Sometimes the most simple of ideas are the greatest! Allergy Kids is a company that revolves around a simple green hexagonal logo with an exclamation point. Founder Robyn O'Brian is promoting the symbol to be synonamous with children with food allergies.
Check out www.allergykids.com for a line of products that support this symbol.
www.tabletopper.com - "Disposable multi-use pads" that are ideal for placemats, floormats, shopping carts, even for the potty. Highly acclaimed for its usefulness and convenience in protecting infants.
Allergy Furnace Filters - Allergy Zone filters that help create an allergen free home. Recognized and recommended by physicians.
http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org/section_home2.html -
A great flash animation movie about a boy named Noah and his daily routine of dealing with a nut allergy. Cute!
www.myspace.com/kylepnut - I have recently recorded a bunch of songs that all deal with food allergies or celiacs. The songs have received so much support that I have decided to record a professional full length studio album. It will have around 13 songs on it and hopefully be available for purchase early in the New Year. *The ones posted are only demo versions* but feel free to download!
The ultimate goals of the project are a. Give children more confidence dealing with their allergies and b. Create more global awareness!!!
As an anaphylactic musician who loves kids, this project has made me quite excited! I just wish there were songs I could relate to when I was growing up!
www.allergymoms.com - A well organized site that has a free email newsletter as well as some great information in the blog section. A great growing resource.
A LIST of everything peanuts can be found in.
Are Peanut Allergies Increasing? Yes according to this British Study.
Making the Peanut Less Allergenic- A series of experiments involving fungus degrading the allergy causing proteins in peanuts.
What not to eat: @ The GFCF Diet
A list of all different types of foods that contain or may contain gluten. A must to look at if newly diagnosed in order to start modifying your diet.
One Recipe a Week - Just sign up with your email and this site will deliver you one tasty recipe every week! Keeps you expanding your repetoire in the kitchen with gluten-free food.
www.glutenfree.com- Products, recipes, plus a bread doctor who may be able to "revive" your current recipe! An overall excellent resource.
Antigen Vaccines - An article from the Breakspear Medical Clinic explaining how antigen vaccines work.
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/community.html
Over 7000 parents connected all all issues of food allergies.
http://www.angelfire.com/mi/FAST/form.html
Chat rooms and extensive network of support.
Advice for Newbies - Addresses many questions that are not thought of at first such as dating with allergies, depression and even planning an allergy-free wedding.
Kiss of Death is Good Publicity- In case you have not heard, the girl who the media made out to have died from kissing her boyfriend after he injested peanuts, died from other causes. But it did stir up a great deal of publicity as this article shows.
"It's your Health- Severe Allergic Reactions"
A 2pg PDF from the government of Canada with the basics about severe allergic reactions.
I've reacted to a label I shouldn't have! - Steps to take to deal with food manufacturer as well as reporting to official agencies.
Peanut Allergies are Overstated - Somewhat controversial article explaining some of the loopholes when diagnosing someone with food allergies. Definately worth a read. Then read the responses to it here.
The Pill's Effect on Allergies- Increases the risk of allergic rhinitis
www.medicalert.com - For 50 years now, MedicAlert has been the most accepted way to convey allergies. It has world wide recognition and is your safest bet when shopping. Many different styles and materials (bracelets, watches, necklaces, etc.) I currently wear the MedicAlert dogtag.
Fiddledee ID - Some very original jewelry to display your dietary needs. This site has a huge selection for women & girls, and bracelets that boys will love (ex. the beach boy model)
www.boomisbeads.com - An interesting spin on medical identification bracelets. These cool and funky designs will appeal to teenagers. Can be customized to suit interests of child and can make a great gift idea!
In this day and age, one is a fool not to carry around their epinephrine with them. No need to just keep it in your back pocket though. Keep it safe and keep yourself looking fashionable at the same time. Important thing to remember when purchasing is that you should get a pack that is labelled well in case of an emergency where someone needs to find it immediately.
http://www.safetysack.com/index.cfm - Safety Sack is designed to hold epinephrine and other medicine in a convenient light and durable pack. You can download a template for an action plan, as well as emergency instructions and contacts, which goes right on the pouch.
http://www.kozyepi.com/
Fashionable pouches made out of very cool material. Original designs and styles make it trendy in today's modern world.
http://www.allergypack.com/ - Many different types of carrying cases. Single and double needles, a case that can be used for athletics, and a smaller one that allows one to carry an inhaler.
http://www.foodallergyaids.com/ - These cases have great designs and hold everything you'll need. Plus each pack is home made with attention to details like being compact and quite cute!
Food Allergy Conscious Cookbooks: A great idea to expand your repetoire of suitable cooking for your family. Also an amazing gift idea for your son or daughter going away to college! Order these online at the following links or on amazon.com
http://www.allergyfreecookbook.com- Author Penny Webster offers simple and suculant recipes that are easy to follow and please adults and kids alike. Also boasts many recipes that are free of fish or shellfish.$17.95
http://www.foodallergycookbook.com - All recipes are free of nuts, eggs, and dairy products. Author Linda Coss offers tasty under 15 minute prep recipes for $16.95 Take a look at the entire recipe list here.
