allergies

Friday, August 10, 2012

New Hampshire State Employees May Be Banned From Wearing Scented Products

We've all been in the situation where we're exposed to a person wearing way too much perfume. It may be at the grocery store, the coffee shop, or even at work. If the scent is strong enough, it may make your eyes water, nose tingle and may even cause a cough. If a person has asthma or nasal allergies, exposure to strong odors or perfumes may make these underlying medical problems worse. For these reasons, the state of New Hampshire is considering legislation to forbid state employees who interact with the public from using scented or fragrant soaps.

While this legislation may initially sound like a good idea, it's an example of a slippery slope argument, similar to the idea of banning peanuts from school. First, how will the law be enforced? Will there be "perfume police" to sniff any and all state employees before starting their work shifts? What constitutes excessive odor? If you can smell the odor from 1 foot away? Three feet away? Ten feet away? From across the room? What about other smells, such as body odor, bad breath or flatulence? Will a state employee be terminated for any offensive smell that might come from their bodies?

When you think about it, this legislation is absolutely ridiculous. If passed, New Hampshire will be the laughing stock of the country, and will be an example of government overstepping its authority.

Allergy to Odors and Perfumes
Triggers for Non-Allergic Rhinitis
Banning Peanuts from Schools

Dont Let Poison Oak Get Under Your Skin This Summer

Summer is a time for outdoor activities -- many of us will spend countless hours hiking, camping, and swimming the next couple of months. Whether at a campsite, park, or in our own backyard, the great outdoors beckons to spend time under the warm blue skies and cool starry nights. Along with these outdoor excursions, we're bound to come into contact with a certain 3-leafed plant that is also enjoying the summer -- poison oak, poison ivy poison sumac. These plants can leave an itchy, bumpy rash within a few hours to days after touching the skin. And, the more we come into contact with these plants, the faster the rash comes on, and the previous areas of itchy rashes can return, thanks to the immune system's memory with this type of allergic skin rash.

All About Poison Oak, Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac
Pictures of Poison Oak/Ivy/Sumac Rashes
Is There a Cure for Poison Oak/Ivy/Sumac?

Pine Pollen as a Cause of Spring Hay Fever

In many parts of the country, trees are beginning to pollinate. Pine trees are one of the most obvious trees pollinating this time of year, because they make quite a mess. Pine trees emit copious amounts of the yellow, powdery stuff, coating cars and driveways, and making a mess in general. But what about allergies? Are people really allergic to pine pollen, or is it just a colorful masquerader that pollinates at the same time as more allergenic trees?

The answer is probably a little bit of both. Pine pollen is a large particle, and fails to travel long distances, and has a waxy coating on its surface. This makes pine pollen a minor allergy trigger for most people, although some people do experience significant allergic symptoms. Other tree pollens that aren't as visible, such as birch, cedar, oak and sycamore, happen to be in the air at the same time as the colorful pine pollen.

Are you allergic to pine pollen? Only an allergist can tell you for sure. Isn't it about time you found out what you're allergic to? Find an allergist in your area.

How Pollen Causes Allergy Symptoms
Everything You Need to Know About Hay Fever
All About Spring Allergies

Its 2012 Did You Just Develop an Allergy to Alcohol

If you're reading this blog, there's a good chance that you had a good time last night. Maybe a really good time. But you're probably not having that great of a time today, likely as a result of some sort of a reaction to alcoholic beverages. Most people have experienced a hang over from drinking too much alcohol (and not enough water), but could you be experiencing an allergic reaction to alcohol? There are a variety of different types of reactions that a person could experience from alcohol, from a variety of different causes. Some of these could include an allergic reaction (or at least mimic an allergic reaction), non-allergic intolerance, or could simply be an expected pharmacologic effect from too much alcohol. Whatever the cause is, people who experience these reactions want to know how to deal with it -- and how to prevent it from happening again.

Learn more:

Allergic Reactions to Alcohol
Could I Be Allergic to Sulfites?
Our Readers' Experiences with Alcohol Allergy

Mosquito Allergy Can Be a Pain in the Neck

If you spent any significant time outdoors this weekend, especially during the early evening hours, there's a good chance that you were bitten by mosquitoes. Summer is mosquito season, and we've all experienced the occasional mosquito attack on a summer evening. While most people experience a mild itchy bump after a mosquito bite, other people experience severe swelling as a result of being allergic to mosquito bites. For these people, outdoor summer activities can be a pain in the neck -- literally -- as a result of mosquito allergy. Learn all about mosquito allergy, including how mosquito allergy is diagnosed and treated.

All About Mosquito Allergy
Mosquito Allergy: Readers' Tips on What To Do
Allergy to Insect Stings and Bites

Could Your Cold Actually Be A Sinus Infection

January is cold and flu season, and many of us are walking around with stuffy noses and a box of Kleenex right now. Some of us have allergies, some have the common cold, and others may even have sinus infections. Symptoms of a cold that don't get better after a week or two could represent a allergies or a sinus infection. A sinus infection may simply cause nasal congestion, runny nose, post nasal drip, coughing and/or a headache -- and may not necessarily cause facial pain/pressure, green nasal discharge and fevers.

If your cold has lasted more than two weeks and isn't getting better, you may want to see your doctor to see if you could have a sinus infection.

Is it a cold, or is it allergies?
All about sinus infections
How to know if you have allergies

Is Global Warming Responsible for the Increase in Allergies

There is much debate as to whether or not there actually is global warming on the earth, and whether this is a man-made or a natural event. If the earth truly is warming, we might expect a "greenhouse" effect, causing the increased growth of plants as well as an increase in the pollination of these plants. We might also expect the pollinating seasons of these plants, such as spring and fall, to occur earlier in the year and to last longer. Three recent studies showed that pollen seasons are occurring earlier in the year, lasting longer, and resulting in more airborne pollen. Worsening of pollen allergies may be another effect of global warming that has yet to be fully recognized.

Global Warming and Allergies
Do You Believe Allergies are Being Worsened by Global Warming?
Check the Pollen Forecast in Your Area