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.

Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declares May to be “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month”. It’s a peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers, and a perfect time to educate your patients, family, friends, co-workers and others about these diseases.

Many asthma and allergy sufferers wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace in order to be able to communicate the condition during an emergency. This information is imperative to paramedic’s and everyday good Samaritan’s efforts to be able to help provide the care needed quickly and effectively.

American Medical ID provides top quality medical alert ID bracelets and necklaces with free engraving and fantastic customer service!

Many Americans celebrate Armed Forces Day annually on the third Saturday of May. It is a day to pay tribute to men and women who serve the United States’ armed forces. Armed Forces Day is also part of Armed Forces Week, which begins on the second Saturday of May.

American Medical ID is celebrating Armed Forces Week by working with the  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide all veterans in need with a free medical ID bracelet or pendant.

I’m writing this medical ID story in honor of my daughter, Madi Peretin, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on October 16, 2009, at the age of 11.

The most helpless feeling in the world is sitting next your child in the intensive care unit and knowing there is nothing you can do, except pray. When our daughter, Madi, suffered from severe DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) and was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11, she spent 5 days in ICU at Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital and later was transferred to LaRabida Children’s Diabetes Center. All we could do was learn about this life-changing condition and adapt to our new way of life.