ACE Teams Emphasize Food Allergy Education And Preparation On Valentine's Day

Request an ACE Training For Your School Or Workplace And Increase Your Anaphylaxis Awareness

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Valentine's Day often revolves around food—perhaps a dinner date at a nice restaurant or a box of chocolates for a loved one.  If you or a loved one has life-threatening food allergies, are you prepared? Preventing anaphylaxis requires the skill to ask questions about ingredients and the confidence to say, "No, thank you" to any food with unknown ingredients.

"Like most holidays, Valentine's Day is challenging for people with food allergies because of the emphasis placed on food. Many people don't realize that food allergy reactions are serious and potentially life-threatening. Avoiding the food allergen is the only way to prevent anaphylaxis symptoms," say Anaphylaxis Community Expert (ACE) Team members Vivian Chou, MD and Amishi Murthy, MD of Illinois Allergy and Asthma Specialists in Evanston, IL. "It's not always possible to avoid food allergens at all times — accidents do occur. Therefore, it's necessary for people with food allergies to be prepared and carry two epinephrine auto-injectors everywhere, every day."

ACE Teams are comprised of allergists, school nurses, nurses, physician assistants, parents and others who deliver FREE evidence–based presentations to educate people how to recognize and respond to an anaphylactic emergency. ACE Teams deliver trainings to school staff, PTAs, school boards, daycare providers, hospitals, parent support groups, EMT/rescue squads and others who need or want to be prepared in the event of a life-threatening anaphylactic emergency.

The program was developed by Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) in partnership with the American College of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) and sponsored by Mylan Specialty, LP.

To request an ACE presentation in your community, email Brenda Silvia-Torma, ACE Program Manager, at [email protected] or visit: http://www.aanma.org/2010/12/find-an-anaphylaxis-community-expert-ace/

About AANMA

Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. AANMA specializes in sharing family-friendly, medically accurate information through its award-winning publications Allergy & Asthma Today magazine and The MA Report newsletter, its web site at www.aanma.org and numerous community outreach programs. Follow AANMA on Facebook at facebook.com/AANMA and on Twitter at twitter.com/AANMA."

About ACAAI

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology is a professional association of allergists/immunologists and allied health professionals dedicated to promoting excellence in the practice of allergy and immunology. www.acaai.org

Contact: Gary Fitzgerald
Allergy & Asthma Network
Mothers of Asthmatics
703-641-9595 [email protected]

SOURCE Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics