CBC article commenter says what most of us have only thought

John Murray is a man of MANY words. These are the words that I have always wanted to say, but found I could not do so and keep my composure.

John does it very well in response to the comments after the CBC artical “CBC News – What teachers and parents should know about severe food allergies“ I posted about earlier.

Found here http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/08/19/f-vp-smith.html

John says:

Today is the last day for the Delicardo Foodcard Giveaway!

Tomorrow morning sometime I will turn off commenting and randomly choose a winner in the Delicardo Foodcard Giveaway!

Until then get your comment in as soon as you can! You still have a chance to win!

Spread the word!

May Declared Food Allergy Awareness Month in Canada

This just came across my desk from Anaphylaxis Canada. I have yet to find a link online but as soon as I do i’ll post it.

News Release from Anaphylaxis Canada

Anaphylaxis Canada welcomes Parliament’s declaration of May as Food Allergy Awareness Month

“It means so much to me” – Sara Shannon, whose daughter Sabrina died of an allergic reaction

Toronto, May 4, 2010 – Anaphylaxis Canada applauds Parliament’s motion
recognizing Food Allergy Awareness Month and will be commemorating the
occasion by promoting a number of initiatives intended to support the
1.3 million Canadians who live with food allergies. This is the first
year such a month has been designated in Canada and will now be a
permanently recognized occasion. Several other countries including the
US, UK, Italy, New Zealand and Australia have similar declarations.

“The declaration of Food Allergy Awareness Month is a significant step
in the ongoing effort to educate the public about food allergies,”
said Laurie Harada, Executive Director of Anaphylaxis Canada and
herself the mother of a teenager with multiple food allergies. “We are
thrilled that all political parties united to support this motion.”

Food allergy is a growing public health issue in Canada. More than
fifty percent of Canadians know someone with a food allergy. While
allergic individuals must take responsibility for their condition,
awareness and support of the community are key to keeping people,
especially children, safe. Without treatment, anaphylaxis, the most
severe form of an allergic reaction, can cause death.

In the visitor’s gallery to watch Parliament vote on the motion was
allergy advocate Sara Shannon. Sara’s daughter, Sabrina, had her own
advocacy efforts tragically cut short by a fatal anaphylactic reaction
in 2003 when she was just 13 years old.

“This means so much to me,” said Sara Shannon, “and it would have
meant so much to Sabrina. In her short life Sabrina experienced many
parts of Canada, from the mountains of British Columbia to the
beautiful city of Montreal. She would want everyone to share in this
country’s beauty and possibility and would therefore be very pleased
that the serious issues around food allergies are getting attention
from our federal lawmakers.”

Anaphylaxis Canada will be recognizing Food Allergy Awareness Month
through a number of planned initiatives and events. This includes the
organization’s annual conference, hosted this year in Toronto, during
which exciting new food allergy research will be presented by leading
Canadian experts. Anaphylaxis Canada will also be launching two key
initiatives for teens and young adults: a new French version of its
website especially created for allergic teens to help them manage
their food allergies more effectively; and the Sabrina Shannon
Memorial Award for youth involvement in community anaphylaxis
education. The award is dedicated to the life of Sabrina Shannon.

Book – The History of the Peanut Allergy Epidemic

Available in real paper (not as an e-book), this book offers a glimpse into the history of the peanut allergy.
I hope to have a review up in the near future, but in the mean time pick up a copy and tell us what you think.

The History of the Peanut Allergy Epidemic, the first documented history of the rise of peanut allergy, is now available http://www.peanutallergyepidemic.com

Written by Heather Fraser a Toronto-based historian and mother of a peanut-allergic child, this meticulously researched book pinpoints the moment of the allergy’s appearance and reveals the perfect storm of social, medical, political and economic factors from which the epidemic has grown.

The epidemic proportions of peanut allergy have spawned intense research into numerous risk factors including peanut consumption, birth month, hygiene, parasite levels and even head size.   And yet, no one has been able to connect the specifics of this surprising epidemic with a functional mechanism of sensitization – how have 2 million children in just the last 20 years become sensitized to this one food?  Neither coincidence nor genetic fluke can explain the speed at which this allergy has spread in children or its peculiar features.   The allergy appears primarily in western countries including the US, Canada, Australia and the UK and in toddlers, boys more often than girls in a ratio greater than 2:1.

The history of food allergy provides some answers starting with Charles Richet who coined the term anaphylaxis in 1913 to describe a sudden and unexpected prevalence of mass allergy related to pharmaceuticals.  Clemens von Pirquet in 1906 called these altered reactions in children allergy.  Combing the literature, Fraser discovered that outbreaks of peanut allergy began to occur only after WW II.  There was a slow but noticeable growth of the allergy in children through the late 1960s up until about 1989. Around 1990, there was an explosion of this allergy just in toddlers.  This moment is well documented by ER records, cohort studies of the time and eyewitness accounts.  Society only recognized the epidemic when this mass of allergic kids showed up for kindergarten.

