Children living in homes where dishes are hand washed are half as likely to have allergies as children where dishes are washed in machines. The reason: Bacteria tend to adhere to hand-washed dishes and exposure to them strengthens the children’s immune system.
What’s known as the Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome was reviewed recently in the Allergy and Asthma Proceedings. The authors adroitly point out that even though physicians try to pigeon-hole diagnoses, many times people’s health problems don’t fit neatly into a single diagnostic category. This is especially true in the spectrum of chronic airway disorders. More and more people are being seen by physicians who have both asthma and COPD. The conditions are both similar and different. In general, asthma (also called…
Dear Dr. K: I’ve read about the newly available oral drops for allergy. Could that replace my current allergy shot? A quick answer for you is “no;” a longer answer to your question is “perhaps in the future.” The reason I say “no” is that your current allergy shot contains extracts for nine different grasses, including, Bahia; seven different molds, ragweed and three other Florida weeds; plus seven different trees, including oak. Right now drop therapy is only available for…
A recent review article in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology addressed the role of gut microbiota in health and illness. The author pointed out that the GI tract serves two main functions: 1. Digestion and absorption of foods and nutrients; 2. Immune function. He also pointed out that these don’t operate independently, but rather, are fully intertwined. The GI tract is the home for the majority of our immune system cells and proteins. This is so because…
An editorial in the American Journal of Medicine was titled “Exercise is Just as Important as Your Medication.” The article was very detailed in extolling the numerous health benefits of exercise, but one comment struck me most of all: The editorialist pointed out that unfortunately, physicians or patients themselves set too high a benchmark for the activities. He recommended an approach that was moderate in nature and stylized for each person’s health constraints and abilities.
Broccoli is a natural source of glucoraphanin, a compound that generates sulforaphone. The latter is an excellent mechanism to remove and detoxify air pollution that we breathe into our bodies. Hence it has been shown to reduce cancer risk, especially in heavily polluted industrial environments.
Bathing in warm sulfur spring water has been practiced for centuries for its potential health benefits, but a newly recognized cause for a sudden skin rash is exposure to this water. Unfortunately, it can cause a severe rash in some susceptible individuals. This is especially true in allergic people who may tend to have dry skin or eczema. Typically the rash appears suddenly about 24 hours after the water exposure. The rash is red with “punched out” ulcers and pits….
The University of Maryland recently published data about increased incidence of allergy in children correlating with the amount of residues of triclosan and paraben found in their urine. Triclosan is a chemical that has been added to many personal care and medical products, including soap and toothpaste. It is added for its antimicrobial properties. Paraben is added to food, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, also for its antimicrobial properties. Both have been previously shown to have immune-modulating properties (in addition…
A research study of a new drug given to steroid-dependent asthmatics has produced exciting results. Reported in a recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine, the new asthma drug, Mepolizamab, was tested at various medical centers around the globe, including the University of Pittsburgh. Mepolizamab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that inactivates interleukin– 5. Interleukin– 5 is a cell communicator that recruits eosinophils (allergic cells) into the lungs. The eosinophil is a form of white blood cell that…
Dear Dr. K: My gastroenterologist said that my blood pressure pill, Benicar, caused me to develop sprue. Can this be true? To answer your question in a broad sense: “Yes;” but in a strict sense, “No.” To better understand this yes/no scenario a few definitions would be helpful. Sprue (also known as celiac disease) is a form of GI upset with diarrhea caused by an immune reaction to gluten. The immune reaction leads to inflammation in the intestinal wall, with…