Food Allergy-Related Insurance Claims Up in Almost Every State in the Country

One measure of the increasing number of allergies in the U.S. is how many health insurance claims have been filed for anaphylaxis food reactions. A recent study showed that claims rose a whopping 377% from 2007 to 2016! The Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) group recently launched the Contains: Courage^™ campaign, to drive awareness and raise an unprecedented amount of funding for research, therapies and diagnostics to improve the quality of life of children and adults who are affected.

Food Allergy-Related Insurance Claims Up in Almost Every State in the Country

By News Wire
January 23^rd, 2019

McLean, VA – Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the largest private funder of food allergy research in the world, today released the results of a study on private insurance claim lines and food allergies. The study showed that claim lines with diagnoses of anaphylactic food reactions rose 377% from 2007 to 2016, and in every state except Massachusetts, claim lines with anaphylactic food reactions and history of food allergy diagnoses represented an increasing share of all medical claim lines from 2009 to 2016. Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can occur quickly and is potentially life-threatening.  

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Do You Think You Have a Food Allergy?

Have you ever been in a restaurant with someone who intensely questions the waiter about how the food is prepared because they have a food allergy? According to a recent study, one in 10 adults do have a serious food allergy, but nearly twice as many really just have a food intolerance. Of course no one wants to experience unpleasant symptoms, but it’s important for researchers to define the extent of the food allergy epidemic in the U.S. The results also showed a surprising number of people experiencing adult-onset food allergies. But the most distressing news from the study revealed that only a quarter of those with a genuine allergy had a current epinephrine prescription.

Do You Think You Have a Food Allergy?

New Study Says There Is A 50% Chance You Don't

By Victoria Forster
January 4^th, 2019

Researchers have found that over 10 percent of adults in the U.S. are estimated to have a food allergy, but almost twice as many people as this think they have a food allergy but probably don't.

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New Treatments for Peanut Allergies Sound Promising

A medical journalist with a severe allergy to peanuts and nuts is the perfect writer to inform us about the current status of preventing allergic reactions using peanut patches and ingesting “peanut pills.” The author concludes that progress is being made especially for young children, but she won’t be parting with her epinephrine any time soon.

New Treatments for Peanut Allergies Sound Promising…

…But Questions Remain

By Shefali Luthra
January 6th, 2019

Whenever I see a report touting possible new peanut allergy treatments, I devour it. I can’t help it. It’s an occupational hazard for any health journalist whose reporting specialty and medical history intertwine.

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Dr. Google Is a Liar

Rather than wait in line at a busy doctor’s office and incur a hefty co-pay, many of us turn to the internet whenever we have a new symptom or start taking a new prescription. But beware the information you find there! Unlike the “fake news” politicians like to conveniently refer to, there really is a lot of incorrect medical information you will find on the World Wide Web—and doctors will testify this can be life-threatening. Whether it’s about a particular drug or vaccine, many people believe that if they read it online it must be true, and this can even lead to a “placebo” or “nocebo” effect. So before you make any medical decisions based on something you’ve read, be sure and run it by your doctor.

Dr. Google Is a Liar

Fake news threatens our democracy. Fake medical news threatens our lives.

By Haider Warraich
December 16^th, 2018

It started during yoga class. She felt a strange pull on her neck, a sensation completely foreign to her. Her friend suggested she rush to the emergency room. It turned out that she was having a heart attack.

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