Asthma: Why we need rescue meds AND maintenance meds
Read four recommendations for preventing and fighting asthma.
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Kids with asthma… go the distance!
Raising a child with asthma, your main goal is to ensure he or she leads the most normal, healthy life possible. It's no secret that one of the keys to doing that is through regular physical activity and exercise (and no, kids, that doesn’t include hours logged on video games and smartphones!).
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Asthma’s Winter Woes
As the temperature drops and we hunker down for winter, many of us are also preparing for a seasonal increase in asthma symptoms and attacks. It can seem like there's no escape from it: indoor triggers abound in closed-up spaces. Outdoors, cold air can constrict the lungs and cause an attack. And everywhere you go, it seems like someone is nursing a cold or the flu. Luckily, there are many things you can do to breathe easier this year.
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Fruit allergies: are they on the rise?
Get six facts to help understand how something so good for us can turn bad. If your kid has a fruit allergy, you’re probably wondering how he can get sick from something that’s supposed to be so good for him
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To Be(nadryl) or Not to Be(nadryl)
Two simple rules on when to reach for Benadryl, epinephrine or both. If you’re reading this, you’re most likely wielding a bottle of Benadryl, two to four epinephrine injectors and (hopefully) an allergy action plan, at all times. And despite being armed with all of those things, you may still be unsure as to how to truly protect your allergic child. If this is you, know that you’re not alone.
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Our Tricks and Treats for keeping kids with food allergies safe during Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner and kids are getting excited about costumes, trick-or-treating and lots of spooky fun. It can be really scary for allergy families though, when it seems like allergen-laden treats might be lurking around every corner, but there are lots of ways to keep your children safe while they enjoy the season! We've put together some great tips to help you get through the tricks and treats without any real scares!
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Kids with food allergies… gobble THIS!
As we move closer to the 2014 holiday season, we're beginning to look forward to winding down, spending quality time with our loved ones and doing lots of EATING of course. Because who doesn't anticipate Thanksgiving day dinner?! The turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, mac 'n cheese, dumplings, pumpkin pie... We could go on and on. However, for our food allergy kids and their parents, there's still a bit of anxiety that comes with that excitement.
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Kids with Allergies… Prepare for a Safe Landing!
If you've ever traveled around a holiday, you know it can be just as busy and chaotic as shopping at a department store two days before Christmas. Oh, the rage! : ) Add kids and allergies in the mix, and reaching your destination may almost seem impossible.
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AFive Tips for Making This Holiday Season Allergies & Asthma Free
The holiday season is such a special time of the year. It's a time when families celebrate both new and old traditions and make wonderful memories together. For those in the AllerMates community dealing with allergies and asthma, it should be no different. We’re here to help guide you as you take a few simple steps to ensure your child stays safe. See our quick tips below and learn how you can avoid this year's fruitcakes and keep your tiny tot's eyes all aglow.
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Is it a cold? Or is it allergies?
It is THAT season. The time when we assume it’s a cold, but in the back of our minds, know it could be allergies, even though those beautiful trees and flowers we often point the finger at aren’t in bloom. So which is it?!
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Home. Is it the safest place for your food allergic child? Not according to this study.
The moment when you first realize your child has a food allergy... it may have happened at home. After all, you have no idea that you should be shielding your child from a particular food and therefore, don't have the laser sharp focus on labels that you do now. Makes sense. But what is the likelihood that it'll happen a second time AND at home? Apparently very...
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Your kid must go to the emergency room as a result of using epinephrine. True or false?
Learn the reason your child must go to the E.R. following an epinephrine injection.
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Egg FREE made easy: AllerMates guide to eating with an egg allergy.
Last month, we introduced AllerMates’ series on how to be allergen-free by providing our community with a short guide on how to survive meals in light of their kid’s dairy allergy. And this time around we put the spotlight on (drum roll, please!)… THE EGG ALLERGY. For those of you who are no stranger to working around the not-so-incredible or edible egg, you know that the obstacles lie in the sweet stuff. The cakes, the brownies, the cookies, the pies… all the things our kids (and us) love. If you’re new to the food allergy world, have no fear. There are so many great substitutes for eggs, and I’m here to share them with you...
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Trapped in a wheat/gluten maze? Read this and get out.
Your daughter has a wheat allergy, but Jane’s son has celiac disease. You know her allergy is kind of like his disease, but still different. Throw in gluten intolerance, and it all gets VERY confusing. Is it happy hour yet? UGH.
