The View from the West

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Cracking the nut story

By: Red Deer Advocate

21/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

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THE December issue of Chatelaine magazine features an article headlined It's just nuts.

The story, dealing mostly with peanut allergies, suggests that "parents are overreacting to food allergies, anaphylactic reactions aren't as common as people think, and that death rates are low," according to CTV.

Now, no one would mistake Chatelaine magazine for a bastion of journalism like the New York Times or CNN. All the same, the Chatelaine article has the potential to endanger plenty of children in Canada.

There is a genuine risk that readers will take the contents of the article seriously and figure there's no need to keep peanuts away from children who may have allergies.

CTV notes that Sabrina Shannon died six years ago, at age 13, from an allergic reaction to french fries contaminated with dairy at her school in Pembroke, Ont. The girl's mother, Sara Shannon, has since become an activist for those suffering from anaphylaxis, a sudden, severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction caused by food allergy, insect stings or medications.

In an era when people put more faith in TV personalities like Oprah Winfrey than they do in medical professionals, there appears to be a growing risk of people getting sucked in by misinformation.

If you want some lovely recipes for Christmas, go ahead and pick up Chatelaine magazine. But if you're serious about finding out medical information, you'd be much better off consulting your physician.

Yet, in this age of skepticism, people seem to doubt reputable authorities -- like doctors and nurses. Instead, they put their faith in talk-show hosts, faith healers and herbalists with next to no education. That's a recipe for disaster.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related death; yet, the article in Chatelaine might lead readers to dismiss the danger as a myth.

Peanut allergies are believed to affect about one in 100 people: a lot of people. Each year, an estimated one death per 830,000 children with food allergies occurs.

Obviously, more people are sickened by allergies than are killed; however, the matter must be taken seriously because these instances are largely preventable.

There's no reason for anyone to take peanuts or food products containing peanuts into a school or workplace, but people who don't understand the risk to those with allergies will do that from time to time.

Perhaps they wouldn't if they were better educated by government or other organizations involved in health care.

Chatelaine has declined an invitation for an interview from CTV.

"If we feel it is appropriate to respond, we will do so in the pages of our magazine," wrote Chatelaine's Suneel Khanna.

Talk about cowardly!

--The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 21, 2009 A16

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