Links to Other Websites and Addresses of Interest

Please note that a link does not imply official approval by either the Anaphylaxis Network of Canada or the Anaphylaxis Foundation of Canada, nor should the information substitute for appropriate medical consultation. You should review any articles of interest with your allergist. These links are provided in good faith; we cannot assume responsibility for their content.

We have structured this section to help you search the Internet with focus. Choose your topic area and follow the links from there. For ideas on how to use the links, here are a few examples.

If you have any trouble with these links, please contact us.

last updated 18/2/2000

News Articles
Consumer Health Sites
Medical Articles
Medical Groups
University Research Programmes
Specific Allergens/Triggers
Government
Restaurants
Food Manufacturers and Groups
Schools and Child Care
Allergy Related Businesses
Other Anaphylaxis/Allergy Organizations
Foreign Travel
Internet Help
Other Websites of Potential Interest

News Articles/Releases

Yahoo
Yahoo provides excellent access to news items that appear in the lay and medical press. You can search under "Health: Diseases and Conditions: Food Allergies or Allergies", for lay articles and, "Medicine", for Medical links. There is also a lot of useful information on biotechnology

Sympatico
The Sympatico site affords you access to many Canadian and International Newspapers and Magazines. For most sources, a free search extends over the previous week only. You can extend the search at a charge. This site is best if you know of an article that has been published within the week.

Doctor's Guide to the Internet
This is an excellent American site. It was developed by the P/L/S Consulting group to provide the latest medical news and information for patients or friends/parents of patients diagnosed with allergies and allergy-related disorders. There are two editions; a professional one and a lay one. The linked site is for the patient guide, but anyone can visit the professional one. You can also request E-mail updates of new resources. Here is an example of a recent citation.

• Peanut And Tree Nut Allergy Affects Three Million Americans
  

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Consumer Health Sites

These sites provide health information for the lay reader and they are associated with credible medical groups.

Allergy Asthma & Immunology Online
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology A consistent web site with several short articles, including:

• Guidelines for the Management of Latex Allergies and Safe Latex Use in Health Care Facilities
• About Food Allergies
• Insect Stings
• Tips on Avoiding Insect Stings

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
The Mayo Clinic Health Oasis is one of the most consistent sites for lay health information. It is readable, well organized and updated daily. It has won many major awards. You can also register with the site to receive free e-mail updates of medical news. Here's a sample of some of the articles you can access.

• Peanut Allergy: Nothing to Sneeze At A short article with some helpful suggestions on coping strategies by Dr. J.W. Yunginger.
• Living with a peanut allergy
• Drug Allergies: What Everyone Should Know
• Latex allergies rising
• Immune system: An internal force armed and ready for battle
• A Glossary of Cells: A basic description of the cells involved in the immune response.

InteliHealth - Home to Johns Hopkins Health Information
This is another consistent site. The following overviews are well done, frequently updated and worth looking at.

• Food Allergies
• Insect Venom Allergies
• Chemical Allergies (including latex)
• Latex Allergies

Sympatico Health Link Reviews
This site contains some general articles on allergy, but you won't find much detail. There is a Recipe Section that includes gluten-free and milk-free items. Allergies Health Talk is a discussion group that will allow you to make contact with people who are facing similar difficulties. The Help Section will give you information about the Internet and is worth looking at.

Healthtouch
An American consumer health site with some helpful articles prepared by the "Allergy and Asthma Network: Mothers of Asthmatics".

• Food-Induced Anaphylaxis is written by Dr. J.W. Yuninger and includes useful references.

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Medical Articles

If you are interested in checking out the medical literature, it's available to you. Don't be intimidated. Some of the health links above are for the lay reader and they are a good place to start. As you read more about allergy and anaphylaxis, many of the words and concepts will become second nature to you. Use our glossary of terms and have a look first at our FAQ's. If you have terms you would like to see added, or questions answered, please contact us.

U.S. National Library of Medicine
You can access medical articles from the U.S. National Library of Medicine through Pub Med. Medline searches take a little bit of practice, but are worth the effort. The more specific you are, the better your search will be. For example, an entry of "allergy" yields 139,312 articles (!). The addition of "and peanut" reduces it to 237. Similarly, the yields for "peanut" (4,232) or "peanut and anaphylaxis" (45) are significantly different. This site provides a description of "Natural Language Queries" and "Boolean Logic" (AND, OR, NOT, etc.) which will help you in all of your Internet searches. To access it, click on Help.

