Avoiding Anaphylaxis this Advent

Christmas parties, meals out with friends and family, stockings full of candy, chestnuts roasting on the open fire…

While all this sounds like great fun, there’s a risk that more people than usual will be accidentally exposed to foods they are allergic too. Food allergies are common. An estimated 9 million, or 4%, of adults and nearly 6 million or 8% of children have food allergies with young children being those most affected.

Although childhood allergies to milk, egg, wheat and soy generally resolve in childhood, they appear to be resolving more slowly than in previous decades, with many children still allergic beyond age 5 years. And allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, or shellfish are generally lifelong.

If you’re one of those affected by food allergy, what can you do to avoid accidental exposure this holiday season?

Remind people! Sure you might once have told your hosts that you have an allergy, but a gentle reminder is always helpful, especially at Christmas when things get busy and the alcohol starts flowing!

Just say ‘no’ – if you don’t know what’s in it, don’t eat it. And even if you do, can you really be sure there was no cross-contamination in the kitchen.

Bring snacks, rather than rely on your hosts to have food you can eat…or

Stay home. Host the party yourself – then you know it’s safe.

Bring your epinephrine auto-injector with you –and keep it close to hand! Make sure somebody else at the party knows you have food allergies, where your auto-injector is and how to use it.

Know the Symptoms – within minutes, an allergic reaction may turn into a life-threatening severe allergic reaction. Sometimes the reaction can occur in two phases, with another reaction occurring up to 48 hours after the initial reaction.

Use epinephrine immediately after you have been exposed to your allergy trigger – it may prove to be life-saving.  If you are even thinking should I give myself epinephrine, the answer is almost certainly yes!

After giving epinephrine, seek emergency medical attention – call or have someone else call 9-1-1 or your local emergency medical services.  In most individuals, epinephrine is effective after one injection. However, symptoms may recur and further injections may be required to control the reaction. Epinephrine can be re-injected every 5 to 15 minutes until the severe allergic reaction stops completely.

Do you have your anaphylaxis Action Plan ready?  If not, make it part of your holiday preparations. It could be the best Christmas present you give yourself this year.

Back-to-school lesson on food allergies

According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), nearly six million children across the United States suffer from food allergies. Of those, more than 300,000 were admitted to hospital in the last year alone. To help ensure your food allergic child doesn’t suffer the same fate, SRxA’s Word on Health offers some simple Back-to-School tips for parents. The key to preventing allergic reactions and anaphylaxisis preparation:

• Contact the school well in advance of the first day of class and let your child’s teachers, coaches and school nurse know about their allergies
• Provider the school with a copy of your Child’s Anaphylaxis Action Plan
• Find out about field trips, parties, and special events such as Halloween or Valentine’s to ensure that allergens don’t sneak in along with other treats
• Meet with key personnel that will take care of your child if a reaction occurs
• Find out what plans are already in place for children with food allergies and what steps will be taken if an allergic reaction occurs at school
• Ensure that any medication, such as an EpiPen, on that plan has a physician’s order to cover it at school and that medication is readily available to personnel if it needs to be administered
• Teach your child what foods are off limits
• Teach your child to recognize symptoms and let an adult know immediately if they think they might be suffering an allergic reaction.
• Make sure your child understands not to trade food with others or eat anything with unknown ingredients.

Schools and teachers can also prepare themselves for the food allergic children in their class.  FAAN produces some excellent resources as part of its Safe@School campaign. For example, they offer expert in-service training to school districts to prepare staff to confidently CARE™ for students with food allergies by teaching them how to: In addition, FAAN provides training presentations, suitable for elementary and secondary schools as well as colleges and universities. So whether you’re a child, parent or teacher dealing with food allergies, be prepared, be safe and CARE this back-to-school season.