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5.0 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent book that will inform young people about allergies and how to cope with them ..., October 13, 2011
If you have a specific food allergy policy in place at school, or you yourself have seasonal allergies, you may be somewhat familiar with allergies. If your school requests that you not bring any tree nut or peanut products on the grounds it isn't simply a matter being persnickety and denying your right to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it could be a matter of life or death ... that of a classmate. An anaphylactic reaction to an allergen such as peanuts can cause death. In order to help understand allergies, those that we might be afflicted with or those of others, it is necessary to educate ourselves about them. More than fifty percent of all people living in the United States suffer from allergies of one sort or another that can affect them when they are touched, ingested, inhaled, or injected as in the case of some medications such as penicillin.
Our bodies are equipped to battle harmful substances like viruses, but in "people who have allergies the immune system considers allergens enemy invaders in the same way it considers germs enemy invaders." Once you have been introduced to an allergen you are then sensitized to it. In some people there is no reaction in a subsequent introduction, but others may react to it or develop symptoms. For example, the first time you are stung by a bee it may be painful and you may develop a welt, but the second time you may receive a life-threatening reaction. In this instance "the sensitization process is complete" and you may have to carry an EpiPen to protect yourself in case you are ever stung again.
There are many tests that doctors can run on a person in able to diagnose and treat allergies. Allergies cannot be cured, but they can be treated and managed. In this book you'll learn about things such as the scratch test, intradermal test, Radioallergosorbent test (RAST), the use of a food diary, a food challenge, and elimination diet. Depending on the type of allergy or allergies you have the treatment is variable. There are many different types of medications you can use and there is immunotherapy. "also known as desensitization, or allergy shots." You'll learn about allergic rhinitis, "the most common allergy," what causes it, its symptoms, tips on managing it, and how to tell the difference between allergic rhinitis and a common cold. Perennial allergic rhinitis (year-round), and its numerous symptoms and allergens, diagnosis, and treatment are also discussed.
Skin allergies are also an upsetting and annoying problem for many people. Atopic dematitis (eczema) and hives are not only unsightly, but also itchy and painful. You'll learn about the symptoms, how they are diagnosed, which tests are run (skin, blood, food allergy), symptom control, and treatment options. We can live without some things, including allergies, but we cannot live without food. There are many different types of food allergies, some of them that can cause anaphylaxis. Similarly to the other allergies discusses you'll learn about them, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. In essence, "Avoidance of the allergen is the most effective treatment," but can be especially difficult at times. In this book you'll also get a crash course in drug allergies, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. You'll also learn about insect allergies, asthma, and you'll learn how to live with whatever allergy you may have.
This is an excellent book that will inform young people about allergies and how to cope with them. We're not looking in depth at any one allergy, but rather an overview of several different types. With the rise in allergies in young people, all of us need to be educated and reeducated about those we may already have. Ignorance is not bliss if it can cause someone their life if we don't realize that a something like a food cooked in peanut oil can be a tasty, but fatal meal for someone. This book was well-researched and the material of high interest. The book is best read from cover-to-cover, but separate chapters can be read in class if need be. There are numerous photographs, sidebars, pertinent USA Today articles, charts, and real-life portraits of allergy sufferers that preface each chapter. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, a list of resources, a selected bibliography, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore. There are free complimentary educational resources available on the publisher's website.
This book courtesy of the publisher.
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