May

30

Lotto Tickets Not Lucky For Asthma

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According to the New England Journal of Medicine May 28 2009 edition A 62 year old Spanish women suffered severe asthma attacks caused by her job from working in a very small lottery kiosk. Researchers believe that the machine responsible for printing tickets was to blame for her severe asthma attacks.

Similar machines are used to print credit card receipts and other quick receipts. The lottery tickets in this case were printed on thermal paper with N-propyl-acrylamide and acrylate tints. The woman’s symptoms seem to disappear when she was not working for extended periods of time and would reappear when she went back to work  in the lottery kiosk. On a few occasions emergency treatment was required due to what seems to have been a chemical sensitivity.

After many years of suffering the woman left her job and the symptoms soon vanished and she was able to live a much more healthier life. The case marks one of the first reported triggered by these type of machines.

May

27

Global Warming and Seasonal Allergies

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Well lets forget about the global warming debate for this
article as both sides have their proponents and assume that we
are experiencing a warming trend. Does warmer equal longer or
worse seasonal allergies? A quick look at the worst cities for
seasonal allergies for both 2009 and 2008 shows a number of warmer cities
but you will also find cities in New York State, Illinois and
Pennsylvania. Places that get their share of snow and cold
weather, so warmer does not seem to equal more seasonal
allergies on the surface.

What Makes For a Bad Allergy Season or City?

earthMost people who suffer from seasonal allergies suffer from
pollen allergies from plants which pollinate by what is known as
broadcasting.These are plants that have very light pollen which
can travel long distances on air currents, this is a complete

contrast to plants like most flowers which have very heavy pollen that does not travel very well in the air and must rely on the honey bee for help in pollination. So obviously very dry windy conditions will probably make for worse conditions for seasonal allergies and the greater density of broadcasting pollinating type plants in the area the worse.

Areas with a lot of moisture can also cause problems for those
who suffer from mold allergies. So a long rainy spring will most
likely see a rise and increase in the number of mold spores.
If you believe global warming is making the world wetter,
hotter, and windier than you can probably blame it for a
increase in seasonal allergies as well.

May

22

Protein Discovery Could Help Those With Asthma

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A discovery of a new protein linked to asthma and allergies could lead to a break through drug according to researchers in the United States. Researchers discovered that mice with out the protein showed far fewer signs of asthma.

The protein identified as TRPA1 was found to be a sensor that could trigger sneezing and coughing but researchers found that a drug HC-030031 could reduce asthma symptoms.

read more at the link below

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/allr/627235.html

May

21

Australian Watchdog Claim Allergy Testing Bogus

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An Australian watchdog  group (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) has launched legal action against a chain of allergy clinics. Claiming false and misleading practices  against AAE clinics who use the  controversial practise of muscle testing. Muscle testing lacks scientific evidence to prove it is reliable in diagnosing and treating allergies according to the group.

Unfortunately many people who are looking for a quick solution to their allergies fall for these types of bogus cures and are duped out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. There is a lot of controversy around many types of allergy tests,  many doctors even argue over which conventional allergy test is more accurate.

Unfortunately unconventional allergy treatments and allergy tests often lack scientific scrutiny and rely on so called testimonials of patients. Critics claim this is because they do not work while companies who offer such treatments generally lack funding for scientific testing and claim there is a conspiracy by large corporate medical companies to suppress alternative treatments.

May

20

Skin Prick Test

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needleThe theory behind skin prick testing, skin puncture testing and scratch testing is the same though methods very slightly. The most commonly performed is the skin prick test which is relatively pain free and fast. Scratch testing has been losing favor and some patients report more discomfort and scaring from scratch testing compared to skin prick testing.

How is The Skin Prick Test Done?

A very small amount of a possible allergen is placed on a area of the body, usually the forearm or back. The skin is than pricked with a sterile needle point to allow the allergen to enter. The tester notes if the skin begins to react in the form of hives or rash. The size of any outbreak on the skin is also measured.The size helps the allergist or doctor who is performing the test grade the reaction, there are a few different scales used for grading the reactions. Usually many allergens will be tested on the skins surface in a grid that has been marked out on back or forearm.

Negative Control: The power of the mind is so great that the mere mention of a test can cause the skin to react with rashes in some people. For this reason a negative control is used in the test. The negative control can be nothing more than a saline solution. If the skin reacts to the negative control than all results of the skin prick test can be considered suspect.

Positive Control: A positive control like histamines is also used to induce a reaction on the skin.

What Else You Should Know About Skin Prick Testing

Antihistamines should be avoided before the test. Your doctor will tell you the exact period of time you should stop taking them before the scheduled test.

The skin prick test relies a great deal on the qualifications of who interprets and performs the test. Go with the most qualified professional you can find preferably a allergist.

False positives are not uncommon where there is a reaction from a allergen during the test even though the patient experiences no problems with the allergen in normal life.

False negatives also occur even with a allergen the patient is allergic to.

Skin prick testing is considered accurate by many but it will only help diagnose those allergens that produce a IgE antibody response.

For information on other forms of allergy testing see RAST Testing and Patch Test.

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