Allergies come in all shapes and sizes ...

You can blame genetically modified food for many things, but allergens are not one of them. The main reason is the major culprits such as peanuts, shellfish, milk and eggs are not genetically modified, at least as of yet. This article explains some of the future risks of genetically modifying food and how regulatory agencies are keeping a close eye on this research. Possible explanations are given for the current surge in allergies in children, as well as current methods to help prevent these allergies.

Why GMOs Aren’t Responsible for a Spike in Food Allergies

By Andrew Porterfield
June 7, 2019

Over the last 30 years, reported cases of food allergies — especially in young children — have gone up.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 4 percent of children under 18 have some kind of food or digestive allergy. That number represents an increase of 18 percent for all food allergies among children between 1997 and 2007.

For some foods, the increase has been even greater. For example, peanut allergy prevalence has quadrupled from 0.4 percent in 1997 to more than 2 percent in 2010. In fact, peanut allergy is now the leading cause of anaphylactic shock — the most severe form of allergy — due to food in the United States. And the problem isn’t just confined to the US: hospital admissions for food-related anaphylaxis has seen a seven-fold rise in the United Kingdom since 1990.

Read the article here.

 

“When in doubt, just do it!” A recent study by Canadian researchers found the best possible outcomes for those experiencing anaphylaxis resulted when epinephrine was administered before the patient reached the hospital. With 3,500 participants, the study also found that administering steroids and antihistamines can have a negative effect on patient outcomes. Antihistamines are part of many treatment plans in a pre-hospital setting for managing anaphylaxis (such as in schools or at home). This is certainly something that should be addressed in the medical community since many treatment plans given to schools indicate that Benadryl should be administered first. Sadly, less than one-third of anaphylactic reactions in these 3,500 patients were treated with epinephrine before arriving at the hospital, while antihistamines were used in 46 percent of cases.

Study: Guidelines for Managing Anaphylaxis in Children Need an Update

By News Wire
2019/06/04

New study shows that pre-hospital treatment with epinephrine has the highest protective effect against uncontrolled allergic reaction

MONTREAL, QC (30 May 2019)

Treatment guidelines for managing anaphylaxis in children should be reassessed, according to a new Canadian study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Read the article here.

 

Heaven forbid that a family pre-board a flight before an airline thinks they are supposed to! The MacKenzie family of Washington state has a daughter with multiple food allergies, and they simply wanted to wipe down the seating area before two American Airlines flights. The airline refused, but the Department of Transportation sided with the family, stating that food allergies should be considered a disability under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). American has since updated its policy, but only for those with tree and peanut allergies.

DOT Warns American Airlines: Food Allergy Family’s Rights were Violated

By Gwen Smith
June 7, 2019

The U.S. Department of Transportation has found American Airlines in violation of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) for failing to allow the family of a girl with multiple food allergies the right to pre-board two flights. It has issued a warning to the airline about this violation.

DOT found that the refusal to allow the Washington state family to pre-board flights to and from Portland to Charlotte, NC (via Dallas), was a violation of ACAA’s provision that allows pre-boarding for disabilities. Nicole MacKenzie had phoned the airline asking that she and her family be allowed to pre-board their September 2016 flights, so that they could wipe down the seating area before general boarding.

The mother said her daughter Isla, then 7 years old, has severe allergies to tree nuts, peanuts and sesame. Wiping the area was meant to reduce the chance the girl would be exposed to residue from her allergens. At that time, MacKenzie was told this was against the policy of American Airlines (AA), which specifically denied pre-boarding for food allergies.

Read the article here.

 

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