Medibands & Hospital Bracelets

EXPRESS.CO.UK YourHealth LITTLE Dylan Mott has a nut allergy so severe that a kiss from someone who has just eaten a walnut would be lethal if he didn’t immediately receive an injection of adrenaline. His mother Amanda will never forget the day Dylan, then a toddler, ate half a cashew nut. “He was sick immediately. His face and neck looked like he had been pushed into stinging nettles,” she says. “He was clawing at his throat because he couldn’t breathe. By the time the ambulance arrived he was blue and drooling because he could not swallow his saliva.” Fortunately, Amanda, 40, and her husband Richard, 39, from New Romney, Kent, are care workers and trained in first aid. Dylan had already been diagnosed with asthma-like symptoms and in the desperate minutes while the couple waited for paramedics they administered Dylan’s ventolin inhaler to try to keep his airways open. They were later told that without it their son would probably have died. Dylan, three, is now under the care of specialist doctors and skin-prick tests confirmed he is acutely sensitive to cashews, walnuts and Brazil nuts. The severity of his reaction leaves no doubt about the diagnosis. His parents carry two EpiPens for an auto-injection of adrenaline at all times and Dylan wears a Medibands wristband to alert others. All forms of allergy are rising but specialists are increasingly alarmed that many children have not been properly diagnosed and their healthis put at risk from exclusion diets that deprive them of crucial nutrients. Health watchdog the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) believes only one in five who claim to suffer an adverse reaction to food have a true allergy. Continue reading →

Fran Lowry September 29, 2010 — Kids who have food allergies are repeatedly bullied, teased, and harassed because of their allergies, and as a result are at increased risk for physical and emotional harm, concludes a new study, published in the October issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Food allergy is increasingly common in children younger than 18 years and has increased 18% from 1997 to 2007. It is estimated that at this time, 3.9% of children in the United States have some kind of food allergy. The physical effects of food-allergic reactions are well known, but less is known about the psychosocial effect of living with a food allergy, write Jay A. Lieberman, MD, from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City, and colleagues. "There are reports of children and teens with food allergy being harassed because of their food allergy, yet no study to date has attempted to characterize these occurrences." By surveying food-allergic teenagers and the parents of food-allergic children who were attending regional Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network meetings, the authors sought to determine the presence and characteristics of bullying, teasing, or harassment of food-allergic patients because of their food allergies. Continue reading →

Children’s safety is always paramount in the eyes of parents. This is especially true if your child suffers from a specific medical condition or allergy. Luckily, Mediband is able to provide peace of mind in case an unexpected event should happen. Fiona Copland from Dumfries has two daughters, aged six and three, who both suffer from asthma, as well as a 16 month old son who has a lactose intolerance. She carried out an internet search and came across the Mediband site. Fiona says: “The girls used to wear SOS bracelets but they both hated them because they were so heavy. Jewellery had to be taken off during PE at school as well, which also meant it was left there quite often. I was after something light that would be safe to wear at all times. As these bands are fashionable at the moment, it ticked all the right boxes.” Continue reading →

MEDIBAND CASE STUDY Parents are always keen to ensure the safety of their children at all times, and when your child suffers from a medical condition or allergy, this becomes even more important. Nicky and Rich Marshall, who live in York, both understand the peace of mind a medical ID bracelet can offer. Their son, 10 year old Owen, suffers from allergies to peanuts, dust mites and tree pollens. Nicky performed an internet search and came across the UK Mediband site. As part of Owen’s condition, he carries epi-pens, but has recently come to an age where he goes out more frequently on his own. He also has a number of sporting interests which means he is regularly left in the care of teachers and coaches, and needs to communicate his allergies. Rich Marshall comments: “Owen suffered one severe reaction a few years ago but we have, thankfully, been able to manage his condition extremely well since. He goes out and about with his friends during school holidays, and has also recently been on several residential school trips, where he is away from us for several nights at a time. Wearing a Mediband has provided us with reassurance that if something should happen, his condition can easily be identified. From Owen’s point of view, he has much more freedom, and the Mediband is subtle enough to be ‘cool’ in Owen’s eye, which is crucial!” Continue reading →

TUESDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Children, males and blacks have the highest rates of food allergies in the United States, and the risk is 4.4 times higher among male black children than in the general population, a new study finds. Overall, 7.6 million people (2.5 percent of the U.S. population) are estimated to have food allergies, according to researchers who analyzed data from 8,203 people, aged 1 year to 60 and older, who were included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2005-06. The participants had their blood tested for antibodies to four specific foods: peanuts, milk, eggs and shrimp. Food allergy rates were highest (4.2 percent) among children aged 1 to 5 and lowest (1.3 percent) among adults older than 60. Compared to the general population, food allergies were two times more common among children aged 1 to 19, three times more common among blacks and two times more common among males. Peanut allergy was the most common food allergy, affecting 1.3 percent of the survey participants. Rates of peanut allergy were 1.8 percent in children aged 1 to 5, 2.7 percent in children aged 6 to 19, and 0.3 percent in adults. The study, which appears in the November issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Continue reading →