Allergies
Choosing Wisely – Tips for Allergies & Asthma Treatment
In an effort to reduce waste and needless testing in healthcare, ‘Choose Wisely’ is a public health initiative recently launched by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Using ‘top five’ lists, the ‘Choose Wisely’ series presents some of the most…
Choose Your Allergy Mask
With nearly 80° weather here in Atlanta and everything in bloom, it seems like an excellent time to make sure you are set for this year’s spring allergy season. One of the simplest measures people take to protect themselves is…
Allergy Capitals – Best and Worst
With a steady increase in the number of allergy, asthma and MCS cases in the US, there's always some attention paid to how urban areas fare for allergy sufferers. Typically every year there is a top 5 or top 10…
Study Links Farm Environment and Allergy Development
There have been many studies that have started with the theory that exposure to more environmental allergens leads to an immune system that is less sensitive to common proteins like pollen, dander, etc. This is significant for allergy and asthma…
Allergic to… Bacteria?
Can you be allergic to bacteria? A study released in this month’s issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that some instances of asthma may be related to what could be classified as an allergic response to bacteria. _The…
Key Symptoms: Flu, Cold, or Allergies?
It's that time of year when it seems that you or someone you know is sick all the time. With many of winter's common sicknesses having similar symptoms, it's often hard to know what the sickness is. _ _ You…
Allergy to Hair Dye Puts Woman in Coma
FoxNews.com article Woman in Coma After Allergic Reaction to Hair Dye reports on the tragic case of a mother in England who experienced an apparent allergic reaction when she dyed her hair
One Easy Way to Choose Safe Personal Care Products
Chemical exposure is all around us. Whether we are inhaling fumes from furniture or shower curtains, or ingesting food with preservatives or BPA content, toxic chemicals enter our bodies in various ways
Dealing with Unexpected Indoor Air Pollution
The more you know about the dangers of the toxic chemicals that are all around us, the more you do your best to avoid them. Simple lifestyle changes like swapping Windex for a homemade vinegar solution to clean glass and…
Raw Milk Lessens Allergy and Asthma Risk, Study Finds
According to a recent large European study, children who drink raw milk are less likely to develop allergies and asthma, reports FoxNews.com. While a direct cause-and-effect relationship between raw milk consumption and less incidence of allergies and asthma cannot be…
Formaldehyde Sources in the Home
Keeping indoor air quality healthy requires knowledge about what products in your home might compromise indoor air quality
Mother’s Diet During Pregnancy Affects Child’s Allergies
New research further supports the link between a mother's diet during pregnancy and her child's risk of developing allergies, reports Medical News Today in Mother's Diet Influences Baby's Allergies. Published in The Journal of Physiology, the research found specifically that…
Worst Allergy Season Ever
Turns out that those who think every allergy season is the worst one ever may actually be right, as explained in CNN.com's Why your allergies are bugging you. The reason for worsening allergy seasons is two-fold: There's more pollen and…
Allergy Free Hotel Rooms?
My family will be attending a conference in Jacksonville over this Labor Day weekend and staying at the Hyatt Regency there. While looking at the Hyatt website, I came across their offering of hypoallergenic rooms. Keeping allergen exposure to a…
Peanut Exposure in Unexpected Places
A question posed in the NYTimes.com Science section highlights the fact that those with food allergies must be on the alert at all times
Sloane Miller on Emergency Allergy Action Plans
Last week we reported on the death of a local Atlanta teen who, though habitually vigilant about his peanut allergy, experienced a fatal allergy attack. Today in CNN.com article Deaths are a reminder of food allergy dangers, Sloane Miller, MFA,…
Bed Bugs On the Rise in Dorms, Day Cares
You may think that the resurgence of bedbug infestations has died down, but unfortunately that's not the case. In Bedbug infestations growing in certain settings, survey finds, the Washington Post reports that bedbug problems continue to plague people across the…
New Study Links Prenatal Pet Exposure, Birth Type, and Race to Childhood Allergies
Three key factors play a significant role in the development of early childhood allergy risk, reports Medical News Today in Prenatal Pet Exposure, Delivery Mode, Race Are Key Factors In Early Allergy Risk. Henry Ford Hospital researchers ‘found that babies…
Adult Onset Asthma: One Woman’s Story
My chronic cough turned out to be adult asthma tells the story of one woman who had a cough she just couldn’t shake. When ribs bruised from violent coughing landed her in the emergency room, 40-year-old Linda Finlayson of New…
Formaldehyde Danger for Hair Stylists, Embalmers, and Others
Formaldehyde, only recently officially declared as a carcinogen, has long been considered a health risk. Formaldehyde can trigger asthma and exacerbate symptoms of chemical sensitivity, including itchy eyes, sore throats, nosebleeds, and more. Even if symptoms are not apparent, formaldehyde…
Helping Food Allergic Kids Feel ‘Normal’
The Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board was born of one woman’s desire to help her food allergic daughter be safe yet still feel included in typical childhood activities, reports CNN in Making Food-Allergic Kids Feel Included. Concerned that her peanut…
