News
Geographic Differences in Auto Injector Prescriptions – Sunlight, Vitamin D & Allergies
A study published in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests strong variation in the occurence of anaphlyaxis between northern and southern U.S. states, reports the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Southern…
Nasal Tube May Replace Mask for Sleep Apnea Treatment
According to medpage today, nasal cannula may replace bulky continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks in the treatment of sleep apnea. The nasal cannula delivers warm, humidified air, which can significantly reduce the symptoms of mild obstructive sleep apnea. ‘We…
Why Are Yawns Contagious?
Even though this topic is not directly related to allergies, I just have to blog about it because this is something I've wondered about my entire life, and I've never heard a satisfactory explanation until now… (And, while this topic…
Study Suggests One in Four People Allergic to Cats
In a shocking article, PetClub UK reports that a recent study at Imperial College in London suggests that household cats trigger allergic reactions in 25% of people! Cat dander is one of the smallest, lightest, and stickiest allergens. Researchers admit…
Breathing Exercises Cut Asthma Symptoms by a Third
According to The Independent, breathing exercises can cut asthma symptoms by a third. The Papworth Method is a sequence of breathing and relaxation exercises that was developed in England in the 1960s. The technique was recently test in a randomized,…
Birch Pollen & Soy Allergy Cross Reactions
Newsfood.com reports that certain proteins in birch pollen and soy beans are so similar that people who are allergic to birch pollen may experience an allergic reaction after eating soy; this is known as cross allergy or oral allergy syndrome.…
Cat Dander May Be Harmful to All Allergy Sufferers
Live Science reports that cat dander may be harmful to adults with any type of allergy – even if they're not specifically allergic to cat dander. ‘Exposure to cats is more of a problem than was thought,’ says study author,…
Ozone & Smog Exacerbate Asthma, Lead to Attacks
CBS News reports that ozone pollution (smog) is making breathing difficult for children who have asthma. ‘On days of high levels of ozone, people with asthma are more likely to have symptoms or shortness of breath,’ says Dr. Homer Bouchley…
Aerosol Cleaners May Cause Asthma
News-Medical.Net reports: The use of home cleaning products in the form of aerosols, at least once a week, is related to the appearance of respiratory difficulties and asthma in adults. This association is even strong when aerosol cleaning products (glass…
AMA: Kids Should Be Allowed to Take Anaphylaxis Meds to Schools
The American Medical Associated (AMA) has voted to lobby for laws that would allow severely allergic children to take life-saving medicine to school, The Daily Journal reports. Many school districts and 18 states have bans that do not allow children…
Artificial Nose Helps Sniff Out Asthma
Health and Age reports that an artificial nose (known as the Cyranose) has successfully been used to diagnose tuberculosis and lung cancer, based on the volatile gas patterns in expired breath from patients. A recent pilot study suggests that the…
Is Non-Stick Teflon Making Your Allergies Worse?
According to Life Style Extra, the non-stick chemical Teflon could be making people more prone to allergies. The chemical Perfluoro-octanoic acid (PFOA), found in Teflon, has already been identified as a likely carcinogen, and it is also a known immunosuppressant.…
Hay Fever Drugs Cost Students An Exam Grade
TimesOnline reports that hay fever drugs often cost students an exam grade. In a study funded by the drug firm Shering-Plough, researchers found that students who have hay fever symptoms are 40% more likely to drop an exam grade –…
Child Snoring May Be Sign of Allergies
Reuters reports that an Austalian study found that, among five-year-olds, risk factors for snoring were very similar to those for allergic disorders. Such risk factors include cigarette smoke in the first year of life, asthma, and eczema. In adults, snoring…
Overscrubbing Skin Could Cause Allergies
Excessive scrubbing with harsh soaps can strip a protective layer of oil off the skin, leaving the skin barrier vulnerable to allergens, according to the UK’s Telegraph. Overscrubbing could cause skin allergies. ‘We are not saying that people should not wash,…
