What I Do Now:
By Dr. Ehrlich
At a recent food allergy support group meeting, a Mom raised the subject of when to inject epinephrine. She spoke with alarm of watching her child vomit, to which I responded, “I like vomiting” to the uncomfortable amusement of some of those present.
Let me explain:
Seeing a child throw up is upsetting. We all know how it feels, and we don’t like it. Certainly, a prolonged episode can be unhealthy, leading to dehydration and other problems. But vomiting is nature’s first aid. It has undoubtedly saved the lives of innumerable college students on weekends over many years, and it has served food allergic patients as well by “getting rid” of the allergenic food. Apart from the rejection, there’s also the fact that vomiting is accompanied by a jolt of the body’s own epinephrine, aka adrenalin, which is, after all, what an epinephrine injection does. This is the so-called fight-or-flight response.