Dear Patient,

After forty-one years of medicine, I will be retiring at the end of this year from the Arizona Asthma and Allergy Institute, which I founded in 1980. We have grown to seven board certified allergists, three physician assistants and a nutritionist, operating out of four offices. Many of our doctors are consistently voted “Best Doctors” in the by annually Phoenix Magazine. Our practice will continue to be in the forefront of care for asthma, allergic and non·allergic nasal disease, recurrent otitis media and sinusitis, recurrent infections and immunodeficiency, atopic dermatitis, chronic hives, contact dermatitis, allergic and non-allergic food sensitivities and eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease.

We will continue to be involved in teaching, both in lecture form in the various residency programs and for allergy rotations in our offices. We support Camp Not-A-Wheeze, which we founded and is now capably managed by the American Lung Association of Arizona. I plan to pursue a Masters Degree in Counseling in the near future and continue to give back to the community. My wife, Beverly and our children and grandchildren welcome more of my time and energy as well.

We have scheduled two open houses for me to say “Goodbye” to colleagues and patients in the month of January 2012. Please stop in and visit with me and the AAAI staff .
• Wednesday, January ISth in our Glendale office from 6pm – Spm
• Wednesday, January 25th in our Scottsdale office from 6pm – Spm

If you are unable to attend and/or want to drop a line or send a picture from the past, we have an email account to make a memory book. The email address is: morganchapter2@azsneeze.com.

Thank you for all the wonderful times, opportunities to care for our mutual patients and challenges through the years. I wish you great success and happiness in the coming, challenging years of medicine.

Sincerely,
William F. Morgan, M.D.

To view the retirement letter Click Here.

Do you know that the guidelines recommend this vaccine for anyone with Asthma 19 years and older?  Read below for further information about this vaccine and who should receive:

Vaccination with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV) is recommended for all people who meet any of the criteria below:

1. Previously unvaccinated adults age 65 years and older
2. Age 2 through 64 with any of the following conditions:

• Chronic pulmonary disease (including athma in people age 19 years and older)
• Cigarette smokers 19 years and older
• Chronic cardiovascular disease
• Immunocompromising conditions
• Diabetes mellitus
• Chronic kidney disease
• Alcoholism or chronic liver disease

TIPS FOR LIVING WITH A DAIRY ALLERGY

Dairy Allergy vs. Lactose Intolerance

An allergy to cow’s milk is the most common food allergy in the United States.  Approximately 3% of American children are allergic to milk.  Also referred to as a “dairy allergy,” it is different than the condition known as “lactose intolerance.”  It is important to understand the two terms:

Dairy allergy – an allergic reaction to any food product that contains milk.

Lactose intolerance – this is not an allergy; it is a “common sensitivity” to the natural sugar found in milk. The intolerance occurs due to a lower amount of the enzyme lactase in the digestive system.  This enzyme is necessary to digest milk.

Living Without Milk

Milk is found so frequently in processed food that reading food labels to identify which foods include milk is very important.  Milk can crop up in the strangest places.  For example, restaurants often add a pat of butter to grilled steaks before serving.  Milk is also added to some brands of canned tuna.

The most common sources of milk include cheese, butter, cream, and yogurt.  If you are allergic to cow’s milk you should also avoid goat and sheep milk.

Remember that “lactose free” milk is safe for individuals with lactose intolerance, but it still contains milk protein so it is not safe for persons with a milk allergy.

Milk Substitutes to Try

With so many people allergic to milk, grocery stores now offer many healthy alternatives.

Soy Milk, Rice Milk, Coconut Milk and Hemp Milk are all readily-available alternatives.  These milk substitutes come in many varieties, including chocolate, unsweetened, or vanilla flavored. They can be found “non-refrigerated” in most stores.  However, they must be refrigerated after opening, and are best served cold.

Substituting for Yogurt, Sour Cream and Cheese

Substituting for other products with milk can be very easy. For example, you can try soy based yogurts which taste very similar to traditional yogurt.  Try the WholeSoy Yogurt products, they are not only dairy free but have no chemical additives. They come in many delicious flavors from cherry to apricot mango.

On your milk free diet you do not have to give up sour cream. Tofutti’s Sour Supreme is an excellent non-dairy sour cream.  The texture is a bit different, but the taste is very similar and delicious. Toffutti’s sour cream can substitute for traditional sour cream in your favorite recipes.

To substitute for cheese in your diet try the brand Daiya. They offer Cheddar, Mozzarella and Jack Cheese varieties. This dairy free cheese comes shredded, all ready to put on top of your pizza.

On-Line and In-Store Products to Try:

• Vance’s Dari-Free Milk is delicious and is made from potatoes.
• Divvies is an on-line bakery for all dairy free products.
• For a great book to help children understand milk allergies, read “Cody the Allergic Cow” by Nicole Smith.

Snacks for the Kids:

Even without milk kids can still have fun snacks.  They will enjoy the following snacks and remain dairy free:

• Oatmeal with bananas
• Dried fruit
• Corn tortillas with soy cheese
• Raw carrots dipped in honey or hummus

Bon Appetite!

Lezli Stone is a Registered Dietician and a consulting clinical staff member of the Arizona Asthma & Allergy Institute.  She counsels AAAI patients about food allergies and nutrition.  She is authoring a four-part series of articles about living with food allergies, which will be posted on this website over the next few months.

If you have any questions, please call our office at 602-843-2991.

Our patients with asthma are at greater risk of complications from the flu so vaccination is very important.  Other groups that are at higher risk include:

• Pregnant women
• Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
  • Health care workers
  • Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
  • Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

AAAI Physicians do not endorse Primatene Mist for asthma treatment because this is no longer the standard of care for asthma and the epinephrine in this medication has harmful side effects if over used.  There are safer and more appropriate medications for asthma treatment. 

We feel this will improve patient care by decreasing adverse effects from this medication.  This will also encourage patients to see their physician to discuss their symptoms and have appropriate evaluation and treatment.

Here at the Arizona Asthma and Allergy Institute we have accurate testing to evaluate those at risk for these potentially serious reactions to insect stings.  Patients with a known history of serious reactions to Bees or Fire Ants can qualify for allergy injections which can be 98% effective in preventing a systemic reaction to future stings.  If you have any questions or want further investigation on your risk of insect allergy then our providers can help you!

If your child has eczema there may be an underlying food allergy contributing.  We can further evaluate this to see if foods are a trigger to your child’s eczema and avoiding the food allergen(s) can have a significant benefit in improving eczema.

Our Physicians are not only Board Certified in Asthma and Allergy but are also Board Certified in Immunology.  We are experts in evaluating the immune system.  If you or a family member have any of the signs listed below you may have a weak immune system that should be further evaluated and treated.

Important signs that may indicate an immune deficiency include:
• Recurrent, unusual or difficult to treat infections
• Poor growth or loss of weight
• Recurrent pneumonia, ear infections or sinusitis
• Multiple courses of antibiotics or IV antibiotics necessary to clear infections
• Recurrent deep abscesses of the organs or skin
• A family history of immune deficiency
• Swollen lymph glands or an enlarged spleen
• Autoimmune disease