Archive for August, 2008

For people who are strongly allergic to bee venom, desensitization using sublingual (i.e., under-the-tongue) immunotherapy may be a safer than injection immunotherapy, according to a proof-of-concept clinical trial conducted in Italy.

The standard way to desensitize patients with bee sting allergy is to administer small, increasing doses of venom by subcutaneous injections.

However, there is a “particular risk of systemic/severe reactions” with this approach, the research team notes in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

On the other hand, they say, “systemic side effects are rare, severe adverse events are exceptional, and the common local side effects are mild and self-limiting” with sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT.

To evaluate SLIT’s suitability for hymenoptera allergy, Passalacqua, at the University of Genoa, and his associates conducted a trial involving patients who had experienced large local reactions — swellings of 10 centimeters or more lasting more than 24 hours — to bee stings.

Venom extract was administered under the tongue daily, starting with a tiny amount and building to bigger doses over 6 months. The trial was completed by 14 patients randomly assigned to SLIT and 12 assigned to placebo.

Read more at Reuters

Scientists have pinpointed a major gene for allergic diseases. The gene was localized using cutting edge technologies for examining the whole human genome.

Variants within the gene encoding the alpha chain are associated with increased levels of IgE antibodies.

The newly discovered FCER1A gene encodes the alpha chain of high affinity IgE receptor, which plays a major role in controlling allergic responses.

The team of scientists led by Dr. Stephan Weidinger and Dr. Thomas Illig found that certain variations of the FCER1A gene decisively influence the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies.

IgE antibodies are a particular type of antibody that is normally used to protect against parasites. In Western lifestyle countries with less contact, however, elevated IgE levels are associated with allergic disorders.

In genetically susceptible individuals the immune system becomes biased and produces IgE antibodies against harmless agents such as pollen, dust mites or animal hair.

These IgE antibodies then work in conjunction with certain cells to get rid of the allergens, a process that gives rise to the symptoms of allergy such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever), atopic dermatitis or asthma.

Read more at Medical News Today

Living with allergies and experiencing allergic symptoms in your routine life can become a tough task for you.

Allergies mainly occupy your life, whenever your body immune system becomes too active to certain substances called allergens.

When your body identifies allergens, your immune system immediately responds to it and causes various allergic reactions such as sneezing, itchy throat and skin, runny nose and also watery eyes.

These certain allergic symptoms interferes in your routine activities.

When you have any kind of allergies, it is very essential for you to know how to deal with those allergies in your daily routine.

Tips to deal with allergies!

• Identify symptoms: This is the first step you have to consider in managing allergies. When you fail to identify the allergic symptoms, it is quite difficult for you to find right treatment at right time. So, try to recognize all allergic symptoms to get better relief.
• Make your house free from humidity: Humidity mainly leads to growth of various disease causing bacteria and other infectious micro-organisms to grow. Molds and mildews mainly thrive in humid temperatures. Try to use a dehumidifier in your house to make your home free from humidity. This can become an added advantage for you to prevent various allergy triggers.

New guidelines for diagnosing and treating allergic rhinitis were released this month, just in time for the crush of fall allergy sufferers seeking relief from their allergist/immunologists.

Allergic rhinitis, commonly called hay fever, affects an estimated 20 percent of adults and 40 percent of children in the United States, according to the AAAAI. It is the No. 1 cause of work absenteeism due to chronic illness and leads to more than 2 million missed school days for children.

The new rhinitis parameter offers discussion on several recent developments in treatment of allergic rhinitis, including:

- Recognizing co-morbidities, such as asthma, sinusitis and sleep apnea, and testing pulmonary function in these patients
- Use of non-sedating antihistamines during pregnancy
- Advantages and disadvantages of single and combination treatment approaches
- Benefits vs. safety of use of oral decongestants on children under 6
- Medications released in the past 10 years
- Consideration of using a Rhinitis Action Plan

Read more at Medical News Today

Having food allergy doesn’t mean that you have to avoid all kinds of outside food.

If you take proper care and make healthy food choices, it is quite easy for you to enjoy food at outside places such as restaurants, parties and even at your holiday trip.

However, to help you out in your way to manage food allergies, here are certain tips for you.

Hopefully, these tips can help you much better to prevent food allergy symptoms.

Check ingredients!

Before you order any item, check the ingredients that are used in the preparation of the dish.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions to the concerned person or restaurant personnel regarding the ingredients used in the preparation of the dish.

If you find any thing to which you are allergic, try to avoid that particular dish and if possible ask them to leave out all those allergic ingredients from your order.

