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Food
Allergies, Separating Sufferers from the Crowd
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For years, Diabetics have felt the pain of being unable to eat the same deserts as their friends and families, but now a new group is being separated from deserts and many other snack foods. Individuals who suffer from severe food allergies may have deadly reactions to contact with products available readily on the market. The best example might be reactions to peanuts and tree nuts.
What makes this even more difficult is that even food items that would not normally contain nuts may have come into contact with the minutest amount of nutmeat products or nut oils, rendering the food deadly to the allergy sufferer. This may sounds alarmist, but the truth remains, smallest traces of nut oils can cause a severe reaction for a large portion of the population.
How then does this equate with the discrimination felt by diabetics? While diabetics must be careful of their sugar intake, the number of pre-packaged foods that they can eat is considerable. Those suffering from nut allergies, however, face a different scenario.
Chocolate bars, candy, baked goods, and ice cream treats become off limits to those with nut allergies. I have yet to find ice cream without the nut warning imprinted on the carton. Adults who suffer from these allergies can understand why they are unable to eat these foods; the young children must learn to accept the fact that their friends can have special treats while they cannot.
Due to prior court cases, it has become a necessity to label any product that might have come in contact with nut products. In Canada, in particular, all foods prepared within facilities that utilise nuts in their products, must bare the “may contain or have come in contact with nuts” warnings. While this is to help protect those with allergies, it also serves to alienate these individuals from the rest of society. |
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With increasing sensitivities to peanuts and tree nuts, a large percentage of our society are being forced away from the foods that they used to love to eat. Manufacturers are taking the threat of possible lawsuits into consideration if they utilise any of these nutmeats in their factories. Wanting to avoid a class action suit, manufacturers have begun to place warning labels on all packaging for items produced in the same factory as products containing nuts.
If you are unfamiliar with individuals with severe food allergies, you question the validity of having the warnings on all products that originate from the same factory as items containing nut and nut by-products. Perhaps you will be able to develop a greater understanding of the importance of these labels if you consider the following scenario:
Envision a 2nd grade class where the students are preparing to share an afternoon snack. Allen has an allergy to nuts and his mother has informed the teacher that he must be kept away from nuts or he will become ill. While the teacher understands that he cannot ingest the nuts, the thought of another child eating nuts within the vicinity does not strike the teacher as an immediate danger.
The average person will not realise the risks of having Allen in an environment where nuts are being consumed. As a matter of fact, you may question if there is a necessity for precautions of not allowing nut products into the classroom.
Allen’s friend Rick has just consumed a peanut butter sandwich and has gone to play with Allen. During their game of tag, Rick touches Allen’s bare arm, making Allen ‘it’. It is only moments before Allen begins to experience difficulties breathing, his skin tone takes on a bluish tinge and he collapses on the ground.
The 2nd grade teacher comes running onto the playground to find out if Allen was hurt during his game of tag, and when she approaches she finds that he is unconscious and the breath pattern is very shallow. The teacher doesn’t know what has happened to Allen and sends a sixth grader to the office to call for help.
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When the ambulance arrives, the paramedics find Allen has stopped breathing. In an attempt to provide Allen a fighting chance they begin Artificial Respiration, but the paramedics find they cannot get air to go into Allen’s lungs. Knowing that there were no outward signs of obstruction, the paramedics must try to determine why the airway is blocked. Upon opening Allen’s mouth a noticeable swelling of his tongue and mouth cavity give the paramedics an important clue to the cause of Allen’s problems.
The paramedics administer a dose of epinephrine and then load him on the ambulance. This trip will require lights and sirens; Allen’s treatment at the hospital is successful due to the quick thinking of the paramedics.
It would seem that this was a story that is somewhat implausible, but the sad truth is that individuals suffering from peanut and tree nut allergies can become so hypersensitive to these allergens that the simple action of someone touching them, after ingesting nuts, can cause a severe and possibly fatal reaction.
Nut oils cling to skin and even to dishes that are not washed thoroughly in hot soapy water. Parents have inadvertently given their children severe reactions simply by kissing the child good night, after the parents had been in touch with nut oils.
Nestle Canada, the only manufacturer of nut-free chocolate products, made an announcement earlier this year, which announced an end of the nut free zone. This announcement cut deeply for those who grew up knowing that Nestle bars were safe to consume. After intense public feedback to the announcement Nestle scrapped their plans of producing nut bars and has listened to their customers concerns.
Understanding the importance of nut allergies is critical, not only for those who suffer from allergies, but also for those who must live and work around individuals with hypersensitivity to nut products. Find out as much as you can about these serious reactions so that you can provide a safe refuge for your friends and family where they will not be endangered by nut contaminations.
Knowledge is perhaps the greatest weapon against needless anaphylactic allergic reactions. If you have a severe nut allergy, please make sure that you tell others about it and remember it is better safe than sorry. If there is any doubt as to whether or not a product has come in contact with nuts, don’t eat it. Also, consider investing in a medical alert bracelet that will provide important information about your health conditions, to those who may happen upon you after you suffer a reaction.
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Disclaimer: Any information provided on treatment options is for your evaluation only and should be discussed with your physician. Information within articles are provided strictly for educational and research purposes and do not necessarily reflect the personal beliefs of the editor of MetaHealing. |
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