My name is Karen Jordan and I reside in Lenox Dale, MA.  I have been living with food allergies to Tree Nuts, Fish, and Shellfish as long as I can remember.  My daughter, Katie has had food allergies, including a severe Peanut allergy, for over 6 years.  She also had a Wheat allergy and is allergic to various pollens.  My son suffered from a Soy allergy for about 1 ½ years.  Fortunately, he outgrew this allergy, but still has pollen allergies, along with other environmental allergies such as cat and dog dander, feathers, dust mites, and mold.  All three of us have asthma and eczema due to our allergies.

As an adult, a long-time member of the highly regarded Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, and as a mother, I have learned to cope with our food allergies, and this has enabled me to help others who have food allergies.  I understand how serious food allergies can be and I have been in the position of not knowing ANYTHING about food allergies and then having to learn EVERYTHING ASAP in order to prevent a life-threatening reaction.  I have had to work with Katie’s day care center, and then her elementary school, in order to provide the most appropriate guidelines for multiple situations that arose.  From coordinating her care from the bus stop to the bus, then to school, then to the classroom, then recess & lunch, not to mention numerous holiday and birthday celebrations and field trips…for those who have food allergies, these are all things that most people take for granted, yet are “red flags” to my family and other food-allergy families. 

I want to do something to help those who live with food allergies by educating our friends, families, and those in our community.  I have over 6 years of experience volunteering at my daughter’s day care and elementary school educating her teachers and classmates about food allergy basics, along with age-appropriate materials for the children to bring home.  I have also collaborated with Ann Lowry, the school nurse at Morris Elementary School [in Lenox, MA] in creating a school-wide LTA [Life-Threatening Allergy] Policy, which was implemented this school year.  I have also led 3 workshops over the past 1 ½ years through Berkshire Works, Berkshire Community College, and at Tot Spot, a day care facility in Pittsfield, MA. 

Over the past 6 years, I have done extensive research and established contacts in many aspects of food allergies, including Allergists, Dieticians, Nutritionists, Physicians, and Nurses.

My professional experience from 1992-2000 focused on Customer Service, Human Resources, and Employee Training w/several large companies, including the home office of KB Toys [in Pittsfield, MA] and the main call center for Compaq Computers [in Littleton, MA].  I also have over 7 years experience volunteering in various positions in the community.

What I am looking to do is combine my work experience with my knowledge of food allergies.  I can fulfill a need in Berkshire County by providing a service that currently doesn’t exist.  No one in the area provides real-life education on living a life with food allergies.  Most doctor’s provide patients [newly diagnosed with food allergies] with a few handouts and told to visit websites for more information.  Insurance companies are constantly dictating how much time a patient can spend asking questions to their physicians.  Few insurance companies can understand the importance of answering personal questions, such as “How do we go on vacation together as a family” or “Susie is having her first sleepover” or “I need a recipe for a nut-free, egg-free, soy-free, milk-free cake” [PS. I have a recipe and it is delicious!!!]. Nutritionists/Dieticians are an important part of patient education, yet few have experienced living firsthand with food allergies. 

Parents want a place to go where they can feel free to ask questions  They want to find information at one place, instead of spending hours at several websites, looking for more information about food allergies, where to purchase allergy-free foods, and what books are great to read.  Parents may find that their family members, schools, day cares, etc. aren’t informed about food allergies [pretty hard to imagine, yet it does happen!].  They want someone to work with them to establish guidelines to keep their child safe and to inform others about how to care for their food-allergic child.

Schools can hire me to work with the school nurse in writing Food Allergy Policies and training teachers and staff on how to provide a safe environment for their students.  I also do presentations for students within the classroom or at group meetings.  If needed, I can work with parents and teachers to come up with a mutually accepted policy for their child/student.

Colleges can hire me as a “guest speaker” to complement courses that are offered, such as Early Childhood Education, Nursing, Gerontology, ServSafe Courses, and Dietician/Nutritionist courses. My presentations would bring awareness of food allergies to the classroom and provide real world information to those who are going to be in contact w/those who have food allergies.

I.     FOOD ALLERGY “FACS” 

A.  WHAT IS A FOOD ALLERGY?

A food allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly believes that a food is harmful.  In it’s attempt to protect the body, it creates specific IgE antibodies to that food.  The next time an individual eats that food, the IgE antibodies sense it and signal the immune system to release massive amounts of chemicals and histamines.  These chemicals trigger allergic symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, or cardiovascular system.  A severe allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis.  A food intolerance is a metabolic disorder; it doesn’t involve the immune system.

1.   STATISTICS:

• 11 million Americans suffer from food allergies.

• 6.5 million are allergic to seafood.

• 3 million are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.

• 30,000 are treated at emergency rooms each year.

• 150-200 die annually from anaphylaxis reactions to food.

• 2 million school-age children have a food allergy.

• One in every 20 children under the age of 3 has a food allergy.

2.   WHAT FOODS CAUSE FOOD ALLERGIES?

Although any food could potentially cause a reaction, eight foods are responsible for up to 90% of all food-allergic reactions.  They are:

          Peanuts                        Wheat

          Tree Nuts                      Eggs

          Soy                                Fish

          Milk                                Shellfish

B.  ALLERGIC REACTIONS

1.   WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AN ALLERGIC REACTION?

• Tingling in the mouth

• Swelling of the tongue or in the throat

• Rash/eczema

• Hives and swelling

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Wheezing

• Difficulty breathing

• Drop in blood pressure

• Loss of consciousness

• Possibly death

Symptoms usually appear within minutes to two hours after a person has eaten the food to with they are allergic to.

2.   TREATMENT:

• There is no cure for food allergies.  Strict avoidance of the allergy-causing food is the only way to prevent a reaction.

• Allergic reactions are treated with antihistamines and/or epinephrine [Epi-penã] to control reactions. 

SPECIAL THANKS to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network for allowing me to utilize statistics and information available on their website:

www.foodallergy.org