Jun

16

Poison Ivy Symptoms

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This is the time of year that many of us are trying to reconnect with nature whether its on a long walk through a wooded trail or playing a round of golf. You may however want to think twice about wondering off the trail or chasing that errant golf shot into the brush, as poison ivy and similar plants may be waiting for you with a nasty surprise. About 85% of those who stumble onto poison ivy will experience poison ivy symptoms with in a few hours to a few days.

Poison Ivy Symptoms

poison_ivy_leafPoison ivy which happens to belong to the cashew and mango family contains a oil known as urushiol that is responsible for causing poison ivy symptoms. The symptoms can also occur from secondary contact with a object that has touched urushiol oil and then your skin. So for example if that errant golf shot you hit goes into the rough and takes a good bounce back onto the fairway, and it happened to go through some poison ivy along the way your golf ball may be contaminated. Pets can also carry the urushiol oil in their fur and infect you with it if they were in contact with poison ivy.

Poison Ivy Contact Dermatitis

  • The skin may start off with just a little redness which blisters and becomes very itchy before a poison ivy rash appears.
  • Swelling may also occur.
  • Scratching the infected area could lead to a bacteria infection and related fever.
  • After a short time skin may become dry with  scales. Normally poison ivy symptoms will disappear after a few weeks on its own.

Treating Poison Ivy Symptoms

  • If you think you may have come in contact with poison ivy wash the area with soap but do not spread it around. Poison ivy symptoms will occur where the plant made contact with the skin or where contaminated clothes or hands have touched the skin.
  • Remove any clothing that may have touched the poison ivy plant. Do not touch other parts of your body until your hands have been washed as they may infect other areas of the body.
  • Washing the area in vinegar is also worth trying if caught early.
  • Soaking the area with a cool compress may help.
  • Soaking in oatmeal is also sometimes recommended.
  • Calamine oil may help or a moisturizer may be used when skin becomes dry, though some may be irritating.
  • You may want to cover up any open areas of skin to prevent infection.
  • Severe reactions require the care of a doctor.

Preventing Poison Ivy

The old saying “leaves of three let it be” still holds true as one of the
easiest ways to recognize or avoid poison ivy. The leaves of poison ivy change color with the season just like leaves on a tree.

Obviously covering up exposed skin and avoiding wooded and over grown areas is the best way to prevent poison ivy, but you can also buy cream like ivy block that you put on your skin to act as a barrier between it and the poison ivy urushiol oil.

Lastly poison ivy is not contagious,  poison ivy rashes or the fluid in them can not be spread to others or to other parts of the body

Jun

11

What Are T Helper Cells?

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cellsT helper cells play a vital role in the function of the bodies immune system and its ability to defend itself against any threats. The cells act very much like the control center for the bodies immune system in that T helper cells recognize any threat and decide if there should be a reaction and how much it should be.

If you think of your body as a war field, T helper cells are the 4 star generals and when the body is attacked they organize the forces, and decide how much defense is needed to fend off the attacks. In doing so it decides what cells should get involved, When the threat has been over come they let other cells know that they can stop as they declare victory

T helper cells are unique in this way in that they do not kill infections or pathogens but rather organize other cells to react against them. Because T helper cells are the command and control center for the immune system many deadly viruses like HIV  and other immune diseases often strike at them causing a collapse of the entire immune system. With allergies these T helper cells may be responsible for over estimating the threat and send to great of a response thus causing painful allergy symptoms. The T helper cells direct B cells to differentiate into IgE-producing plasma cells. The end result is a large amount of histamine and other allergic mediators being produced that may not be needed.

Jun

10

Rhinitis Research

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New research presented at the Congress of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) has given new hope for those who suffer from rhinitis.

The 2 year trial found a depigmented tree pollen extract to be more effective than a placebo at relieving rhinitis.

Rhinitis often involves irritation and inflammation of the interior of the nose. It can lead to excess mucus being generated resulting in a runny nose or nasal drip. Its estimated that as many as 50 million people in the United States may suffer  from rhinitis, usually allergies or histamines are to blame for rhinitis  conditions.
Angelika Sager, German MD explained, “We could nicely demonstrate a significant and clinically relevant reduction in the combined symptom and medication score of 36% over placebo,”during his presentation.

