News and Articles on Health. Medical research topics.

It is nice to see all those beautiful flowers in spring, maybe right below your window- a lovely sight to brighten up your day, isn’t it? Except if you are allergic to pollen! Spring and summer are the most critical season for all of us having to live with allergies or asthma.

Do you know that usually we inhale daily two tablespoons of particles that float through the air we inhale, and a large part of these is also pollen? We all agree that we cannot shut ourselves up in our homes during these risky seasons, so let’s see what we can do to minimize the effects.

Here are 5 tips that summarize it all:

1. During pollen season, it is advisable to keep your windows closed. Your home and your workplace should be air-conditioned, invest in a good quality HEPA filter, it will pay itself in no time (Take a look at the great offers they have on Amazon). First thing, install a HEPA filter in your bedroom, this is the place where you spend 1/3 of your lifetime!

2. If you have to go outside, avoid morning hours between 5-10 A.M. Upon your return from outdoors, rinse your nose with a saline solution, there are great sprays that you can buy at your drugstore!

3. Is it a nice sunny day, just perfect to dry your freshly washed bedding? Avoid doing so, pollen will cling to fabric and you’ll just do worse. Invest in a good drying machine instead (Amazon is a great starting point for quality stuff).

4. If you have a garden or a yard, try to keep the vegetation at minimum, mow the grass frequently and do not permit those plants to grow tall. Otherwise, they will start pollinating and this is the last thing you want. Remove all those excess weeds, not only will your garden look tidy, but you will also eliminate a source of pollen.

5. Do you like your morning run? A bit of tai-chi in the local park early in the morning? Change your habits, find a nice spot in your home to install a treadmill, or a bicycle. A simple mat on your bedroom floor will do. Also, if you have a dog to walk to, make sure to clean its fur thoroughly upon return from the daily walk, to avoid it carrying pollen in the house.

In fact, these are small yet effective changes, that won’t affect so much your daily routine, but in the long run will bring loads of benefits for your health!

People that suffer from allergies always get to pay more attention to what they eat what they use for cleaning or even stay away from flowers. Since modern technology has evolved a lot, allergy is not that much a problem these days. However, choosing the best allergy relief is not so easy. Whether the it comes in a spray, nose drops or pills, it has to be easy to be carried around and very efficient. In other terms, it has to work in just 10 minutes after taking. An allergy treatment that is very efficient can’t be only made from natural ingredients. This is why in choosing the best one must consider the other substances used to treat his allergy.

In some cases, the allergy has no particular treatment, so the patient has to constantly be alert and protect his body from harmful factors.

Since the allergy can be caused by high levels of toxic substances in the body, such as resulted from a bad diet, a good relief can refer to a detoxification diet and life style. In such cases, it is significantly reduced and can even be cured. The important thing is though for the person to maintain the same healthy life style or the allergy might return. Allergy relief treatments can sometimes have a curative effect too, but only if the manifested allergy is mild and kept under observation.

Any allergy manifest is a way of the body to show that something is not right. All this signals should not be first blocked with an allergy treatment, but should be investigated by a doctor.

Many people just presume that they have allergy to something and buy an allergy relief even if they don’t need it. The most dangerous thing about this practice is the fact that the body can develop immunity to the medicine. If the allergy was in its early stages of development, and a particular allergy treatment could have stopped it, the patient will no longer recover because its body had already acknowledged the substance and thus, the allergy relief will lose its effect.

As so, the best way to get any type of allergy symptom treated is by checking in with a doctor first. This is the only person that can prescribe an allergy relief or an allergy treatment for you. Even in cases of mild allergy, the allergy treatment you are willing to take has to be first looked up by a doctor. Comparing medical files and medical problems that you had in the past can be a very important factor in choosing the correct allergy treatment. Obviously, you cannot do this, so it’s best to let the doctor decide.

The medicine market is packed will all sorts of allergy relief drugs. In such a variety, only authorized personnel can tell you what’s best for your body.

Thus an allergy treatment has to be chosen by a doctor, according to your special needs and of course taking into consideration other medicine that you take.

