So if you leave your bed unmade during the daytime, will your allergies really improve! Many allergy specialists don’t really believe this would be a certain way to properly treat your indoor allergies. Stay tuned for other ways to stay allergy free this fall.
News
Bullying of Kids with Food Allergies is Common, According to a New Study
A surprising new study released in this months issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology that children and adolescents with food allergies are frequently bullied and harassed by their schoolmates and peers, the questionnaire based research found. It has been estimated that more than 3 million children in the US have food allergies. Apparently one third or more of children over the age of 5, who are allergic to certain foods, have experienced harassment, and bullying at school because of their food allergies, according to researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City found.
Almost 90% of the children affected indicated they were teased, repeatedly. It was surprising to see how more than 20 percent of the children reported they were harassed or taunted by school staff. Researchers gave questionnaires to over 350 parents of and caregivers of children with food allergies. A significant amount of those affected by the harassment and bullying, indicated it was a “physical event”, and in some cases their food was allegedly tampered with as part of this assault.
It’s troubling and shocking all at the same time. It’s a problem that perhaps has been underestimated because we were not always aware of this phenomenon. We need to try to reduce the stigma of having a food allergy. These psychological effects as a result of this behavior directed toward to these children, especially since almost one in 25 children have a food allergy, were quite striking. It isn’t uncommon for food-allergic teenagers to refuse to carry treatments with them like Epi-Pens, for fear of retaliation or ridicule by classmates. It’s like a scarlet letter. I try to make it “cool” for the kids, and strategize with them about how to make them more comfortable in dealing and living with their food allergies.
I am frequently queried on some of the reasons why food allergies are on the rise in the United States. There are many ways to approach this question. First, it is true that between 1997 and 2007, food allergies in children have increased by 18 percent, according to a study published in the journal, Pediatrics. In a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that found during a 5-year period, visits to the emergency room for allergic reactions more than doubled. The study also revealed how the severity of allergic reactions was higher as well.
We need better coordinated communication with children and adolescents affected by food allergies, their parents, friends, schoolmates, school personnel, nurses and teachers, if we hope to provide an environment that is more conducive and understanding of an individual child with a food allergy.
Check out the video “Food allergies in the real world”, to gain greater insight on this condition, and how it may particularly affect teenagers @ http://www.youtube.com/faanpal#p/u/42/A6IGKPGa_uI, or go to www.foodallergy.org, for more information on other strategies in assisting you or your child, if he/she has a food allergy.
Allergies and Your Sex Life
Allergies can be more than an annoyance. Fatigue, itchiness, snoring and problems breathing can harm a healthy sex life. The following tips can help mitigate allergies impact on the bedroom:
1. Keep Fido off the Bed: Keep pets out of the bedroom to lower the amount of animal allergens present which can cause allergy symptoms to flare, killing the mood.
2. Wash Wisely: Wash and shampoo nightly, if you were outdoors on high pollen days. This way you can prevent transferring fresh air containing pollens from getting into your bedroom and bedding.
3. How You Look Affects How You Feel: A dripping nose or puffy eyes may leave you feeling less attractive or self-conscious, not exactly putting you in the mood. Proper allergy and/or sinus care (whether it be over the counter or prescription) can often lead to a reduction in puffy, swollen lids and under eye circles, making you look and feel better.
4. Seek Help: an allergist can find the source of you suffering and stop it. With allergy testing, your doctor can help develop a plan to end your symptoms. To find an allergist or take a Relief Self-Test visit www.AllergyAndAsthmaRelief.org.
Surviving Fall Allergies
As the weather starts to cool off in many U.S. cities and towns, we are still in the heart of the late summer and fall allergy season. That means lots of mold spores, ragweed, and other weed pollens — and a great deal of allergy misery.
Here are some simple and practical allergy tips to help you start fighting fall allergies:
Learn the Symptoms. Each year patients have the same question: How can I tell whether I have an allergy or a cold/sinus infection? In general, cold symptoms come on rapidly, while allergies occur with a pattern of exposure (after dusting, raking leaves, or pet exposure). Also, “itchiness” is often present with allergies.
