costs.
That would be so much moreluxurious and easy.
But this is the, like the deckof cards.
I was, you know, handed my hand.
I've kept to work with what Igot.
And so again, While foodchallenges are super scary and

(08:26):
just the concept of eating anallergen that could potentially
put your life or your, like indanger, like I just do it
because I'm one, like in amedical office, I'm with my
doctor.
I, I am in good hands, so incase something were to go wrong,
I have epinephrine, I haveBenadryl or Zyrtec, whatever
they, you're gonna give me, likeavailable right in front of me
and I'm safe.
So I try to remind myself thosethings, even while I'm eating

(08:47):
it.
But I still experience anxietythat that's still something very
normal and you have to kind ofjust sit with it and deal with
it and let it pass.
'cause it will

Right, and know that you can tolerate
it.

exactly.

that, I know people are curious and we
get into really black and white,the way we talk about food
challenge, like pass or fail.
It's not a fail.
You learned information, right.
But the actual experience ofhaving failed a food challenge,
I think terrifies people.
Do you mind sharing so that theycan get out of the like all or
nothing, black or white?
Thinking around what that mightbe like for them.

Yeah, so when you have a food challenge, you have
to keep in mind that you have achance of outgrowing it because
the numbers are so low.
So while maybe you didn't passthe first time, you might
actually pass the second time.
It just, it just does take timesometimes.
When, when you quote unquotefail a food challenge, like
you're not failing, it's justlike maybe a detour and the

(09:39):
progress you're trying to makewith growing, outgrowing your
allergies and to not feeldiscouraged because the fact
that you were able to have afood challenge in the first
place should be encouraging'cause you were able to
potentially outgrow it.
So there is still a chance andto not like lose hope because
again, you know, had a salmonfood challenge when I was in
middle school and I actually didpass during it.

(09:59):
But then when I went home, Ithrew up and had a reaction,
like a delayed reaction.
So I technically failed, but.
I went to the doctor's office toget my skin and blood testing
for this year.
And the numbers for salmon wereway lower than they were when I
was in middle school.
So now I actually think Iactually have a higher chance of
outgrowing it.
And it kind of just takes timeand patience and to just know
that it's not over, like there'sstill hope and you could

(10:20):
potentially outgrow it.
And to just like try to stayoptimistic if you can and just
know that like.
Even if you only had like twodoses of salmon, your body was
able to tolerate two doses andthat's amazing.
That's amazing.
Your body's even capable ofdoing that and to be proud of
your body for being strongenough to do that.
'cause that's super, superamazing

You're a little bit safer because maybe
if you can tolerate two bites ofsalmon now, you don't have to
worry about the salmon crosscontact so much at a restaurant,
even though you're still gonnabe careful about it, right?
It might ease your mind a littlebit.

Exactly.
And it, and it's just alsoshowing that you did the food
challenge and you should beproud of yourself for even going
in the first place and doing it.
Because doing a food challengeagain is really scary.
But the fact that you're able togo and even if you didn't pass,
you still did it, you should beproud of yourself for that.
'cause that is still a winwithin itself.

Amanda Whitehouse, (11:03):
Absolutely.
And I think another piece isthat like you described, you
pass at the office, but then youwent home and you had some
vomiting.
It's not always an immediate,full-blown anaphylactic shock
reaction that people arefearing.
There's a lot of in-betweens.

It can just be like a thing of hives on your
arm and that's it.
It could be, you know, yourthroat feeling really itchy and
that's it.
And the minute you feel thosesymptoms, you stop, and that's
it, and it won't get any worse.
I remember I did a foodchallenge for peanut butter when
I was in middle school as well,I had like a little pea size,
thing of peanut butter, and Ireacted to it.
I got hives, my throat feltitchy and I stopped.

(11:39):
But anaphylaxis did not happen.
It was minor for what it was.
it showed that I even this muchdidn't make me have a reaction
that was anaphylactic.
It was just, it was minor, butit wasn't like life threatening.
So my body was still strongenough to tolerate some form of
peanut butter, and that to mewas like a win in some way.
I think just being mindful ofthat, it's not gonna be like a.
you're gonna be fine or you'regonna have anaphylactic

(12:00):
reaction.
It might be something inbetween.
So don't fear for the worst.
They give you a small dose for areason, and you're gonna be
doing that food challenge for areason too.
They're not gonna make you eatan allergen that is so severe.
They're gonna run the skin andblood tests to confirm that
before you do anything.
They're not gonna make you havealmond butter if your IgE levels
are like through the roof,they're not gonna do that to you
because that would be silly, youknow?

Yeah.
That part a lot of times comesdown to the trust that you have
in your doctor because they'rethe one interpreting the
results, recommending whetherit's time for a challenge and if
you're reacting in the office, Ithink it can be a positive
experience to have thathappening with medical
professionals.
They're observing you, givingyou feedback, maybe walking you
through using, um, you know, an,an antihistamine or the

(12:43):
epinephrine if it's necessary.
Like all of that I think can bereally trust building in them
and in yourself.

