Author: Shifrah
Peanuts on Airplanes – Yes or No?
It's an almost classic combination
Health Effects of Burning Oil
CNN Health reports on the health risks of the smoke clouds formed from burning off the oil from the recent oil spill. The smoke carries with it soot, volatile gases, and other toxic byproducts. Dr. Phil Harber from the Department…
Salt Rooms Treat Asthma?
Fox News reports on a wellness center in Manhattan that features salt rooms, which are said to help skin problems, sinus issues, and asthma. Salt therapy, also known as halo therapy, has been practiced since the 1800s and is believed…
Summer Cold or Allergies?
A CNN Health feature 'Summer Colds' May Not Be Just That highlights a condition many of us experience as spring temperatures yield to summer's less forgiving ones. Cold viruses exist all year round, but they are much more common in…
Stinging Insect Allergies
As my husband was doing some yard work last week, he came across a couple of yellow jacket nests in our yard. Thankfully, he only got stung once and was subsequently able to safely destroy the nests, but the experience…
Animal-Free Product Testing for Skin Allergies
The magazine Science Daily reports on a recent study published in Chemical Research and Toxicology that focuses on the development of a way to determine whether chemicals in consumer products and work places may cause skin allergies. The method does…
Chemicals from the Womb
A recent feature Toxic Chemicals Finding Their Way Into the Womb in CNN's series ‘Toxic America’ highlights the chemicals unborn babies are exposed to while still in their mothers' wombs. Over 200 types of potentially hazardous chemicals have shown up…
Art Therapy Helps Kids with Asthma
Fox News reports on a small study indicating that art therapy makes children less anxious about their asthma. Published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, the results suggest ‘encouraging initial data’ that art therapy…
Blood Test Detects Newborns’ Allergy Risk
Medical News Today reports that researchers from SA Pathology and the Children’s Research Centre at the University of Adelaide have made a huge breakthrough in the field of allergy testing: a simple blood test that can predict whether newborn babies…
Natural Fragrance for Your Car
Dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and mold are not the only allergy triggers. Even things that are not typically considered allergens can trigger symptoms. Fragrances are one exaqmple. Whether they're in cleaning products, candles, lotions, or home fragrance sprays, the…
High Fat Meals Worsen Asthma
High fat energy meals may be dangerous for asthma sufferers because they can lead to both airway inflammation and the suppression of asthma medication albuterol, research from Australia indicates. As Medical News Today reports, these are the findings of a…
Olive Oil for Allergies: Face Wash and Eczema Treatment?
Olive oil, rich in history and used for a variety of purposes both internally and externally, has long been hailed for its health benefits. Through recent experience with using natural oils as personal care products, I began to realize that…
Anemophilous Plants Ruined My Saturday
As I blogged about recently, I've been struggling with seasonal allergies for the first time in my life, probably in large part due to my pregnancy. I moved to Atlanta from California almost three years ago, and it's also possible…
Down Comforter Care for Allergy Sufferers
With temperatures creeping ever upwards especially in our neck of the woods (Atlanta), it may seem like a strange time to talk about down comforters. But as spring cleaning projects wind to a close, you may be laundering your winter…
Rain and Pollen Counts
As the storms that have swept across the Southeast move into Atlanta, home base of achoo! ALLERGY, it's a good time to consider the relationship between rain and pollen
Vitamin D Deficiencies Linked to Allergies, Asthma
ScienceDaily reports that low vitamin D levels are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma. Researchers at National Jewish Health published these findings in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, also reporting that…
Allergies During Pregnancy
Strangely, even though I’ve been writing for achoo! ALLERGY for a few years, I don’t have allergies – or I didn’t until now. (Not having allergies hasn’t stopped me from using allergy relief bedding, HEPA vacuum cleaners, and other allergy…
CNN Investigates Triclosan
To follow up with a story we covered in last week's blog Antibacterial Agent Triclosan Under FDA Review, check out this video from CNN, Concern Over Anti-Bacterial Products. Here are some highlights from the interview with Dr. Sarah Janssen of…
Dyson Love
One of the things I like best about writing for AchooAllergy.com is learning about all of the wonderful products they offer. My husband and I have been in the market for a new vacuum cleaner for a while, and decided…
CNN Highlights Spring Allergies
Allergies have made the Health page at CNN.com. This Allergy Season Nothing to Sneeze At reports that this year's spring allergies have hit earlier because the trees are blossoming and pollinating earlier than usual. This happens when warm temperatures occur…
Antibacterial Agent Triclosan Under FDA Review
In this month of spring cleaning, we'd like to again focus our attention on some common but nevertheless dangerous substances found in household cleaning products. Today's spotlight turns to triclosan, a ubiquitous antibacterial agent found in everything from soaps and…
Top Ten Household Chemicals to Avoid
More and more, we seem to be hearing news of the toxicity of chemicals found in objects and products all around us. Formaldehyde in furniture and upholstery; dyes, fragrances, and parabens (a kind of preservative) in cosmetics and personal care…
Keeping Pollen Exposure to a Minimum
With spring officially upon us and pollen season revving up, now
SLIT for Milk Allergies Proves Effective
A small study conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and Duke University has shown that sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) treatments can help milk allergic children overcome their allergies, ScienceDaily reports. The findings, which were presented at the annual meeting…
Obesity and Food Allergies Linked
We may have another piece to the puzzle about why we
Bedbugs
By now we're all familiar with the resurgence of the bedbug problem over the last few years. Once relegated to only to the catchy ‘Good night, sleep tight
Weather Conditions and Your Allergies
As the seasons change, you may wonder how different weather conditions affect your allergies. Weather.com offers an illuminating look into the role of weather in your allergy symptoms: Wind is a big culprit in causing allergies to act up because…
Climate Change Increases Seasonal Allergies
According to a study that will be presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAI), Medical News Today reports in New Research Suggests Link Between Climate Change And Outdoor Allergies that climate…
Pets on Airplanes
The Canadian Medical Association Journal has stated that the preferences of pet owners should not replace the well-being of their fellow passengers, reports ScienceDaily. Since pets can be accommodated safely in cargo holds, the association has decided that airlines must…
Healthy Mattresses Offer Better Sleep
No one can argue that a good night's sleep is paramount to good health and feeling good. As any allergy sufferer knows, nights plagued by sneezing, itchy eyes, and a stuffy nose are anything but restful. While allergy relief bedding…
Exercise-Induced Asthma in Cold Weather
Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjorgen, who won the bronze medal in the women’s 10-kilometer race this week, has something in common with a surprising number of people. She has learned how to deal with asthma in cold weather.
