vigilance and prevention

from http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4216

The hives, swelling and severe breathing difficulty that people may experience during an allergic reaction are not symptoms of a “psychogenic illness,” but rather an unbelievably frightening and dangerous response of the immune system to certain foods the body misinterprets as harmful. The fact is, food is the leading cause of anaphylaxis outside the hospital setting, and many children and adults die each year because they ate something they thought was safe. Once a reaction begins, no one knows how bad it will be, hence the worry and fear that is part of living with food allergies.

[...] Currently, avoidance is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction for a true food allergy.

When you tell the parents of a child with a food allergy that their child could suffer, wind up in the hospital or worse unless they follow strict instructions from a doctor, you begin to understand why parents of children with food allergies are so vigilant. For those parents raising children with food allergies, educating others to take food allergies seriously is vital to preventing a reaction.