Oh a absolutely.
I mean, I've been seeing thesame allergist for like, I don't
know, six or seven years now.
And you know, I would feel safeknowing if I had a reaction he
would be there.
And that makes you feel safe.
And I think that just alsotrying to trust your doctors to
some extent because that's whatthey do for a living.
They study like their wholelives for this and they want
you, they wanna help you andhelp you potentially outgrow

(13:08):
allergies.
So.
Having those conversations withthem and building trust is super
important.
So I totally agree with you onthat, Amanda.

Yeah.
It is a super brave thing to do.
It takes a lot of courage.
It's hard, and I don't mean tominimize that by like, let's
look at this bright side andthat bright side.
'cause it is hard and just kudosto you and everyone who has to
do it.
Folks with allergies, I alwayssay are the bravest people I
know.
It's, it's a really tough thingto face.

I mean, not only like physically, but just like
the mental, like obstacles youhave to go through to like eat a
food that was once consideredlike poison to your body,
essentially.
You avoided it at all costs andeverything you can to avoid now
you're eating it.
It's a weird mental experiencehaving to like try to like know
you're gonna be fine, but it'sstill a kind of anxiety

(13:54):
inducing, so I do agree.
I think people have allergiesare really brave and doing food
challenges.
Are still like a risk, you know,there's still like your risk,
you, it's still like a risktechnically, but it's like a
calculated risk because you're,you've gone through the skin and
blood testing, you talk to yourdoctor and they're confident
that it could be potentially agood opportunity for you just to
try.
And you're gonna get, your bodychecked every 15 minutes, your

(14:15):
doctors are right there waitingfor you if you need them.
So you're not doing it likealone in your house.
You're doing it in a very highlysupervised, safe environment.
So it's like a calculated risk.
Like it's still a risk, but it'slike the safest one possible.

Right.
Then it's done consciously andmindfully.

Yes.

Well, another big risk that I wanna
talk about that you have done isput yourself out there for all
of us to learn from and getfamiliar with.
And, that is a big choice thatyou made.
Like you said in the beginning.
It happened quickly and then youdecided to take it further.
But I know one of the things Iwanted to touch on was all of
this.
Negativity that you get and youchoose to persevere anyway.

(14:51):
Can you just talk about whatthat's like to continue to
choose to advocate for yourselfand for other people, even
though there's probably a lot ofchallenges.

It's a great question.
I mean, I get hate comments andhate dms on the daily.
I get crazy comments from peoplesaying, go like un alive
yourself, like you're God'stypo, natural selection, like
the craziest comments ever.
And at first I would let it getto me and I would take them
personally, but I've kind oflearned as someone that wants to
study psychology, like I'mgetting my master's in it in the

(15:20):
fall.
That people that commenthateful, things are hurting deep
inside and they're projectingthat onto you.
And so I just feel bad forpeople that comment that I'm
like, wow, it's so sad thatyou're gonna comment to being
mean on somebody else.
Like you don't even know them.
They're a complete stranger.
That is really sad.
I feel sorry for you.
I'm not gonna take it seriously.
And people also are just boredand they're just gonna be like
in, their mom's basementtrolling and saying really mean

(15:41):
things.
And I just learned to not takeit seriously.
And to just have empathy forthose that are commenting
hateful things.
'cause they're probably hurtingand they're probably sad and
feel they need to hurt otherpeople so they can feel better.
So I try to shift my mindsetabout that, but I still will see
comments and it kind of hurts toread them.
But I try to focus on like thepositive feedback that I get and
the people that I'm helping,making a difference in their

(16:02):
lives because that's what I'mdoing this for, is to help other
people so they can have theconfidence to live their life
fully with allergies and, andnot hold themselves back from
like traveling, going touniversity.
You know, doing things thatpeople that don't have allergies
do, do, like normally, you knowwhat I mean?
So, it's hard.
Like it definitely is hard, butI try not to let it get to me

(16:23):
because it's not worth it

Amanda Whitehouse, Ph (16:25):
Obviously I follow you on social media and
a lot of people obviously are,are reading everything you're
putting out there.

Yes.
Oh, and it's, it's crazy becauseI Google my name and everything
comes up like you, like it'svery easy to find me online now,
which is like, kind of crazy.
'cause I, even when I was a kid,I actually used to post like
music videos online as a kid.
They're no longer on there.
'cause I was like, these are,these are embarrassing.
But I've always had like anonline presence of some kind.
But this is like to the nextlevel.
So it's definitely crazy, likewhen people will notice me in

(16:54):
public, like, oh, you're thegirl with the ay, like, I
follow, you know, like that is.
Crazy.
What do you mean you follow me?
Like what?
So, uh, it's definitely weird,having all these people have
eyes on you, but I also feellike it's a privilege and an
honor.
People wanna watch my contentand feel like they're gaining
something from it, becausethat's what I'm hoping to do, is
for people again, to feel likethey're learning something from
my page and that they feel likethey're less alone if they have
allergies.

(17:15):
So,

Yeah, and especially someone one young
like you, I mean, a lot of kidsaren't obviously going to be
dealing with that on the scalethat you are and the high level
of visibility that you are.
But

I.