Cyclists Face Air Pollution Dangers, Including Cardiac Trouble
Scientific America’s article, Air Pollution Triggers Heart Risk for Cyclists, discusses the health concerns faced by cyclists who ride in heavy traffic areas. _The article highlights the effect of pollution from delivery trucks in New York City’s Garment District. One…
Germs Help Allergies More than Cause Them
Getting to the bottom of why allergies are on the rise involves consideration of several theories. One major theory is the hygiene hypothesis, which basically posits that our bodies are becoming more susceptible to harmless ‘invaders’
Herbal Treatment Shows Promise in Treating Asthma
Herbal Medicine Reduces Inflammation in Allergen-Induced Asthma We've talked before about alternative treatments for allergies, asthma, and related conditions like eczema. And we love spreading the word about natural remedies for allergies. Following is promising news regarding an Asian herbal…
Children with Food Allergies: Twice as Many as We Thought
Before I began writing for AchooAllergy.com, I had little involvement with allergies. I don't typically suffer from allergies myself (although I do have allergies when pregnant) and no one in my family has any food allergies. I wasn't writing about…
Jeep Enthusiasts Lament their Allergies
A conversation recently encountered on JK-Forum.com, ‘The Ultimate Jeep JK Wrangler Bulletin Board,’ reveals yet again just how much allergies affect quality of life. Below are some choice quotes from a comment thread entitled ‘Being a Jeeper with Seasonal Allergies…
Pesticide Expsoure Triggers Allergies, Asthma
The FoxNews article, Pesticides on Playing Fields, discusses the effects of pesticides on playing fields used by children. Because spring and summer sporting activities are often more crowded than other times of year, pesticides used on playing fields pose an…
Introducing Anti-Allergen Pet Shampoo
Nearly everyone loves their pets and no one wants to get rid of them after an allergy diagnosis. For this reason, many of our most popular products have to do with allergy relief from pet dander and pet saliva. There…
Worst Allergy Season on Record
If you feel like your allergies have been worse than ever this year, it could be because ‘2011 could end up being the most extreme allergy season on record,’ as reported in this video Worst Allergy Season Ever? by Fox…
BPA Exposure During Early Pregnancy Linked to Infant Wheezing
We've been keeping a close eye on news about the relationship between BPA and asthma and allergies. We've talked about this subject before. (See BPA, Allergies, and Asthma and BPA, Triclosan Linked to Allergies.) A new study seems to provide…
My Favorite Allergy-Free Cleaning Products
_I do my best to maintain a clean home all year long, but when spring cleaning comes around, I often reassess my cleaning tools and methods. One thing I often review is my cleaning products. With young children and pets…
Top Three Spring and Summer Allergy Relief Products
The worst of spring allergies, at least here in Atlanta, is waning, along with the decrease in the yellow river of pollen we endure every year. But with summer coming up, now is a good time to prepare for the…
Spring Allergies, Eye Allergies, and Contact Lenses
When it comes to eye allergies, the misery of spring allergies can hit those who wear contact lenses especially hard, Medical News Today reports.’ Eye allergy symptoms include itchy and watery eyes, which accompany other allergy symptoms like sneezing, coughing,…
Summer Brings Stinging Insect Allergies
_My little girl has been enjoying playing out on our sun porch as the weather has gotten nicer. But last week, I noticed that wasps were buzzing around, looking perhaps for a place to build their nest. My husband promptly…
Radiation Treatment and Allergies
In the wake of Japan's disaster, many of us have spent some time considering the dangers of radiation. Sales of potassium iodide, the main treatment for radiation exposure, have soared, even here in the United States. In 2004, the American…
Discrimination Against Those with Allergies?
This video on CNN Health raises the debate about how far others should go in accommodating those with allergies. In this particular instance, parents at a Florida public school are protesting their children's ‘inconveniences,’ policies put in place to protect…
Three Surprising Spring Cleaning Tasks Every Allergy Sufferer Should Do
Though it's best for allergy sufferers to maintain a cleaning regimen throughout the year in order to minimize indoor allergens, spring cleaning is an excellent opportunity to tackle some special projects that will help keep allergies at bay. Here are…
Iron Supplements While Pregnant May Help Prevent Childhood Asthma
With early childhood asthma and allergies on the rise, researchers are always on the lookout for reasons for this surge. In addition to a lack of vitamin D, iron deficiencies may also account for problems in infant and childhood breathing,…
Allergy Covers Aren’t Just for Allergies
Allergens are the biggest threat to hotel guests, reports CNN in a new article called A microscopic look at hotel hygiene. But allergens are not the only danger for travelers. Germs abound in many hotel room hotspots and it's enough…
Miele Vacuum Cleaner Wins Design Award
The Miele Cat & Dog upright vacuum cleaner is the 2011 Housewares Design Award winner in the Floor Care Electrics category. The Miele Vacuum cleaner was ‘best in category’ beating out other competition from Bissell, Electrolux, and others. _Ideal for…
Drinking Alcohol and Allergies
Everyone is coming out with a “Best Movies of the Year” list this month. One movie likely to be on the list is the popular 2009 summer movie the Hangover, which told the story of four friends and their comical…