Food Allergy Awareness

My sister called me to tell me they were talking about food allergeis on The Doctors. I wasn't home so I missed it but they did put some great information on their site. Please read this weather or not you know someone with food allergies you never know when your fast actions could change someone else's life! :)

Thanks
Chan





Deadly Food Allergies

More than three million children in the United States suffer from severe food allergies. Country music star Trace Adkins makes a guest appearance to raise awareness about the dangers of childhood allergies. He shares his terrifying ordeal of when his 6-year-old daughter, Briana, went into anaphylactic shock after unwittingly eating peanut butter. “It’s frightening how fast it happens,” he says, “it’s not minutes, it’s seconds.”



Trace’s wife, Rhonda, frets, “There isn’t a moment that I’m not thinking, ‘Is she safe?’”



Dr. Jim lists that dairy, egg, almonds, peanuts, walnuts as the most common allergen offenders. To help prevent the on-set of allergies, the pediatrician advises:


No egg whites until 12 months

No milk until 12 months

No peanut butter or peanut products until age two or three



Anaphylactic Shock

Anaphylactic shock can claim a life in less than five minutes. It is a severe type of allergic reaction that occurs within seconds after a person comes into contact with an allergen, triggering a massive immune system response. High levels of histamines and other substances flood the body and cause a rapid systemic failure, which leads to an immediate drop in blood pressure, swelling of the tongue, throat and eyes, difficulty breathing, shock, and if left untreated, death. Allergens include all types of food, animal hair and by-products, insects or even certain types of medications.



Epi-Pen

Trace demonstrates how to use an Epi-Pen, which contains a large dosage of epinephrine, or adrenaline, that counters the effects of the histamine reaction. However, he notes that the Epi-Pen is not a solution; it just buys you time to get to the emergency room. The important thing to remember is that every minute counts, so make sure to act quickly and get the victim to a hospital immediately.



Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)

Trace adds that the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) helped his family learn more about food allergies and ways to keep his daughter safe. So much so that he’s now a spokesperson for the organization. “Being a spokesperson for FAAN has changed my life,” he declares. “I’m trying to get the word out – I’m on a mission.”