( Padraic Fallon )
Sending Allergic Child Safely on a Field Trip
By Staff | Jan 16, 2008 | No Comments »
You get the permission slip home one day. Your child is going to the zoo on his first field trip at school. Your heart races because you fear that he will have an allergic reaction and you won’t be there. The school nurse won’t be there. He will be far away from you and your first thought is he can’t go. Continue reading…
Are Allergic Kids Being Devalued?
By Staff | Jan 15, 2008 | No Comments »
Recently I learned a term used in a certain way that gave me something to think about. I had heard the term devaluation before and knew it applied to people, usually those with severe disabilities. You know, society devalues people, sad but true. It made me think about those with allergies and asthma, are they devalued? Continue reading…
Sometimes You Need to Let Go
By Staff | Jan 14, 2008 | 1 Comment »
In my latest News Round Up on this site, I mentioned an article from the National Post of a 15 year old boy, Paul Kraemer, in Winnipeg who had been let go from his baseball team right before their championship playoffs. His family is now suing the association, the directors and the team’s coach for unspecified damages to their son, according to Yahoo! news. Oh, I left one aspect out. The boy has food allergies. Continue reading…
News Round Up: Experts Change Advice Again, Asthma & Allergies Bad Combination…
By Staff | Jan 13, 2008 | No Comments »
Experts Change Advice on Kids’ Allergies
Experts are changing advice again on the best ways to prevent allergies in children during pregnancy or as infants. Now they are saying the only thing known to help is to breastfeed. Avoiding certain foods during pregnancy or in early years has no real indicators of lessening allergies later in life. As with so many other aspects of the medical field, the most consistent thing about the advice we get is that it will probably change at some time! Continue reading…
Meredith Broussard Stirs up the Allergy Community
By Staff | Jan 10, 2008 | No Comments »
It seems the allergy world is in an uproar after an interview on NPR and an article written by Meredith Broussard published in Harper’s Magazine. She discusses the rise of food allergies and the impact it has on so many aspects, but what has caused such a stir in the food allergy community is that she claims food allergies are not as severe as the media hype and over reactions make them out to be. Continue reading…
Holy Communion for Those with Allergies
By Staff | Jan 9, 2008 | No Comments »
We think about susceptibility to food allergies in schools and restaurants and airplanes. We think about them at birthday parties and weddings and holidays. But do we really think about them at church? More and more people are starting to with the rise of allergies and awareness. Communion wafers are traditionally made of wheat, so what do those parishioners with wheat/gluten allergies do to receive the Holy Sacrament? Continue reading…
What to Expect with an Allergy Scratch Test
By Staff | Jan 8, 2008 | No Comments »
You know you have allergies; you’re just not sure to what it they are to. You have decided to seek diagnosis from an allergist. You are ready for your appointment, but just not sure what to expect. What will they do? How soon will you get results? Will they be reliable? Will it hurt? Continue reading…
Can My Child’s Health Problems be Allergies?
By Staff | Jan 8, 2008 | No Comments »
The other day I was talking with my friend. We both have children in kindergarten, which can be a rough year on their health. It’s the first time a lot of kids are exposed to certain germs and illnesses; it’s the first time many of them are out in “the real world.” She expressed concern, however, that it wasn’t just a cold here and strep throat there; her little boy just wasn’t shaking it. She was tired of antibiotics that weren’t really helping and was wondering if she should seek help from an allergist or homeopathic practitioner instead of simply the pediatrician. Continue reading…
News Round Up: Anaphylaxis Research Improvement, Winter Allergies are Kicking In…
By Staff | Jan 7, 2008 | No Comments »
Researchers Identify Possible Target to Stop, Block Allergy-induced Anaphylaxis
A new Canadian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine identifies an enzyme found in the blood that seems to decrease the severity of allergic reactions. This opens the possibility of developing drugs to protect against life-threatening allergies to foods or reactions triggered by certain drugs or insect stings. This knowledge can also be used to detect people who have more susceptibility to anaphylaxis. Though development may take years to complete, this is an exciting breakthrough for the fight against allergies. Continue reading…
Bullying Over Allergies, It Exists
By Staff | Jan 5, 2008 | No Comments »
I recently read a story of an 11 year old boy in England who was bullied so incessantly at school that his parents decided to withdraw him from school and homeschool him. His schoolmates called him “nut boy” and threw nuts at him. Do you find this hard to believe? Are kids so cruel and un-empathetic? The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Continue reading…
