Tag Archives: Allergies

lynnawiensmd 7:36 am on February 3, 2015
Tags: Allergies, ,   

Spring is Right Around the Corner!

#allergies, #american-college-of-allergy-asthma-immunology, #asthma

lynnawiensmd 7:30 am on December 30, 2013
Tags: Allergies, , Pollen,   

USA Today just can’t stop talking about allergies!

Want to know how to improve your make-up skills during allergy season?  Look at this YouTube:

Here’s the article link. Early allergy in Tulsa! Look at Tulsa which is in the “high” range for this Spring’s pollen count!

#allergies, #allergy, #pollen, #tulsa-oklahoma

lynnawiensmd 8:35 am on June 29, 2012
Tags: Allergies, , , Epinephrine autoinjector, , , , New York City   

Have We Lost our CommonSense?

Schools are quite paranoid about giving any medication on their watch.  The liability for giving sunscreen when you don’t need it?  Zero.  This is very similar to the use of epinephrine in a school aged child with food allergy.  You certainly don’t want to withhold epi and risk anaphylaxis or death, when the risk of giving the EpiPen is negligible even if you don’t need the drug.  Maybe our policies in schools will change after a large malpractice case gets media attention for NOT giving epinephrine at the appropriate time for peanut allergy. 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-27/sunscreen-policies/55877080/1

#allergies, #allergy, #epinephrine, #epinephrine-autoinjector, #food, #food-allergy, #health, #new-york-city

lynnawiensmd 8:22 am on June 27, 2012
Tags: , Allergies, , , , , ,   

Are We Beating a Dead Horse?

Ok, another study about the dangers of food allergy (yesterday in USA Today).  You would think the occurrence of food allergy to KNOWN allergens (peanut & milk) would decrease given all the attention given to accidental ingestion.  Evidently, this is not the case.  Explanations?  Maybe we’re afraid of giving epinephrine.  In my personal experience, giving epinephrine is analogous to “waving the white flag.”  It doesn’t have to be nor should it be when treating children with suspected food allergy.  As I tell my nurses, “give the epi, then call the doctor!” 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-25/kids-food-allergies/55797696/1

#allergen, #allergies, #allergy, #epinephrine, #food, #food-allergy, #health, #usa-today

lynnawiensmd 8:16 am on June 14, 2012
Tags: Allergies, , , Jewellery, , Wedding ring   

Wedding Ring allergy

Think you can be allergic to your spouse? Just this week in the clinic, a middle-aged woman presents with a rash found only when she wears her wedding ring.  No other jewellery gives her problems except for the ring when worn > 2-3 days.  Although nickel allergy can cause this scenario, this woman probably has occlusion dermatitis or “wedding ring allergy.”  Any accumulation of soap and water underneath the ring will cause this type of dermatitis in sensitive individuals.  Want to learn more? 

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=107570

#allergies, #allergy, #conditions-and-diseases, #jewellery, #rash, #wedding-ring

lynnawiensmd 9:27 am on May 14, 2012
Tags: Allergies, , ,   

Usefulness of Omalizumab for treatment of asthma

Insurance is now a part of our lives, especially health care providers.  Expensive medications such as omalizumab (Xolair™) are rarely approved for use unless patients and physicians complete an extensive application for benefits.  Here is a list of medical articles that support the use of Omalizumab in the treatment of asthma:

1.  Storms, W, et al.  Omalizumab and asthma control in patients with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma: A 6-year pragmatic data review.  Allergy and Asthma Proceedings 2012 33:172-177.

  • Proven fewer symptoms of asthma
  • Less need for rescue medication
  • Burst of steroids decreased from 5.1 to 1.1 in the 12 months of the study
  • ACT scores improved by 58% in the first year
  • Fewer hospitalizations

What other medication do we have available that produces these results without the use of oral steroids?  But don’t take it from me, see for yourself. 

#allergies, #asthma, #omalizumab, #respiratory-disorders

lynnawiensmd 11:32 am on April 16, 2012
Tags: Allergies, , , , ,   

Here’s a book on food allergies!

The ultimate Family--should be a TV show!

My transcriptionists are not only good at what they do, but when they hear me talk as much as I do, it’s almost family. 

I am reading a book called, Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl by Sandra Beasley, and I thought of you.

  • It’s a memoir about the author’s life with food allergies, what it was like growing up with allergies, etc. She has a variety of food allergies along with environmental allergies. 
  • It’s not very long but it seemed like a book parents who have kids with allergies or individuals suffering from allergies in general would really be able to relate to. Good advice Stephanie!
  • The author is really honest about what it’s like living with allergies but she’s humorous about it at the same time.
  • The one thing that shocked me is that when the author was a teenager she thought about overdosing on Benadryl because she was tired of living with allergies.  Don’t kid yourself, the quality of life in patients with allergy isn’t very good….much worse than heart disease or even diabetes.
  • I think this book could help people with allergies, so they don’t feel alone. I don’t feel alone but I know I’m the only one in my family with allergies and none of them get what an allergic reaction is really like so I’m really enjoying this book.

Stephanie, thanks for the suggestion and I’m sure many of our readers will also enjoy the book. You’ll have to ask her permission to “friend”, but here’s her link—>profile.php?id=1192230038&sk=photos

Here’s the link from Amazon about further information on the book:  Book on Allergies from Amazon

#allergies, #allergy, #benadryl, #conditions-and-diseases, #food, #food-allergy