I think it's important for them, and
maybe you can talk a little bitmore about your perspective on
kids just in everyday lifedealing with that bullying and
that unkindness and lack ofunderstanding and things.

Oh yeah.
I mean, I was bullied a lot whenI was in middle school and high
school.
I remember in class.
This one girl, wanted to read, Ihad this like allergy card that
had like all my allergies onthere, like not the top like 10
ones that I had, but like all ofthem.
And she like, oh, I wanna readyour allergy list.
And she read it out loud and waslike laughing at it in front of
my class and making fun of it.
I've had kids, threaten to sneaknuts into my food to see what

(17:54):
happens.
They think it's funny, like I'vebeen bullied.
I totally like understand thatexperience and.
I'll just say that, middleschool and high school is a
difficult time for a lot ofpeople because people are
immature during that age.
They're immature, they'reselfish.
They don't know how to putthemselves in someone else's
shoes and have empathy.
But I do think that there arepeople that are also kind, and I

(18:14):
think finding community outsideof school is what helps, whether
that's like joining like a.
Food allergy advocacy groupbecause I know FARE does
actually have like food allergy,teen groups.
So joining one of those isgreat.
Or like finding like onlineFacebook groups and like meeting
up with people or support groupsof some kind.
So I think that there are waysto like navigate the bullying
and find nice people outside ofschool because that's what I

(18:37):
did.
Um.
mean, when I was posting myvideos online as a kid, like I
made friends like on YouTube andI'm still like best friends with
some of them today.
Like we met in real life.
Like my friend was just visitingme from like for the weekend.
It was so much fun.
So like there are ways to makefriends and cope with it, ways
that are like healthy.
I think also just like talkingto the school about it, if
you're having concerns aboutbullying, like please.

(18:59):
Advocate and talk to yourteacher, talk to their
principal, because their job isto also keep you safe.
if they're a good teacher,they're not gonna tolerate that
because bullying should never betolerated.
I think, like for me, once Iwent to college, I met my
people.
So it does get better.
I think in general, whether youhad allergies or not, middle
school and high school is a hardtime.
It's like a weird, awkward timefor a lot of people.

(19:21):
So it's just that time that'slike difficult.
But once you're out of that.
High school, middle school era,it's a lot better.
But I think finding communityoutside of school really helps
for sure.

Not just to escape the bullying, but like
you said, to connect with otherpeople in real life who
understand and who can relate towhat you're going through.
I think that's true for everyoneand whatever their individual
challenges in life, it helps toknow, not to isolate yourself to
that group, but to know otherpeople who, who get you, and to
feel understood and seen.

It'll help you build more self-confidence and
you won't let that bullying likeget to you as much.
And I think if you areexperiencing bullying, one thing
is just to ignore and to notgive them power.
'cause the minute someonebullies you and you, and you
entertain that or, or react insome way, it gives the bully
power.
I remember playing like thisgame in therapy called like
Stop, or like no more bullies orsomething.
It was like a board game.
I had to learn how to deal withbullies because I was bullied a

(20:10):
lot.
So.
It.
It does get easier as you getolder, but I encourage people to
find community outside of schooltoo and to talk to the school as
well if there is bullyinghappening.
'cause it should never betolerated.

Yeah, and you, and you mentioned, are
you comfortable talking about, Ithink therapy can be an amazing
resource for people,

Oh yeah.
Of course.
And I wanna become apsychologist just like you one
day.
That's my goal.
And I mean, I've been in therapysince I was in the third grade.
And now again, I'm 22 years old.
I've been in therapy for a verylong time, for various reasons.
One, because I also havedyslexia and experienced
bullying for that in school aswell.
I saw food allergy psych.
For like four or five years.
And she totally changed my life.

(20:49):
You know, she really helped melearn how to cope with my
allergies in a healthy way.
If I'm, you know, if I'm havinga reaction, learning how to stay
calm, how to breathe, like doingdeep breaths, listening to
music, finding things todistract myself so I'm not
focusing on solely just that.
Um, but I think therapy is soimportant.
I think everyone should see atherapist.
I think that.
It helps you understand yourselfbetter, how to set boundaries so

(21:11):
you can keep yourself safe.
So like if someone offers youfood, you can just politely
decline it and not feel guiltyabout it.
'cause I used to feel superguilty, but like, I don't wanna
eat your foods.
I, it's gonna, make me sick.
But I learned like it's okay tosay no.
Learning how to have boundariesand how to love yourself and
embrace your allergies and.
view them as something that'snegative but also that, can kind
of keep you safe and help youlike filter out who are gonna be

(21:33):
good friends in your life.
'cause also like quick sidenote, I always discuss this
whenever I get the opportunityto.
If you have friends that aremean to you about your allergies
or not your real friends useyour allergies to help you
filter out who is worthy of, ofyour time, who's not worthy of
your time.
And I learned that in therapy,when I would be like my
therapist.
Therapist, like all my friendswere being mean to me in school.
Well, those are not your realfriends.
Your real friends will never,ever judge you.