The surge of peanut and food allergic 4 and 5 year olds took everyone by surprise – school systems, teachers, parents, entire communities.  And it has persisted and worsened.  An estimated 2% of kids living in the US and Canada are peanut allergic.  A 2010 Australian stat indicated that 3% of children living there are allergic to peanut.

How has this happened?  Functionally, there are a limited number of ways in which a person can become anaphylactic to any protein – ingestion, inhalation, through the skin and injection.  Historically there was only one mechanism implicated in mass allergy.  This together with a series of swift, identical alterations in political, social, legal, medical and economic conditions in western societies between 1987 and 1994 the peanut allergy in children tipped into epidemic….  Events unfolded in plain sight.

The History of the Peanut Allergy Epidemic (Innovation Press, 2010) is a must-read for every parent, teacher, and health professional.  Heather Fraser, MA, BA, B.Ed is a Toronto-based writer.  The book consists 211 pages with endnotes, index and appendix showing the global prevalence of the allergy.  Book is $19.99 and available for purchase http://www.peanutallergyepidemic.com

CTV Toronto – Article ‘cherry picks’ food allergy research: angry groups

Sarah and Sabrina Shannon (2003). Picture courtesy of CTV.

As a followup to the terrible article that they printed in their December issue “It’s Just Nuts”, Chatelaine plans to let the readers speak out with a January article from the many retorts they received.

Sara Shannon (Mother of Sabrina and allergy activist) chimes in this time  after writing to the editor of Chatelaine and others involved in the printing of “the article”.

Sabrina Shannon had such an interest in journalism that by the time she was 10, she produced a radio documentary. She hoped to educate people about kids who suffer from life-threatening allergies. Sabrina herself was allergic to peanuts, milk and soy and had to manage it every day by asking everyone what was in the food she ate.

But Sabrina didn't grow up to be a journalist. She died from an allergic reaction to french fries contaminated with dairy at her school in Pembroke, Ont. six years ago.

As Sabrina was on life support at an Ottawa hospital, her mother, Sara Shannon, promised her that she would become an activist for those suffering from anaphylaxis. Sabrina died a day later at age 13.

That is why Shannon, other parents, doctors and medical groups are livid at a magazine article which suggests parents are overreacting to the condition.

The article, called “It's just nuts,” appears in the December issue of Chatelaine. It mainly focuses on peanuts and suggests parents are overreacting to food allergies, anaphylactic reactions aren't as common as people think, and that death rates are low. The headline on the cover refers to a peanut allergy “myth.”

The groups who take issue with the article say it mocks parents who have to work hard to protect kids who can die from even invisible amounts of foods to which they are allergic. And they're unhappy with a photo on the article's front page that shows a boy opening his mouth with a piece of peanut butter sandwich on his tongue.

The article closes saying it isn't clear how big a threat peanuts pose, but with more research and debate, the writer's son might one day be able to eat peanuts at his school where they are banned.

In an email to CTV.ca, a spokesperson for the magazine thanked CTV for the opportunity to respond to the accusations but declined an interview.

“If we feel it is appropriate to respond, we will do so in the pages of our magazine,” wrote Suneel Khanna.

Chatelaine posted a note Monday on the online version of the article, saying the magazine plans to publish reader reaction in the January issue after receiving an unprecedented number of responses from readers.

Read much more via CTV Toronto – Article ‘cherry picks’ food allergy research: angry groups – CTV News, Shows and Sports — Canadian Television.

CBC News – Canada – What’s nuts, Chatelaine, is not to be concerned

Sorry for the late post on this but CBC touches on the backlash caused by the Allergy-bashing article from Chatelaine (I won’t even bother to link to it. If you want to read it you’ll have to find it yourself  ). Originally the magazine was not going to print a followup article but now it is stating that it will be printing in the January issue, a reactions article from all the letters it has received. From what I understand, they are numerous.

Gwen Smith of Allergic Living gives her take on the article. This is a good read!

When the top women's magazine in the country takes a snide, cynical run at a serious health issue that affects children, these are truly different times in the publishing industry.

The magazine is Chatelaine, and the hit-and-run article in its December issue is called “It's Just Nuts.”

Gwen Smith is the editor of Allergic Living magazine and was the editor-in-chief of Elm Street magazine, when it ended its seven-year run in 2004.

This story by writer Patricia Pearson begins with the image of parents and schools across the land “cowering in fear of the tiny peanut,” followed by a conclusion disguised as a question: “Are we overreacting to food allergies?”

