Advocacy Is a Journey, Not a Destination!

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The Allergy Advocacy Association team continue working to create a clearinghouse for allergy and anaphylaxis information by using a program of awareness, alertness and action. We have made progress at the local, state and national level, yet ignorance and apathy remain a threat to individuals and families with life-threatening allergies. We must honor what we have accomplished and keep moving forward to raise awareness of dangerous anaphylactic reactions.

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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

Lianne Mandelbaum, founder of No Nut Traveller, was recently humiliated when the United Airlines cabin crew refused to inform other passengers about her son's life-threatening peanut allergy. Mandelbaum has been working on this issue for many years. The airlines need to step up to their efforts to ensure the safety of their food-allergic passengers.

Mandelbaum and Her Son Feel 'Humiliated' by United Airlines

Lianne Mandelbaum and son Josh
Lianne Mandelbaum and her son Josh
Photo courtesy of Lianne Mandelbaum
  • A United passenger says an airline crew member refused to accommodate her son's peanut allergy.
  • Lianne Mandelbaum said she was "dressed down" after asking for passengers to be told of her son Josh's allergy.
  • United has a policy of informing passengers in close proximity if someone has an allergy.

Edited by Jon Terry Reporting by Ryan Hogg for Business Insider
Apr 16, 2023

A United Airlines passenger says she was left "humiliated" after a cabin crew member refused to inform other travelers of her son's life-threatening peanut allergy.

Lianne Mandelbaum boarded a flight from Houston to Newark in March with her husband and son, Joshua, according to a complaint to the Department of Transportation.

Read the article here.

 

Careful what you write. One day, you might regret the words that made perfect sense years ago. Jana Pollack, a writer for a well known online platform, wrote an online post that angered moms of kids with food allergies. Now that she has a food allergic child, she’s had a change of heart.

I Wrote a Viral Story That Offended Allergy Moms.
Now My Toddler Has Severe Food Allergies, and I Regret It.

The author. Photo courtesy of Jana Pollack

By Jana Pollack
Apr 3, 2023

Almost a decade ago I wrote something online that angered moms of kids with food allergies.

At the time I thought they were overreacting.

Now my own son has food allergies, and I understand what made them so upset.

In 2014 I was hired at BuzzFeed as a branded-content writer. I was 29, with no career to speak of, and I was excited about this new opportunity — which in practice was to write listicles that resembled classics of the BuzzFeed style but were produced with the brand that had paid for them.

Read the article here.

 

Many thanks to Dave Bloom of SnackSafely for highlighting Canadian research that demonstrates that tree nut OIT is a safe and successful therapy for preschoolers with food allergies.

Tree Nut OIT Determined Safe and Tolerable for Preschoolers

Bowl of mixed nuts
Researchers that previously studied the safety and efficacy of peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) in preschoolers have since turned their attention to tree nuts. Their subsequent study was published earlier this year in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

By Dave Bloom
2023/04/06

text
Dave Bloom Dave Bloom is CEO and "Blogger in Chief" of SnackSafely.com.

Oral Immunity Therapy (OIT) refers to the medically supervised therapy of feeding an allergic individual an increasing amount of a food allergen with the goal of increasing the threshold that triggers a reaction.

As part of a Canada-wide quality improvement project, tree nut OIT (cashew/pistachio, walnut/pecan, hazelnut, almond, and macadamia nut) was performed in preschoolers who met one of two specific criteria:

Read the article here.

 

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