Saturday, April 10, 2010

plus 3 more, The “Food allergies don't ruin meals, author says - Windsor Star”

plus 3 more, The “Food allergies don't ruin meals, author says - Windsor Star”

Food allergies don't ruin meals, author says - Windsor Star

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 09:48 PM PDT

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - Australian gourmand and author Suzanna Paxton has always taken an interest in food, but it was her two children, who suffer badly from allergies, that made her keep a stricter watch over what enters her kitchen.

According to medical data, one in 20 Australian children suffer symptoms of food allergies ranging from hives to death, prompting Paxton's cook book, "Allergy Safe Family Food."

A registered nurse and midwife, Paxton started collecting recipes from friends and family after her son and daughter were found to be allergic to 7 of the 8 foods that cause problems: nuts, eggs, milk, soy, sesame seeds, wheat, fish and shellfish.

The children have outgrown some of these allergies, but Paxton says everybody, including people who can eat everything, needs to be aware of what goes into their meals.

She spoke to Reuters about cooking meals that look good, taste good and don't cause reactions in the family:

Q: How relevant are food allergies today?

A: "Australia has the highest incidence of allergies in the world, with 1 in 20 children and 1 in 3 people suffering a food allergy. Allergies are a lot more prevalent than people think, and they are on the rise, and it breaks my heart whenever I hear about kids dying because of this because it is really quite easy to avoid with the right know-how. Yet there are 10 to 20 deaths a year from anaphylaxis, which is a severe, life-threatening response to an allergen, and they tend to be adolescents and young adults. I hope this book will help provide a safer environment for my kids and other kids."

Q: What prompted you write this book?

A: "This book is a product of my own experience with my two children, who were diagnosed with severe allergies, and also of the interest from other people in our community. It began when my son was diagnosed with food allergies at 8-months-old. My husband and I are such foodies, we love all types of food, and we loved to go out and entertain, but my son's condition altered all that. I tried to look for books and went online to get recipes for foods that would suit him, and I also asked friends and family. My mother-in-law helped a lot, giving me recipes that were from a time when food was a lot simpler. When my son was in kindergarten, I put together a few of these recipes, along with advice, and sold it for charity, and then there was a lot of interest. Last year I was approached by the publisher to put a book together."

Q: The book has 185 recipes. That's quite a range, especially as most people think food allergies can be very constraining.

A: "My goal has always been to put together a meal that's good for my family, that doesn't cost the earth, that looks good, tastes good, is easy to prepare and is safe. And once you've been diagnosed by a doctor and know what you're allergic too, there are a range of substitutes and also ways of getting around it. Every recipe is coded, so you quickly see if it contains something you're allergic to, and also there is a shopping guide and information about anaphylaxis. I wanted to make information easily accessible."

Q: Will people with no allergies benefit from the book?

A: "Yes, of course. Children who don't have allergies are likely to have friends like my kids who do have allergies, and this will help them to prepare foods for playdates and parties. People used to be afraid to invite my children over because they didn't want to harm them and it broke my heart. I hope this guide will help them understand better."

Q: Why do you think allergies are becoming so common?

A: "Science can't put a finger on why these allergies develop. It could be because we are mixing up a whole conundrum of herbs and spices and other ingredients from other cultures' diets that we're assaulting our immune systems."

Q: Do you have any advice for people who also have to live with food allergies?

A: "If your children have allergies teach them about their condition and talk to them to make sure they understand what to avoid and how to use their emergency medication. Children are very resilient and clever. And even if your children do not have allergies, being around kids who do will raise their awareness about it and then they will teach other people and there will be a culture shift. Hopefully, by the time my children are older, they'll be regarded as normal."

(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

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Seasonal allergies and your kids - Today's THV

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 08:00 PM PDT

Nicole Smith's mother says Nicole has suffered from allergy and sinus problems since she was very young. "When she was about five years old and she had to go to the emergency room a lot and to the doctors a lot."

Dr. Charles Bower at Arkansas Children's Hospital says this time of year is tough for everybody. "It is allergy time of year, so everybody sneezing coughing have wet eyes. I've got seasonal allergies myself and it's a little bit rough time of the year."

It's a tough time especially for kids with allergies who really love to play outside or take part in sports like baseball and soccer.

Tree pollens, grasses and weeds can bring on symptoms of allergies. They include red itchy watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, persistent cough, chronic rubbing of the nose, difficulty breathing and fatigue.

So how do you know your child has allergies and not a sinus infection? Bower says the symptoms are a little different. "It can be difficult to tell the difference although allergy usually does not have fever and of course allergy will typically have clear nasal drainage and stuffiness, whereas infections may be more pearlent or discolored nasal drainage."

Allergies are usually treated with antihistamines, nasal steroids, occasionally decongestants and rarely allergy shots.

Sinus infections are treated with saline nasal spray, antibiotics for at least ten days and occasionally decongestants for older children.

The best form of prevention of seasonal allergies is to keep car and house windows closed and limit outdoor activities when pollen counts are highest. Allergies are more common in children who are exposed to second hand smoke, air pollution and pets.

The majority of sinus infections are caused by the virus of the common colds. When it comes to colds, kids between the ages of 9 months and 2 years of age will have six colds a year. If that child is in daycare, that may be 10 to 12 colds a year.

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This allergy season nothing to sneeze at - CNN

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 11:56 PM PDT

(CNN) -- Feel like you can't breathe? Do you have the uncontrollable urge to rub your eyes every 10 seconds?

The trees are blossoming and shedding pollen early this year, and that's bad news for millions of Americans who are suffering from allergies.