In the telling, the writer skewers the hard-won accommodations in schools to protect food-allergic children, confuses facts and statistics, and never pauses to speak to a principal or a parent of a child who has experienced anaphylaxis, the most serious form of allergic reaction.

Had she spoken to a teacher, she would likely have heard why restrictions on certain foods are easier to manage in the classroom setting than having to watch, hawk-like, over those who can eat peanut butter and those who can get seriously ill from exposure to even traces of a substance that sticks on toys, doors and shared equipment.

Read more via CBC News – Canada – What’s nuts, Chatelaine, is not to be concerned.

Domino’s Pizza Canada

Yesterday we wanted to try something new. Order in pizza!

Most of you know that ordering in pizza with a nut/peanut allergic person in the house is usually taboo. What made us think of the possibility was a recent trip to New Jersey where we found out, through the Dominos.com site (US company), that they were nut free (http://www.dominos.com/home/menu/allergen_info.jsp).

I picked up the phone and called the local establishment.  In a rushed voice the gentleman on the phone stated that it was Domino’s and what I would like for my order. I informed him that I have someone with food allergies and that I would like to speak to someone with some knowledge of this with respect to their food preparation. He then asked what the allergen was. I told him peanuts and tree nuts to which he replied that there was nobody there to help me.

I bid him good day and hung up.

I was not very convinced, nor was I very happy at how that transpired. I picked up my quill and parchment to draft a letter to Dominos Canada. OK, I emailed them.

The gist of the email was asking what their policy was, if they were nut/peanut free, and if their employees were educated of the process if there was one.

I received an email this morning stating that they were in fact nut and peanut free and that their website was going through the process of adding this information. To get more information I picked up the phone and called the author of the email. She informed me that the employees are supposed to be educated and trained how to handle these allergens and to ensure the public, when told of the allergy, that all precautionary procedures will be followed. It is up to US to make sure they know of our allergies. This will prompt the kitchen to take extra care.

This information came to me from the Executive Assistant of the President of Dominos Canada. I think I trust her.  So we can add one more pizza place to the list!

That makes 2 so far.

Boston Pizza

Domino’s

If you know of more please let us know!

Allergic reactions can develop at any age, any time

Just a little somthing to keep in mind. We are not al born with it.

Allergic reactions can develop at any age, any time

While the number of children with allergies increased over the past few decades, adults awareness of their own sensitivities is growing

Adults are discovering in ever greater numbers that they have serious food allergies, possibly due to exposure to new foods and an increased awareness of food allergy symptoms.

So says Dr. Vincent Oswunda, an Edmonton allergist and immunologist, who adds although most people develop allergies in childhood, adults can still develop an allergy and suffer as much as any child.

“You can start having allergic reactions at any age and at any time,”Oswunda says.

An allergy to sulphites — the chemical additives used to stop food from browning or spoiling — is most often diagnosed in adults, especially in those who already have asthma. Sulphites were recently added to Health Canadas list of the most common food allergens, along with more familiar foods like peanuts and dairy.

via Allergic reactions can develop at any age, any time.

Legal Update: Comcare Prosecutes For Food Allergy Death – Deacons – 07/07/2009, Health & Safety

Further to the article about the Australian Army cadets who died due to a peanut allergy while in the care of the Army, the Federal Court laid down a fine to the maximum allowed.

Australia: Legal Update: Comcare Prosecutes For Food Allergy Death

On 30 June 2009, the Federal Court of Australia handed down a fine of $210,100 in a Comcare prosecution of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting through the Chief of the Army for a contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1991 Cth the OHS Act by the Australian Army Cadets AAC in the course of conducting a three day training course known as Bivouac 2007 at the Wombat State Forest in Central Victoria in March 2007.1

The fine handed down is close to the maximum civil penalty available under the OHS Act, which is $242,000.

The Federal Court proceedings had two separate parts, one part which related to the supply of food to cadets containing peanuts despite being informed of allergies to peanuts and the second part which related to losing a number of cadets for a period of eighteen 18 hours.

Read on for the full article via Australia, Labour and Employment, Legal Update: Comcare Prosecutes For Food Allergy Death – Deacons – 07/07/2009, Health & Safety.

Army fined over teen’s peanut allergy death | Scotch College cadets camp

This is a sad story. Even some government depsartments are failing to understand the severity of this allergy.

The Australian Army has been fined more than $200,000 over the death of a teenager from a peanut allergy at a cadets’ school camp in May 2007.

Nathan Francis, 13, was a year nine student at Scotch College in Victoria.

Regardless of his mother writing to the camp organisers that Nathan suffered from a severe peanut allergy he was given a lunch of beef satay on the first day of the camp and died shortly after.

In the Federal Court this morning, Justice Tony North ordered that the Commonwealth should pay $210,100 to the public purse.

