The Importance of Allergy Awareness in Social Circles

The Importance of Allergy Awareness in Social Circles

As we all continue to hang out with friends, it’s important to be aware of your friend’s dietary restrictions and allergies. Why is this such a big deal? We never know the severity of one’s allergies; what could seem like a harmless gesture can quickly escalate to a life-threatening trip to the emergency room. Take the time to ask your friends about their allergies; communication is key not only for respect and understanding but also for being prepared in the case of an emergency without a nurse at easy access.

There are two different kinds of epi-pens. The flat, red one is an auvi-q. To administer the medicine, all you have to do is take off the cover, and the injector will start talking to you through the speaker inside. If you have a long, circular one, the instructions to use it are on the side of the injector. In either case, if worse comes to worst and you must administer it, be sure to call 911 for further assistance.

Knowing what food allergy your friend has makes it significantly easier to prevent a potential reaction. If you give your friend any kind of snack before handing it to them, take a few seconds to look because the potential allergens are usually listed in bold at the bottom of the ingredients list. For example, the label below contains egg, milk, and wheat in bold below the longer list. Especially with desserts, they tend to have a lot of nuts without seeming like they would. If you are eating at a restaurant, sometimes they will have little logos near the food indicating what allergens are in them.

For further information, please consider taking a quick look at some of the following resources/info centers that were also used for this blog:

• https://aafa.org/

• https://www.foodallergy.org/

• https://kidswithfoodallergies.org/