By Kelley Lindberg
After taking off a
few weeks for the holidays, it’s time to jump back in to my blog. Today I’m
excited to welcome a special guest blogger, Zoe, who has just completed a
wonderful project for her Girl Scout Silver Award. Thanks, Zoe!
Hi, I am Zoe, and
I am a 13-year-old Girl Scout. In Girl Scouts there is a project that Cadettes do called a
Silver Award. For my Silver Award I wanted to spread awareness about food
allergies and anaphylactic shock, because my 7-year-old sister has a peanut
allergy, and not many people know what that is or what to do if she ever eats a
peanut. So if you do not know what anaphylaxis is, it is a life-threatening
food allergy reaction that happens when you eat your allergen.
To start spreading
awareness I came up with the idea to do an information booth. I have done them
at schools and booth events. So far I have done 6 booths and they have all gone
very well. At those booths I wanted to see what the general public knows about food
allergies, so I found a little survey. Here are the results.
1. True or False?
You will experience anaphylaxis if the food that you are allergic to touches
your skin.
7/16
said true
8/16
said false
1
said half/half
The
answer is it really depends. Studies suggest that skin contact alone seldom
causes anaphylactic reactions, unless the allergen is somehow transferred to
the mouth, eyes, or nose. In addition, reactions can change drastically with
each exposure, so don’t assume you won’t have an anaphylactic reaction next
time just because your last reaction was mild.
2. True or False?
Using hand-sanitizing gels (like Purell) is a good way to clean your hands of
food allergens?
2/16
said true
14/16
said false
The
answer is no, hand sanitizers just spread the allergens around but do not kill
them. Studies show soap and water is the best way to remove food allergens. If
soap and water are not available, a wet wipe is the second-best choice.
3. True or False?
The smell of peanut butter will cause an allergic reaction in people with peanut
allergies.
11/16
said true
4/16
said false
1/16
said it depends
The
answer is it does depend how allergic they are to it. The smell alone does not
contain the proteins that cause reactions. However, if peanut dust or powder is
floating in the room (or airplane, for example), that dust or powder may
contain the protein and can cause a reaction in sensitive people.
4. True or False?
You can have an allergic reaction if you share your friend’s water bottle.
12/16
said true
4/16
said false
The
answer is yes you can and most likely will have an allergic reaction. Sharing
anything that could transfer saliva (forks, cups, bites of each other’s food,
etc.) is a bad idea.
5. True or False?
Washing a table with a Clorox wipe can be enough to clean a food allergen from
the table?
9/16
said true
7/16
said false
The
answer is True. Common household cleaners are effective at removing allergens
if they are used carefully and thoroughly on the table.
6. True or False?
If someone eats a food you are allergic to and then kisses you on the cheek,
you will have a serious (i.e., anaphylactic) reaction.
5/16
said true
11/16
said false
The
answer is it depends. In most cases, reactions to a kiss on the cheek are mild,
such as a rash. But anaphylactic reactions have been reported, and kisses on
the lips are more likely to cause serious reactions because of the possibility
of ingesting the allergen after the kiss.
7. True or False?
If you have ordered food at a restaurant and didn’t have a reaction in the
past, will you be safe if you order the same food again?
2/16
said true
14/16
said false
The
answer is False because of the possibility of cross contamination. Always tell
your server about your allergies and ask them to double-check ingredients and verify
the food handling for your meal.
8. True or False?
Benadryl should be given first for a serious allergic reaction?
8/16
said true
8/16
said false
The
answer is False. An EpiPen or other epinephrine autoinjector always comes
first.
9. True or False?
The needle in the Epipen or Twinject is long?
2/16
said true
14/16
said false
The
answer is False. Needles in epinephrine autoinjectors are only about a
half-inch long.
For my overall
experience it was very good. I met many interesting and nice people. I learned
a lot of things that I did not know before. And I had a lot of fun doing it!
And a special thanks to everyone that helped me with the surveys.
-
Zoe
(And special thanks to Dr. John Lee at www.AllergyHome.org for giving us permission
to reprint their survey here.)
The marketers and distributers of EpiPen®
(epinephrine) Auto-Injector did some research on the trends for Valentine’s
Day, and they found some statistics that might surprise you. Pop quiz! See if
you can guess whether the following statements are myth or fact.