The study was done over two seasons where immunotherapy was done with depigment  tree pollen. It was conducted in 3 countries ( Germany, Lithuania, and Poland) and involved a total of 184 participants.

Jun

9

Hair Dye Allergy

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hair_dye_allergyAllergy Today magazine is reporting a rise in the number consumers who have hair dye allergy symptoms. Hair dye use is no longer reserved for the old but its become a fashion trend among younger people to use permanent and semi permanent hair dye. Many of hair dye allergic reactions are blamed on Para-phenylenediamin.

While I must admit that I will occasionally use hair dye a few times a year. In recent years I will dye my hair on my birthday and at Christmas. I have been a little troubled by reports of hair dye and possible cancer links. You can google it for yourself (hair dye+cancer) and decide but I think the hair dye companies are doing a good job on the hair dye allergy front as far warning people about them.

On a recent package of hair dye that I purchased I found allergy warnings in no less than 4 different spots on the package and contents. Ironically it took me about 10 minutes to find a list of ingredients that the hair dye contained, unfortunately most of the ingredients where chemicals which I  had never heard of. They were printed on a small part on the bottom of the box and far more concealed than the multiple hair dye allergy warnings. The instructions also advised that a 48 hour patch test be done every time before using hair dye.

Hair Dye Allergy Patch Test

  • Wash a area on fold of elbow
  • Applying color base to a spot about the size of a quarter
  • Examine the area for any allergy symptoms and only apply the dye if there is no reaction

The instructions also advised not to use hair dye if there is skin damage where the hair dye is to be used and warned that those who have tattoos could be at a higher risk to suffering hair dye  allergy  symptoms.

Hair Dye Allergy Symptoms

  • A stinging or burning feeling  shortly after being applied
  • Skin rash, hives, blisters and itchy scalp
  • Shortness of breath, tight chest and dizziness
  • Swelling of face

One thing I was guilty of is not reading the instructions fully before using hair dye products in the past. After reading about hair dye allergies and seeing just how much information is provided in the instructions I can see how important it really is. If you do experience any hair dye allergy symptoms you should seek medical attention and of course discontinue the use of the product.

There are some natural hair dye products on the market that I plan on looking into but the other alternative is to just live with the salt and pepper look.

Jun

5

Egg Allergies

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eggEggs allergies rank near the top in terms of which food allergies are the most common. One of the reason for this is unfortunately the fact that eggs contain so many different healthy proteins. The many different proteins also make it difficult to figure out which protein is responsible for causing egg allergy symptoms. Like most food allergies children are the most at risk to suffering from egg allergy symptoms although many will out grow their egg allergies.

There are varying degrees of egg allergies and some people with them will be able to tolerate eggs in different states. The reason for this is because cooking the eggs changes it molecular structure, and the longer it is cooked the more the structure is changed and this will eliminate some of the proteins. For this reason some people may find that they are able to tolerate hard boiled eggs but not soft boiled. If you are allergic to eggs you should however not test if you are allergic to eggs in various cooked states with out proper medical supervision. Both the yolk and egg white contain different proteins so most people will be allergic to either egg whites or yolks but not both. Unfortunately separating the egg yolk from the egg white is not really possible as small amounts will be  left on the yolk so in many cases even people allergic to only egg whites will need to avoid egg yolks as well

Avoiding Eggs

Eliminating eggs from the diet is not as easy as skipping them at breakfast as eggs are found in everything from pastas to dessert toppings. Baking is a little easier as egg replacers can be found in most local grocery stores and depending on the eggs purpose (liquid,binder or agent) in a recipe substitution can be made in recipes with a little experimentation. Many grocery stores now care specialty line for allergy sufferers making it more easy to buy egg free goods that typically contain eggs.

Egg Allergy Symptoms

Egg Allergy Symptoms can occur minutes after eating them or may take several hours to occur.

  • Stomach problem like gas or upset stomach are common as well as diarrhea.
  • Skin problems like eczema are one of the more noticeable problems in small children. Hives and other rashes may also appear.
  • Asthma attacks and breathing problems may also result from egg allergies.
  • Anaphylactic shock is the most serious and requires immediate medical attention. During anaphylactic shock mouth and throat swell and breathing becomes very difficult.

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