Asthma Sufferers at Greater Risk for Anaphylaxis
eMaxHealth reports that asthma is the single greatest factor that increases risk of death from anaphylaxis (allergic shock). Anaphylaxis affects the entire body and is responsible for 500 to 1,000 deaths in the U.S. each year – and most of…
Common Childhood Asthma Myths
Asthma Editor Amy Cuebas of BellaOnline points out the following six Myths about Childhood Asthma: 1. Yoga / Swimming / Herbs will cure asthma. Nothing can turn off the switch that's responsible for the inflammation associated with asthma, but certain…
Use of Antibiotics Increases Asthma Risk
According to Nursing in Practice, the use of antibiotics for non-respiratory infections doubles a one-year-old's risk of developing asthma by the age of seven. ‘Antibiotics are frequently prescribed for young children for both respiratory and nonrespiratory infections,’ said Mark Roser,…
GoodBacteria, Asthma & Allergies
The previous post discusses how the use of antibiotics increases the risk of asthma among children. Why is that? Well, based on everything I've been reading, it seems as if the ‘good’ bacteria in the human body support the immune…
Peanut Free Zone at Padres Baseball Park
I loved going to Atlanta Braves games when I was a kid, and I remember singing ‘buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks’ at every game. I’ve never thought of a baseball park as a dangerous place, but it can…
ASPCA: One Out of Five Dogs Suffers from Allergies
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) warns that summertime allergies affect animals, too, and that about one out of every five dogs nationwide suffers from some form of allergy. Animal allergy symptoms commonly include licking,…
Allergic Rhinitis & Its Impact on Asthma
mediLexicon reports that ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) urges doctors to consider the strong link between allergic rhinitis and asthma. ARIA is a worldwide non-governmental organization that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to…
Teaching Teachers About Asthma
In Wales (United Kingdom), three children in every class have asthma, according to icwales. Wales has one of the highest asthma rates in the world with one in 10 children suffering from the disease. An asthma charity launched a training…
Toxic Indoor Swimming Pool Chemicals Harm Children’s Lungs
It seems as if a new theory to explain the rise in childhood asthma pops up every week. According to health columnist Julie Deardorff of the Chicago Tribune, the ‘pool chlorine hypothesis’ asks whether the rise in childhood asthma stems…
Cosmetic Allergy & Makeup Allergy
Allergist Dr. Daniel More, M.D., of About.com explains that cosmetic allergy is usually contact dermatitis rather than a true allergy: ‘Contact dermatitis is not due to a true allergy, and no allergic antibodies are involved. Instead, the reaction is caused…
Research Group Studies Chitin As Suspected Cause of Allergies & Asthma
MSN Health & Fitness reports that a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) research group may be making headway in the fight against asthma and allergies. Dr. Richard Locksley leads the team, which is looking at the possibility that chitin…
Aspirin Hypersensitivity Common Among Asthma Sufferers
EARTHtimes.org reports that the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN) recently published a paper on the diagnosis of aspirin hypersensitivity. While most people tolerate it, aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can trigger violent allergic reactions, asthma, sinusitis,…
Cigarette Use May Explain Childhood Asthma Epidemic
According to ScienceDaily, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found that increased cigarette use may explain the childhood asthma epidemic. ‘We have identified parallel increases in childhood asthma and cigarette use among adults during the past century…
Question for Asthma Sufferers, Family & Friends
Do you agree with the FDA's decision to ban all CFC inhalers after 2008? If you have asthma and have not heard about the new HFA asthma inhalers that will be mandatory after 2008, please see New HFA Asthma Inhalers…
Can Dust Mite Allergy Cause Death by Anaphylaxis?
