Pascal, who describes her cooking without top allergens and gluten as “both a necessity and a passion,” is the author of the brand new Allergy-Free and Easy Cooking book, as well as her previous bestselling cookbooks, The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook and The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.

“I am so excited that Cybele will be creating recipes for Allergic Living’s readers,” says Editor Gwen Smith. “She is an exceptional leader in the growing field of allergy-friendly and gluten-free cooking.”

Pascal’s recipes have drawn high praise from the likes of Martha Stewart and she has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, the Today Show, Good Morning America and the Food Network. She lives in Los Angeles with her food-allergic family – Pascal, her two sons, her husband and even one of her dogs all have food allergies.

In addition to Pascal’s talents, Allergic Living further strengthens its food department in 2013 with the addition of Elizabeth Gordon as Associate Food Editor. Gordon is another highly regarded cookbook author, whose latest title is The Complete Allergy-Free Comfort Foods Cookbook. Meantime, Senior Editor Alisa Fleming, author of the bestselling Go Dairy Free, continues to create delicious and inventive recipes for her “No Dairy No Gluten” recipe column.

With this exceptional food team in place, 2013 stands to be a banner year for the magazine. “If you’re caught in a cooking rut because of food allergies or celiac disease, just try Allergic Living,” says Smith. “Cybele and the team will inspire you to get in the kitchen – you’ll start a whole new love affair with food.”

Since its launch across the United States in the spring of 2011, Allergic Living magazine has grown rapidly and gained a reputation for editorial excellence. Smith is a former senior editor of national magazines, many of Allergic Living’s writers are respected health journalists, and its expert columnists include leading allergists and dietitians.

Other expert voices in the magazine include the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

For more about Allergic Living magazine, contact: editor@allergicliving.com.

To view a sample edition of the magazine, click here.

Entering its third year of national distribution, Allergic Living magazine is bolstering its editorial presence with the addition of Alisa Fleming as Senior Editor.

Fleming is an accomplished writer and the author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance and Casein-Free Living. She is also the founder of GoDairyFree.org, North America’s No. 1 dairy-free website.

“We’re thrilled to have Alisa on board,” says Gwen Smith the magazine’s Editor. “She brings outstanding ideas, knowledge and passion to Allergic Living‘s coverage of food allergies and intolerance.” Fleming will continue her popular No Dairy, No Gluten recipe feature in the magazine, but “in the role of senior editor, Alisa gets to show her skills well beyond her great food writing,” Smith says.

Since its launch across the United States in the spring of 2011, Allergic Living magazine has grown rapidly and gained a reputation for editorial excellence. Smith is a former senior editor of national magazines and newspapers, many of Allergic Living’s writers are well-known health journalists, and its expert columnists include allergists Dr. Scott Sicherer (Mount Sinai School of Medicine), Dr. Hemant Sharma (Children’s National Medical Center) and Dr. Clifford Bassett (Allergy & Asthma Care of New York), as well as dietitian and celiac expert Shelley Case. For the Canadian edition, regular allergist columnists are Dr. Susan Waserman (McMaster University, Hamilton) and Dr. Wade Watson (IWK Health Centre, Halifax).

Other expert voices include the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), FAAN (now FARE, the Food Allergy Research & Education organization) and Anaphylaxis Canada.

From family feuds with relatives who don’t “get” serious food restrictions to social concerns like dating and eating out and societal issues like bullying and avoiding allergens at school, Allergic Living is the go-to magazine for managing the real issues facing those with allergic or celiac disease.

For the 2013 publishing season, the magazine plans to tackle issues such as marital stress and food allergies and the mystery of adult-onset allergies. Meantime, the magazine’s food editors are already testing dozens of inspired new allergy-friendly recipes – while their journalist colleagues have begun work to uncover the latest on research progress. As well, readers can look forward in 2013 to smart advice on reducing toxins and allergens in the home and even the tricks to allergy-friendly gardening.

“We are privileged at Allergic Living to work with the best in the fields of food and environmental allergies and celiac disease,” Smith says. “And in her new role, Alisa Fleming will help us to set the bar even higher for the incredibly helpful articles we can deliver to readers.”

For more about Allergic Living magazine, including the newly released Winter edition, contact: editor@allergicliving.com.

View a sample edition of the magazine here.

