Sunday February 12, 2012
The concept of Valentine's Day allergies doesn't make much sense to most people -- until you think about it. This Tuesday, February 14, is Valentine's Day, when we give flowers, candy and other presents to the special people in our lives. But if these people have food allergies or nasal allergies, you may also be giving them something you didn't intend -- an allergic reaction.
Exposure to colorful flowers can cause nasal allergy symptoms, but only when a person puts their nose close enough to the flower to smell its scent. This is because colorful flowers, such as roses, rely on insects to pollinate them, rather than non-colorful plants, such as some trees and most grasses, which rely on the wind to pollinate them. Therefore, it's common for florists and flower recipients on Valentine's Day to experience sneezing and stuffy noses as a result of smelling their special flowers.
Chocolate treats are also given on Valentine's Day. Many of these chocolates may have hidden ingredients such as treenuts and peanuts, which could cause an allergic reaction in people with food allergies. Even in chocolates that aren't supposed to contain nuts, it's still possible that they do.
This Valentine's Day, if your sweetheart suffers from hay fever or nut allergies, skip the flowers and chocolate altogether, and do something different -- take him or her out to a nice dinner or buy them jewelry.
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Tuesday February 7, 2012
Believe it or not, spring pollen season is already here in many parts of the country. Here in Northern California, the trees are beginning to pollinate. In other parts of the country, spring pollen season may only be weeks away. If you suffer from springtime hay fever, do you have a plan on how to tackle your symptoms this season? Hopefully your plan includes something more than buying extra boxes of nasal tissue. A better plan would be to assess the types of symptoms that you typically experience, choose therapies based on those symptoms, decide on over-the-counter versus prescription medications, and to see an allergist to explore other treatment options such as immunotherapy.
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Tuesday January 31, 2012
Johnson and Johnson, the makers of Aveeno products, initiated a voluntary recall of certain lots of Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion. The recall affects lot number 0161LK which was distributed to the Southeastern United States. This lot of Aveeno Baby Calming Lotion may contain higher amounts of a bacteria, called coagulase-negative Staphylococci, which typically does not represent a danger to most people. People who have purchased Aveeno Baby Calming Comfort Lotion with the above mentioned lot number should refer to the Aveeno website for more information about whether or not to use the recalled product and how to receive a refund.
While it is not likely that a product contaminated with coagulase-negative Staphylococci would represent a danger to most people, the population that Aveeno Baby products are being used on -- babies with eczema -- are not most people. Children with eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, are at risk for the development of skin infections from bacteria, fungi and viruses. Therefore, the application of a cream contaminated with Staphylococci on the skin of a child with eczema could potentially result in a skin infection. While the Aveeno website seems to minimize the risks of the contaminated product, I would highly recommend that parents check with their child's pediatrician, dermatologist, allergist or other healthcare provider before using the contaminated cream on their children.
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Saturday January 28, 2012
I'm sure you heard that old superstition about when you have itchy palms, you will soon receive some money. While this superstition is most likely false, some people actually have itchy palms after handling money. It is actually possible to be allergic to money -- not the act of making it -- but from coming into contact with the physical form. People can be allergic to both coins, typically as a result of the nickel contained in certain denominations of United States and Euro coins, as well as to paper bills, as a result of the ink in printing. Certain rashes are also seen on the hands of people who count large numbers of paper bills, such as bank tellers. Find out more about the different forms of money allergy, including how to avoid and treat this type of allergy.
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