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Posts with tag allergy

Reduce your exposure to pollen

Posted: Jun 4th 2008 9:00AM by Bethany Sanders
Filed under: General Health

It's that time of year again, the sniffling, sneezing, itchy-eye time of year. Pollen is a major trigger for people with allergies, and since it's not springtime without pollen, there's little you can do to avoid it completely.

If pollen gives you a problem, however, you can reduce your exposure to it. WikiHow has a few answers for you, including:

  • Know what you're allergic to and find out when your peak season is.
  • Stay inside on windy days and when the pollen count is high.
  • Use an air conditioner when necessary.
  • Buy a reel lawnmower to reduce exposure while cutting the grass.
  • Wear sunglasses outdoors to keep pollen out of your eyes.
  • Take a shower after working in the yard.
  • See your health provider if your allergies aren't easily controlled.
Believe me, I know that allergy season is no fun. But by being mindful of what you're allergic to and taking care to prevent attacks, you can still enjoy the beautiful spring weather and stay healthy too.

A tasty alternative to peanut butter

Posted: May 12th 2008 6:00PM by Deanna Glick
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, Healthy Kids

Peanut allergies have become pretty popular. And what causes them remains a bit confusing.

When my now almost three-year-old daughter was a baby, our pediatrician told us the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended peanut consumption be delayed until age three because the allergy was believed to be developed due to repeated exposure at a very young age. But new studies suggest no relation between allergies to peanuts and when a child began eating them. This is what AAP had to say. Since the cause is still clear as mud, study authors recommend more research on the cause of early allergic reactions to peanuts, as well as successful prevention efforts.

Meanwhile, we're still eating sunflower seed butter in our house. This web page touts its similarity to peanut butter in consistency, taste and price and offers a nutritional breakdown (it does contain a bit more sugar than some peanut butters). We started when the pediatrician gave us the nitty gritty on nut allergies and we have no plans to stop. It's really tasty. I like it better than peanut butter. We pick up a couple jars every time we go to Trader Joe's. But it's also available in other local markets.

So until researchers come up with some more news on peanuts, consider sunflower seed butter as a tasty alternative that you don't have to worry about.

Cooking for food allergy sufferers

Posted: May 12th 2008 11:00AM by Deanna Glick
Filed under: Food and Nutrition

A dear friend of mine has just been diagnosed with myriad food allergies. Eggs and gluten are among them. As a result, the thought of her future in the kitchen, let alone in restaurants and at dinner parties, has become somewhat daunting.

But there's a resource that might ease her transition. Cooking Allergy Free is an online community of food allergy sufferers and catalog of information and recipes just for them. We introduced readers to the site before. But a recent site redesign makes it easier to find recipes tailored to specific allergy-diets and allows users to create their own profile. Administrators have also added to the vast library of recipes.

Those who create their own profile can include personal information and a photo, allow others to see their allergies, and allow people to privately contact them. And those who create profiles during the month of May will be entered in a raffle for a free cookbook of their choice.

Continue reading Cooking for food allergy sufferers

Ward off allergies with nasal irrigation

Posted: May 11th 2008 11:15AM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: Alternative Therapies

I don't know what it's like in your area, but where I live spring allergies are in full force. According to a doctor from the Michigan Sinus Center and the University of Michigan, nasal irrigation is an easy way to get relief. In fact, the doctor states that it's a good first line treatment and is often more effective than medications.

You can buy saline sprays over the counter, but this doctor recommends a solution made with a quarter-teaspoon of kosher salt, eight ounces of warm tap water, and a quarter-teaspoon of baking soda. You can administer the solution using a squeeze bottle and squeezing four ounces into each nostril. If you open your mouth and make a "K" sound the solution will properly exit through the other nostril.

So tell me... is it just me, or does the thought of this give you the heebie-jeebies, too?

Peanut allergy on its way out

Posted: May 6th 2008 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, General Health

Peanut allergies may soon be a thing of the past, says Dr. Wesley Burks, a food allergy expert at Duke University Medical Center.

"I think there's some type of immunotherapy that will be available in five years," reports Burks who says ideally, this therapy would change a person's immune system response to peanuts from an allergic one to a nonallergic one.