In the Summer 2012 issue of Allergic Living, Frost tells editor Gwen Smith about how she juggles her lifestyle – which includes a new show coming up on the TLC network and a lot of travel – while keeping her asthma and serious food allergies under control. While Frost brings her confident, take-charge attitude to allergies, she also gives the full-on naughty step treatment to certain unaccommodating airlines and restaurants.

To get the issue and article as part of a subscription, be sure to subscribe by May 27.

Also in Allergic Living Summer ’12:

• Celiac disease and your sex life: if your love life is lacking, glutening may be to blame.
• Airlines & Allergies: How can we find a solution that treats the allergic flyer with dignity and fairness?
• The Med’s Best: Chef Simon’s delicious, allergy-friendly recipes meet the healthful Mediterranean diet.
• Road Trip! Editor Jenny Kales’ great Summer gluten-free, allergy-friendly food finds. Plus summer skincare.
• Get a Hold of Mold: Our Healthy Home columnist guides you through in this essential how-to article.
• The Allergist Mom: What my food allergic kids taught me about allergic disease.
• ‘I Thought I Had Control’: inspiring stories of those who reclaimed their asthma management.
• Ask the Experts, Shelley Case’s gluten-free summer reads, the latest allergy and celiac news, and loads more.

Allergic Living magazine proudly announces the complete rebuild of its website Allergicliving.com. The new site becomes a leading, one-stop, comprehensive resource for those living with food allergies, celiac disease, asthma and environmental allergies.

“This is no mere cosmetic renovation,” Gwen Smith, Allergic Living’s editor and content director, says of Allergicliving.com. “We made a significant investment and rebuilt this site from the ground up. Visitors will find hundreds of great articles, recipes, blogs and interactive features.”

While the former site had already gained a half million visitors a year, an ambitious marketing and SEO campaign is underway to introduce a significantly larger audience to the newly unveiled Allergicliving.com.

Noting that the community of people living with allergies and celiac disease is rapidly growing, Smith says: “When you live with these conditions, there are so many questions and adjustments to your life. That’s why the team here is so passionate about our new site – Allergicliving.com will truly help people; it is that comprehensive.”

Exclusive Features

• Ask the Expert: 4 leading allergy specialists, a celiac disease expert and a certified asthma educator take your questions at Allergicliving.com.
• Indepth sections on: Top 10 Food Allergies, Celiac Disease, Pollen Allergy, Asthma, Skin Allergy.
• The new Allergy-Safe and Gluten-Free Recipe centers. Fully searchable. Outstanding recipes created by Allergic Living’s Chef Simon Clarke.
• NewsFlash – our journalists report the latest news on Allergies, Celiac and Asthma.
• The Healthy Home section  – from safe painting to getting rid of dust mites and indoor pollutants.
• Living sections: Travel with Allergies, School and Allergies/Asthma and more.
• Interactive: Story of the Month for kids and teens; Our Poll; commenting available on all articles.
• The Talking Allergies Forum.
• Slideshow photo stories.
• Intuitive navigation and advanced search tools.

“I expect visitors will be amazed by the scope of the new Allergicliving.com,” Smith says. “We’re a little amazed ourselves – and eager to hear what others think of it.”

Contact: Gwen Smith
gwen@allergicliving.com
1-888-771-7747

Magazine info/ ad info:
Peter Wilmshurst
ads@allergicliving.com
416-766-4273

TORONTO, April 14, 2010 – In its 5th Anniversary issue, Allergic Living magazine looks 10 years ahead in a 20-page special section: “The Future of Allergies.”

From the front lines of research into food allergy, celiac disease and environmental allergies, Allergic Living’s journalists report that a therapy revolution is coming.

By the next decade, there will be therapies for food allergies and celiac disease – currently there is only food avoidance. And not just one treatment. If all goes to plan, there should be:

• A “Pednut” vaccine that tricks the immune system into accepting peanut.
• Chinese herbal tablets that would prevent allergic reactions or asthma attacks.
• A hypoallergenic peanut plant.
• A hypoallergenic cat.
• Desensitization clinics for peanut, milk and egg allergies.
• A celiac pill that stops gluten from penetrating the small intestine.
• The emergence of gluten-free wheat in the marketplace.

