The Real Epidemic No One Is Talking About

The real epidemic no one is talking about:

Life-threatening Food Allergies. Yes, the killer in the room is food.

the real epidemic no one is talking about

Imagine this: you’re flying off on a well-deserved vacation, just closing your eyes when suddenly your child starts to cough, looking over you see hives all over their face, their lips have started swelling up…you have no idea what is happening. Only minutes ago, everyone was fine.

At 35,000 feet and no clue what’s happening to your child. Scary, huh?

Now your child’s vomiting profusely.

A nearby-passenger who’s a nurse, leaps over the aisle asking for your Epi-pen. You don’t even know what an Epi-pen is.

Now the nurse is yelling if anyone has an Epi-pen because you know, airlines in the USA don’t require them in their emergency kits.

A passenger rushes forward with their Epi-pen & the nurse administers it swiftly. Now. she’s also giving some Benadryl and the crew is alerted as to the danger of this potentially deadly allergic reaction. This is all unfolding like a foggy bad dream. A few minutes ago, your child was fine. Hungry in fact. You had just given them a granola bar.

A few minutes later, the nurse administers a 2nd Epi-pen. Your child has stopped vomiting and the hives are lessening. The airline pilot has made the decision for this medical emergency, to divert to the nearest airport as he understands the severity of what is occurring on the flight.

As this pilot also has a child with anaphylactic food allergies & knows the child needs to be in the ER ASAP. Even with immediate clearing by air traffic control, it will take the pilot about 25 minutes to land. And then pray the ambulance has Epinephrine onboard. Because not all states require epinephrine onboard.

It only takes a few minutes without oxygen to die. Read that sentence again.

Unfortunately, this type of incident is happening all too frequently and increasing at an alarming rate.

the real epidemic no one is talking about: Food Allergies

Celery or mustard or peanuts or tree nuts or dairy or…ANY food or medicine can cause a life-threatening reaction called Anaphylaxis.

Every 3 minutes in the US alone, someone has a food allergy reaction severe enough to send them to the ER.

This is a 377% increase in food allergy diagnosis in the USA, from 2007 – 2016. In fact, 85 million Americans have food allergies or intolerances (from foodallergy.org).

You, your child, parents, friends, schoolmates etc.…the chance you have someone in your circle with food allergies is great & getting greater.

But you can help! Not only on vacation but in your everyday life.

How not to be an accomplice

How not to be an accomplice to a food allergy reaction:

• Become familiar with food allergies, especially the Top 14 Food Allergens.
• Choose to avoid common food allergens like peanut, nuts, egg, dairy, soy, etc…when on public transport (planes, trains, school buses, car rental or in your own cars).
• Don’t allow your children/family to eat the top food allergens at school, camps, on the bus, at sports OR see next bullet.
• Learn what food allergens your children’s classmates/teammates/your workplace has so you can avoid these specific foods.
• Be kind & inclusive. We can’t help having food allergies.
• Ask the teacher/coach/manager or parents what’s appropriate food wise.
• Read all labels before bringing food to school/sports, etc.…it is relatively easy now to find food allergy friendly snacks at larger grocery stores.
• After eating, make sure everyone washes their hands well with soap (sing Happy Birthday song to encourage good hand washing) or bring wipes. Hand sanitizer does NOT remove allergen proteins.
• Don’t make jokes about food allergies or be dismissive. Food allergies are literally life threatening. Unfortunately, hundreds of people die every year from food allergy anaphylaxis.

No matter if it’s Back-to-School or Vacation time, food allergies are present.

you can be a hero

But you can be a food allergy hero. Really. Have a birthday party, school function or other celebration?

See, our Food Allergy-friendly Parties post. Lots of helpful tips to make your day fun & #foodallergyfriendly !

• What questions do you have?
• Any more tips to add?

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