Indoor Allergies

Dr. Bassett Contributes to New York Post – These are the grossest spots in your hotel room

May 29, 2018 by admin

It can be hard to relax on vacation when you imagine that your hotel room is a petri dish of previous guests’ germy discards, even if there aren’t the usual telltale signs of uncleanliness.

Here, germ experts give us all the grody details — and the best ways to protect yourself while hitting the road this summer.

Shower surfaces

The hotel tub is teeming with existing bacteria, so it’s best to skip the bath and limit exposure by showering. “Keep in mind there’s a [film] that forms over time in the tub and that holds organisms,” says Philip Tierno, a microbiologist and clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at NYU School of Medicine.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Popular Science – Forget allergy shots. Try allergy toothpaste

May 17, 2018 by admin

Despite affecting some 50 million Americans, allergies aren’t super well understood. The sparks that ignite your immune system can range from sunlight to onions, and symptoms of an attack are just as varied. For that reason, we’re spending several weeks writing about allergies—what they are, how they manifest, and how we can find relief. This is PopSci’sAllergic Reaction.

Allergies are unpleasant. Just ask anyone who equates the advent of spring with a runny nose or the presence of a cute puppy with itchy eyes. Unfortunately, most allergy treatments—which tend to involve lots and lots of needles—are as unpleasant as the allergens themselves.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Popular Science – What’s the difference between indoor and outdoor allergies?

May 17, 2018 by admin

The allergy aisle is filled with products purporting to be your springtime savior. “All day relief!” “Non-drowsy!” “Indoor and outdoor!” But wait, hang on—are indoor and outdoor allergens really that different?

“I assure you, your immune system doesn’t discriminate whether you are sensitive to a grass, tree or ragweed pollen, they may all trigger allergy misery,” says Clifford Bassett, the medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York. That also goes for whatever allergens lurk inside your house, he explains, including both your pets and your unseen dust mite roommates. It’s just that some allergens are more prevalent outdoors, while others stay inside.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to York Daily Record – Allergies bothering you? York is the 5th highest pollen hot spot in U.S.

May 14, 2018 by admin

If you feel like your allergies are worse in York County right now, you’re not wrong.

Tree pollen is so high here that York is considered the fifth-highest pollen hot spot in the country, according to The Weather Channel.

Besting the York area in the first four spots are Kansas City; Lincoln, Nebraska; Springfield, Missouri; and Dayton, Ohio.

Friday is considered a “very high” pollen day in York and much of the week ahead is expected to be “high.”

The “very high” level of pollen has dropped local breathing conditions from great or good to “fair,” according to The Weather Channel.

York’s story is familiar across the country, even if the pollen count isn’t as bad in other places.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Bustle – Climate Change Affects Your Allergies In These Frustrating Ways, A New Study Shows

May 14, 2018 by admin

If you’ve noticed your spring allergies seem a little more…shall we say, enthusiastic, this year, you’re not alone. According to recently released data from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the misery we’re witnessing right now is an “allergy explosion” of not just longer-lasting allergy seasons in spring (and fall, unfortunately), but also an increase in the number of people suffering from allergies, NBC News reported. If the fact that this allergy season seems to be worse than ever doesn’t surprise you, try this on for size: The academy believes it may actually be climate change affecting your allergies.

Dr. Stanley Fineman, former president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, told NBC, “Some research has suggested that the warming trend that we have in our environment is causing the pollen seasonsto start a little bit earlier, and extend a little bit longer. Consequently, patients are suffering because they’re exposed to pollen, for longer periods of time.”

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Sharecare – Feel Like Your Allergies Are Worse This Season? It’s Not Your Imagination

May 10, 2018 by admin

If you have allergies, you may have noticed your symptoms getting worse with each passing year, a trend many experts attribute to rising temperatures associated with climate change. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), our shifting weather patterns increase both the levels of pollen and the amount of time it sticks around.

“Over the past several decades, we’ve seen a steady rise in seasonal pollen levels and in the number of adults experiencing allergies for the first time,” says Clifford Bassett, MD, founder and medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, and author of the book, The New Allergy Solution: Supercharge Resistance, Slash Medication, Stop Suffering.

And while some people have seasonal allergies, Dr. Bassett notes year-round allergies caused by dust mites and pet dander may be worsened by airborne allergens like pollen.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Popular Science – Why do my allergies change as I age?

May 10, 2018 by admin

If we were to sum up allergies with an emoji, it’d be a shrug. We know so little about them, and yet tens of millions of Americans experience allergies of some kind or another throughout their lives. They come. They go. They evolve slowly or shift rapidly. Perhaps the only constant is that they’re becoming more common.

But there is some positive news for allergy sufferers everywhere.

“The only good thing about getting older is that, in many cases, allergies are less prevalent,” says Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of NY and an allergy specialist at New York University. Changes inside and outside our bodies as we age affect the way we react to potential irritants from ragweed to crab to dogs. Why? Well, that’s a little more complicated, and there’s more than one possible reason that your allergy status just switched.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Popular Science – Does taking allergy medication make my allergies worse?

May 10, 2018 by admin

Plant mating season affects more of us every year. We know it better as spring, that magical time of the year when flowers bloom and trees leaf and billions of pollen grains take flight in an attempt to fertilize another flower. Many of these little plant sperms accidentally end up in our noses, though, where they trigger an immune reaction that we call seasonal allergies.

About 25 million Americans get them—more as climate change worsens—and many of those people take some kind of over-the-counter drug to treat their aversion to plant sex. There are a lot of misconceptions about allergies, perhaps in part because we know amazingly little about how they really work. Our knowledge has exploded (much like pollen in May) in the last decade or so, but there’s still plenty we don’t understand.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Healio – Managing seasonal allergies: What primary care physicians need to know

May 2, 2018 by admin

Health care providers must recognize that most patients are self-medicating their seasonal allergies and are doing so inappropriately, according to Bosnic-Anticevich.

“Physicians need to be more proactive in guiding patients to the most appropriate treatment,” she said. “Patients with hay fever need a lot more support and guidance than they are currently getting.”

Many patients are unaware of the causes and triggers of their rhinitis symptoms, Clifford W. Bassett, MD, founder and medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, and assistant clinical professor of medicine at New York University, told Healio Internal Medicine.

Dr. Bassett Contributes to Everyday Health – Do You Live in One of the Worst Cities for Spring Allergies?

April 30, 2018 by admin

For people with seasonal allergies, some U.S. cities may be tougher to live in than others.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) announced its 2018 picks for the 100 most challenging places to live with spring allergies. The cities were ranked based on pollen and mold counts, allergy medicine usage, and availability of board-certified allergists.

This year’s report named McAllen, Texas, as the top Spring Allergy Capital in the country. The top 10 cities on the list are…

Menu

Indoor Allergies