Category: Allergy

Questions and Answers 1. Is it possible or desirable to have an additive-free diet? You can avoid food additives in the U.S. by eating at restaurants that say “no food additives” and buying natural, unprocessed foods for the home. Generally, however, people are anaphylactic to only one particular substance. If they can figure out what that is, they can avoid just that substance specifically; they don’t have to strive for an additive-free diet. 2. Are additives in general harmless unless one has a specific allergy to them? That is correct. The Food and Drug Administration has a list of additives that are considered to be safe. Those have no obvious problems …

People with latex allergies can use deproteinized latex condoms safely, according to a study presented Sunday during the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology conference in San Diego. The research was conducted by David Levy M.D., at the Hopital Tenon in Paris. Researchers recruited 19 people who, through blood tests, had confirmed allergies to latex. Each of the volunteers had suffered reactions in the past, including skin rashes, watery eyes and respiratory distress. The volunteers, aged 21 to 60, agreed to use 10 deproteinized latex condoms in a six-week period and keep records of any reactions. None suffered any. “The results of the study are pretty straightforward,” Levy said. “What’s …

Researchers believe they’ve developed a way of disabling the process that triggers symptoms in patients with allergic asthma. If so, some allergic asthmatics may find relief of symptoms and possibly be able to reduce their need for corticosteroids, currently the mainstay of treatment for many asthmatics. In order to understand the role of IgE (immunoglobulin E) in allergic asthma, it might be helpful to picture a string of dominoes. Think of an allergen (pollen, pet dander, cigarette smoke, etc.) as the first domino. For those with allergic asthma, exposure to an allergen tips that first domino, initiating a chain of events that results in respiratory distress. In this scenario, IgE would …

A recent discovery regarding how some food allergies develop may soon lead to testing of medications that would prevent these allergic reactions in the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Rothenberg explained that allergic diseases are now occurring in epidemic numbers, affecting almost 30 percent of the population of most countries around the world. “We have not only seen a marked increase in the incidence of allergic diseases (a doubling in recent decades), but the emergence of allergic reactions to common environmental substances has also increased at an alarming rate,” noted Rothenberg, section chief of allergy and clinical immunology in Cincinnati Children’s division of pulmonary medicine, allergy and clinical immunology. A food allergy occurs …

It’s as plain as the runny nose on your face and the clump of tissues clutched in your hand – or is it? You’re 50 years old and for some reason, you’ve entered the world of sniffles, coughs, rashes and wheezes. More than likely you are dealing with allergies or asthma. And while you may not have had problems ever before, your immune system at 50 is not what it used to be. “Age is not the only factor, but it can contribute to an increase in allergies and allergy-induced asthma,” says Dr. Mark S. Dykewicz, associate professor of Internal Medicine and training program director, Division of Allergy and Immunology, St. …

Gold treatment provides great relief to many sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis, but can cause allergic dermatological reactions in some people. Researchers are now attempting to find a means by which allergies to gold may be identified prior to beginning treatment with gold salts. In this study from Malmö, Sweden, one patient, a 52-year-old woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, was tested for allergy before being started on gold treatment. She had a history of wearing gold jewelry without difficulty, or only a slight itchiness after days of continued use. A patch containing two different gold solutions was applied for 48 hours, and produced a positive skin reaction only after three weeks of …

If you have asthma or allergies and have been told you need to eliminate allergens from your home, take heart. There are some very easy steps you can take right now to significantly reduce allergens in your home. Yes, there are some harder things you’re going to need to do as well (sorry!), but even those will be easier once you get started. Allergens are substances that trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals. Common allergens found in the home are dust, animal dander, molds, insects and house dust mites. Irritants are not allergens, but they can trigger a similar reaction in sensitive people as well. Examples of irritants include tobacco …