Named Most Valuable Player in 2012, Adrian Peterson is one of the fastest, strongest running backs in the National Football League (NFL). He is also an allergy sufferer. Now Peterson is using his national platform to help educate kids about how to react if their bodies overreact to an allergen — if they find themselves experiencing potentially fatal anaphylaxis.
Peterson experienced anaphylactic shock during training camp in 2012, when he ate a bowl of seafood gumbo. If he and his trainer had not reacted quickly, he could have died. Now Peterson has launched the Ready2Go campaign, in which he is urging others, especially kids, to be prepared.
"First thing is being prepared and knowing your allergic triggers and symptoms," Peterson told the Associated Press. "Then, having access to injections and using the EpiPens."
Anaphylaxis is an extreme allergic reaction, involving the sudden release of excessive amounts of histamine, which can cause the airways to close. Symptoms may include extremely itchy skin, trouble breathing and swallowing, pain in the abdomen, dizziness, swelling, nausea, vomiting and hives. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), these or other symptoms can appear immediately after exposure to an allergen, or they may surface after 30 minutes or longer.
The ACAAI says anyone at risk of anaphylaxis should always carry an Epinephrine Auto-injector, commonly known as an EpiPen. Have two doses on hand, as the reaction may reoccur. You should use your EpiPen as soon as you feel a reaction starting or realize you were exposed to a serious allergen. Waiting too long to use an EpiPen can be a fatal mistake.
Visit the Allergy Be Gone website to shop a wide variety of allergy control products that can help you minimize your symptoms.
