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Woman Withdraws From College Over Peanut Allergy

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:59:29 +0000

A woman with a severe peanut allergy states that she is withdrawing from the University of Washington over concerns for her own health and safety. The university initially placed signs outside of the woman's classrooms declaring the rooms to be "peanut/nut-free". Recently, the school has removed these signs and has simply sent letters to other students politely asking them to cooperate with a nut-free policy within the classroom. The school states that the signs presented a false sense of security and did not guarantee that the rooms would truly be nut-free.The woman no longer feels safe as a result of the change, and therefore has decided to withdraw from the university.

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Don't Get Burned By Sunscreen Allergy

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:16:11 +0000

Summer is nearly upon us, with those hot sunny days and warm nights. Time to spend more time outdoors, at the beach or in the pool. Along with sun exposure comes the need to use sunscreen to prevent sunburn and long-term sun damage. But with the increased use of sunscreen comes the potential for an unintended reaction -- sunscreen allergy. Sunscreen has the potential to cause contact dermatitis to many of the active ingredients. This leads to any itchy, bumpy, red rash where the sunscreen was applied. Topical steroids are often helpful to treat the rash, but the culprit sunscreen should then be followed. This may prevent the ability of a person to spend time in the sun due to a fear of using sunscreen. However, there is a way to find out which chemical caused the reaction, and which sunscreen may be tolerated. Finding the right sunscreen can result in having safe, healthy sun exposure this summer!

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Does Eating Local Honey Actually Help Treat Pollen Allergies?

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:16:46 +0000

Spring hay fever season finds people desperate to find relief from their nasal allergy symptoms. Natural therapies, without the use of medicines, are becoming more popular, especially among allergy sufferers. It is a popular notion that eating honey is a natural remedy for symptoms of allergies and asthma. Honey contains various ingredients, including pollen allergens and components of honeybees. Locally produced honey would be expected to contain local plant pollens to which a person would be allergic, and therefore is the preferred type of honey for allergies. It makes sense that consuming pollen-containing honey would improve allergies, much like how sublingual immunotherapy works. And, the fact that many people have experienced anaphylaxis from eating honey means that there may be enough pollen to stimulate the immune system. Read more to find out if eating local honey is a good idea for treating your hay fever symptoms.

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Sucking on Your Baby's Pacifier May Protect Against Allergies

Tue, 07 May 2013 01:32:33 +0000

If you're a parent, you've probably done it -- or thought about doing it -- cleaned your baby's pacifier using our own mouth. Maybe you were just adding moisture prior to giving it back to our young child, but this simple act of love may have actually protected your baby from the development of various allergic diseases. A recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that parents who cleaned their infants' pacifier by sucking on it actually reduced the chance that their child developed asthma or eczema by 18 months of age. The benefits of a reduction of asthma continued through 36 months of age. The authors theorize that the transfer of beneficial bacteria from the mouth of parents to their young child resulted in stimulation of the immune response away from the development of allergies.

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Your Runny Nose May Not Be Caused By Allergies

Sat, 04 May 2013 15:06:58 +0000

A runny nose, known medically as rhinorrhea, is a common symptom of nasal allergies. Often rhinorrhea is accompanied by other symptoms if caused by nasal allergies, such as itchy eyes and nose, nasal congestion and sneezing. Rhinorrhea may also be caused by non-allergic causes, such as the common cold, as well as by irritants such as cold air and eating spicy foods -- this form of rhinorrhea is called gustatory rhinitis. An unusual cause of rhinorrhea can be caused by a leak of brain fluid from a hole in the lining around the brain near the sinuses -- called CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) rhinorrhea. CSF rhinorrhea results in a "spurt" of thin, clear fluid coming out of the nose, particularly with positional changes (such as sitting up) or pressure changes (such as straining). A person with CSF rhinorrhea often goes years without a diagnosis, because symptoms are often blamed on nasal allergies -- but won't respond to typical allergy treatments. Allergists and ENT (ear-nose-throat) physicians are typically aware of this condition, and know how to test for it. Treatment usually involves a ENT or neurosurgeon localizing the leak and fixing it with a glue-like substance or patch of skin.

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How to Fly Safely with a Peanut Allergy

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 15:55:29 +0000

Many people are concerned about experiencing a medical emergency while traveling on an airplane. After all, there is no way to seek medical care while at 30,000 feet, and a person has little to no control over their immediate surroundings while on an airplane. Unless a person is lucky enough to be traveling on an airplane with a physician or other healthcare professional on board, a medical emergency could result in tragedy.

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What Does an Allergist Take For Hay Fever?

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:33:32 +0000

Like 30% of the U.S. population, I also suffer from allergic rhinitis. My skin testing results are more impressive than most of my patients'. So, I'm often asked by my patients what I use to treat my own allergy symptoms. I've been on allergy shots in the past, mainly for fire ant allergy, and I tried allergy drops before offering them to my patients. I've also tried just about every allergy medicine currently available. But instead of using an allergy medicine indiscriminately, I base my choice on the symptoms I'm having. It doesn't make sense to take an antihistamine to treat nasal congestion -- because nasal congestion isn't caused by histamine. Similarly, a medicine like Singulair wouldn't be expected to help sneezing and nasal itching, because Singulair blocks leukotrienes, not histamine.

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Hay Fever Treatment: Should You Take Claritin, Zyrtec or Allegra?

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:01:53 +0000

My patients frequently ask me which over-the-counter antihistamine they should take -- Claritin, Zyrtec or Allegra? You might be thinking, "Aren't these antihistamines all the same?" -- well, they aren't. Depending on the allergic condition being treated, the age of the person, as well as other underlying issues (such as asthma or pregnancy), the best choice of antihistamine might be different. So, instead of thinking that these medicines are all the same, learn more about each one of them and figure out which choice is the best for you.

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Woman Allergic to Husband's Sperm

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 00:02:18 +0000

Believe it or not, a woman can actually be allergic to a man's sperm. That's exactly what happened to a recently married couple. After sexual intercourse, the woman experienced severe itching and swelling in her vaginal area that often would last for days. She initially thought she had contracted an STD -- but after numerous doctor visits and ultimately visits to various specialists, she was diagnosed with seminal fluid hypersensitivity. This relatively rare condition results when a woman develops allergic reactions to proteins in a man's seminal fluid. The allergy sometimes is against a particular man's seminal fluid protein, or possibly against protein found in all seminal fluid (not specific to any one man). Symptoms may include localized itching, burning, redness and swelling; rarely symptoms can be more severe and even include anaphylaxis. Treatment involves avoidance of seminal fluid, although many women, including the one described above, can under vaginal desensitization to the seminal fluid.

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Is It a Cold or Spring Allergies?

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:39:39 +0000

When the weather starts to warm up in the early springtime, trees and grasses begin to pollinate, marking the start of spring allergy season. While cold and flu season is all but over, a few viruses may still be circulating through the schools, offices and other public places. Many of the symptoms of the common cold and nasal allergies can be similar, however, and difficult to tell apart at times. Both may cause a runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion and post-nasal drip. A cold usually lasts for a few days, may be associated with body aches or a fever, and occurs at different times of the year. Seasonal allergy symptoms often last for weeks at a time, aren't associated with body aches or fever, and tend to occur at the same time of the year. Which do you have? Consider seeing an allergist to find out!

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