SLIT Study in U.S. Boosts Chances for FDA Approval
A study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology by an allergic disease specialist at Allegheny General Hospital states that oral allergy treatment, or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), is a ‘safe and effective alternative to injections for adults who…
Childhood Eczema Influences Mental Health
A study published in the current issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has uncovered a link between eczema in early childhood and behavior and mental health later in life, ScienceDaily reports. The researchers, who followed almost six…
Valentine’s Day Allergies
A recent Medical News Today article, Could You Be Allergic to Valentine's Day? highlights a topic covered in this month's Allergy Consumer Report. Those with allergies to peanuts and tree nuts
Study of Allergic Children Yields New Insights
We have all heard about how allergies are on the rise, but a new population-based study offers some insight into just how allergies and asthma develop during childhood. As reported by ScienceDaily, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and…
Toilet Seat Dermatitis
An article from the websiteHealth.com recently highlighted an allergy that we don't hear about very often–toilet seat dermatitis. The condition refers to contact dermatitis that is caused by harsh cleaning chemicals and wooden toilet seats. United States' incidents of toilet…
Smoking Cessation Boosts Lung Cancer Prognosis
In respiratory health news, a recent study says that people with early lung cancer who quit smoking could double their chances of survival. Though this may seem intuitive, previously there was little proof that quitting smoking after developing lung cancer…
Avoid Colds this Winter
For allergy and asthma sufferers, getting a cold is not just an inconvenience. Combined with the congestion, stuffiness, and other symptoms brought on by allergy attacks, colds can lead to bigger problems, like sinusitis. Therefore, it is particularly important for…
Stop Sinus Problems Before They Start
Winter weather is in full swing and so are the colds and flus the season brings with it. Though everyone is susceptible, allergy and and asthma sufferers are particularly prone to developing sinus problems when battling cold, dry weather conditions…
More Accurate Peanut Allergy Blood Test Developed
Researchers at University Hospital South Manchester and Phadia AB in Uppsala, Sweded have developed a new and more accurate blood test for peanut allergy,
Eliminate Air Fresheners for Better Indoor Air
As discussed in Indoor Air Quality in the Winter, now is the time of year to be especially vigilant about the fumes and other pollutants we allow to permeate our indoor air. Due to homes sealed against cold temperatures combined…
Nasal Allergies Linked to Chronic Sinusitis
To those who suffer from allergies and sinus problems, it certainly comes as no surprise that the two are related. Indeed, recent tests conducted by scientists at the Allergy Research Foundation in the Netherlands have revealed that nasal allergies may…
Mothers’ Exposure to Microbes Prevents Children’s Allergies
A recent German study has found that a pregnant woman
Five Reasons to Get a Humidifier Now
If you don’t have a humidifier in your allergy avoidance arsenal, here are five compelling reasons to have one and use one during the winter months: Ease cold and flu symptoms: By adding moisture back into the air, a humidifier…
Quitting Smoking Reverses Lung Damage
Recent research published in the December 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has revealed that asthmatic smokers may be able to reverse some of the damage caused to their lungs by quitting smoking. This…
12 Holiday Tips for Allergy and Asthma Sufferers
It seems that every season has unique challenges for allergy and asthma sufferers, and the holidays are certainly no exception. But as always, knowledge and prevention help keep those with allergies and asthma safe and breathing well. The American Academy…
Girl Sneezes Nonstop (Really)
Every allergy sufferer knows how awful it is to sneeze repeatedly during the day. But even what is described as ‘sneezing nonstop’ can't match 12-year-old Lauren Johnson's experience of sneezing up to 12,000 times a day. As reported by Fox…
Three Tips for Avoiding Dry Skin During Winter
Winter can be a terrible time for skin. Cold, dry air and heated dry air can combine to leave your skin less than supple. Here are three easy things you can do to keep dry skin at bay this winter:…
Air Pollution Levels High Near Small Airports
People living near small regional airports may be at risk for increased health problems due to airborne pollutants, ScienceDaily reports in an article titled, Hidden Threat: Elevated Pollution Levels Near Regional Airports. Air pollution near major airports has been a…
Vicks Nasal Spray Recalled
CNN Health reports today on Procter & Gamble's recall of Vicks Sinex nasal spray in the United States, Britain, and Germany. The voluntary recall was announced after bacteria was found in some of the product made in Germany. Although there…