Jun

4

Insects That Can Cause Allergies

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beeNot only is spring the time of year people start to worry about spring seasonal allergies but its also the time of year that those pesky insects make their return and invade your backyard BBQ or picnic. There are a number of insects that can cause allergies from stinging or biting, the most common are bubble bees, wasps and fire ants.

Bubble Bees

Bubble bee stings can of course be dangerous to those allergic but luckily the bubble bee is not aggressive and most likely won’t attack unless it feels the need to defend itself. Bubble bees and honey bees are attracted to bright flower like colors, food (specially scents) and water. They will leave behind their stinger after stinging and can only sting once as they die after stinging.

Wasps, Hornets and Yellow Jackets

These speices tend to be more aggressive than the bubble bee and can sting multiple times leaving no stinger behind. You can find them nesting in and around wooded structures as well as eaves of houses. They are attracted more to sweet things like sugar or your can of soda pop on the picnic table.

Fire Ants

Fire ants were accidentally imported from South America and are quickly becoming a problem as they have spread through much of the United States. The ants live in mounds and can be very aggressive attacking and stinging 6-8 times even if not provoked. The sting can be very painful so shoes are a good idea even if you are not allergic to their bites.

Jun

3

Work Place Allergies

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workAs we reported in our previous post about the lottery booth employee who got asthma from the ticket printers, work place allergies can be a serious problem and require a lot of diligence. Its important to act on early signs to avoid any serious complications and long term damage.

Obviously if you have a allergy or a family history of allergies you should factor this in to your career choice. If for example you have a severe food allergy you wouldn’t want to work in a place where that food is stored, processed or packed. Other allergies however can evolve over time where a employee could first show signs of a allergy in as little as 4 months or as long as 15 years. Those who work closely with chemicals can find they develop allergies like this after a number of years. The same goes for those who work closely with latex, like those working in the medical field who are exposed to latex routinely.

Its important on any job to follow the guidelines for safety protection when it comes to clothing, breathing masks, gloves and other safety equipment when dealing with any possible sensitive materials to avoid as much contact as possible. At the time such equipment may seem silly but avoiding trace amounts is important as well as any contact that could occur in event of a accident. If you think you are suffering from work place allergies or sensitivity report it and see your doctor right away for testing.

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

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