Recipe Blog- A site with new recipes that you can rate and read comments on. This also contains great food allergy information that is very current.
School Board Anaphylaxis Policy - A thorough handbook that can serve as an anaphylaxis handbook for school boards. Deals with policy, medical and legal issues.
www.allergykids.com - An incredible site that is really making a difference advocating food manufacturers to include a neon green hexigon sign with an exclamation mark in the middle on products. The intent is to create a universal sign that expands all languages and makes it easier for kids to know if a product is safe.
http://www.allergyblock.com.au/
This site has over 800 products available in its e-store which are free of nuts, eggs, wheat and more. Easy to find products that suit your allergies.
www.nestle.com - One of the first companies to spearhead nut-free factories...plus delicious chocolate!
www.chapmans.com - A company that does extensive testing on batches of products to ensure nut-free status. I Scream for Ice Cream!
www.nonuttin.com - Delicious Nut Free Granola Bars!
www.epipen.com - Simple to use and has been a trusted name for epinephrine auto-injectors for years. This one personally saved my life once. More people would likely to be trained to use Epi-Pen.
www.twinject.com - Main feature is that it has an added 2nd dose of epinephrine. This allows you to only carry one which cuts down on space. Slightly more complicated, but good to have around people who would know how to use it.
www.medicalert.com - Bracelets, watches, necklaces and more paraphanalia to display your allergies to others. I have the dog tag and wear it with pride!
Epi-Card- Not yet released, but here is an article that describes what two twin brothers are dreaming up as the future of discreet portable epinephrine products.
http://www.bluebearaware.com/ - Quite fashionable wear for older children that won't make them feel like a neon pink pilon, but still effective in enforcing the message. Products also available in French which can be useful when traveling or for French immersion schools.
http://www.allergyware.com/ - Cute clothing that is suitable for infants and young children.
http://www.checkmytag.com/ - This is such a simple, yet amazing idea, you're going to kick yourself in the pants for not thinking of it yourself! The company specializes in shirts that have a label on the arm simply stating: "Check my tag", then a blank label where you can write your child's allergies as well as emergency procedure. Finally a label with no washing instructions!
http://www.allergators.com - A company that has made a great brand for itself with a very recognizeable alligator on most of the clothing. Plus shipping discounts.
http://www.labelitorloseit.com - Simple iron on patches and emblems which are very versatile. Put them on a lunchbox, tshirt or book bag. (cheap shipping)
School Issues you should know about - This page from The Peanut Patrol site touches on Classroom Saftety, Cafeteria Safety, Schoolbus Safety and Legal Rights with a School.
NO EATING ON THE BUS!
Stay on top of what is going on in the world of food allergies! If you never have tried out podcasts before, you should start here because they're some of the best the net has to offer. If you have an Ipod, you can listen to them on your way to work.
AllergyWare Podcast- Leslea Harmon reveals "all the news that itches" and gives an important news update each show of recalled products. She also answers questions from listeners and documents the show on her blog.
The Anaphylactic Allergy Podcast- A video podcast that has some great episodes dealing with what "may contain" really means from a manufacturer's point of view as well as an interview with Anne Munoz Furlong, president of FAAN.
http://www.foodallergy.org/
FAAN- A leader in food allergy information. Make this your first stop!
http://www.anaphylaxis.org/
Canadian site with great information.
http://www.calgaryallergy.com - An extensive collection of information as well.
http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/index.html - Anaphylaxis Australia- An site that is a very comprehensive source of information as well as valuable allergy products. Also a neat "Kids Corner" where kids can get to know animated characters with the same conditions.
www.actagainstallergy.com- A great "Ask an Expert" page where common questions are listed for many situations of dealing with or diagnosing allergies.
www.foodallergyconnection.org - Your connection to the world of food allergies. Information and resources for those with food allergies. Also publishes stories sent in by readers on topics of interest for those with food allergies.
www.allergytranslation.com - A product allowing you to select your food allergies or special diet and have them all accurately translated into the language of your choice. Best part is they come in the exact size of a credit card, plus you can print it at home, meaning you can bring unlimited copies with you on your next trip.
This product is cheap and effective. I would suggest anyone travelling with anaphylaxis should not leave home without it. I can think of several occasions where these Food Allergy Translation Cards would become handy including restaurants, grocery stores and catered events. Right now the company can make dietary cards in 20 languages including; French, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, Chinese, Japanese etc.
Another great point is that the company stores your order in your own profile, so you can purchase one 6 months before you travel and print it out the night before. (If you like to be well planned before a vacation!)
Food Allergy Books
The Peanut Allergy Answer Book - Dr. Michael C. Young explores everything from where allergies come from, the scoop on allergies and breastfeeding as well as insight into the future of food allergies. About 100 pages of pure relevant allergy info.
Gluten-Free Books
Gluten-Free Passport- Book dedicated to being a guide for dining around the corner as well as around the world. Comprehensive information source with neat bits such as traditional foods you should know about before going to a foreign country as well as 50 airline special food options.
