Patients hide their food allergy, and few doctors speak up

On a Hulu comedy, a man hides his shellfish allergy from a coworker. When the reaction starts, he takes Benadryl. Lianne Mandelbaum is a food allergy advocate, president of the No Nut Traveler, and airline correspondent for Allergic Living. This episode is based on her article "Why a Hulu comedy's food allergy myths are dangerous," published on KevinMD. You will hear why she says every beat of that plot is a myth, starting with the idea that Benadryl treats anaphylaxis and ending with the show's diagnosis of adrenaline poisoning. She cites a global survey of 4,704 people in which 31 percent said they hid a food allergy to avoid getting in trouble or being mocked. Lianne then traces what that silence costs, including a college student who treated himself, told no one, drove to the hospital alone, and died in the parking lot. She also explains what changed in the latest airline rulemaking, and what she is asking clinicians to do about it.

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