According to a 2003 PubMed abstract from the International Journal of Legal Medicine, a 47-year-old farmer was found dead in his bathroom around midnight. He had been previously diagnosed with an allergy to house dust mites and sometimes had episodes…
South Georgia Wildfire Smoke Pollutes Air in Atlanta
When I left my house this morning to go to work it looked very foggy outside. Only thing is it wasn't fog, it was smoke from the wildfires in South Georgia. Not only was visibility really bad, the smell of…
Dr. Oz Demonstrates Neti Pot on Oprah
People have been using neti pots to wash out their noses for thousands of years, Dr. Mehmet Oz tells the audience on Oprah. Warm water from the neti pot stimulates sinuses and clears out mucus. ‘A lot of folks that…
The Unusual Suspects: Five Odd Allergens
Many of you are allergic to pet dander, pollen, and dust, but just imagine being allergic to one these allergens… Indystar.com reports that sunlight, cockroaches, cereal, stuffed animals, and even people can trigger allergies. Sunlight causes ‘polymorphous light eruption’ in…
Particulate Air Pollution May Cause Heart Problems for Asthma Sufferers
Newswise reports that particulate matter like construction dust may cause heart problems for asthma sufferers, according to a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. In people with asthma, a slight increase…
ACAAI: America Faces an Allergy / Asthma Crisis
In the new Allergist Report by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), the professional organization points out that the demand for allergists will increase 35% by 2020, yet the supply of allergists is expected to decline. ‘Without…
A Third of Peanut Allergy Diagnoses in Children May Be False Positives
According to News-Medical.Net, many children who have been diagnosed with peanut allergy are actually able to safely eat peanuts. ‘Diagnostic tests for peanut allergy have poor sensitivity and specificity,’ concludes the new research paper. ‘Previously described diagnostic cut-off levels do…
Domestic Violence Increases Risk of Asthma
According to News-Medical.Net, a new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds a strong association between domestic violence and asthma. ‘Classic environmental triggers for asthma have been carefully studied, but there is less information on…
New Study: Drinking Farm Milk Reduces Childhood Asthma & Allergies
In a study involving 15,000 children in five countries, researchers from USA and Europe found that drinking farm milk can protect children from asthma and allergies, reports EurekAlert. Lower levels of diagnosed asthma were also observed for all farm-produced dairy…
Peanut Allergy Alert: Mayfield Turtle Tracks Ice Cream
According to PeanutAllergy.com, on May 8, 2007, Mayfield Dairy Farms recalled 1.75 quart cartons of Mayfield Turtle Tracks ice cream with a code date of 4/11/08 and UPC code of 75243-20120. These cartons contain peanuts that are not listed on…
H Pylori Stomach Bacteria & The Hygiene Hypothesis
According to the National Review of Medicine, researchers at New York University have discovered more evidence in support of the hygiene hypothesis. The hygiene hypothesis posits that modern societies have experienced an increase in asthma and allergies because of decreased…
40 Percent of U.S. Children Have Seasonal Allergies
Dr. Manny Alvarez, managing health editor at Fox News, says that 40 percent of U.S. children have seasonal allergies, and when a parent has allergies, his or her child will probably have them too. ‘As children, boys get ore allergies…
ALA: Atlanta Ranks 13th in Pollution
Atlanta, GA, home of achoo! ALLERGY, ranks at number 13 on the American Lung Association's bad air list of the most polluted cities in America. As no surprise, Los Angeles, CA tops the list. Pittsburgh comes in at number two,…
Seasonal Allergies Affect Work Productivity
Eurkalert reports that a new study found that allergic workers missed an hour of work per week during peak hay fever season. While an hour may not seem like much, it adds up quickly since 20 to 50 million Americans…
Sexual Side Effects of Allergy Medication
According to fitsugar.com, decongestants in allergy medications often cause vaginal dryness. Switching to a medicine without a decongestant should eliminate this side effect.
Burning Incense May Be Hazardous
NewsTarget.com reports that the burning of incense releases high levels of some chemicals associated with lung cancer. New Scientist magazine reported that a set of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of primary concern. PAHs include carcinogenic chemicals like…
Asthma Increases Risk of Lung Metastasis in Breast Cancer Patients
According to SpiritIndia.com, a new study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic Arizona, pulmonary inflammation increases the risk of lung metastasis among breast cancer patients. Metastasis refers to the spread of cancer cells from the original tumor site to other…
Free Asthma Screenings Across U.S. in May
HealthCentral.com points out that children and adults across the U.S. can get checked for asthma free of charge during the 11th annual Nationawide Asthma Screening Program, sponsored by the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). The free screenings…
Asthmatic Children Have Higher Rates of ADHD, Depression, Anxiety & Learning Disabilities
Science Daily reports that conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and depression often accompany asthma in children. These associated conditions are known as co-morbidities. ‘We can definitively state that families with asthmatic children not only report higher incidences…
Top 100 Worst Cities for Spring Allergies in 2007
According to Forbes.com, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) ranks Tulsa, OKlahoma as the worst city for allergy sufferers this spring. Rankings are based on pollen counts, medication usage by allergy patients, and the number of board-certified allergists…
achoo! ALLERGY Featured in Points North Magazine
achoo! ALLERGY was featured in the March 2007 issue of Points North Magazine in an article titled ‘What To Do When Allergies Attack Atlanta.’ Here's a snippet from the article: Evade the Invaders ‘We want allergy sufferers to know that…