Maintain dairy of your food allergens and its symptoms!

This can help you a lot whenever you go out to have meals. If you keep allergic food and symptom dairy, it can be very easy for you to explain doctor about your allergy.

Children with the allergic skin condition eczema are at increased risk of developing asthma well into adulthood, according to a decades-long study.

Australian researchers found that among nearly 8,600 study participants followed from the age of 7, those who’d had childhood eczema were roughly twice as likely to develop asthma by middle-age.

It’s not clear whether the eczema directly contributed to asthma development in these cases. However, the findings do suggest a cause-and-effect relationship between the two conditions, according to the researchers, led by Dr. John A. Burgess of the University of Melbourne.

They report the results in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The findings come from a study that began in 1968, when parents of 8,583 7-year-old children in Tasmania were surveyed about their children’s health. The children also had a medical exam. At that time, 769 were found to have eczema.

The researchers found that children with eczema were twice as likely as their peers to develop asthma as teenagers, and 63 percent more likely to develop the lung condition as adults.

If the Green movement has taught us anything, it has taught us that chemicals make us sick.

It’s very obvious that the billowing clouds of smoke from the coal burning plant are bad for your lungs.

The pollutants in your home may not be so obvious. There are many chemical toxins lurking in our homes that are impacting the air we breathe.

It is important to understand where those chemical pollutants come from and how to heal the damage.

According to the EPA, indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in homes.

This could be anything from hair spray to air freshener, even the propellant disinfectant sprays that are supposed to kill the odor causing germs in our homes.

These products may seem safe or seem to provide a solution when they actually release propane, butane, or other combustible propellants into the air. These small particulates can stay suspended for hours, days, or weeks depending on the air flow.

Building materials and furnishings are a significant source of indoor air problems as well. These products may have been soaked in repellants, pesticides, or other chemicals during the manufacturing process.

For the 2.2 million school-age children who have food allergies and their parents, back to school means educating classmates and parents before the school year even begins.

In the school setting, avoiding food allergens can be difficult because they’re everywhere — in the cafeteria, on the playground, in the classroom.

Food is used in class celebrations, for art projects, as a reward for good behavior, and in math and science lessons. But if everyone learns how to Be a PAL: Protect A Life(TM) From Food Allergies, we can keep these children safe.

“Managing food allergies is a group effort,” said Anne Munoz-Furlong, Founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). “Kids tell us they rely on their friends to keep them safe. Some call them their best allies and protectors.”

There are five easy steps to Be a PAL:

1. Food allergies are serious. Don’t make jokes about them.

2. Don’t share food with friends who have food allergies.

3. Wash your hands after eating.

4. Ask what your friends are allergic to, and help them avoid it.

5. If a friend who has food allergies becomes ill, get help immediately!

Are you fed up using various drugs and medications for your sinus [Sinus allergy] and allergy problem? Sinus congestion, sneezes, cold and flu and various allergic symptoms certainly ruin your healthy and peaceful life.

In addition to this, if your medications don’t work effectively, it can become much worse condition for you.

So, if you really want to get relief from all those painful symptoms of allergies and sinusitis, here are certain effective natural remedies for your allergy and sinus problems. Implement these ways in your routine life to get some relief from your pain.

Take hot shower bath!

When you have severe sinus problem, a hot shower bath will help you to loosen your mucus to give you some relief from your sinus pain.

If you have pollen or dust allergies, take a bath to remove all potential allergens from your skin and reduce your allergy symptoms.

Eat allergy fighting foods!

Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help you greatly to reduce your allergy symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids mainly help you to fight against inflammation and it is mainly found in flaxseed oil, walnuts, and eggs and also in cold water fish.

If you think your ragweed allergies are getting worse, you may be right. And global warming may be the culprit, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

That’s not good news for the estimated 36 million Americans who suffer from ragweed allergy, the primary cause of fall allergy symptoms. Ragweed season unofficially begins Aug. 15.

Global climate change is believed to be making ragweed season worse for allergy sufferers.

Recent studies suggest that increasing temperatures and carbon dioxide levels are already resulting in longer ragweed seasons and more concentrated pollen counts.

Researchers have decisively linked climate change to “longer pollen seasons, greater exposure and increased disease burden for late summer weeds such as ragweed”, citing among other findings that increased carbon dioxide has resulted in pollen production increases of 61-90 percent in some ragweed varieties.

Ragweed plant can produce 1 billion pollen grains in an average season. Due to the grains’ light weight, they can travel up to 400 miles with the breeze, leaving virtually no outdoor place ragweed-free.

Read more at Medical News Today