Remember your allergy medications won’t work if you have sinusitis or a bad head cold. After a careful examination and some simple tests, your doctor can help determine whether it’s an allergy or cold/sinus infection.
Watch What You Eat. It’s not just what’s in the air that can wreak havoc on your seasonal allergies. What you eat can have an impact as well. Watch out for fresh foods including melon, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, banana, chamomile tea, and zucchini. Up to one third of ragweed allergy sufferers can actually experience worsening of their symptoms (itchiness of the mouth, tongue, and throat) with these foods. Although Echinacea may be used to fight “colds and viruses,” it can worsen your seasonal allergies if you are sensitive to ragweed and weeds, as a result of a cross-reaction.
Minimize Indoor Allergens. As you spend more time indoors this fall, you may experience a worsening of your allergies. Exposure to indoor allergens, particularly pets, mold spores, and dust mites can ratchet up your suffering. Ten percent to 15 percent of allergic individuals are allergic to their pets and may develop respiratory symptoms during the early to mid fall as a result of increased indoor exposure. Have a plan in place, such as HEPA type vacuum and/or HEPA central and/or room air purification, and possibly a dehumidifier if your symptoms are triggered by mildew and mold conditions.
Know Your Indoor Moisture Levels. Monitor your indoor humidity level (amount of moisture in the air) and attempt to keep it 50 percent or lower to avoid triggering mold and dust mite allergies. A low-cost hygrometer (less than $10) can help ensure optimal indoor humidity levels in your home. Too many indoor houseplants can also add to increased indoor humidity as a result of added moisture and molds.
Wash It Out. It’s important to wash any fall or winter clothing that has been in storage where dust and molds may have accumulated on them. Wash them thoroughly before wearing them. Keep off-season pillows, blankets, and even kid’s “plush” toys in an enclosed container to prevent additional indoor allergens from accumulating.
Stay tuned for more practical fall allergy survival tips — but for now, start to reduce those pesky allergy symptoms.
HealthWatch: Vitamin D And Asthma
NEW YORK (CBS 2) – Asthma affects more than 23 million people in the United States, and while the condition is treatable, it still causes 4,000 deaths every year. CBS 2HD’s Dr. Max Gomez report there’s evidence that something in your food or maybe even in your medicine cabinet, could be part of the problem.
It’s something in milk, in your own body makes if you sit out in the sun, and it’s the hottest new supplement many doctors and their patients are taking.
It’s Vitamin D, and areas in the northern hemisphere where millions of people are Vitamin D-deficient are the same areas where asthma is most common.
If you have asthma or ever had a lung problem, you know what a spirometer is. Bailey Irwin used one in a pulmonary function test, a way to tell how he’s doing with the asthma he’s had since he was a child.
“It’s very scary,” he said. “There’s not much that’s more frightening than not being able to breathe. I mean you suck in air as hard as you can and you’re not getting as much oxygen in your lungs.”
Like Bailey, David Laufer’s asthma is pretty well controlled with medication, but now we’re learning that lack of a simple Vitamin D could be making their asthma worse and may even have a role in treatment.
“Vitamin D deficiency, not getting enough Vitamin D in the diet can affect asthma. And there are studies now looking at asthma control. Lung function will suffer with low levels of Vitamin D,” said Dr. Clifford Bassett of the Long Island College Hospital.
That comes from a recent study in the annals of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology that suggests that there may be a cause-and-effect relationship between Vitamin D deficiency and uncontrolled asthma.
“It’s probably true. Coincidentally or not I have a Vitamin D deficiency. I’ve been diagnosed with that,” said Dr. Clifford Bassett of Long Island College Hospital. “Simple blood test to check a Vitamin D level. And we can determine pretty easily whether there a deficiency in Vitamin D.”
The main source of Vitamin D in the American diet is milk, which is fortified with Vitamin D by law. But most people who are deficient will need supplements which are readily available over the counter.