For more information about “The Future of Allergies” or to arrange an interview with Allergic Living Editor Gwen Smith, call Beth Sulman at 416-628-5602 or bsulman@hccink.com

Allergic Living is available by subscription (www.allergicliving.com) and at Chapters bookstores,
Shoppers Drug Mart and London Drugs.

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Other Media Releases:

• Spring 2010: Allergic Living’s 5th Anniversary Milestone
• Summer 2009: Planet Allergy
• Spring 2009 – Backlash: The Nutty Debate over Food Allergies
• January 2009 – Airlines and Allergies

TORONTO, April 14, 2010 – Print is dead, right?  Wrong, print is different.

It was by developing a unique model for magazine publishing that Allergic Living magazine has attained the almost unthinkable today: it is a thriving independent publication, celebrating its 5th anniversary. In a landscape littered with defunct magazine brands – where industry statistics show that for every three magazines that launch, another fails – Allergic Living is an entrepreneurial success story.

The secrets of this indie magazine’s success are rooted in strategy, specialty, online and magazine co-ordination, a unique advocacy role and close connection with a targeted and growing audience.

“We write for people living with food allergies, asthma, and gluten intolerance,” says Editor Gwen Smith. “They face incredibly challenging diet or environment restrictions. These are readers who need us.” Allergic Living, she notes, gives its audience articles they won’t find in other media, and literally makes a difference in their lives.

Allergic Living also plays an unusual media role: one of advocacy. The website Allergicliving.com has hosted letter-writing campaigns for better food labeling and airline accommodations. Lobby groups have formed on its Forum. When allergy backlash rears its head, Smith is often a spokesperson.

“What’s so different is that our relationship is not simply one of magazine serving reader,” says Smith, “it is one of community.” Smith and many of her writers live what their readers live: most of them have allergies, food intolerance or asthma. “We really do relate to the reader.”

For more information about the magazine, or to arrange an interview with Allergic Living Editor Gwen Smith, call Beth Sulman at 416-628-5602 or bsulman@hccink.com or contact Allergic Living at: editor@allergicliving.com

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Other Media Releases:

• Spring 2010: Allergic Living’s The Future of Allergies Special Report
• Summer 2009: Planet Allergy
• Spring 2009 - Backlash: The Nutty Debate over Food Allergies
• January 2009 - Airlines and Allergies

It holds a magnifying glass to an alarming increase in wasp sting reactions, the spread of highly allergenic weeds, toxic mould levels and even previously unheard-of triggers.

In her feature article, Allergic Living‘s Senior Editor, Claire Gagné gives the example of Fairbanks, Alaska, where there has been a tenfold increase in yellow jacket wasps, causing a rise in insect stings, cancelled school trips, and the first anaphylaxis deaths on record. Why the surge?

Dr. Jeffrey Demain, the director of the Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Center of Alaska, explains that the queen wasps are surviving the winter – which is simply not as cold as it was.

Longer growing seasons and an abundance of carbon dioxide are causing much greater pollen production as well as the introduction of new plants. Gagné writes of the forest of the western Arctic rapidly shifting from fir to deciduous trees (with more pollen). And while ragweed is a recent arrival in Europe, it has rapidly become a huge health concern.

The magazine cites leading scientists who agree that as dramatic swings in weather patterns lead to wildfires and floods, there is a related and unprecedented impact on allergies and asthma attacks.

Allergic Living editor, Gwen Smith adds that “the health effects in the article are just a harbinger of what lies ahead unless real change comes soon.”  The question is, can we make the change.

To view an excerpt of Planet Allergy in the Summer issue of Allergic Living, click here.

Also in the Summer issue: Peanut Promise – Is desensitization therapy the solution to a peanut allergy?

Allergic Living is available by subscription (www.allergicliving.com) and at Chapters outlets,
Shoppers Drug Mart and London Drugs.

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For more information about this article, or to arrange an interview with Allergic Living editor
Gwen Smith, call Beth Sulman at 416-628-5602 or bsulman@hccink.com

Previous Media Releases

January 2009 - Airlines and Allergies
April 2009 - Backlash: The Nutty Debate over Food Allergies

TORONTO – April 7, 2009 – How far should our schools go to protect the health and safety of our children? This is the great debate that Allergic Living magazine raises in its Spring ’09 cover story: “Backlash Boards the Bus.”