If you find a particularly relevant article, PubMed also gives you the option to search for similar references. The search for abstracts is free. If you wish to read the articles, they can be purchased online or found through a reference library.

The British Medical Journal
The BMJ has recently published a number of significant articles on anaphylaxis. They provide clear, concise reviews as well as good references for further study. When reading them, keep in mind that drug names and manufacturing/labelling guidelines differ around the world. Also, there are different auto-injectors available in Europe (in Canada we have only the Epipen®).

Clicking on the following articles will take you to the complete text. You can also ask to receive regular e-mail updates on topics of interest. This is a free service.

• Clinical review: ABC of allergies: Anaphylaxis
• Clinical review: ABC of allergies: Food allergy
• Clinical review: ABC of allergies: Adverse reactions to drugs
• Clinical review: ABC of allergies: Venom allergy
• Clinical review: ABC of allergies: Pathogenic mechanisms: a rational basis for treatment
• Clinical study of peanut and nut allergy in 62 consecutive patients: new features and associations
• Managing peanut allergy (Editorial by Dr. H. Sampson)
• Scientists develop vaccine strategy for peanut allergy
• Randomised, double blind, crossover challenge study of allergenicity of peanut oils in subjects allergic to peanuts

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Medical Groups

Many of the medical site links contain articles that are for the lay public.

Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Provides lay information, articles, and interesting links to other medical organizations…and it's bilingual.

Ontario Medical Association
This site has some interesting links and contains the full text of:

• Anaphylaxis in Schools and Child Care Settings
• Peanut Allergy-What you Need to Know (prepared by the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society of Ontario).

Canadian Pediatric Society
Here you will find position papers on labelling of infant formulae, fatal reactions to food in children and anaphylaxis in schools and child care settings.

• Criteria for labelling infant formulas as "hypoallergenic"
• Fatal anaphylactic reactions to food in children
• Anaphylaxis In Schools and Other Child Care Settings

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)
Useful information on the diagnosis and treatment of anaphylaxis and an update on current research. Also contains all the Position Statements of the AAAAI, including:

• Allergen Skin Testing
• The Use of Epinephrine in the Treatment of Anaphylaxis
• Position Statement on the Discontinuation of Hymenoptera Venom Immunotherapy
• Anaphylaxis in schools and other child-care settings (American)
• Patient Education Materials: Helpful Hints For The Allergic Patient
• Public Education Materials: Adverse Reactions to Foods - A Patient's Guide

American Medical Association
Access to articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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University Research Programmes

University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Department of Food Science and Technology
Dr Steve L. Taylor is the Professor and Head of this Department. He is highly regarded and has special research interests in food allergies, detection of antigens, the antigenicity of genetically engineered foods and the effects of food processing on food allergens. This is the home of FARRP.

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Specific Allergens/Triggers
(Please see other links as well)

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Government

Health Canada
Contains several relevant sections:

• Anaphylaxis: A Handbook for School Boards This is a very helpful resource for school policy development.
• Glossary of Internet terms Are you confused by cookies and plug-ins? This site will help
• The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1962 by The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to develop international food standards to protect consumer health and to facilitate fair trading practices in foods. Today, there are 164 member countries, including Canada. The Codex Program in Canada is managed by an interdepartmental Committee consisting of senior officials from Health Canada, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, The Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Some of their online publications use a pdf application, which you can also download from this site.
• Food and Drugs Act and Regulations
• Novel Foods and Ingredients (Biotechnology)
• Allergic Reactions to Latex in Medical Devices: A report to health personnel. This branch is also looking for reports of latex reactions and include a contact address.
• Labelling of Medical Gloves to Show Primary Materials of Composition

CFIA: Canadian Food Inspection Agency:
The Government of Canada has consolidated all federally mandated food inspection and quarantine services into one federal food inspection agency. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began operations in April 1997 and reports to Parliament through the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

• Food Recalls You can e-mail the CFIA if you would like to receive electronic notification of food recalls.
• Proposed Labelling of Foods Causing Severe Adverse Reactions in Canadians, May 8, 1998. A joint committee of the CFIA and Health Canada prepared this draft. It describes the priority allergen list and Includes a copy of the letter sent to all interested parties, the letter sent to food manufacturers, and a consumer fact sheet.
• Regulating Agricultural Biotechnology in Canada: Food Safety Concerns
• Biotechnology and Food Safety Concerns: Allergens

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is the branch of the federal government that is responsible for the enforcement of the Canada Agricultural Products Act, Food and Drugs Act and Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act at all levels of trade. This Website includes acts and regulations, papers on the implications of bioengineering of food.

