Special Family Network

Read about Daisy, a young girl with Gastroschisis, who, thanks to an organ donor, is leading a full, happy life. Organ donation can save a person’s life. Please take more time to learn about organ donation at www.organdonor.gov.

Also, take a moment to learn about becoming a part of the National Marrow Donor Program at www.marrow.org. Your blood and bone marrow could save the life of a child suffering from Leukemia or any number of bone marrow dysfunction syndromes.

This is a teen-made video on how easily a child can be exposed to peanuts. It is very good, especially for a teen-made production.

This article reminds us of how wide spread food allergies have become. If you have a child with food allergies, it is very important that you inform the school that your child attends so that they can be sure not to accidently expose your child to that particular food.

Parents who do not have a child with food allergies must learn to accept that the quick and easy peanutbutter sandwhich that you fix every day just might prove fatal to another child. It might not be as easy for you, but think about how you would feel if it was your child who had the allergy and could die from the exposure.

This is a good vidoe on how to use an Epi-Pen. It is very important that everyone knows how to use this life saving device with the rise of allergies in this country.

Removing a food from your diet because you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an allergy or intolerance be very difficult. People with Celiac Disease are unable to process a protein called gluten. Gluten is found in many common products that contain barley, rye, and wheat. Here are some great websites that offer Gluten-Free recipes.

Celiac Spruce Association

Celiac.com

Recipezaar

The Gluten Free Kitchen

Food Allergies and GI

There is not a school in this country that does not have a child who has a food allergy. From strawberries to red food dye, peanuts to tree nuts, it seems as though everyone knows someone with a food allergy. A tiny amount of any food that an allergic child comes into contact with can be deadly. To make matters worse, teachers have reported an alarming rise in the number of children who have peanut allergies. Incidents have been reported all over the news about the rise in peanut allergies and the subsequent ban of peanuts in many schools.

If your child or someone you know has been diagnosed with a food allergy, you probly have started the religious reading of food labels in the grocery store before you buy anything. Though it might seem daunting, you can live a normal life with food allergies. It is just a more careful one.

Many time food allergies can be mistaken for other Gastroenterology (GI) problems. You might very well have a food intolerance instead of an allergy. A food allergy involves your immune system because the food in question is interpreted as being dangerous to your body. A food intolerance does not involve the immune system and it cannot lead to possible death. It can just make you feel sick for a while.

Other common GI problems include Celiac Disease (a gluten intolerance) and Reflux.

Articles  Please click on the link to read the full article.

New GERD testing guidelines released.

How one man discovered that he had Celiac Disease, and how he learned to control it.

One family’s struggles to deal with their son’s milk, peanut, tree nut, and egg allergies.