Month: January 2008
Family: Teen Daughter Died from Allergic Reaction to Toothpaste
Daily Mail reports that Francesca Sanna, 19, died after having what appears to have been an extreme allergic reaction to her toothpaste – read more. The toothpaste was Aquafresh Mild & Minty, according to her family. The coroner concluded that…
Boy with Rare Allergy Can Only Eat Deer Meat
The only protein 6-year-old Timmy Armstrong can eat is venison, Fox News reported this week. Young Timmy can also stomach small amounts of natural oats, salt, and sugar. He also receives an amino acid-based formula through a feeding tube. Timmy…
Sensors Test for Environmental Triggers of Asthma Attacks
Science Daily reported this week that researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a sensor system that monitors the air around asthma-prone invidivuals. The sensor, which is worn inside the pockets of a vest, may help researchers…
Exercise-Induced Hives & Food Allergies
Mary Pickett, associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, gives advice on dealing with exercised induced-hives at timesdaily.com: Exercised-Induced Anaphylaxis ‘If exercise causes large hives (usually a centimeter or more in diameter) along with throat swelling or…
Saline Rinse: Effective Treatment for Colds in Children
In the wake of the FDA's warning against giving young children cold medicines (see FDA Warns Parents Against OTC Cold Meds for Young Children), many parents may wonder how to treat cold symptoms in their young children. The ABC News…
Latex Banned from Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has announced that it has banned latex products. ‘Latex hospital gloves were invented here, so it's only fitting that Johns Hopkins takes the initiative to promoting alternatives,’ says anesthesiologist Robert H. Brown, who chairs the…
Air Pollution Raises Risk of Preterm Birth
A recent study suggests that women who live in areas with high fine particle or carbon monoxide levels, such as that caused by heavy traffic, are up to 25% more likely to give birth to their babies before 37 weeks…
FDA Warns Parents Against OTC Cold Meds for Young Children
Today the FDA will issue a public health advisory to warn parents not to give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children ‘because serious and potentiall life-threatening side effects can occur.’ Last October, a similar warning was issued, which said…
The Difference Between a Cold and Allergies
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), many symptoms of the common cold could actually be signs of allergies. Anju Peters, M.D., Chair of the AAAAI's Rhinosinusitis Commmittee, says, ‘Millions of Americans think they are suffering…
Combating Winter Allergies
Most people associate seasonal allergies, or hay fever, with the spring and fall, but winter allergy sufferers know all too well that winter brings on its own set of allergic reactions. Although many pollens may have left the air by…
Humidifiers Guard Against the Flu
We all know that flu season hits hardest in the winter, but have you ever wondered why? The New York Times reports that the flu virus ‘is more stable and stays in the air longer when air is cold and…
Cost of Asthma Inhalers to Double
According to The Detroit News, many low-income asthma patients across the country will be at-risk of missing doses of their asthma medication beginning in 2009, when CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) inhalers will become prohibited. The FDA is probiting the use of CFC…
Will Cloned Livestock Increase Food Allergies?
Natural Foods Merchandiser reports that the FDA may soon declare that meat and milk from cloned animals is safe to eat. Some experts are concerned about ‘the unpredictability of cloning, the higher risk of animal birth defects, and unresolved issues…
Eczema on the Rise in Young Children
Science Daily reports that childhood eczema, although decreasing in the 13 to 14-year-old age group, is still on the rise in six to seven-year-olds. The continuing rise in eczema prevalence in younger children as well as the number of reported…
Pediatricians Offer New Advice to Breast-Feeding Mothers of Allergic Children
In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advised mothers of children with a family history of allergies to avoid cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, and tree nuts while breast-feeding. Now, according to msnbc, the AAP has changed their advice…
Winter Weather Allergy Symptoms
scnow.com reports that as the weather gets colder, many people will experience allergy symptoms that seem out of place during the winter. Dr. Shawn McKay, an ENT specialist in Florence, SC, says, ‘The allergies we worry about during the winter…
Country Music Star Trace Adkins Raises Money for FAAN on Celebrity Apprentice
The Food Allergy & Anaphlaxis Network (FAAN) reports that country music star Trace Adkins will be part of the celebrity line-up in Donald Trump's TV show The Celebrity Apprentice, which debuts tonight at 9:00 PM EST on NBC. The celebrities…