This would be great stuff, given that peanut allergies are growing more and more common. And while many kids grow out of other food allergies -- milk and eggs, for example -- only 20 percent ever lose their peanut allergy, which often appears in the first three years of life and manifests itself in range of symptoms, from minor irritation to the whole-body allergic response called anaphylaxis.

Stay tuned for more on peanut immunotherapy. And be on the lookout for news on the genetic engineering front. Burks says genetics may one day produce an allergen-free peanut.

Fido may reduce allergy risk in kids

Posted: Apr 29th 2008 4:00PM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: Healthy Kids

Based on a six-year study of 9,000 children, German researchers have stated that having dogs may reduce a child's risk of developing allergies. In theory, exposure to pet-related allergens builds ups a child's immunity and helps reduce risk of allergies, asthma, eczema, and hay fever.

The study used parents' answers on detailed surveys from birth to age six. Blood samples were also taken from a number of participants to test for antibodies in the blood stream.

The same protective effect was not noted in children with repeated exposure to dogs, but without dogs in their home.

To clean with steam

Posted: Apr 21st 2008 4:00PM by Deanna Glick
Filed under: General Health, Health and Technology, Healthy Home, Natural Products, Sustainable Community, Healthy Products

I was in the checkout line at Target the other day and spotted a steam mop on the conveyor belt behind my stuff. I asked the woman behind me about it. She was trying it for the first time. At $40, she figured she couldn't lose. Well, anything but $40. But anyway, it piqued my curiosity. Turns out, it's the hot new trend in cleaning supplies.

A recent Washington Post article on the subject offers a pretty nice overview of the method. As for effectiveness and the potential to provide relief for allergy sufferers, steam cleaners seem promising. They are not a "magic wand," but myriad types of steam cleaners can apparently clean things from floors to outdoor grills pretty well. And because hot steam is touted for its ability to kill dust mites, mold and other allergens, they appeal to allergy sufferers.

Another lure is that the method offers a healthier alternative to chemical cleaners and is therefore kinder to the environment, especially waste water. But as with many eco-friendly efforts, there's an "inevitable weighing of pros and cons." Steam cleaners require electricity to use and energy for production and transport and will eventually add to solid waste in landfills.

Gallery: Steam cleaners

Shark Ultra Steam BlasterBissel Flip-EaseBissell Steam MopBlack and Decker Power Mop

Continue reading To clean with steam

Allergan-reducing products not effective against asthma

Posted: Apr 18th 2008 2:00PM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: Healthy Habits, Healthy Home

Special mattress pads, allergen-reducing fabric sprays, air filters, and so forth ... if you have asthma you may have invested lots of money in products such as these. Dust mites can be a big asthma trigger, and trying to minimize them is a good way to reduce asthma episodes. But a research group has determined that many of the special efforts people take to reduce allergens and dust mites aren't effective enough to make a difference.

Previous studies have reviewed both physical and chemical allergen reducers. The research group reviewed 54 studies. They found that, while many products were ineffective, others did reduce allergens as advertised -- but not enough to ward off an asthma attack.

If you currently own special products such as fancy vacuum cleaners, air filters, and mattress pads, feel free to keep using them. Many do reduce allergens, though they aren't effective enough to make much of a difference. A good habit to get into is washing sheets, blankets, and pillows often using high temperatures. Also, remove soft toys from your child's bed.

Kid's allergies: Affecting sleep and schoolwork

Posted: Mar 20th 2008 10:12AM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: General Health, Healthy Home, Healthy Kids

A national survey revealed that allergies can affect kids in more ways that sneezing, runny noses, and itchy, watery eyes. The survey polled more than 1,000 families and found that kids who have allergies are more likely to be fatigued, irritable, and even "miserable." This bleeds into the children's activities including schoolwork and extracurricular activities.

If your child is one of the 40% of US kids who suffer from seasonal allergies, your first step is to see your doctor. Knowing what triggers your child's allergies is critical for helping them. But you can take some common measures that may minimize the effects. Wash your child's sheets and clothes frequently, keep your home well-vacuumed and as dust-free as possible, and purchase a HEPA air filter for your child's bedroom and for your living room.

New methods to combat nut and milk allergies

Posted: Mar 19th 2008 4:00PM by Adams Briscoe
Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Food and Nutrition, General Health, Healthy Kids

For people with potentially fatal food allergies, every day brings with it a challenge to watch what they eat (or come in contact with). More kids seem to developing peanut allergies for example. In the past half-decade, cases of this nut reaction have risen 35 percent. But there's hope that these allergies can be lessened through new methods of combating their effects.