And while the study didn’t address whether taking Vitamin D would make asthma better, Bailey said”I’m taking a very sizeable Vitamin D supplement, and sure enough actually this Spring was probably the best spring I’ve had for allergies or asthema in 10 years.”
Now if you have asthma, do not stop taking your medications just because you start taking Vitamin D. Talk it over with your doctor, have the simple blood test to check your levels and then decide on how much of the vitamin you need. Either way, a couple thousand international units a day of Vitamin D has very little risk and may help your asthma.
Original article on CBS New York
Children With Food Allergies Often Victims of Bullying
Kids with food allergies are frequently bullied and harassed by their classmates and even their teachers, a new study finds.
About 35 percent of children over the age of 5 who are allergic to certain foods have experienced harassment, taunting or bullying at school because of their allergies, researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York found.
Eighty-six percent were teased repeatedly, most often by classmates. But more than 20 percent of kids reported they were harassed or taunted by their teachers and other school staff.
The study, published in the October issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, is the first to examine the social implications of food allergies in children.
“Bullying usually happens with an imbalance of power,” lead author Dr. Scott Sicherer, a pediatric allergist at Mount Sinai Medical Center, told AOL Health. “This is another example of an imbalance. A child with a food allergy can’t participate in some of the activities that other children can, so the teasing occurs.”
Researchers quizzed 353 parents and caregivers of children who were allergic to certain foods. More than 43 percent of the kids studied reported having the food they’re allergic to waved in their face, 64 percent endured verbal taunts and 65 percent reported feeling depressed and embarrassed because of the bullying.
“It’s troubling and shocking all at the same time,” allergist Dr. Cliff Bassett, the medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, told AOL Health. “It’s a problem that perhaps has been underestimated because we were not always aware of this phenomenon. We need to try to reduce the stigma of having a food allergy.”
Prior work has shown that food allergies affect children’s quality of life and can lead to depression, stress and anxiety, according to Sicherer. But his research went a step further.
“Our study is the first to explore teasing, harassment and bullying behaviors aimed at these children,” he said in a statement. “The results are disturbing, as they show that children not only have to struggle with managing their food allergies, but also commonly bear harassment from their peers.”
The bullying didn’t cause any allergic reactions, but the psychological effects were alarming, especially since almost one in 25 kids has a food allergy.
“What is so concerning about these results is the high rate of teasing, harassment and bullying, its impact on these vulnerable children, and the fact that perpetrators include not only other children, but adults as well,” Sicherer said. “Considering the seriousness of food allergy, these unwanted behaviors risk not only adverse emotional outcomes, but physical risks as well.”
It isn’t uncommon for food-allergic teens to refuse to carry treatments with them like EpiPens for fear of retaliation by their peers, according to Bassett.
“It’s like a scarlet letter,” he said. “I try to make it cool for the kids and strategize with them about how to make them more comfortable.”
Sicherer and his colleagues recommend more education for teachers and students about the sensitivities of children with food allergies and a zero-tolerance policy toward bullying in school.
“If there was education about food allergies, there might be less mystery and more understanding,” he said.
This article originally appeared on AOL Health.
Fall Allergies – MY FOX NY
Are you suddenly reaching for the box of tissues? Are your eyes itchy and watering all the time? If so, you are not alone. Late summer allergies are in full bloom.
And the biggest culprit is known as ragweed. Allergist Dr. Clifford Bassett stopped by Fox 5 this afternoon to talk about other things you may not know about that could be triggering your suffering.
Dr. Bassett is also the Medical Director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York.
For more information visit his New York City Allergist website.
Parental Stress Boosts Kids’ Asthma Risk
Air pollution from cars can increase a child’s chances of developing asthma, but add parental stress and the odds for asthma get even higher, a new study finds.
For children exposed to smoking while still in the womb, another asthma risk, parental stress also increases the risk for asthma, the researchers noted.
“There is an association between air pollution and asthma, and it grows with increasing exposure to stress in the household,” said lead researcher Ketan Shankardass, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at The Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
“The cause of asthma is still unknown,” Shankardass said. “It’s a major illness that affects a lot of people all around the world and we still don’t really have a handle on what causes it so we can’t control it very well. But this finding contributes to our understanding of that causal process.”
