Food Allergy Fiasco

Food allergies are scary things! All the schools now have those "peanut-free tables" in their cafeterias. As a Nurse Practitioner, if I see a client, and they tell me they are allergic to medicine, or food, or anything...I believe them, I ask them what happens when then eat or are exposed to the food or medicine, and I document it in their charts! And of course, I remind them to avoid those things that cause them an adverse reaction. Sometimes I refer them to allergists. Simple right? Well...The New York Times just ran an article entitled Doubt Is Cast on Many Reports of Food Allergies. So once again we have a federally funded "study" that dismisses what a patient says to their health care provider. The research reveals that most people don't have allergies. And the purpose of this information is to give The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases the authority to curb allergy testing. Bottom line, the government is being sneaky by making it sound like clinical research is driving this health care change...but really...the government is trying to blame the patient for over-testing of allergies. Why??? So they don't have to pay for the tests the patient is requesting! In other words...the government funded research states that you are wrong, that you don't really have a true allergy, and that you don't need allergy testing. Here it is America...Obama will use "government research" to justify why you can't have the kind of health care you deserve. Let's face it...he has to cap health care expenses or we'll be belly up just like Greece. So be wary of federally funded health care research. It's not in your best interest. And if you think you have an allergy to something....I believe you!