One example for peanut allergy sufferers has children taking a small dose of the peanut protein -- under a doctor's supervision of course. This has been shown to help mitigate the severity of reactions if peanuts are accidentally consumed. It's called oral immunotherapy and the treatment has helped grow their tolerance.

Even though over two million school kids have such allergies, there's hope that through more studies and treatments doctors may be able to curb the reactions altogether! Will we see a pill that can cure allergies someday? Maybe not, but if this research has any implications, then we may not be far away from a reality close to it.

Online allergy advice found here

Posted: Mar 2nd 2008 7:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, General Health

When you're done checking in on this blog, head on over to these three for a dose of insight and advice all about allergies. The bloggers who author these sites are allergy-affected themselves. You might find their words helpful as you battle the allergens in your life.

allergicgirl.blogspot.com
This allergic girl lives a wheat/gluten-free, processed sugar-free, lactose-free, low processed food-free lifestyle because she's allergic to tree-nuts, salmon, some veggies, melons, tropical fruits, and lemongrass. She also has asthma and GI distress and clearly, has some educating to do. Check her out.

gluten-free-blog.blogspot.com
This writer, a gluten-free/Celiac person, says the best way to overcome the trauma of no longer eating your favorite foods is to find replacements that are just as good. And maybe even better. Check out this February 17 post about a gluten-free pancake diet.

mykidshavefoodallergies.blogspot.com

With two kids and combined allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, pistachios, cashews, and sunflower seeds, this one has some wisdom worth reading. Find out how she handled a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party here.

Peanut eaters can cause peanut allergies in their kids

Posted: Jan 7th 2008 6:03PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Healthy Kids

People who eat a bag of peanuts a week can trigger peanut allergies in their children, according to recent reports out of the UK. This goes completely against the common belief the exposing children to an allergen early in life can cut their chances of developing a lifelong allergy to that item.

So what's causing this? It's thought that dust and oil from the nuts can enter a child's body through the nose and skin, affecting the immune system, which leads to an allergic reaction when the child eats peanuts themselves. Still, that's purely speculative at this point, but if you're worried about your child having an allergy, it might be a good idea to eliminate nuts from the home completely.

New allergen-free peanuts may soon be available

Posted: Jan 2nd 2008 5:20PM by Chris Sparling
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, Diet and Weight Loss, Healthy Products

If you're one of the six million Americans who've never gone to a ballgame and enjoyed peanuts because you're allergic, you may soon be able to sing the "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack" line and actually mean it.

Thanks to a scientist from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, a new processing technique has been developed that effectively eliminates the allergenic components of peanuts.

Though human trials have yet to be conducted, scientists are hopeful that this process will yield similar results to those found in lab animals and, if so, the allergy-free nuts will be available to consumers in the next 2 years.

Kid's allergies more aggressive than in the past

Posted: Dec 28th 2007 7:36AM by Brian White
Filed under: Healthy Kids

Milk and egg allergies in children may be more persistent than they were just a generation ago, according to new research out this week from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

almost 1,700 young children were observed over a period of 13 years with allergies to both milk and eggs -- and both groups seemed to take allergies with them when they grew up instead of somehow "outgrowing" them.

This flies in the face of earlier research which concluded that 75 percent of children with milk allergy outgrew the allergy by age 3. The research this week said that it took until age 16 for about 79 percent of kids with milk allergies to grow out of it.

Half of world's population to have an allergy by 2015

Posted: Oct 16th 2007 7:46PM by Brian White
Filed under: General Health

Allergies were fierce in my area this summer, and continue to be even into October. It may become worse in the year ahead though, and researchers are now predicting that half the world's population will have some kind of allergy by 2015.

Yikes -- that's billions (with a 'b') of new allergies in the coming eight years or so. What is causing such a surge? We're not talking about just natural allergies like to ragweed, but to chemicals like perfumes, laundry detergent and cleaning fluid.

Indoor pollution (dust mites, pets, etc.) and outside pollution (smog, ozone, nitrogen dioxide) will both contribute to the rise in the coming year. Get our your gas mask now.

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