(21:54):
They'll embrace your allergies.
They'll make you feel safe to dowhatever they can to feel like
you're included and welcomed andcherished and loved.
So I think therapy is soimportant to help you cope with
allergies because allergies doaffect like your everyday life.
Not just eating, but alsoschool, your social life,
traveling, just navigating lifein general.
So I think I always encourage.

(22:15):
People to go to therapy if theycan afford it, or, finding a
support group if that's moreaccessible to them.
'cause obviously, therapy isexpensive and it's not always
accessible to everyone.
But if you can do it, I highlyencourage it.

It's a good point.
A lot of times we get into theseconversations about do this, try
this.
Everybody's, health insurancedoesn't cover it at, in a way
that's affordable.
Not everybody can find apsychologist who specializes in
food allergies, right?
There's a lot of these thingsthat are ideal, but not
available.
there are other sources ofsupport too, like you said, not.

Absolutely.
There are so many online supportgroups and Facebook groups you
can find, and just talking toother people that are
like-minded could already bringyou some sort of reassurance and
validation and feeling like lessalone.
So there's other alternativesout there.
I totally agree.

Well, and I, I have to point out, I
think you're such a good exampleof how effective it is because
back to when you were talkingabout how do you, prepare for a
food challenge.
I'm sure you talked with thatwith your therapist, you're
clearly so informed of how toregulate your body and, and have
Trusted people safe and getexercise and move your body to
release stress.
All the things that you weretalking about are so
well-informed and evidence-basedin terms of here is what helps

(23:18):
your body release stress andmake room for tolerating
something that's challenging.

Exactly.
Thank you.
I mean, self care is soimportant with anything in life,
but especially if you have likea chronic illness or like food
allergies, it's really key tolearn how to regulate your
emotions and try to stay calmand grounded.
Obviously then you're gonnastill experience anxiety, but
there's ways to kind of copewith it so it's easier to
tolerate and you feel more okayand safe.

Part of one of my soapbox is self-care
is not just, oh, I went to thisspa and got my nails done and I
had a sauna and I had a, it's,it's the difficult but necessary
and responsible things you'redoing to take care of yourself,
to manage your allergies.
Self-care is communicating tothe people around you, even if
it's uncomfortable, what yourneeds are.
It's carrying your medicine.
It's all of those not luxuriousand fun things too, right?

(24:08):
It's all the things that makeyou safe and healthy.

Totally, I completely agree.
It's self-care is key.
I always advocate for that.

Yeah.

will help you mentally and also physically
too,

Yeah.
We talked a little bit aboutprivilege and one of the things
that you had posted on somewhatrecently that I think is another
important thing to acknowledgeas we're having these
conversations about makingchoices and what's a choice and
what's, what's not.
You had posted about yourmedical bills after you had a
reaction.
Well, this allergy life is, it'ssomething right.

it.
I mean, I'm privileged to havereally excellent health
insurance'cause of my dad'swork, but that's not the reality
for most Americans, you know?
And especially with the currentadministration trying to cut,
you know, Medicaid, Medicare,that's also a concern of mine
for people with allergies andother chronic health conditions.
But yeah, I mean, it makes medisappointed when I got my
medical bill and seeing that itwas like.

(25:01):
$5,000 to be in a hospital bedin a hallway, not even in a
room, just in a hallway.
And I'm like, this is actuallyridiculous.
Well, mind you, my brother and Iwere in Amsterdam and he had a
reaction.
He had to go to the emergencyroom and thankfully he was not
admitted.
They evaluated him, they gavehim some prescriptions, but it
was free.
We paid nothing.

Even though he was not a resident,
even though he is not a citizen.
Wow.

they say, okay, you're gonna go bye.
I'm like, I'm like, what?
What about like, do I have topay?
Like, nope, that's it.
I'm like, what?
was so, it was so like, it wasa, a shock.
So, you know, having allergiesis not our choice and it's, it's
sucks that we have to pay somuch to get like epinephrine.
Autoinjectors can cost up to$600for a pack of two.

(25:47):
Getting, I take Zyrtec andZyrtec is not, is not cheap
either.
Having to get like those pills,it's like 30,$40 a container,
which it adds up over time.
It's really a shame that ourhealthcare system is not
accessible for people with allkinds of health issues.
Not just allergies, but youknow, even cancer, diabetes,
heart problems.
So, but when you have allergies,you really see that happen when
you have, you get your ambulancebills'cause insurance doesn't

(26:09):
really ever cover ambulancebills.
They never do.
Even if you have excellentinsurance like mine, they still
don't cover it completely.
I still have to pay, like, Idon't even know, 1500 for that.

Yeah.

So it's just really.
Disappointing I made and I like,I had to pose about it to one,
show some transparency to showthis is like what the American
healthcare system is like, butalso to show just like the
reality of people withallergies, they have to have to
pay a lot of money to just besafe and stay alive.
So

Yeah, and you can only learn it as you
go.
Like the last one that we had,um, the last time we had to call
an ambulance, we got the billand it was way more than the
last time I had had to call anambulance.
They were out of network.
And I was like, well, I don'tget to choose which ambulance
comes to my house.
Like I don't choose whichcompany is called, but so it's
just another one of those thingsthat I never would've thought,

(26:54):
you know, I'm not gonna call 9 11 and say, oh, but don't send
that ambulance.
They're not in network with myinsurance.
It's absurd.