If you have been diagnosed with a food allergy you will likely have already realised that for some people there is no real cure for a food allergy. Do not be discouraged, please read on for some more positive information. If you are merely sensitive to a type of food or allergen you may find that you have a tolerance level such that you can eat small amounts of a food that makes you unwell without any negative impact or uncomfortable side effects. Unfortunately for a serious food allergy where your response to the allergen is triggered by your immune system and you don’t just suffer gastrointestinal, skin or respiratory symptoms, then total avoidance of the allergen is the only cure.

There are many products on the market and people trying to sell them who will claim to be able to cure your allergy – these are lies. I am sorry but someone has to tell you. It is true that some lucky individuals will grow out of their food allergies – this is particular true for most children under the age of 5 who have milk and egg allergies. The incidence of people outgrowing their peanut allergy is less likely but it does happen.

You may have heard of desensitisation as a cure for food allergy. This is where you gradually expose the sufferer to increasing amounts of the offending allergen. In some cases this works and after a period of weeks or months the individual is able to tolerate the allergen without any serious side effects. You should never attempt this method without strict medical supervision and advice as there is always the potential for the allergy to be made worse by repeated exposure with each reaction being greater than the previous one. In the case of hayfever and pollen allergies desensitisation is having more successful results.

Young children who have an egg allergy can sometimes tolerate either the egg white or the egg yolk and some may even be able to cope with trace amounts in baking. However, for others the only way to stay healthy and symptom free is to avoid the allergen altogether for life. An interesting point to note is that many adults are developing allergies later in life having never had a problem before. The most common allergen in this instance appears to be seafood.

If you have a dairy allergy or sensitivity there are many suitable substitutes on the market such as rice, soy and oat milks, some fortified with the vitamins and minerals you may lack if following a dairy free diet. The daily use of probiotics has been suggested as a way for dairy allergy sufferers to be able to tolerate small amounts of dairy products in their diet. This seems to vary between individuals and is a matter for you to try and experiment with on your own. Again remember to seek advice from a nutritionist or health professional when embarking on a restricted or food elimination diet or trial.

Most people with pollen allergy are also allergic to fruits and vegetables. Often without knowing it. This is known as cross allergy. Prior to the pollen season here are some good advice.

Cross allergy to hazelnuts, apple, peach, cherry, walnut, pear, almond, plum, carrot, tomato, peanuts, strawberries and apricots are common in people with birch pollen allergy. Approximately 70% of birch pollen allergic also have allergic reactions to one or more of these foods. A pollen allergic react to these foods because they contain substances similar to the allergy-causing substances, the allergens, in birch pollen.

Local symptoms from mouth and throat with itching and swelling of the mucous membranes are the most common allergic reactions to fruits and vegetables. But sneezing, skin rashes, asthma and allergic symptoms that spread to other organs also occurs. In worst cases an allergic shock may occur – this is most common with allergies to hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds and peanuts.

The more severe pollen allergy, the greater are usually the problems with cross-allergy to nuts, fruits and vegetables. Significant allergic reactions to these foods is an indication of a more severe pollen allergy. The greater number of foods a pollen allergic reacts to, the more likely it is that it is allergy to birch pollen and other pollen types the allergic reacts to. A German study shows that 90% of patients with allergy to fruits and vegetables also had pollen allergy.

It is important for a pollen allergic to avoid eating these foods during the pollen season, as it will reduce symptoms of pollen allergy. Eating pollen allergy foods you react to when you are also exposed to pollen, increases the pain dramatically. Most people cannot tolerate raw vegetables or fruit, but can eat apples or carrots if they are boiled, or lightly heat-treated in microwave oven. An apple which is peeled is tolerated better than an apple with the peel on.

