Allergy-Associates

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology recently published research on an experimental H4-antihistamine investigated at the University of Hanover.  The research is part of a global effort to find more effective therapies for atopic dermatitis (eczema).  The prevalence of atopic dermatitis has doubled in the past 30 years with occurrence in between 15% to 30% of children and 2% to 10% of adults.  It is characterized by chronic relapsing itching of the skin which develops bumps and scaling, and…

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All three of my children have food allergies.  My two daughters have minor symptoms but my son has eosinophilic esophagitis and has had to have his esophagus dilated twice.  Why the difference?  The short and sweet answer is gender.  First off, all food allergy is quite common, affecting up to 15% of Americans at some time during their lives.  The resultant symptoms can vary from trivial to life threatening anaphylaxis (such as severe peanut allergy).  Also, the “target organ” of…

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A recent article in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology discussed current research into why asthma patients cough.  The answer, as it seems to be to many complex questions, is multifactorial.  The human brain is the source of a myriad of protective reflexes from blinking to coughing.  Protecting the airway compels a complex and delicate neural network.  Think about the high degree of neurologic coordination required for swallowing without aspirating, even though the esophagus and trachea lie against one…

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By: Sasha Klemawesch, MD Do you get misty-eyed every time you’re standing in RayJay, waiting for kickoff, listening to the National Anthem?  Or do other drivers give you the side-eye when they catch you singing R-e-S-p-E-c-T into your air mic while sitting at a red light?  No matter what genre you prefer, everyone has been moved by music at some point.  Cultures throughout history have recognized and made use of this, specifically, sound’s healing power.  For example, aboriginal healers used…

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We have launched our new Mobile Check In app. You may download it by clicking the download on the right side of this page, or by scanning the QR Code in the office. You can check in from the parking lot. If you are going to be waiting for your shot in the car just click the box that says “yes, in car” and in the comment section please add the color and make of your car. Of course, you…

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We will be open our regular office hours. If you are coming for an allergy shot, please sign in as usual and sit in the marked chairs. If you would like to get your shot in your car or outside, just let us know. We also have Telephone Visits available, please call the office to schedule. The doctor will call you back to discuss your health concerns. We are cleaning the office regularly and we do have hand sanitizer available…

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The New England Journal of Medicine recently featured a review article titled “Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging and Disease” written in cooperation by the NIH and Johns Hopkins University.  They start out the review by pointing out that it is a blatant misnomer that humans should eat three meals a day plus or minus snacks (excepting the rare individual with special nutritional needs).  They go on to point out that over the million and a half years that…

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Yes, it is true.  When I was a medical student, I was taught that people who were carriers for the cystic fibrosis gene would not manifest any of the problems of the disease.  As time and science move forward this turns out not to be the case.  Cystic Fibrosis is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease; that is, it takes the bad gene from both parents to cause the disease.  Carriers have only one copy of the gene which is…

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Not to be outdone by Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical Group also published a review in the New England Journal of Medicine about milk and health.  They start out by “stating the obvious” that the natural function of milk is to nourish and promote the growth of young mammals, not mature ones.  They go on to question the current dietary recommendation of three 8-ounce servings of milk/milk product per day.  Because cows are bred for high milk production and because they…

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By:  Sasha Klemawesch, MD Most people know the Duckbill Platypus as one of the only two mammals that lay eggs rather than give birth to live offspring (the other being the Echidna (spiny anteater) but no one remembers him!).   However, they are ALSO some of the few mammals who produce venom.  Others on the list include vampire bats, hedgehogs, shrews, and moles. Researchers in Australia have discovered that the Platypus’s venom contains a hormone called GLP-1.  Humans also have a…

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