When medical sociologist Dr. Nicholas Christakis heard that students evacuated a bus at his children’s school because of one solitary peanut, he was appalled. But he didn’t just raise objections with the principal. Instead he wrote a column in the British Medical Journal that branded ALL school anaphylaxis measures as a form of “epidemic hysteria,” and raised the spectre of neurotic parents and educators feeding off each other’s fears in an endless cycle of anxiety.

In its Spring issue, Allergic Living discovers that Christakis struck a chord, that he is far from alone in his opinions that food allergies have cascaded into the realm of societal myth. The topic has become an international media debate with Harper’s, Time, The New York Times, the National Post and numerous bloggers all weighing in. Yet, to the parents of hundreds of thousands of children in Canada with dangerous – and very real – food allergies, the views being expressed are often frightening, divisive and hurtful.

The highly contentious debate prompted Allergic Living editor Gwen Smith to zero in on the heart of the matter in the latest issue: Why do people love to hate food allergies? The magazine finds widespread attention to Christakis’s opinion is having a polarizing effect, with those in the contrarian camp now suggesting that school anaphylaxis precautions are doing more harm than good, while allergy advocates emphatically defend the need to protect vulnerable allergic students.

A Mayo Clinic study released in December found that food allergic reactions in the U.S. resulted in 50,000 emergency room visits, up from 30,000 in 1999. Can anyone reasonably argue that food allergies do not present some measure of health concern?

The shadow of doubt is perhaps rooted in frustration over small inconveniences and isolated situations, such as the school bus incident, which are exactly that: isolated. Smith contends that what’s getting lost in the hyperbole is the rationale and the reasonableness of food allergy measures. The fact is: they save lives.

Click to view an excerpt of Backlash Boards the Bus in the Spring issue of Allergic Living.

Also in the Spring issue: The science behind oral allergy syndrome. About 10 per cent of Canadians have a confounding condition that causes intense reactions to fruits and vegetables. Read all about it.

Allergic Living is available by subscription (www.allergicliving.com) and at Chapters outlets, Shoppers Drug Mart and London Drugs.

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For more information about this article, or to arrange an interview with Allergic Living editor
Gwen Smith, call Beth Sulman at 416-628-5602 or bsulman@hccink.com

Previous Media Releases

TORONTO – January 6, 2009:  Startling new research reveals that most major airlines do not have clearly defined policies and procedures in place for allergic passengers, and they continue to serve some of the most highly allergenic foods, including nuts, sesame, fish and shellfish, according to Allergic Living Magazine.

In the Winter 2009 issue of Allergic Living magazine’s cover story “Plane Truths,” Allergic Living contributor Jennifer Van Evra exposes an allergic passenger’s nightmare flying 38,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, locked inside an Air Canada plane with the flight attendants handing out packages of nuts.

Van Evra reveals several incidents on other airlines where flight attendants refused to stop serving peanuts throughout the plane even though passengers were having difficulty breathing and in one case, a 3-year-old girl became covered in hives, her face swelled and her breathing grew laboured.

Allergic Living editor, Gwen Smith asks the obvious question: “Why is an airplane the only public venue aside from a major league baseball park where an individual will encounter so many peanuts and nuts?”

The airlines have responded to passenger complaints by saying, “We cannot guarantee an allergen-free flight.” Smith would like to see discussions with the airlines in Canada about risk-reducing strategies accommodating the growing number of people traveling with serious food allergies. Allergic Living Magazine has just launched a write-in campaign to lobby for better risk reduction in the air and will be reporting the results directly to the airlines.

“Flying is a fundamental part of modern life, and the allergic have a right to do it safely – like everyone else,” says Smith. “We would be very open to speaking with the airlines about better accommodation for the allergic. It would not be difficult.”

To view online the detailed comparison chart on allergy policies of some of the major airline carriers, click here.

Allergic Living is an independent magazine, published by AGW Publishing Inc., and is available by subscription (www.allergicliving.com) and, in Canada, at Chapters outlets, Shoppers Drug Mart and London Drugs.

For more information about this article, or to set-up an interview with
Allergic Living’s editor Gwen Smith, please call:
Beth Sulman at 416-628-5602 or bsulman@hccink.com

See Also:

• See an update on Allergic Living‘s Reduce-the-Risk Airlines Campaign
• See Allergic Living‘s Comparison chart on major airlines’ allergy policies