The report is published in this week’s online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For the study, Shankardass and his colleagues collected data on 2,497 children in southern California. The children, aged 5 to 9, had no history of asthma or wheeze when the study started. Over three years, the researchers tracked whether or not the children developed asthma.
In addition, the researchers had the parents fill out a questionnaire that measured stress. The questionnaire asked the child’s mother about whether she felt in control of her life and whether she felt she was able to handle problems or whether she had problems coping with her life, Shankardass said.
The study authors also collected data on the children’s exposure to traffic-related pollution and whether the children were exposed to tobacco smoke before birth.
By itself, stress or socioeconomic status did not increase the risk of developing asthma, the researchers found.
However, when parental stress was combined with traffic pollution or exposure to smoking before birth, the risk of asthma increased more than it did for children exposed to pollution or smoke, but not stress.
Shankardass noted that exposure to traffic pollution and prenatal smoking as well as stress are more common in lower socioeconomic areas, which may help explain why asthma may disproportionately affect children of disadvantaged parents.
“For once, we may have a piece of the puzzle that would explain the social disparities in asthma,” he said.
Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, said it is not surprising that parental stress can have an impact on children and asthma.
“Stress does have an impact on the immune system. Clearly, the relationship between stress, tobacco and air pollution are all bad guys,” Bassett said.
“There are many different variables — behavioral, socioeconomic, environmental and physiologic — that dictate whether a child will develop asthma,” Bassett added. “There are a lot of biologic pathways that are involved in the relationship of asthma and stress and the immune system.”
Bassett also thinks gauging household stress should be part of treating children with asthma.
More information
For more information on asthma, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Original article on Drugs.com
Hay fever? Don’t forget to check your plate
The road to health usually means eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. But that might not be the case if you suffer from seasonal allergies.
People with seasonal allergic rhinitis — which affects one in five Americans — know that when the pollen count rises in the spring and fall they’ll be tormented by chronic sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, watery eyes and sleep problems. But what many people may not realize is that the same chemicals that cause hay fever may also trigger a reaction to certain raw foods.
“As many as one-third of the people with seasonal allergies experience oral allergy syndrome,” says allergist Dr. Clifford W. Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, and vice chairman of public education at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
This type of cross-reactivity — which occurs when a pollen allergy also causes a reaction to food that contains a similar protein chemical — is not widely understood beyond allergy specialists, says immunologist Dr. Hannelore Brucker, who treats many seasonal allergy patients patients with food-related issues in her practice at the Southdale Allergy and Asthma Clinic in Minneapolis. Patients who see a regular doctor for their hay fever symptoms and especially those who self-medicate with over-the-counter remedies are less likely to be aware of it.
Immune system in overdrive
During an allergic attack caused by inhaling pollen in grass, weeds or trees, the immune system goes into overdrive by overproducing histamines and other chemicals. Vegetables and fruits that contain the very same proteins, called profilins, found in various pollen culprits can also cause a similar, localized reaction. That is, when a child or adult eats an offending food, the body’s immune system responds as if it were actually ingesting pollen.
Typical symptoms of oral allergy syndrome include a sudden tingling or swelling in the lips, mouth or throat. Other symptoms may be gum, eye or nose irritation. Some rare reactions may be more serious, including shock.
Fortunately, not all allergy patients are sensitive to all the foods that contain pollen-related proteins. Some people react to just one or two foods. But, unlike nasal allergies which are usually limited to high pollen seasons — from April to June and mid-August to the first frost — the food reactions can happen all year.
“Once your body is allergic to pollen, the allergy to the corresponding food continues, even if there is no pollen present,” Brucker says. “The mechanism is the same. Either way, you’re allergic to the same protein.”
The protein in ragweed pollen is also related to the chemicals in cantaloupe, banana, sunflower seeds, zucchini and cucumber. Grass pollen is related to peaches, celery, melons, tomatoes and oranges.
