Basic Food
Allergy/Sensitivity Tests During Doctor’s Appointments
- I believe that there is an opportunity to help people become more aware of food sensitivities and allergies. These issues are becoming more common in children and young adults and can affect them in diverse ways. Some reactions can be serious and life-threatening, such as anaphylaxis, and others are non-life threatening, but can become annoying or uncomfortable.
- The issue that I have with this topic is that most people, like myself, find out that they have an allergy or sensitivity after they experience the symptoms. I feel as though there could be a better way for parents and children to find out or prepare for a food allergy. Just think how scary it would be if you found out you were allergic to peanuts because you tried one and immediately went into anaphylactic shock. Also, many people mistake the symptoms for another issue. For example, my brother went to 12 different hospitals and doctors before someone thought that his constant stomach pain and nausea was the result of lactose intolerance.
- · My idea is a combination of a product and a service.
o The product
itself would be a basic food allergy/sensitivity test. This would test for the
most common food allergens, like shellfish, peanuts, gluten, etc.
o The service
aspect would be that this test would be offered during doctor or pediatrician appointments.
- I feel as though having doctors offering to give this test is easier than using the ‘buy at the store and take-home tests’. Doctors are a wealth of knowledge and can refer their patients to gastroenterologists that they trust. They also have a medical background and will be able to interpret the results more accurately and efficiently than let’s say a worried parent.
- This, as I mentioned in Assignment 4A, would also be beneficial for students heading off to college. They would be able to have an idea if food sensitivities may become an issue for them and will be able to react accordingly. This can lessen the student's stress level because they would not have to worry about going to multiple doctors to find out what is wrong with them, especially if they are in a new city or state.
Hey Lauren,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very descriptive post. You described your opportunity and reasoning very well. I could however think of a factor that could inhibit the success of your solution. Many people dislike doctor's appointments or simply do not want to spend the money on them. It may be difficult to convince an audience to take time out of their day to schedule and go to an appointment for the allergy test. Since it is not 100%necessary for their health, insurances may not cover it and as a result people may not want to pay for it.
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI have never had any allergy issues or have been tested so I don't know much about the regular process of getting tested but I can imagine it is anything but easy. I like this idea a lot because it could maybe be made into a standardized procedure during a doctors appointment or highly suggested. The last thing parents want is to send their children of to college unsure of their health and safety. Great post!
As I stated on the last post I would be very relieved if there was another form of allergy testing that wasn't as harsh and could cover less area. I have went through the current testing before and was only affected by two things but a friend from high school recently went through the testing and was affected by more than half of the tested. Her back was littered with red marks from the effected areas. Reading your post and ideas have led me to believe that maybe there is a simpler way to do the testing rather than changing the whole process, just combine 5 things together, so there is 10 areas instead of 50, and if that area is effected take the 5 things and test them separately to see which one is the problem.
ReplyDeleteLauren, I totally agree that doctors should regularly test their patients for food allergies. I have two cousins who are allergic to peanuts and food allergies are no joke! Most of the time the main problem is a lack of knowledge of the allergy, especially with kids. When the kids have allergies it is a struggle to keep them away from the food!
ReplyDelete