Allergies come in all shapes and sizes ...
Just like allergy sufferers. And they are on the rise. For many people allergies can range from sniffling and sneezing to skin rashes to gastrointestinal issues. A certain percentage, however, have more than these uncomfortable symptoms to deal with. Anaphylaxis, a serious life-threatening reaction, causes approximately 1,500 deaths a year in the United States alone. Clearly, allergies are nothing to sneeze at!
Articles for Advocacy
Allergies to sesame can be a tough one to deal with since it’s in so many different foods and is still not required to be listed on food labels. The ninth most common allergy, it may end up being up to individual states to pass legislation mandating sesame to be added to the list of eight allergens now required to be labeled. Meanwhile promising research is taking place by exposing children to sesame who are under six months of age and are at risk of developing this allergy, such as being allergic to another type of food.
Sesame Allergy Rates Are Increasing: Here’s What to Know
By Kristen Fischer
August 2, 2019
Sesame allergy is more common than most people may think, according to a new study (Prevalence and Severity of Sesame Allergy in the United States) published today in JAMA Network Open.
More than 1 million children and adults in the United States have the allergy, estimates the new data — higher than what was previously reported.
At that number, it’s the ninth most common allergy in the United States.
And that makes experts concerned about exposure risk — since only the top eight allergens are reported on food labels.
Preventing deaths from bee stings is very close to our hearts, as this is how our founder Jon Terry’s sister died. Recent studies report 1,109 deaths from bee, hornet and wasp stings during the past 17 years. And if you’ve had a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting, there is a 30-60% chance you will experience full-blown anaphylaxis the next time you are stung. If you have experienced a bad reaction, it is important to discuss with an allergist whether you should get allergy shots to help prevent anaphylaxis.
Watch Out: Bee Sting Deaths Have Been on the Rise, CDC Data Shows
By Jared Gilmour
August 2, 2019
Bee, hornet and wasp stings can be deadly — and over a recent six-year period, those stings have killed more and more Americans, according to a new report released Friday.
The number of United States deaths caused by hornet, wasp or bee stings ticked up each year from 2012 to 2017, the most recent years of National Vital Statistics System data that were analyzed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the report.
Researchers did not give a reason for the steady increase in reported sting deaths over those six years, and the CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Right now there are quite a few Democrats running for president, but to our knowledge only one has a child with a food allergy. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand writes about her experience with her son and how grateful she is they had adequate health insurance. Sen. Gillibrand promises to continue fighting for affordable healthcare for all and to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for unnecessary price increases.
Kirsten Gillibrand: I've Been a Terrified Parent
No family should face this impossible choice
By Kirsten Gillibrand
Wed. July 31, 2019
When my oldest son Theo was a toddler, he loved to help me cook dinner. One day he was sitting in his highchair and helping me dip slices of zucchini into egg batter for me to then bread and fry. Within seconds, his hands turned bright red and puffy. When I looked at his face and saw his cheeks and eyes had also swollen, my heart stopped. I knew he was having a severe allergic reaction.
Theo had experienced asthma attacks before, and my husband Jonathan and I were terrified, as we drove to the hospital, that Theo would keep getting worse.
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