Birch pollen allergy

The more severe the birch pollen allergy is, the greater the symptoms of allergy to fruits and vegetables will be. It is important to avoid these foods immediately before and throughout the birch pollen season, as it will reduce allergy symptoms. The most common cross allergies with birch pollen allergy are hazelnuts, apple, peach, cherry, walnut, pear, almond, plum, Brazil nuts, potato peel, carrot, tomato, peanuts, strawberries and apricots. If you have a severe birch pollen allergy you will react to these foods also outside the pollen season. Fruits that you probably can tolerate is, among others, is pineapple which rarely sparks the birch pollen allergy and also berries such as cranberries, currants, raspberries and blueberries should be safe to eat.

Grass pollen allergy

There is a link between grass pollen and cross allergy to wheat, rye and other grains sales. Cross allergies to grain do not have to give so much pain, but you suffer from grass allergies and experience a variety of diffuse symptoms of fatigue, stomach discomfort, pain in muscles outside the grass pollen season – it may be wise to take a test period of about three weeks without these grain varieties to see if symptoms disappears or becomes significantly better. Many people with allergies towards grass pollen also reacts to tomato, peanuts, peas, soy sauce, onion and melon. But generally, cross-allergy to foods is less troublesome in grass pollen allergics than with birch pollen allergy.

Latex Allergies and exotic fruits

Allergies to latex, natural rubber has increased in recent decades. The increase has occurred particularly among health professionals who use disposable gloves made of latex. It’s proven cross-sensitization between latex and exotic fruits such as banana, avocado, kiwi, chestnut, nectarines and strawberries. If you react with itching in the mouth and throat and blocked nose when you eat a banana, kiwi, or avocado, it is likely that you are allergic to latex.

A good number, almost over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies regularly and although there are medications, nasal sprays, and other things that one can do to relieve symptoms of an allergy attack, it is better to make some preventive measures which can cure allergies for good.

What Causes An Allergy Attack

An allergy attack happens as the body tries to ward off substances that the body considers as invaders. The most common causes of allergies are airborne allergens like pollen, dust mites, mold and mildew. Some come from the food we eat, such as allergies from nuts and berries. There are children who never outgrow their allergy to milk, yoghurt, eggs and other daily products. Then there are some who are allergic to almost anything that touches their skin like cloth fibers, animal dander, perfume or other factors such as sudden changes in the air temperature.

Prevention From Allergies

Here are some simple, practical solutions that you can do to clear your environment of allergens and prevent yourself or your family from getting allergies:

1. Keep your room temperature at 82F during the summer and lower than 35C during humid days. You can use a dehumidifier that will prevent the air from getting too humid, which makes it the perfect breeding ground for mold, dust mites and mildew.

2. Change your bed sheets, pillowcases and blankets regularly. Dust mites are tiny organisms that live inside mattresses and hide in bed linens. There can be millions of them in any home and the only way to get rid of them is by vacuuming your mattress and pillows or putting them in anti allergy encasements and pillow covers.

3. Dust can accumulate on your television, computer keyboard, study table, rugs, and table tops. You need to keep these surfaces clean to avoid allergies. When housecleaning, get your nose covered with a face mask, to prevent inhalation of dust.

4. If you know that you or your child has an allergic reaction to food, try to avoid exposure to the food allergen that can trigger these reactions. Keep your children away from the source in order to prevent an allergy reaction, that for most kids, can easily turn into an asthma attack. Inform your child’s teachers about the allergy, to make sure that your child is not exposed to any allergens that can cause an attack.

5. You may consider moving to a place with a better climate, like Arizona, if you suffer from allergic reactions such as asthma or bronchitis. The air in Arizona, California and Texas are drier, which is not a good environment for most allergens such as pollen and dust mites.

Consider Immunotherapy

There are instances when prevention can no longer cure allergies. In these cases, doctors recommend that the patient undergo immunotheraphy or allergy shot treatments which are often suggested for those who suffer from airborne allergies. This is often recommended even for children who suffer from allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and asthma. It changes the way a person’s immune system react to certain allergens, which is a more permanent way to cure allergies.

Asian flush is an annoying disorder that I carried with me for years before I found a solution that worked for me. This is a short article designed to give you everything you need to know how to cure Asian flush.

