Even tiny whiff enough to trigger allergic reaction

Even tiny whiff enough to trigger allergic reaction

A review of food reactions in children from inhalation was recently published in an issue of Allergy and Asthma Proceedings. As an introduction, the authors remind readers we are able to smell foods because of tiny aerosolized particles of food. In some children, even this tiny amount of exposure can lead to allergic symptoms. The foods most commonly implicated in this mischief are: fish, nuts, legumes, grains and cow milk. Up to 10 percent of children allergic to fish will…

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Many ways for mold to catch hold

Many ways for mold to catch hold

The Tampa Bay Times recently featured an article detailing the closure of a city building due to mold contamination. The Madeira Beach building was more than 60 years old and had been flooded several times over the years. The message here is that any Florida building can have unhealthy mold issues. The most common causes are water incursion, and heating and cooling system (HVAC) issues. Water incursion can be due to flooding, broken pipes and roof leaks. HVAC issues include…

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Q-Tips: Streptomycin Allergy

Q-Tips: Streptomycin Allergy

The recent Annals of Allergy published an article about a 10-year-old girl who suffered anaphylaxis from antibiotic residue on blueberries. The child was not known to be allergic to blueberries and later tests proved this fact. The blueberry orchard was treated with streptomycin and the child did show a positive allergy test to this antibiotic.

Q-Tips: Beta Blockers

Q-Tips: Beta Blockers

The family of drugs known as beta-blockers have long been known to be potential aggravators of allergy, Now, new recent research (published in Cutis), shows that beta-blockers can lead, in some people, to the development of psoriasis.

Dear Doc: Can allergy be blamed for loss of smell?

Dear Doc: Can allergy be blamed for loss of smell?

Dear Dr. K: I’ve lost my sense of smell. Could this be due to allergy? The answer to your question is, yes, it could be, but it is unlikely. I say that because on your recent visit here your allergies were under excellent control and the only time I’ve seen anosmia (loss of sense of smell) from allergy is when it is severely out of control. A complication of allergy that frequently causes anosmia is nasal polyposis. Treatments of the…

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Placebo effects have a cousin: Nocebo

Placebo effects have a cousin: Nocebo

The American Journal of Medicine had a recent review article titled, “Placebo: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Placebo effect is defined as any improvement in discomfort or illness resulting from an intervention possessing no physical effect. Historically, the best research techniques always include a placebo control group and double-blinding — that is, neither the researchers nor the study patients know which group is which until the study is completed. Interestingly, surgery and physical manipulation of the body, such…

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Azithromycin helps prevent COPD set-back episodes

Azithromycin helps prevent COPD set-back episodes

A study outlining the use of weekly azithromycin for COPD patients with frequent exacerbations was published recently in the world’s leading general medical journal, Lancet. “Frequent” was defined as three or more episodes in a year of these episodes of sustained worsening of these patients’ conditions. Several cogent reasons warrant attempting to prevent these exacerbations. First and foremost, they make the patient sick and can lead to hospitalization, and sometimes to death. Also, each exacerbation can worsen the overall degree of lung impairment, kind of…

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Eew! Helminths (worms) go viral

Eew! Helminths (worms) go viral

Are you having trouble with recurrent viral infections? Perhaps it’s because you also have a worm (helminth) infection. Immunology research recently published in Science suggests that. Parasitic worms are strong activators of T-helper cell 2, a lymphocyte that then produces cytokines that can help kill helminths, but that also turns off production of the cytokine interferon, which is a mainstay for fighting viruses. Helminths also reprogram the macrophages (“big eaters”), a type of white blood cell, so that they fight…

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New entry for the “Don’t text and drive” list

New entry for the “Don’t text and drive” list

Believe it or not, the greatest increase in anosmia is coming from texting! This stems from the dramatic increase in “rear-ender” automobile accidents due to texting while driving. The whiplash injury frequently seen in these mishaps causes disruption (tearing) of the olfactory nerve as these fibers pass through the cranial bone into the nasal chamber. Other neurologic problems that can cause loss of smell include meningitis, benign and malignant brain tumors in the frontal lobe area, and cerebral artery aneurysms….

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