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Celebrating less label checking work with an AllerMates/Happy Family giveaway!
We’ve talked a lot about labels recently, haven’t we? Well, guess what… I’m going to talk to you about them again today. : ) However, I’m not going to talk about them in terms of a problem, rather more of a solution. I'm also going to let you in on a giveaway - a chance to win one of three prize packs from Happy Family Brands and AllerMates!...
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After the Epinephrine: What to Expect at the ER
Learn seven things to expect at the ER, following the allergic reaction and epinephrine injection.
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Kids with diabetes… you’ve got this!
As our children grow, they want to live their own lives - to be spontaneous with friends and to take control of those activities they feel are most critical to their livelihood (like hanging out in the mall for hours… wink, wink).
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Just HOW much is TOO much…
I recently read an article and thought it would be a good follow up to our discussion on “may contain” labels, of which I discovered – overwhelmingly – that you, too, are not a fan. : ) The article says that “may contain” labels are confusing. And it's because these foods may ACTUALLY be safe to eat, despite containing or having come in contact with your child’s allergen(s). Whaaaaatt?...
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Don’t be blinded by the sunshine and good times… Always, ALWAYS ask!
With spring break all around us and summer vacation just around the corner, it’s a happy time… the time for us to pack our bags and cross the borders to somewhere, ANYWHERE free of our usual daily grind. BUT for us food allergy parents, that can never be entirely true. Our daily grind consists of checking, asking, asking and checking. And that’s something we CAN’T leave behind, despite as relaxed and carefree as vacation may seem. So I’m here to provide you with a reminder...
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Do you know Keeley 3? You should. She’s our hero 3.
There are so many reasons we love Keeley McGuire. The most obvious would be that she’s making the ever-so-daunting task of lunch and snack prep easier for us food allergy parents via her blog. But we also love her because she’s laid back and just plain fun in spite of everything we go through and […]
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Dairy FREE made easy: AllerMates Guide to Eating with a Dairy Allergy.
Finding out that your kid has a dairy allergy might not seem so hard to get around. That is until you go to make something or order something and then reality sets in. DAIRY IS EVERYWHERE. We put it in our cereal bowls, in and on our breads, on top of our baked potatoes, in our mashed potatoes and other cooked vegetables, in our desserts and on and on. Luckily, we have some fine folks who make alternatives to the milk, butter and cheese we’ve always known. Read on for some of our favorites, so your children never have to go without.
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WARNING: This post MAY CONTAIN an allergy mom who is annoyed by the word “MAY” sometimes. ; )
May contain tree nuts. Manufactured on equipment that also processes tree nuts. Produced in a facility that also processes tree nuts. This product was in a truck that drove by a facility that processes tree nuts. All of these statements make me NUTS. Except for the last one; that was thrown in for a laugh, just because it’s Monday. : ) But seriously, why, oh why, must food companies torture us so?! Don’t they know how frustrating it can be to find one of those statements after scanning countless labels in the hunt for ONE safe food for our food allergic children? And as tempting as it may be to give the one that doesn't 100% contain tree nuts after searching and searching, it’s still a huge risk to our kids’ lives if it MAY contain or may have come in contact with our kids’ allergens. OR IS IT...
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Eight things to know about allergy shots (to help you not go into anaphylaxis, like me!)
If you suffer from a pollen allergy, like me, you may be dreading spring’s arrival, despite being tired of the cold, snowy, icy weather we were dealt this winter. And like so many, you may be considering allergy shots to help you better deal with pollen, which is always on the rise. Well, I’m here to tell you there are definite benefits to those shots, but there are also some things to be aware of… like that they can bring on ANAPHYLAXIS. No kidding. It happened to me...
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So many allergy-friendly foods, so little time!
Just last week, some of your AllerMates team traveled a couple thousand miles to the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA – and what a fabulous experience it was! It truly couldn’t have come at a better time, and I’m not referring to the warmer, drier weather (though it was a definite plus). : ) I’m actually talking about ALL of the wonderful companies we met and the awesome allergy-friendly products they introduced us to. While we all know food allergies are not ideal, the Expo showed us that...
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What do you know about allergies?
I ran across a video from mental_floss, titled Misconceptions about Allergies, and I'm happy to report that I got a pretty dang good grade. : ) Check out their 10 misconceptions, and let me know in the Comments how many you knew and if there are any you don't agree with.
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