It is hard enough as an adolescent trying to meet people at nightclubs and bars as it is these days – but for an unlucky portion of the Asian demographic it is made even more difficult by the unfortunate fact that they turn bright red in the face after drinking alcohol – aka Asian flush.

It should come as no surprise to any of us that alcohol is and, for as long as I can remember, always has been an integral part of the social dynamic in most cultures around the world. This ‘social lubricator’ as they call it simply makes it easier to relax, unwind, and reduce inhibitions to a point where one is more capable of feeling free in their own skin – no wonder its so popular!

Now, imagine that you can’t participate in this wonderful social tradition. Imagine that whenever you have even the smallest amount of alcohol your face turns bright red, swells and even sometimes starts to itch and break our into hives. Not only is this extremely uncomfortable, but it also makes the unfortunate Asian flush sufferer appear much less attractive to the outside observer.

So what do you do? Drink and suffer the consequences? Or not drink at all and watch as the people around you have the time of their life and instead you can’t help but to feel a little bit left out and wondering what it would be like if you too could enjoy the same buzz as everyone else? Or is there a third option?

If you are an Asian flush sufferer like myself, you would probably be interested to hear about anything you could do to prevent the nasty reaction from occurring whenever you drank alcohol. Luckily, there are actually a variety of things you can do to prevent your Asian flush reaction without having to resort to buying pills over the internet will probably just cost you a lot of money and do nothing to fix the reaction.

Firstly, it is necessary to understand that the Asian flush reaction occurs as a result of an enzyme deficiency. This enzyme that Asian flush sufferers lack is usually responsible for breaking down a by-product produced during the metabolism of alcohol. This by-product is unfortunately toxic, and therefore when not adequately broken down, results in a variety of toxic reactions such as a red face, headache, nausea, itching, etc.

With this in mind, it is therefore logical that the amount of alcohol we put into our systems will be directly proportional to the severity of the Asian flush reaction. Why? Because, you are introducing more of the toxic by-product into your system and your enzyme deficient body is unable to break it down fast enough to avoid a toxic reaction.

Therefore, we need to be in tune with our bodies and able to recognize the first signs of the Asian flush reaction coming on. Usually, this is first noticed by sufferers as a slight numbness in the cheeks, and change in breathing, or a subtle warm flush of the cheeks. When you feel this, stop drinking and don’t take another sip of alcohol for at least another 30 minutes or until you feel the initial symptoms subside.

Another method commonly used by females with Asian glow is to pre-apply green tinted makeup around the glow-affected areas before going out drinking. This will offset a lot of the redness, but will do little to stop the unattractive swelling that normally accompanies the redness.

If you would like to find out how to cure all the unpleasant symptoms of your Asian flush so that you can start drinking alcohol with a 100% confidence that you will not turn red in the face or experience any swelling, headaches, nausea, itching, or any other unpleasant Asian flush symptom, then you will need a full step-by-step program designed to eliminate all the symptoms of Asian flush each and every time you drink alcohol.

Do you suffer from constant pain from your sinuses? Many people do every day of their lives and this can become a very painful condition, especially in the case of a severe infection. If you are having trouble like this, you need to see your doctor about chronic sinusitis treatment.

If you are taking over-the-counter sinus preparations to relieve your pain and pressure, you should make sure to see your doctor prior to doing so. If you have an infection, these kinds of medications will only help to cover up the real cause of your pain. In some cases, you might need a strong antibiotic for an infection. You will most likely also be given medication for the pain and pressure as well.

An examination of your nasal cavity will help to uncover any obvious signs of what is causing your sinus troubles. Many times, patients have nasal polyps that are causing their sinus problems. If there are no signs that are easily visible in this kind of examination, then you may be required to go for further kinds of testing.

Usually the next step in sinus testing is the nasal endoscopy. This test will require that a light be taken through your nose and into your sinus cavity. This will help doctors to see the highlighted areas of your sinus cavity that is not visible with the naked eye. This is a routine kind of test and will not cause you any pain.