It's, we we're so behind when it comes to
healthcare.
We have amazing doctors in thiscountry.
We have amazing researchhappening, but need to put
healthcare as a priority and sopeople can access it just'cause
they can also then accesstherapy and other, like mental
health treatment as well.
So there's so much that goesinto it.
But yeah, getting those medicalbills in the mail, I was not
very thrilled.

(27:20):
Not thrilled at all, but they,they were paid for now.
So it's all good, definitely notideal.

Yeah.
And thank you for emphasizing.
I think a really importantpoint.
We have great healthcareproviders.
We have great doctors andallergists, we have great
nurses, emergency personnel, allbut the system.
It's a systemic thing that weare talking about, not the
individuals.
Obviously we don't wannacriticize these people working
so hard to keep us safe.

I'm so grateful for my doctors and nurses that,
you know, keep us safe, but it'sthe system that's exactly what
it is.
And

Yeah.

day it'll change and it'll become better for
everyone.

You're so widely connected in the
allergy world in terms of peoplewho are fighting for change or
organizations or movements thatreally are meaningful to you for
bringing up?

I really love the work that FACT does, which is
stands for Food Allergy,anaphylaxis Connection Team.
They offer so many amazingresources that are free and
accessible to everyone.
And they were, one of thesupporters for the ADDE Act,
which is trying to be passed in.
California, which is to requirerestaurants in California to

(28:20):
have the allergen labels intheir menus, which is essential
and so important.
And I also really value, I thinkthe one that the organization
that's actually like lobbyingand heavily involved is Asthma
and Allergy Foundation ofAmerica.
Also amazing and really supportand love the work that they do.
And I think also just the fellowallergy advocates, even if they
have small accounts, they'remaking a difference.

(28:42):
Like I think no matter how manyfollowers you have, whether you
have like.
A hundred to like a million.
Like we're all in this togethertrying to make a difference and
make the world a safer place.
People with allergies.
So I think, any allergy advocatethat, has the courage to share
their story online, I reallylike applaud them and think that
they're a great asset andamazing, like, and make a big
impact in the allergy space.

I'll make sure I link everything too
so that people can find it inthe notes if they're not
familiar.
It's always good to give thatextra, like, thank you to those
people working so hard for us.

And even doctors like Dr.
Rubin, who's a friend of mine,he is excellent.
There's two different Dr.
Guptas, one that's Dr.
Richi Richi Gupta, who's great.
The other one, She's also afriend of mine and she is
excellent.
Dr.
Payel Gupta.
Yeah.

Okay.

also really amazing and advocates for, not
only allergies, but also justlike safety in the world for
people with allergies and allthe chaos that's happening in
the world.
I really admire her advocacy forwhat's happening around the
world with children.
Um.
So I think there's also amazinghealthcare providers that, you
know, dedicate their lives to,to like not only helping people

(29:43):
with like allergies, but alsothey also post online and share
information about what'shappening with the FDA, what's
happening with the currentadministration, what's happening
with food labeling, all thesereally important things, new,
new, new allergy treatments thatare coming out.
It's really awesome.
They're providing all thisinformation for us for free.
'cause it makes it moreaccessible.
So they're also part of thatchange that I love seeing
happen.

I agree.
We can't choose whether we havefood allergies, but there's a
lot of choices.
That you're making that you'reare such a great role model
about.
It's also can be overwhelmingfor people to sift through and
navigate when there was nothing.
And now there's so many options.

so many, which I think is great that there's so
many options, but there's a lot.
And so it's hard to figure outwhat is the best choice for
sure.
Doing your research isimportant.
And even again, these doctorswill post online about these
different kinds of medicationsand what they do.
And I try to post about it toowhen I can, I remember doing a
slideshow, all different kindsof types of epinephrine.
Devices.
I'll showcase all differentkinds and their pros and cons.

(30:38):
But I think there's so muchinformation out there, which is
kind of great.
'cause then you can do, it'seasier now that we have the
internet so we can see what'slike the best fit for you.

Yeah.
You mentioned your recent trip,um, and people love to see that
you travel and they love to seeyou eating out and knowing that
this is doable.
What do you wanna share with usabout that?

Yes.
I mean, I will say like I livingproof that you can travel with
allergies.
Like if I can do it, so can you.
It also takes a lot of, youknow, preparation for that.
But that is something that ifyou really wanna focus on, you
can do it.
And there's so many resourcesout there, like the Equal Eats,
allergy cards, this is like notsponsored.
I don't work for them oranything.
Like I just the cards.

(31:17):
The owner, Kyle Dine's such agreat guy.
I love the work he does

He was my first episode.
I give him a shout.

Yes.
We love Kyle Dine.
He's iconic.
He's a legend.
Um, and um, yeah, so I have allthese different allergy chef
cards and different languageswherever I travel to.
So this time I went to Prague inAmsterdam.
So I got one in Czech and one inDutch.
And when I tell you it, my mademy life easy.
It made my life so, so easy.

