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Since the late 1990’s, the number of children diagnosed with food allergies in the U.S. has shot up nearly 20 percent. It’s estimated that one in eight now has some form of food allergy, and between family get-togethers and holiday parties, this can be a particularly dangerous time of year. Since there is no cure for food allergies, the only way to protect children is to help them avoid the foods that pose a threat. But thanks to researchers at National Jewish Health in Denver, that could change. Doctors there are testing a novel approach to treating food allergies, by actually having children consume the very foods they’re allergic to. It’s an approach based on exposure, not avoidance, and early results are promising. We’ll meet one boy who sits down to eat a plate full of eggs, after spending a lifetime avoiding them - and talk to the doctor who is helping him overcome his allergies.