I have talked about oral allergies in other posts and highlighted bananas, pineapples and apples. One fruit I would never have expected to have allergic properties is the kiwi. Introduced to the U.S. in 1962 it has become a very popular fruit.
Today over 4% of European children experience the allergy. And it cross-reacts with many other foods and substances, including birch pollen, avocado, banana, rye grain and hazelnuts, meaning the allergens share similar properties and can react the same way in the body. To read the full article click on Kiwi Allergy.
A recent blog on the FARE website (Food Allergy Research & Education) highlighted the story of a woman who would treat her eczema with a soothing cream made with goat's milk. After eating goat cheese the woman experienced a severe allergic reaction. This is the first time there was direct evidence of a food allergy occurring after exposure through the skin. The full story can be read on the the FARE blog. As someone who has experienced eczema I wonder if some of the creams I used to soothe it also contained substances that could cause food allergies. For example, many creams contain almond oil which could lead to a nut allergy.
Unlike physical disabilities food allergies are not readily apparent to those around you. For a child with food allergies, exposure to the food one is allergic to can trigger a serious physical reaction. The physical reaction is painful and the emotional toll is high as well. Unfortunately because many people do not understand food allergies they do not take them seriously. Even worse, children with food allergies are often bullied causing emotional distress in addition to having a physical ailment. Most schools have policies against bullying. But, if the teacher and the student do not understand or or are unaware that a food allergy can be life threatening no action may be taken to alleviate the child with food allergies suffering. Many publications have taken up the cause of preventing food bullying. The New York Times wrote a particularly good article about food bullying and its consequences. The EMPOWER program offers counseling for children with emotional distress from managing food allergies. It is run by the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital. Although I was never bullied in school over my allergies, I did feel out of place at times. No one wants to be pointed out to the rest of the group as someone who has something wrong with them. It was hard to be the person who had to limit what people could have at parties in the classroom. It made me a much shyer and quieter person than I would have been.
As someone who has suffered from severe food allergies for most my life I am encouraged and inspired to see advocacy for food allergies is taking hold. The most important areas to address are schools and their policies, the travel and restaurant industries recognition of food allergies and research for a cure. There are some advocacy platforms that are making inroads and raising awareness. Many schools currently "accommodate" food allergies. My grammar school experience was to sit with all the allergic kids at a separate table. The kids who were allergic to milk brought nuts to get the protein they needed. The kids who couldn't eat nuts drank milk. We all felt ostracized and conspicuous. In addition, the smell of the nuts made me feel ill. The college I attended offered one of the most accommodating food allergy options available. But it still felt weird going over to a special section to get my food and having to remember to order my meals in advance. All of the accommodations helped to prevent disastrous consequences. Yet no-one has any requirement to make sure allergens are not in the school environment. The following video highlights what happens when food allergies are not taken seriously. It is titled Food Allergy Bullying. It is a strong story but an example of what a lack of knowledge can do.
Airlines and restaurants are the least accommodating. Nut allergies are life threatening. If you are on a plane and go into anaphylactic shock there is no recourse unless you have your own Epi-pen with you. It seems to me that if airlines can accommodate dogs, cats, oxygen, babies and the handicapped they would be more willing to work with such a life threatening allergy. Restaurants are also not as serious about food allergies as they should be. I once went to a Japanese steak house where they used peanut oil to fry the hibachi. The smoke from the peanut oil almost killed me. There was no sign or indication they used peanut oil to fry the food. Only upon entering the restaurant and smelling the smoke did I realize I was in a life threatening situation. I find it interesting the government supports the listing of calories which are not life threatening in the short term but not potentially allergic ingredients. Today the sole responsibility for identifying what is in a product at a restaurant is the person with the allergy.
Finally, there does not seem to be a great deal of interest in finding a cure for food allergies. Medicines to treat asthma and pollen allergies are billion dollar businesses. Xolair, a new treatment for peanut allergies seems to minimize the effects of peanuts on allergic people. At a cost of $10,000 there must be a way for companies to make money. The Food Allergy Research and Education Network provides funds for research and awareness. Advocacy costs money just as research does. Food allergies are an important topic for the general public to understand. The following video highlights some of the struggles of people who are allergic to food.
Stronger advocacy could result in stronger laws to help people with allergies. An amendment to the Americans With Disabilities Act would greatly enhance food allergy sufferers lives. Changes requiring schools to educate the rest of the school population about the dangers of food allergies, a requirement for restaurants to list key allergic ingredients similar to those found on food boxes and a requirement for airlines to not serve nuts if notified an allergic person is on board would not hurt business but would definitely help all allergy sufferers.
A few months ago my allergist suggested I use Xolair to try to mitigate my peanut allergy. I have pretty violent results when I smell, touch or eat peanuts. Xolair is being tested to help reduce the reaction to peanut allergies. I ended up opting out of taking Xolair because I had to work and go to school and it took three months to participate in the study. The study results can be accessed by clicking on Xolair Study. The results of the study were impressive. People with severe peanut allergies were able to tolerate much larger doses of peanuts than they had been able to in the past. I am rethinking my decision to postpone trying Xolair.
School will be beginning shortly and whether you are starting first grade, high school or college it is important to protect yourself if you have food allergies. Two very important things to do to make sure you are protected during an anaphylactic reaction are to have a form on file at your school or place of work allowing someone to administer a dose of from your epi-pen. Depending on how severe your reaction is you may not have the ability to do it yourself. Allergic Living -- a magazine and website has a very helpful form to use to provide authorization for just such an event. The link to the form follows; http://www.aaaai.org/Aaaai/media/MediaLibrary/PDF%20Documents/Libraries/Anaphylaxis-Emergency-Action-Plan.pdf
A second very important thing to know is how to administer an epi-pen shot in the event you have anaphylaxis. Epi-pen has put together a very good video teaching you how to administer it to yourself.
Being prepared and practicing can save your life but also others lives. Warning an employer or a school about your allergies protects you in the case of an emergency.
I think this campaign is a great idea! It is right before the start of school and everyone who deals with children should be educated about food allergies.
The Food Allergy Research and Education Organization
