The post is part of the series “Life Stories” where we asked our customers to tell us their stories on why they wear a medical ID.

I Love having MyIHR for a Detailed Medical History

The day I realized I needed a medical ID bracelet was a day I was out walking with my friends. We’d chosen to walk down a trail from one city park to the next, a span that stretches about 2 miles each way. The morning of the walk I had eaten cream of rice cereal and nothing else. I wasn’t hungry when we left and didn’t think about eating anything else. I also left my water bottle and purse in the car.

German researchers report in a new study that chronic and sustained stress throws your hormones haywire and revs up type 2 diabetes.

An article by Sridhar Nadamuni on iTech Post reports:

Credit: National Institute of Mental Health

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prolonged stress response syndrome involving symptoms that develop in the wake of extremely stressful life events of an extraordinarily threatening or catastrophic nature. The symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts, intrusive memories, avoidance and numbing, or emotional arousal.

Have you or a family member been recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes? You may be asking yourself, What is Type 2 Diabetes? The below information is from the American Diabetes Association website. The ADA website www.Diabetes.org is a great place to start your search.

Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos,Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.

The post is part of the series “Life Stories” where we asked our customers to tell us their stories on why they wear a medical ID.

My Medical ID Can Mean the Difference Between Life and Death

I’m a mother of three with a 15 year old and twin girls that are 15 months. When I was 7 months pregnant I delivered early. One was born natural, I barley had time to get to the delivery room. She was 4lbs. The other was a c-section because she was head up and only 3lbs. After the birth, I had to visit them in the hospital in the NICU for a month.

Original article by Sydney Lupkin | ABC News Blogs – Wed, May 8, 2013 4:22 PM EDT. Reposted for content related to the allergy and anaphylaxis community for Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. To view the original article, click here.

Could Sucking Your Baby’s Pacifier Cut Allergy Risk?

We’ve all seen it. A pacifier tumbles out of a crying baby’s mouth and hits the floor with a wet thump.

Maybe it bounces once or twice.

Some parents throw it right in the trash. Others boil it. Some just give it a rinse in the sink.

Posted on the Harvard Health Blog by Reena Pande, M.D., Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School on APRIL 12, 2013, 2:05 PM. To view the original article, click here.

This article is being reposted as part of an awareness and education campaign during Stroke Awareness Month.

Salt is a cheap, easy way to turn on taste buds. That’s one reason why it’s in so many of the foods we eat. It’s so commonly used that most Americans consume more than double the recommended daily limit for it.

Post By MICHELLE CASTILLO from CBS NEWS. Originally published May 6, 2013, 11:45 AM. To view the original article, click here.

Fire retardant chemicals that are supposed to protect children may actually cause intelligence and behavioral problems in young kids.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are chemicals that have been used to lower the risk of fires in items like baby strollers, carpets and electronics. Because of known health risks, the chemicals have mostly not been used in items on sale in the U.S. since 2004. However, since they are not very biodegradable, PBDEs may still exist in older products that people may have or continue to exist in the tissue of people who were exposed to the chemicals.

It is hard to explain to those who don’t know what it is like to be in pain or feel sick on the inside and look perfectly fine on the outside. Wearing a medical ID can help spread awareness of invisible illnesses like Crohn’s Disease, PTSD, Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, Diabetes, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, MS, ME, M.D., Arthritis, Cancer, Heart Disease, Epilepsy, Severe Allergies, Dementia, Alzheimer’s and more!

• Nearly 1 in 2 Americans (133 million) has a chronic condition
  Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge, a study of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation & Partnership for Solutions: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (September 2004 Update). “Chronic Conditions: Making the Case for Ongoing Care”.

Blink a couple times and you may have missed it, but American Medical ID was on the TV show Elementary during the May 2nd episode “A Landmark Story”.

A woman was wearing her purple Silicone Flex medical ID bracelet as she was jogging in New York’s Central Park. The woman wore a medical ID because of her severe allergy to bee stings, which played a pivotal role in catching one of arch nemesis Moriarty’s hired assassins! Not too bad for a day’s work!

Here’s a Link to the Episode:

http://www.cbs.com/shows/elementary/video/3A391712-8BAB-D346-596F-5EFB723CF723/elementary-a-landmark-story/

Don’t forget, May is Allergy Awareness Month!

In honor of May’s Food Allergy Awareness initiatives, Allergic Living has created a poster with the critical and life-saving steps to take during a food allergy emergency.

Click the image below to download the poster! Don’t forget to share with friends, schools, workplaces and family members. Education is the best way to spread awareness.

In an emergency, wearing a medical ID bracelet or necklace can mean the difference in getting the appropriate care needed. If you have a severe allergy, be smart, wear a medical ID.