Overcoming Allergies

by Molly M. Ginty

Whatever stage of life you’re in, and whether you’re physically fit or living with chronic illness, you can find ways to be a wise steward of your health and well-being. Our health and wholeness are important keys to responding to God’s call for us and acting boldly on that call. That’s why Women of the ELCA have embarked on a new health initiative: Raising up Healthy Women and Girls. This ongoing column represents our commitment to the issue of women’s health.

All it took was one bite. When a neighbor offered peanut butter cookies to Kristine Kastner, the 12–year–old happily accepted. An hour later, the Washington state sixth-grader was dead, the victim of a severe peanut allergy that was undiagnosed until after her death.

Across the United States, tragedies like these are becoming more common as the incidences of allergies skyrocket. According to the Bethesda–based National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the number of Americans with allergies has more than doubled since the 1980s and now stands at a record 50 million. Since so many of those at risk fail to get tested and treated, more than 700 die each year after they are stung by insects, eat trigger foods, or take penicillin that was meant to protect their health.

Summer can be a particularly tough time for allergy sufferers. Bees, wasps, freshly mown grass, and poison ivy, oak, and sumac are part of long summer days.

"Although there is no cure for allergies and although you can’t allergy-proof your summer, there are steps you can take to minimize your symptoms," says Leonard Bielory, MD, a fellow of the Milwaukee–based American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. "The first step is proper planning and talking to your doctor about what may put you at risk."

Allergies start with a genetic predisposition that causes your body to release antibodies when you encounter an allergen (a foreign substance to which you are sensitive). When you are exposed to the allergen again, the antibodies send histamine flooding through your system. This can trigger coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, and scratchy throat. In severe cases, it can also cause wheezing, shortness of breath, skin rashes — and even brain damage or cardiac arrest.

Severe allergic reactions can be overwhelming when they strike without warning. Just ask Lancaster, Pennsylvania, resident Patti Chambers. In 1999, Chambers was watering her azaleas when she was stung by a yellow jacket. "Suddenly, I was so dizzy that I couldn’t stand up," she says. "My pulse fluttered. My hands tingled. Hives broke out on my legs. I was experiencing anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction. And I was three months pregnant, so I was terrified of losing my baby."

Luckily for Chambers, her husband called 911 and medics quickly gave her two shots of epinephrine and rushed her to the hospital for intravenous drugs, more epinephrine, and tests that confirmed her baby was safe.

Until that anaphylaxis attack, Chambers had no idea that she was among the 4 percent of Americans who are allergic to insect venom. Today, she carries injectable prescription epinephrine (an EpiPen) everywhere she goes. She also takes immunotherapy, regular injections of insect venom to desensitize her body to potential stings.

To protect Americans from severe allergy attacks, government agencies and public schools have recently stopped serving meals with common food allergens. And since January, new congressional legislation has required special labeling on the eight products responsible for 90 percent of food allergies: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.

Even so, health advocates warn that much more needs to be done. Though the majority of Americans are sensitive to one or more allergens, 26 percent of children and 56 percent of adults fail to get tested for frequent or severe allergies. The fifth leading cause of chronic illness, allergies cost the American health care system $18 billion per year.

To lessen this toll, health advocates are encouraging Americans to take matters into their own hands. Mothers can safeguard their children by avoiding common food allergens when they are pregnant and testing their children for allergies at age three. Adults who experience allergic reactions should seek medical attention immediately. In summer, they can avoid stinging insects by keeping sweetened drinks covered and not wearing scented cosmetics or bright–colored clothing. They can minimize exposure to outdoor allergens by keeping windows closed, running the air conditioner, and limiting outdoor activities to the early morning when possible.

The good news is that with the right precautions and treatment, even the worst summer allergies can be kept under control. Take the case of Judy Kramer, a Philadelphian who suffers from severe allergic asthma triggered by trees and grass. As a child, Kramer played softball, but found herself gasping for breath whenever she tried to run the bases. As an adult, she loved golf, but found herself wheezing uncontrollably after just a few holes.

"In summer, my attacks were so bad that I would visit the emergency room several times a week and be hospitalized several times a month," says Kramer. "It got to the point where I stayed inside all summer, housebound because I had to avoid the allergens."

Recently, Kramer finally found the right medications to keep her condition in check. "Now I’m enjoying the golf course in summertime," she says. "And for the first time in years, I can finally breathe easy again."

Molly M. Ginty lives in New York. Her work has appeared in Ms., Marie Claire, Redbook, and Women’s eNews.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network www.foodallergy.org

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America www.aafa.org

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology www.aaaai.org

Article published in Lutheran Woman Today, June 2006