• What is Biotechnology? and other frequently asked questions

National Research Council of Canada

• Legume Biotechnology

U.S. FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
You can find out about what is being done in the U.S. with food labelling and biotechnology. Other publications include:

• Food Allergies Rare but Risky, a well-written article which touches on many issues, from diagnosis and treatment to biotechnology and has input from Drs. H. Sampson, Metcalfe and Steve Taylor (Ph.D).
• FDA Consumer Special Report: Focus On Food Labeling
• Conference Room Document on Misleading Labeling: a report from the CODEX alimentarius Commission.

World Health Organization (WHO)

• Food Safety Programme

Food and Agriculture Department of the United Nations (FAO)

• Biotechnology and Food Safety
  Report of a Joint FAO/WHO Consultation, Rome, Italy, 30 September to 4 October 1996. The Food and Drugs Act and Regulations: Departmental Consolidation This contains a discussion of the potential allergenicity of novel foods and excellent references.

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Restaurants

National Restaurant Association
This is an American organization, and they may be worth contacting if you are planning a trip to the USA.
E-mail: [email protected]

Canadian Restaurant & Foodservices Association
316 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ontario Canada M5S1W5
Tel: 416/923-1450 FAX: 416/923-1450

Ontario Restaurant Association
121 Richmond St. W. Suite 1201
Toronto, Ontario Canada M6S 2P2
Tel: 416/359-0533 FAX: 416/359-0531

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Food Manufacturers and Groups

1 800 toll-free Canadian numbers
Sympatico provides a directory of 1 800 toll-free Canadian numbers for direct contact with manufacturers.

American Peanut Council
This site contains information on the history of peanuts and manufacturing processes.

International Food Information Council Foundation
A Washington based site that provides "guidelines for communicating emerging science on nutrition, food safety, and health". Searches for anaphylaxis lead to some good articles, including one by Dr. H. Sampson. There is also an American Food Allergy Resource Guide.

• Food Allergy: The Dangers of "Wait and See"
• Food Allergy Resource Guide

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Schools and Child Care

If you are trying to establish an anaphylaxis policy in your school, you might find the following resources helpful.

Anaphylaxis in Schools and Child Care Settings
The position paper of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and the AAIA, 1995.

Anaphylaxis: A Handbook for School Boards
A publication of Health Canada and an excellent reference if you are trying to establish a school/school board policy. A precis and ordering information are included.

Canadian School Boards Association
Contains contact information for Provincial School Boards as well as publications.

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Businesses

Allerex (Canadian Distributors of the Epipen®) Here you can read about the Epipen®:

• Product Information
• How to Use the Epipen® and check for
• Product Recalls

Bayer
Bayer manufactures the Ana-kit™, which contains epinephrine and an antihistamine. This site contains product information and a photograph.

Medic Alert

Nuttin with Nuts
Denise Lowe offers a range of allergy products. She runs her private operation from Guelph, Ontario.

Protectube
Do you find your Epipen® cases break inside a fanny pack? Carol Zweig has designed a clever Epipen® holder which is easy to open, water-proof, buoyant, light-weight, uv-stable and "indestructable".

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates
Mark and Gail Elvidge produce peanut and tree nut free chocolate products. They began their company after their son was diagnosed with a peanut allergy.

Zoni
Martha Giannou is an Ontario mother who has designed a clever Epipen ® holder.

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Other Anaphylaxis/Allergy Organizations

Calgary Allergy Network
Connected to the AAIA and the National Advisory committee. This is an excellent site, developed and mastered by Nancy Wiebe, with good links as well as useful local information.

Food Allergy Network
An American organization with helpful tips, newsletters and products.

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Foreign Travel

European Federation of Asthma and Allergy
The EFA is a group of 27 organizations representing 14 European countries. They can receive e-mail through the site and may be worth contacting if you are thinking about travelling in Europe.

UK Anaphylaxis Campaign: Britain
This organization is worth contacting if you are planning to travel in the UK, particularly with regard to safe foods and packaging regulations.

UK Anaphylaxis Campaign: Ireland
PO Box 4373, Dublin 18.

Asthma and Allergy Information and Research (AAIR)
"Asthma and Allergy is the name for the Leicester Branch of the Midlands Asthma and Allergy Information and Research Association (MAARA)… Its medical advisor is Dr. Martin Stern, Consultant Clinical Immunologist at Leicester General Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary. The objectives of AAIR …are to further education and research in asthma and allergic diseases, and it provides support for patients in certain areas." Dr. Stern answers e-mail queries on line. This is a well-designed Website with lots of useful information and good links. It would be useful for travellers.
e-mail:

Allergy Society of South Africa
An interesting site with useful information and good links to international groups.

