Countries that managed to grow strongly in the past while cutting budget deficits were often aided by a falling exchange rate or were rewarded by a big drop in borrowing costs.

But Megan just became worse, as she made excuses to avoid eating with the family, and cutting food into minuscule portions, her weight continued to drop and her family felt powerless to help.

What was interesting was not just how many kids had allergies, Gupta said, but how many of those allergies were severe - cutting off a kid's airway or causing blood pressure to drop.