(31:45):
Like restaurant that I would goto and there was like a language
barrier, I would just say.
here's this card.
And they're like, oh, okay.
Understand.
Got it.
And they know they, they totallyget it.
And some places they do speakEnglish like Amsterdam.
They speak.
Fluent English, which is great.
So it was really easy tocommunicate, but I still had the
allergy card just in casethere's a language barrier of
some kind.

(32:05):
And they understood immediatelywhat I needed because the card
says, you know, you use cleangloves, you use clean equipment.
Like all the things I reallycarry on and concerned about for
my allergies.
That was like one of my keythings to use was the allergy
chef card.
I also really like using fortranslating conversations with
the chef, if you need to talk tothem is ChatGPT.
Their translator is way betterthan Google translate, in my

(32:27):
opinion.
And obviously ChatGPT can becontroversial, but I use it for
reasons that are, make my lifeeasier like this because it's,
it's about safety and keepingmyself safe and it's really
helpful.
So there was like amisunderstanding.
I would just.
You know, write what I wanted tosay and say, translate this into
check and then show it and theyunderstand and they can talk
back to me.
And I also think when I travel,I always go to countries that
have good healthcare and, andI'm in the city where there are

(32:50):
hospitals accessible to me.
So in case, worst case scenario,I could just go to the nearest
hospital.
So when I had that reaction withmy, with my brother, we had that
reaction.
The hospital was like, less thana 10 minute drive, which wasn't
terrible, which is a little bitfar, but it was, it was the
closest one they had availableand they, they took him in
immediately.
So.
Always making sure you're goingsomewhere that has good
healthcare, always bringingextra safe snacks.

(33:10):
I mean, I pack a carry on withlike of, if you know the brand
Larissa's Kitchen, they havegreat beef sticks that are top
nine allergen free.
I pack like a whole thing ofthem in their I pack, you know,
like tons of like, like driedfruits.
Protein of some kind, sort offiber, apple sauce.
Abe's muffins are good to packwith you.

(33:32):
I love bringing those likebreakfast,'cause breakfast is a
hard meal for me'cause I can'treally eat with breakfast
because I can't really haveeggs.
I can't have like waffles orpancakes.
So the muffins are a goodalternative to eat for breakfast
and have some fruit and that'ssuper easy.
So always packing safe snacksand, you know.
And also researching restaurantsahead of time.
So what I would do is I wouldalways like go on Google, look

(33:52):
up safe restaurants, go to theSpokin app.
They have a lot of great reviewsfor like international
restaurants, so I'll kind of seewhat they have on there and also
asking chat GBT too, and justsee like what they have to say
on there as well.
And then calling ahead oremailing them and asking them
like, Hey, I have theseallergies.
Can you accommodate me?
Yes or no?
Then we email back and forth andthey say yes or no, and almost
all restaurants said yes.

(34:13):
So it was super easy.
So when I went there, theyremembered who I was, was like,
I was the one that emailed you.
They're like, okay, cool.
So it just having to plan a lot,which is not ideal.
But then when you, once you doit, it's worth it because then
you have everything kind of inun control in order, and it
makes it really easy.
So I just have like a bunch of,I just we're dumped a bunch of
stuff,

I'm gonna have to do like a shout
out to Mia's favorites listbecause we wanna support the
brands who are helping us.
Right?
And

yes.

you've run through them all and figured
out trial and error.
What, what's good and what worksfor you.

Mia Silverman (@allergieswith (34:42):
I don't gatekeeper.
I wanna make sure everyone knowslike what the best brands are
because again, my job is to showhow to make life easier with
allergies too and what the bestbrands are that like, and I, I
mean, I get like, I love Abe'sMuffins.
I love Larissa's Kitchen.
They're great products to travelwith.
Make Good is also a great brandto bring like safe snacks with
you as well.
So there are so many amazingproducts out there you can bring
with you.

(35:03):
Um, and.
Yeah, I think you know, andalways carry for me, I also
brought like a ton ofepinephrine on me.
I probably bought like three orfour like packs of it'cause you
never know.
So I always

Right.

to bring extra medicine and then pre-board the
plane.
Wear a mask on your flight, wipedown your seat, talk to the
flight staff so they can makesure that they can do an allergy
announcement.
That whole thing.
There's a lot that goes into it,but once you do it, it's worth
it.
Then you feel so much more saferin control, and that's what you
want to feel when you'retraveling with allergies.

Does it get easier the more you do it?
I mean, I'm sure the first timeyou boarded a plane and tried to
do all those things, it probablywas a tougher than it is now.

Yeah, I mean, it gets so much easier.
It kind, it comes like aroutine, like brushing your
teeth.
You just do it and you don'treally think much of it, and
it's just part of your routine.
It's kind of like the newnormal.
So for me, like it's kind of funfor me to get to kind of do some
research, find differentrestaurants, see what I like,
talk to them.
I kind of enjoy the process.
It can get a little bit kindarepetitive.
It gets kind of like exhaustingat times, but.

(36:03):
I kind of enjoy the process'cause then I feel like rewarded
after like, wow, I worked sohard to find these restaurants
and now I can actually eat, eatat them and enjoy and feel safe
and they know how to accommodateme the way I need to be
accommodated.
So it just gets easier with timeand you have to just kind of be
patient with yourself throughthat process.