Sometimes, a patient might need to have a tomography test done to show the inside of their sinus cavity. This is also referred to as a CT scan. You may also have an MRI test done as well. This test is done with magnetic resonance imaging. Both of these kinds of tests will take pictures of deep inside your sinus cavity, revealing inflammation or obstructions that otherwise cannot be viewed.

Many times, a simple lab test can be done to figure out why you are having so much trouble with your sinuses. Cultures can be grown from samples taken from your nasal cavity to provide clues to what is going on in your nose. Bacterial pathogens can be detected in this way. You might have to wait for results in a week or so, but your doctor will probably give you medication for the pain and pressure until then.

Could allergies be what are causing you to experience pain with your sinuses? This could be the cause and your doctor can do allergy testing that will tell if this is the cause. Many people have seasonal allergies to things like oak spores and pollen that can cause their sinuses to become inflamed and very painful. You will most likely have this kind of testing done to rule out or diagnose allergies.

Spring allergies are due to the pollen coming out from trees during the pollinating season, usually from January to April, which is springtime. Most of the trees that bring spring allergies include olive, elm, hickory, birch, oak, poplar, maple, walnut, and cypress. These pollens can be carried by the wind to a distant area and the density is highest between 5AM to 10AM. Spring allergy cures could not be done instantly, but there are certain ways to avoid getting them or to boost resistance against them.

Symptoms

Spring allergy symptoms like runny nose and itchy eyes are actually the result of the battle between the antibodies (body’s protection against unwanted organisms) and allergens (the main component that triggers different forms of allergies). When the pollen infiltrates the body by mixing with the air we breathe, the immune system mistakenly sees it as a form of bacteria or virus, thus releasing the antibodies. The situation leads to the release of histamines into the blood, triggering different symptoms of allergies, and thus how spring allergies are developed.

Risks

Spring allergies can sometimes lead to asthma, a condition in which the air passages narrow, leading to shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. It is a good thing there are precautions that can be done to prevent or relieve the symptoms of spring allergies.

Home Remedies:

Always keep the doors and windows of the home closed especially during the period when the density of pollens in the air is at peak (5AM to 10AM). Using air conditioning system to keep outdoor air from entering is one thing to do to avoid getting spring allergies.
Limit outdoor activities during springtime especially early in the morning. This is the time when the probability of being affected with spring allergies is the greatest. Moving the scheduled task from the morning to the afternoon would be a great solution.
Make it a habit to keep the windows of the car up when travelling. You may not want to let the dust, mold, and pollens to enter, since they are the primary cause of spring allergies.
In the event that you are unable to avoid getting spring allergies, using over-the-counter antihistamines is the best choice of getting instant relief. These drugs are effective spring allergy cures of a scratchy throat, runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing. In choosing antihistamines, go for the ones that don’t cause drowsiness. Older generation antihistamines are known to have side effects that cause sleepiness, therefore more recent formulations are recommended.

Millions of people in the country are lactose intolerant or have digestive problems when they drink milk. If you child is one of these people, by simply heating the milk before she drinks it, she may be able to drink it without having the normal lactose intolerance problems.

This data is originating from a recent report in the Allergy and Clinical Immunology publication. As reported in the research article, when normal milk was heated and provided to kids who had cow milk allergies, three of four of them no longer exhibited allergy symptoms. Under normal situations, when a milk allergy sensitive child drinks milk, his antibodies go into action to attack the milk proteins. This is what causes the allergy symptoms. The theory is that when milk is treated past a specified temperature, the heat destroys the milk proteins that normally trigger the allergy symptoms.

Next the researchers had to test this theory. And they did so by slowly introducing the way the gave the heated milk to the kids. They started by giving the heated milk to the children indirectly through other food products. For example, they would heat milk, and then add the heated milk to various recipes such as muffins, pancakes, and others. If the children had no reaction from eating foods containing heated milk, they then had them drink the heated milk directly. As theorized, most of the participants had no reaction to the heated milk.

