About 30 percent of Americans believe they have food allergies. However, the actual number is far smaller, closer to 5 percent, according to a recent study commissioned by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). That’s due in large part to the unreliability of the skin test that doctors commonly use to test…
Archive for May, 2010
School Cleaning Supplies Emit Toxic Fumes Into Classroom Air
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
A report conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has found that in 13 different California school districts, maintenance crews are using cleaning supplies that emit more than 450 different toxins into the air, many of which trigger asthma and lead to cancer.
The districts were chosen carefully and included ones from different regions of all…
Infants With Egg or Milk Allergy Will Most Likely Develop Peanut Allergy
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Early results from a study of more than 500 infants with egg or milk allergy indicate that they are highly likely to test positive for allergic antibodies that are specific to peanuts. This unexpected finding suggests that these infants are at risk for developing peanut allergy later in life and should be evaluated by…
Traffic-Related Pollution Near Schools Linked to Development of Asthma in Pupils, Study Suggests
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Living near major highways has been linked to childhood asthma, but a new study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) suggests that traffic-related pollution near schools is also contributing to the development of asthma in kids.
The researchers found that the risk of developing asthma due…
Worst Spring Allergy Season in Years
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
So far, 2010 has been a year of extremes, when it comes to weather. The eastern U.S. got socked with not just one, but two or three major snowstorms this winter. But they also got hit with really hot temperatures in early April!
The southern U.S. also got hit with colder temps, snow and tons of…
Asthma and Air Quality
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Health, a Shared Responsibility! Asthma is a chronic illness that temporarily causes the airways to become narrow, thus producing difficulty in breathing and related anxiety. Asthma is the leading cause of chronic illness of children in the United States, and most responsible for school absenteeism. The number of Americans diagnosed with Asthma, asthma death rates,…
Bacteria in Household Dust May Help or Hinder Childhood Asthma
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Bacterial populations found in household dust may determine whether or not a child living in that home develops asthma, according to research published in the April 2010 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Recent studies have shown household dust to be a source of highly diverse and abundant bacteria, yet it remains largely unexplored….
Food Allergies among Children in the US on the Rise
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Food allergies among children in the United States are on the rise, according to a study led by Amy M. Branum of the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It found that almost 4%, or 3 million, children aged below 18 in the United States suffered food…
How to Treat Kids’ Hard-to-Control Asthma
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
What’s the next step when a child’s regular steroid inhaler fails to prevent asthma attacks? Different kids do best with different step-up treatments, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows.
The drugs with the best chance of success — 45% — are long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs), the study suggests. But safety concerns limit the…
Solve the Puzzle of Food Allergies: The H Pylori Bacteria Connection
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Most doctors don’t test for or treat the H pylori bacteria except in cases of unrelenting heartburn or in active ulcers and consider it an ‘asymptomatic’ pathogen that lives with most of us without hurting us. However, research shows that simply having the H pylori bacteria could be a risk factor in the development of…