Birch pollen is related to a large number of vegetables, fruits and nuts, including potatoes, celery, walnuts, apples, pears, peaches and cherries and other pitted fruit.
Some highly sensitive people can experience swelling of the hands simply by peeling raw potatoes, says Brucker.
Not the same as food allergy
If you don’t want to give up your favorite vegetable or fruits, thoroughly cooking them changes the food’s protein structure, thereby rendering the offending foods harmless, says Brucker. Although you might get a reaction to raw cherries, the fruit may not affect you baked in a pie. But she advises allergy sufferers to check with a doctor before continuing to eat foods, even cooked, linked to their allergy.
Video: Coping with spring allergies
Peeling the fruit or vegetable may not help, either. “The proteins may be found throughout the fruit and vegetable, not just near the skin,” says Brucker.
Although both food allergies and oral allergy syndrome pose problems for those who are affected by them, there’s a difference in the severity of the response. People with oral allergy syndrome have reactions that are mainly in the mouth or lips. But with a serious food allergy, the whole body reacts. Itchy eyes and flushed warm skin can quickly progress to a swelling of the throat and bronchial tubes, says Brucker.
“This, in turn, can shut down the airways, leading to a life-threatening situation,” she says.
Oral allergy syndrome symptoms are rarely seriously dangerous. But it’s important to be aware of a possible reaction to the food triggers.
“In some cases, the oral allergy syndrome experienced by people with seasonal allergies can progress into a food allergy,” Bassett says.
Original article on MSNBC.com
Researchers Working to Create ‘Low-Allergy’ Peanut
Peanut-allergy sufferers may soon be able to eat a PB and J sandwich and a host of other foods containing peanut particles without fear of an attack.
A team of researchers in the United States is working on breeding peanuts that are “low allergy” by mixing different varieties together and in the process eliminating or reducing proteins blamed for the often-severe reactions, BBC News reported.
Allergies to peanuts are fairly common and typically cause breathing problems in people who have them. But at their worst, they can be fatal, causing anaphylactic shock — a severe allergic reaction that causes the respiratory system and other bodily functions to shut down. As a result, those with peanut allergies frequently have to be hyper-vigilant about what they eat.
The lower-allergy peanuts are being produced with the help of funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are still in the earliest stages of development, according to BBC News. Researchers say they aren’t genetically modified but instead are being created using traditional cross-breeding methods.
At issue is whether peanuts without the allergy-causing proteins will be able to spawn seeds that are also missing the proteins and have the same low-allergy characteristics.
“They’re not there yet, but it’s exciting whenever we have an opportunity to reduce the allergic potential of a peanut, which can kill hundreds and hundreds of children and adults each year,” Dr. Cliff Bassett, the medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, told AOL Health. “It happens to be one of the more life-threatening foods.”
About 1 percent of schoolchildren in the U.S. and the U.K. are allergic to peanuts, according to the USDA.
If the project is successful, the risk that bits of peanuts and nuts will wind up in other foods produced on assembly lines might also be reduced.
Professor Soheila Maleki presented the findings to a conference held in London by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
“People that are already allergic would need to have a much higher dose before they suffered a reaction,” the BBC quoted Maleki as saying. “In the case of accidental ingestion, there would be much less of a reaction.”
He also theorized that children who eat the low-allergy peanuts, which could be on the market in 2-5 years, would be less likely to develop allergies to all kinds of peanuts.
Clinical trials done last year in Cambridge, England, seemed to cure the children participating of peanut allergies by administering small amounts of peanuts to them over time, much in the way some vaccines can prevent various diseases.
Maleki said the hope is that the new peanuts will be able to be used for similar purposes, “desensitizing” people with peanut allergies.
In the meantime, educating children and adults about “the hazards of accidental exposure to peanuts and peanuts in other foods” is crucial, according to Bassett. Those with peanut and other potentially deadly allergies should carry an epi-pen in case of anaphylaxia and understand how to avoid problematic ingredients when they’re eating out.
“The peanut is not going away any time soon,” Bassett said. “That next bite could be lethal.”
Original Article on AOL Health