Combating Myths in Allergy/Immunology

Andrew D. Moore, MD, FAAAAI

Myths and misinformation about allergic and immunologic diseases and their treatments continue to spread quickly online, often outpacing accurate information and creating challenges for both patients and clinicians. It’s a critical issue throughout healthcare. AAAAI members are actively working to counter these misconceptions through evidence-based education, clinical expertise and trusted public-facing resources. One recent example of these member-driven efforts is the new Allergic Diseases Myths Hub on the AAAAI website, spearheaded by Andrew D. Moore, MD, FAAAAI, the AAAAI Website Medical Editor, in collaboration with numerous committees and physician volunteers.

The new Allergic Diseases Myths Hub on the AAAAI website shines a light on common myths and misconceptions surrounding hot topics in A/I. “The idea of this project started two ways,” Dr. Moore said. “First was realizing that on the AAAAI website, some of the most accessed articles were related to myths in allergy. The second was seeing patients in clinic who subscribe to these myths, which makes helping them more difficult.”

Myths and misinformation encountered online or through word of mouth can lead to patients who may not feel a need to see a physician, or who may believe the myths they’ve heard over the advice of their physician. “For patients who believe that local honey will cure them of their allergic rhinitis, for example, or patients who are poorly informed about their asthma therapy – not only can these myths prevent them from obtaining or continuing appropriate treatment, the myths may actually be causing harm,” Dr. Moore explained.

To address that, Dr. Moore got to work determining what myths to tackle and how to share the correct information on the AAAAI website. He looked at the different diseases treated by A/I physicians then reviewed the popular literature and social media surrounding these conditions. “Anecdotal clinic evidence was also very helpful in getting the ball rolling,” Dr. Moore continued. “For example, hearing pushback that a patient has a hypoallergenic dog, so it cannot be their pet causing an allergic reaction. These are the types of myths and misinformation we want to address.”

Putting together all this content was too big of a project to tackle alone. “It made the most sense to approach the different committees in the AAAAI and have them expound upon these myths and possibly even come up with ones we hadn’t thought about,” Dr. Moore said. “The AAAAI is so lucky to have such dedicated and thoughtful professionals heading these committees, and their help has been invaluable.”

The list of myths eventually evolved into a series of articles housed on a “Hub” on the AAAAI website. By working with the various AAAAI committees, the assortment of topics covered on this new hub was able to grow significantly. The Allergic Diseases Myths Hub now covers topics in asthma, urticaria, hypoallergenic dogs, radiocontrast material and seafood allergy, and much more. The entire hub is also available in Spanish.

“I felt that this project was incredibly important for the general public. The myths and facts approach is such a popular and to-the-point way of educating people about their own allergic conditions. It is a way of spreading information while disavowing misinformation in a fun-to-read format that doesn’t take too much time or effort to read,” Dr. Moore said.

If you know of any allergic diseases myths that are not covered in our hub, please email lplizka@aaaai.org so we can continue the important work of combating misinformation.