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Internet Help

Internet Help
Sympatico provide an excellent help section and glossary of terms. Their 15-minute tutorial will have you dancing across the World Wide Web if not spinning your own.

Glossary of Internet Terms
Provided by Health Canada.

Evaluating the Quality of Internet Information
An article from a recent Anaphylaxis Network of Canada newsletter.

Internet Searches
Tips for improving your search strategies.

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Other Websites of Potential Interest

Quackwatch
A fascinating site developed by Dr. Stephen Barrett M.D. In it he voices his opinion about a number of treatments. An interesting visit…but keep an open mind.

Food Future
The Assistant Director of the London Science Museum runs this British site. His mission is to inform consumers about modern biotechnology. There is a small glossary of terms, arguments pro and con, a description of how plants are genetically modified and interesting links.

Sully's Living Without
An American glossy magazine with useful articles and references for daily living. This site provides examples of articles from past issues.

• Your Child and the Peanut Allergy: Coping With an Anaphylactic Food Allergy

Online Resources for People with Food Allergies and Intolerances
This site contains a cookbook for allergy sufferers.

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With so much information now available through the Internet, it is important to remain critical and to keep an open mind. This is particularly so for anaphylaxis, where our reasoning can be coloured by the emotional surcharge of our hopes and fears. We include this article, which appeared in a recent Newsletter of the Anaphylaxis Network, for anyone who would like to explore this issue.

Evaluating the Quality of Internet Information
"It's a small world (wide web) after all…"

by Jane Salter

The Internet is growing at a formidable rate. The information that it contains, however, is of variable quality. While some sites are true gems, many are mediocre and a few are dangerously inaccurate. Since there is no external review or regulation of the Internet, we need to outfit ourselves with tools which will enable us to recognize these differences in quality and to be our own critics. This is particularly important when our search is propelled by concern for someone that we love. It's only natural that hope or fear could weaken our objectivity.

There are several questions that can help us in our search:

Authorship
Is the author clearly indicated?
Is the author an expert in this area?
Is it clear what organization is sponsoring the site?
Are the organization's goals clearly stated?
Is the legitimacy of the organization verified by a phone number or postal address?
Is it clear whether this is a site from the national or local chapter of the organization and does the site have official approval of the organization?

Are there any biases?
Does the author have a vested interest in your support? (e.g. commercial or political motivation)
Does the author present different sides? Are the organization's biases clearly stated?

Is the information accurate?
Are the sources of information clearly referenced?
Is the information consistent with other sources? (especially with evaluated sources, such as peer-reviewed journals)
Is the site well-written and understandable, with grammar and spelling correct enough to suggest that care has been taken in preparing the site?

Is the subject well covered?
Is the topic presented/explored in enough depth?

Is the information current?
Is the publication date posted?
Has the site been recently updated?

Is the site well designed?
Is the site user friendly?
Are there useful links to other sites?

Using these criteria, the quality of a Website can be assessed according to the number of positive responses.

The above suggestions have been pooled from several sources and a limited bibliography is appended. There aren't any rules to help us evaluate new information, just critical thinking and practice. For a more complete discussion of Internet quality and its evaluation see Hope Tillman's Evaluating Quality on the Net
(www.tiac.net/users/hope/findqual.html) or
(www.delphi.com/navnet/quality.html).

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Here are a few examples of how you can use these links:

• Are you looking for an introduction to the area of allergy and anaphylaxis? There are basic reviews in the Consumer Health Sites.
• Are you trying to establish a school policy? There is a section that deals specifically with schools and school policies.
• Are you trying to plan a trip abroad and want to find out about your point of destination? There is a section on foreign travel that includes anaphylaxis organizations abroad.
• Do you want to access the medical literature and find out how to do a search? Go to the Medical Articles and you will be guided through.
• Do you want to find out more about the Internet and how to use it effectively? In the Internet Help section there are educational links to help you feel more at home with the Internet and design effective searches. There's also an article that addresses the question of Internet quality (a Network Publication).
• Are you looking for specific news articles or topics? There are sections for pure interest: links to newspapers, current topics (e.g. the biotechnology of food).
• Do you want to find out more about our government and food labelling practices? There are government links where you can see the current status of legislation on food labelling and biotechnology.

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