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Did you know that eight percent of children and two percent of all Americans have at least one food allergy?Food Allergy Aid is dedicated to providing a meaningful resource to these people and their loved ones to keep these potentially life-threating allergies managable.


Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Fear Versus Awareness

Food allergies can generate fear easily - especially if they are life-threatening. I have come to realize this in dealing with my son's teachers at his school. They are, rightly so, very fearful of him having a reaction. After dealing with food allergies for an extended period of time, a comfort level is reached and it becomes a part of everyday life. However, there are people who have had limited dealings with food allergies. For these people, the situation is stressful. This is where I feel the importance of awareness versus fear comes into play.

Everyone who deals with food allergies needs to be aware of what they are allergic to, avoid the food(s), and know the appropriate treatment for their situation if a reaction occurs. There needs to be emphasis on awareness, not on fear. In the majority of cases, a reaction can be controlled if it is recognized and treated.

Educate yourself and, for a child, educate all caregivers. Education is the best tool for creating awareness of food allergies. If people ask questions, give them information. This helps people become less afraid of the situation. For teachers, help them understand the comfort level that the child is used to so that they can allow the child to have this comfort level at school.

In hour house, we try very hard to make our son's food allergies a realty but not a source of fear for him. He knows that he has to be conscious of what he is eating but not be afraid of food. If a child sees a parent fearful of everything relating to food allergies, they may become fearful and stressed. Try to normalize he activities of daily life as much as possble for a child - it makes all the difference in the world!

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