Yeah.

but there are also people that their job is to
find like safe restaurantsabroad as well.
Like to help give you travelplans.
And my friend, her name's AllieBahn, her Instagram is, um,
miss_allergic_reactor.
She's a great food allergytravel expert.
She's awesome.
I love her.
She's so nice.
So I also recommend like talkingto people that, that know, like

(36:42):
that they do this for, for aliving.
So there's so many resources outthere again that are accessible.
So.

Yeah.
Well, thank you for sharing themall with us.
You mentioned one of the thingsthat I wanted to follow up on
and you, you said about findinga restaurant And then sometimes
you'll even go back because theyremember you.
One of the things I love thatyou posted was I, it was, I
think about your boyfriend justsaying like, he doesn't mind
going back and obviouslysupporting you.
And I was hoping, if you'recomfortable, do you mind talking
a little bit about dating?

(37:08):
'cause that's such a sticky areafor many young people

I mean, I had my fair share of men who would say,
I can't take you'cause you'reallergies.
Like it's a burden.
I'm like, it's a burden for you.
It's a burden for me.
Like what do you mean it's aburden for you?
Everyone that has

for you.

But I think that there are really good people out
there, and my boyfriend is.
So amazing.
He's so accommodating and hejust wants me to feel safe.
And you know, we, and we ate atthe same restaurant like three
days in our row and he did notseem to mind.
He is like, he's like, oh, youcan go there again.
Yeah, I love the restaurant.
I'll just order somethingdifferent.
Try something new this time.
Dating can be hard.
It's the same, same thing withlike finding friends.

(37:44):
You know, if a guy or a girl orsomeone, whatever you like, is
not respecting your allergies,goodbye.
Not even worth your time,because how are they?
If they can't respect that, howare they gonna respect you?
In general, it's a big part ofwho you are, and it's part of
like keeping yourself safe ifthey can't respect that part of
you.
You don't want that person inyour life,

Right.

wouldn't want that in your life.
You wouldn't probably, I like noone would.
So I think just using as afilter to figure out who and who
is and who isn't worthy of yourtime.
And you gotta just kiss a lot offrogs, just like finding
friends.
And there will be good peopleout there that you will find who
are super understanding, who maynot even understand it, but they
want to understand it.
And that in itself is amazing.
Like my boyfriend has a cousinthat has allergies, but he

(38:25):
wasn't, is noted to the extentof how severe they can be.
And you know.
been able to educate him.
He is been able to learn from meand watch my videos and follow
what I do.
And he's, and he learns, he'swilling to like, ask questions.
And even if they're kind ofsilly questions, there's no
wrong question to ask.
There's no such thing as astupid question.
Um, so I think there's alsobeing open to like having to.

(38:46):
vulnerable and having to sharethat part of your life with
someone, you know.
'cause having allergies can,people can feel insecure about
it.
I've felt insecure about it mywhole life until like, you know,
posting online kinda helped mebuild my self confidence.
So being able to be open and belike, okay, talking about that
with someone.
And they, if they, if they're agood person, which, and they
are, they'll understand, they'llwant you to feel safe and do

(39:07):
whatever they can to make youfeel safe,

Yeah, it's a good reminder and you pe
you and people like you who aredoing it and making it more
visible makes it easier foreveryone because people are just
getting more used to hearing itand people communicating it and
asking for their needs to bemet.
So that's helping all of us, sothank you for that.

Exactly.
Thank you.
I mean, my, my goal is also tryto normalize it in some way and
so people understand thatallergies are like.
pretty common now, and that Ithink people need to know that,
that, that they know that theyexist and that they are real,
that they are severe, and tojust acknowledge that people
like me exist and to beaccepting and open to that.

(39:44):
And it seems like for the mostpart, it.
You know, people are,'cause myvideos get so much reach my job
again is to normalize allergiesand so people can see that.
You know, it's a thing, and it'snot like a myths, not like
you're not picky.
It's a real thing.
And this is how we navigate ourlives so they can just be aware
of it.
And if they meet someone that'sallergies, they say, oh yeah, I
know how to, I know all aboutallergies.

(40:05):
I know how to, I know I kind ofunderstand them a little bit
more.
So that's kind of like my goaltoo.
So

Yeah.
Good.
Well, I'm glad the bullieshaven't scared you out of it.
It sounds like you have no plansto stop doing that.
And do you wanna tell us aboutyour other future plans?
You're starting grad school, youwanna study psychology plans.

So I am going to get my master's at Columbia for
clinical Psychology, and I'malso doing like a research study
with my professor.
I've been doing for the past,like.
Over a year now with NYU LangoneChildren's Hospital doing like
an OIT mental health, uh,quality improvement kind of
study.