You probably think your area has it the worst, but the true champion of allergies in America is Knoxville, Tennessee, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

The nonprofit organization, which is releasing its list of 100 allergy capitals next week at allergycapitals.com, bases its rankings on pollen score, how much allergy medicine is used per patient, and the number of board-certified allergists per patient -- in other words, how difficult it would be to get an appointment.

"There's a really obvious concentration of these capitals" in the mid-Atlantic regions and the South Atlantic regions, said Michael Tringale of AAFA. Knoxville is consistently in the top 10, and has been No. 1 several times, he said.

Allergy causes are everywhere

Knoxville has already had pollen counts above 6,000 particles per cubic meter, said allergist Dr. Robert Overholt, who works in the city. With the abundance of vegetation and lots of moisture, an early warm spell in Tennessee sets the area up for a high concentration of allergens such as oak, maple and pine pollen.

Tree pollen is usually worst in March, April and early May, while grass pollen is highest in April, May and June, Overholt said.

Do you swear by the Neti Pot? Send us an iReport.

The "allergy capital" idea came about because the AAFA was flooded with phone calls from allergy patients asking, "Where should I move?" Tringale said.

Here's the harsh reality: There are few places in the country to hide if you have allergies, so you can't really move to avoid them. Some people actually develop allergies after they move, Overholt said. For reasons unknown, people who relocate commonly develop allergies to local pollens in their second year of residence, he said. People even have allergies in Arizona, a state that's relatively dry, but has growing vegetation, he said.

To determine America's "allergy capitals," AAFA takes into account the particles per cubic meter of common allergens such as tree, grass and weed pollen, as well as mold spores, and how many people are allergic to each of those. A high pollen score, a high allergy-medicine use score and a low number of certified allergists per patient move a city higher on the list.

Why allergies are on the rise

1. Knoxville, Tennessee
2. Louisville, Kentucky
3. Chattanooga, Tennessee
4. Dayton, Ohio
5. Charlotte, North Carolina
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
7. Greensboro, North Carolina
8. Jackson, Mississippi
9. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Wichita, Kansas

Source: Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

One theory behind worsening allergies is that global warming seems to be exacerbating the problem, Tringale said. Many of the warming seasons are starting earlier, and the cooling seasons don't last as long. More plants that never used to thrive in the South are thriving there because the climate may be warmer, he said.

"These plants are producing more pollen, not just because their seasons are longer, but each day because of the increase in carbon dioxide pollution, they produce more pollen per plant."

Another factor is pollution, which may be driving the immune system to develop allergies, Overholt said. There is also the hygiene hypothesis -- that the children in the United States grow up in too-clean households, so their immune systems go haywire.

What to do

There are several remedies available over the counter and by prescription to help treat the unpleasant symptoms of allergies.

People don't sleep well when their noses are stuffed, Overholt said. To help clear the nasal pathways, your doctor may prescribe a topical antihistamine spray such as Astepro or Patanase or a steroidal spray such as Flonase to relieve congestion.

As far as daily living, keep the windows of your car and house closed, and turn air conditioning on, he said. Still, you will get exposed to pollen as soon as you leave your car or house.

"Basically you're trapped, so you've got to use medications, you've got to use a desensitizing program," he said.

Desensitization therapy, otherwise known as allergy shots, is the only mostly sure-fire way to relieve allergies. This requires a three-year commitment, which is inconvenient, but provides substantial benefits, Overholt said. Patients typically see 50 percent reduction of symptoms by the end of one year and 90 to 100 percent after three years, Overholt said.

Web sites such as pollen.com have daily maps of pollen scores so you can see how bad the sniffles might be on that day.

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Allergies? Here's what you can do - Times Daily

Posted: 10 Apr 2010 12:46 AM PDT


Your nose itches, your head feels like it's in a vice and everyone's vehicle is painted yellow. It's pollen season. For the past several days, tree pollen levels have been "very high" according to weather reports. Staff Writer Trevor Stokes spoke with Dr. Mo Mallette after a busy day of appointments about how pollen sufferers can get some relief.

Q: What range of pollen allergy severity do you see in your office?

A. My busiest months are April, May and June, which is your tree grass season. In July, the grass starts to die down, then ragweed, a potent allergen, starts to come out in August.

Q: When should people take over-the-counter medications and when should they seek professional help?

A: They should seek a specialist when they have to take medication more than four to six months per year on a daily basis. If they're just taking medications a couple of weeks a month, that's fine. If you have complications taking some of your allergy medications like asthma or recurrent sinus or ear infections, you should seek medical help.

A lot of times, allergies make you feel like you have a head cold and folks will go to their prime health care provider for treatment when really it's an allergy.

Q: What kinds of treatments are available for those with pollen allergies?

A: The ultimate treatment for allergy is avoidance to what you are allergic to. You can't avoid all allergens, some you have to breathe.

In my office, you're going to walk out with an antihistamine and a nasal steroid. The antihistamine reduces the runny itchy sneezes. The nasal steroid treats the sneezes and congestion.

Q: What can people do non-medically that might help calm their allergies?

A: The main thing is air conditioning is their friend. A lot of folks this time of the year like to raise the windows to bring in the cool air. That is a no-no because it brings in the pollen. Air conditioning acts as a filter and it filters the pollen. Whether in the house or car.

Q: Can an allergy be cured?

A: Yes. 80 percent of my patients put on immunotherapy or allergy shots will be cured after five years. There are a lot of theories on how immunotherapy works. It's been around 100 years, nothing has been found to be better. We really don't know how it specifically works. Usually they are weekly shots at the beginning and gradually they decline over the five years.

Q: What can happen if someone ignores a pollen allergy?

A: You can go on and develop asthma. If you don't treat allergies, you lose work days, you have more chronic infections, it costs the patients their personal money and it costs society.

from lost work days.


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