Up to now, if a lactose intolerant person wanted to drink milk, they did have choices. These choices usually came down to one of the following four options:

They could do what many people do and simply avoid milk products altogether.

They could drink milk and simply suffer the consequences of bloating, cramps, upset stomach, diarrhea, and so on.

They could orally take food enzymes that enable them to pre-digest the milk proteins.

They could purchase the more expensive milk that have milk enzymes added to them.

We should, of course, mention that there are many people in the health field who think that humans have no business drinking milk from a cow. And, what they suggest is that if you really desire the taste of a milk like product that you try one of the many milk substitutes in the stores such as soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and so on. But for those that want cow’s milk, the study could provide them with new food options.

Up to this point, its long been thought that if a person was allergic to milk, it didn’t matter whether the milk was cold, warm, hot, or whatever. At the very least the study forces researchers to rethink some of their earliest assumptions about milk allergies and how to handle them.

And, even though this particular milk study was relatively tiny, consisting of just a hundred children, if larger follow up studies are done and reflect the same results, an entire new class of products could hit the market targeted at the millions of people who love to drink milk but are lactose intolerant.

But that could be only the tip of the iceberg. This study could also lead to entirely new ways of managing and controlling lactose intolerance in both adults and children.

Animal protection organizations and Zoo’s receive many numbers of cats because the owner’s of cats or some of their family members fall allergic to cats. The following are considered as cat allergy symptoms watery eyes, itchy eyes, wheezing and running nose. Many people do not understand that these allergies can be controlled by cleaning the home regularly and bathing the cat daily.

Why This Allergy Happens?

Dander is the major cause of cat allergies. Danders are nothing but cat’s dead skin. But the major belief is that the cat’s hair causes all allergies, which are not true. The allergies are due to the reaction from a protein called Fel D1.

Smoking, dust, insects and infection from other animals can also cause symptoms similar to cat allergies. Whereas in some cases a person would have got allergic to something like dust in home but the cats will be blamed for this.

The ways you can prevent these allergies

The following things will help you to reduce the allergies.

Antihistamines will help in reduction of cat allergies

Consuming allergy shots will reduce these symptoms by to 65%, whereas it only
works 20% on dog allergies.

Regularly wash your hands after touching the cat.

Keep you hour free of dust and clean your home on regular basis

Make the cats to sleep in a different room

Make sure that your bedrooms doors are properly shut.This will prevent the allergies
from entering into beds and clothes

Clean your carpet regularly

Use air filter

Replace your vacuum filters at regular intervals.

If you cats sits on the furniture regularly then use slipcovers.

Shop for mattress covers and pillowcases that are allergy proof.

You vacuum should have a HEPA filter. Many vacuum cleaners does not remove Fel D1
protein,if it’s spreaded in the clothes and beds.

Mop your home often

The bed used by should be washed often in hot water.

Ceiling fans should cleaned at regular intervals. Because these ceiling fans will spread the
cat hairs and dusts all over the home

A recent Angus Reid national survey commissioned by the peanut bureau reveals there is a lot of confusion about the prevalence and causes of severe allergies. They are new allergen free products on store shelves, differences in government policies and bans on certain foods in schools and public areas. Researchers say there is a definite need for public education.

It is important for people to understand food allergies so that they can respond appropriately. The only way that you can manage food allergies is to correctly identify the food responsible and to avoid it. An allergy is a very specific response to the immune system and there can be many causes for adverse reactions to foods. Just because the food does not agree with you, does not mean you are allergic to it.

There is a lot of confusion about the number of people who suffer from food allergies. Research shows that two percent of the adult population have been diagnosed with the problem. There are nine main food allergens these are peanuts, milk, tree nuts, sesame seeds, soy, wheat, eggs, fish and sulphates which are preservatives.

You can not take the possibility of a reaction to these foods lightly. However over reaction, false assumptions and self diagnosis can lead to problems. It is important for the person who is allergic to understand the causes and management of their allergy.

Individuals living with a food allergy need to read and understand food labels and to know where their allergen maybe found. If you are living with or think you have one you should seek the advice of a qualified allergist.