(40:42):
So we're gonna be continuingthat throughout my grad school
and hoping, doing, doing like,like a master's thesis on that
and hoping to get it published.
That would be the goal.
Um.
My dream is to become a foodallergy psychologist and help
people with allergies and otherchronic health conditions like
diabetes or even like celiac,other dietary restrictions,
because allergies takes a tollon your mental health like it

(41:02):
does one way or another.
So I think that, you know,seeing like a therapist really
helps.
It makes your life a lot easierand or at least.
Makes having allergies a bitmore manageable.
Um, so that's my goal.
Um, and I wanna continue beingan allergy advocate, posting
online, sharing my experience ingrad school too, because it's
also kind of fun to showcasethat part of my life.
So just continuing that journeyof mine is kind of like my plan

(41:23):
for the future, for the next fewyears at least.

That's great.
I, I get so excited.
I've met so many, young peoplerecently who are going into the
mental health field, and it's soexciting we need so many more of
you, especially those of you whohave lived it.
You know, I'm a parent.

Right.

I bring a different, I did have food
allergies when I was young, butI didn't manage what he does and
what you do and, and theseverity of that., We need that
perspective.
People feel so understood whenthey're talking to someone.
As we said before, who hasactually lived what they're
going through.

exactly, I think there's a high demand in the
mental health space for,especially after COVID, just in
general, but I think with peoplewith allergies.
a very high demand for that.
So my goal is to be able to beone of those people that can
help others with allergies andhelp them feel more confident
and set those boundaries, lovethemselves and embrace their
allergies.
'cause it's worth embracing.

(42:09):
Like I'm grateful I haveallergies even though I don't
like having it.
Sometimes it can be annoying, itcan be a pain in the butt.
I'm also grateful for,'causeit's made me and molding me to
who I am today and I'm reallygrateful for that.
So

Thank you for saying that.
It's, it's a good reminder.

yes,

What do you want people to know that we
haven't gotten to?

know, I think just knowing that It makes you a
strong person if you haveallergies and.
Just know that like if there'ssomeone that's newly, like
that's diagnosed like recentlythat has allergy, like newly
diagnosed, just know that itdoes get better and it does get
easier with time and just knowthat like.
You're not alone.
People with allergies, there's awhole community out there,

(42:47):
people with allergies that wantto, you know, connect.
And I think just knowing thatlike it's, you're not alone.
And there's tons of studiesbeing done, tons of research to
make our lives better.
So to not lose hope eitherthere's people who dedicate
their whole lives to this tomake our lives better, who are
trying to create new, you know,epinephrine types of devices,
new kinds of treatments to getrid of allergies and to just,

(43:09):
you know, try to think aboutthose.
Really exciting things that arehappening in our future and to
advocate for yourself if youfeel comfortable doing that and
you're not alone and it's gonnabe okay.

Yes.
Can't hear it enough, right?

Yes, exactly.
Exactly.

Good.
Well, this is gonna be helpfulfor so many people listening.
Thank you so much, Mia.

you for having me.
This was so awesome.
Thank you,
As we wrap up, here are threeaction steps inspired by today's
chat with Mia.
Number one, revisit your yeslist.
Take a moment to think aboutwhat you wanna say yes to, even
with your allergies in thepicture, whether it's a new
food, a new experience, certaineducational decision or career
choice, a new way of advocatingyourself growth in your

(43:51):
relationships.
What feels possible when youstop feeding the fear and face
those challenges.
Number two, talk about the hardstuff.
Bullying, anxiety, medicaltrauma facing, scary medical
decisions like food challengesor treatment options.
None of it disappears when weignore it.
So if our conversation today gotyou thinking about some of the

(44:14):
things that are challenging foryou, bring it to a trusted
friend, a support group.
Find a resource online thatfeels like you can connect with
people.
Get yourself a therapist if youmight benefit from it.
You're not alone.
And number three, expand yourtoolkit.
You can follow Mia on TikTok andon Instagram at Allergies with
Mia.

(44:34):
Her website is allergies withmia.com and you can also find
her on YouTube.
Mia shared a bunch of herfavorite resources and
advocates, and so I'll listthose for you in the show notes.
But to recap, she mentionedFAACT Food allergy and

(44:55):
Anaphylaxis Connection TeamAAFA, the Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of America.
FARE or food allergy researchand education's teens with food
allergies and Teen AdvisoryGroup, Dr.
Zachary Rubin, Dr.
Ruchi Gupta, Dr.
Payel Gupta, equal Eats.
Larissa's Kitchen, Abe's muffinsmade good.
The spoken app, Allie Bahn andMiss Allergic Reactor.

(45:19):
So if you're not following anyof those already, you can find
them easily on social and in mynotes if you need the links.
Thank you so much to Mia forjoining us and sharing all of
your insight and your livedexperiences.
Your voice has been reallypowerful in normalizing and
validating the allergy communityand making people feel less
alone.
If this episode helped you tofeel more empowered or less

(45:39):
alone, I'd love you if you wouldleave me a review or share it
with somebody who needs it.
the content of this podcast isfor informational and
educational purposes only, andis not a substitute for
professional medical or mentalhealth advice, diagnosis, or
treatment.
If you have any questions aboutyour own medical experience or
mental health needs, pleaseconsult a professional.

(46:00):
I'm Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse.
Thanks for joining me.
And until we chat again,remember don't feed the fear.

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