The case came about when Comcare, a government workplace safety agency, sued the Commonwealth for a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The Commonwealth, through the Chief of Army, was responsible for running the camp.

Justice North urged that the Victorian Coroner hold an inquest into Nathan’s death to examine the role of Scotch College and its staff who manned the camp.

The school has promised to take steps to prevent the recurrence of another incident on the same camp in which six boys were lost in the forest for hours without radio contact.

Justice North adjourned that undertaking for one year.

The court heard WorkSafe Victoria had decided not to prosecute the school.

Justice North described the case as “every parent’s worst nightmare” and commended Nathan’s parents, Brian and Jessica, for their bravery during the proceedings.

via Army fined over teen’s peanut allergy death | Scotch College cadets camp.

Tips to plan a safe birthday party when inviting children with food alleriges.

We all go through this at one point or another in our life. This is from the other side form what we usually do, which is sending our kids out to parties.

Worried about inviting a friend with food allergies to your child’s birthday party? Which foods are safe? Which are not? What if the child has a reaction? Food allergies are on the rise among children. This can present a challenge when planning your child’s birthday party. A few helpful tips in the party preparation can ensure a safe fun memorable birthday celebration for all.

Read the rest of this entry »

Allergy doesn’t mean you can’t go for gold

I love the stories of people who don’t let thier allergies interfere with life. They make adjustments to the way they live and move on to obtain the goals they strive for. It’s always nice to hear of people achieving what they set out for dispite the issues in front of them.

Steve Omischl of Canada performs during his second jump in the men’s aerial final of the 2009 FIS Freestyle World Championships in Inawashiro on March 4, 2009.

World Cup freestyle ski ace Steve Omischl wants people to know that having a severe allergy doesn’t mean you can’t dream big dreams

Omischl dreams big. He also lives big and jumps big, even though he has had a potentially life-threatening allergy to peanuts since he was a child and carries an epinephrine auto-injector with him wherever he goes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Health Canada Delays Allergy Labelling

As we reported on in July 2008, Health Canada has proposed new labelling laws. We expected them to be in place by now; but it seems that because they want to make the regulations perfect, it has been delayed until 2010. As reported by Allergic Living, Health Canada received over 140 comments on the new regulation.
The hard part is over; now they just need to put the rules in place. Come Spring 2010, companies will have 12 months to update packaging to adhere to the new regulations.

We’re almost there. It’s been a long time coming.

Health Canada review

Nut allergy ‘hits Asian children’

This article is based on only 2 clinics in London, England seeing an increase in nut allergies. It needs more research since there can be many reasons why this could be happening. The research needs to include many more clinics.

A disproportionately high number of Asian children are being diagnosed with nut allergy, a leading expert says.

Dr Abbass Khakoo, medical director at London’s Hillingdon Hospital, is a specialist in food allergies.

He said children from ethnic minorities were over-represented at his two London clinics.

He has found children from ethnic backgrounds appear to display symptoms of nut allergies at a younger age than their white counterparts.

Read the rest of this entry »

News of Quaker Rice Cakes New Allergen Warnings Slow to Spread

Although it has been a little over three months since PepsiCo Foods Canada announced that their Quaker Rice Cakes and Crispy Minis now may contain peanut, I’ve been disturbed that they are still on the menu at daycares with peanut-allergic children in our city. In fact, these products were for so long considered a staple as a “safe-snack,” and many still consider them as such. I was a regular consumer of these rice cakes, and I might not have learned of the formulation change (which is the result of the introduction of the new peanut butter flavours) if I wasn’t a regular visitor to the Allergic Living message board where someone had posted an alert. I think these alerts were sent to those who have registered to receive Quaker Foods product alerts and not many, if any, other folks.

Luckily for me, I was pre-warned of the change, and carefully inspected the packaging of the Quaker Rice Cakes, eventually finding the “MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS” warning. Shortly after, when a friend of mine was packing a few bags of these rice cakes to bring on a trip she was taking with her peanut-allergic son, she was shocked when I told her that she’d better look for a warning on the packaging. Her shock turned to annoyance as we both tried to straighten out the top of the rice cake package, scrunched together with a bread-bag-type tie, to read the warning. The warning is, shall we say, NOT obvious.

These rice cakes were a staple at my son’s child care centre, and I’m having some difficulty erasing the concept of Quaker Rice Cakes being a safe snack from their minds. I’ve finally found them an alternative brand (NoName) for which I’ve obtained the manufacturer’s assurance that they are free from peanuts. But change is slow, and this week the child care centre accidentally purchased and served the Quaker brand (I was able to intervene before my son was given any).

I’ll continue to spread the news to others and hope the news continues to spread. It would be nice if the multinational, billion-dollar-earning, food-producing corporations could help out too.