Originally published September 19 2005
Beware of potential food allergies
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), more than 11 million Americans suffer from food allergies. Experts urge parents to let teachers know about food allergies and investigate school procedures if your child were to have a reaction.
Back-to-school season can be a relief for parents after a long summer.
But for parents of children with food allergies, a return to classrooms and cafeterias can bring anxiety and fear, for a good reason: food allergy reactions cause more than 200 deaths and 30,000 visits to emergency rooms each year.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) estimates that more than 11 million Americans have some food allergy.
"Food Fight" is the cover story in the current issue of FreshAAIR, AAFA's national newsletter, with tips for preventing allergic reactions at school.
A free copy is on AAFA's Web site, http://www.aafa.org, and additional information about food allergies is available at http://www.MyFoodAllergies.net.
Food allergy is a disease of the immune system that makes the body fight harmless food proteins as if they were dangerous viruses or bacteria.
This "over-reaction" of the immune system leads to symptoms ranging from sneezing, skin rashes or digestive problems, to a life-threatening multi-organ reaction called "anaphylaxis."
Jane Lawson of Phoenix knows the frustration that families and school officials feel this time of year.
Her son Louis was diagnosed with food allergies in kindergarten, but only after suffering a severe reaction at school with no nurse on site.
He shared a classmate's peanut butter sandwich.
Fortunately, emergency medical personnel arrived fast enough to stop the allergic reaction with medication.
Adding to back-to-school concerns is that food allergies are more prevalent among children.
An estimated 8% of children have a food allergy compared to 2% of adults.
Also, 90% of all food allergy reactions are caused by 8 common foods: milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and soy.
There is no cure for food allergies.
Preparation, education and allergen avoidance are the best ways to prevent life-threatening reactions.
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