Free Republic

Amish children raised on rural farms in northern Indiana suffer from asthma and allergies less often even than Swiss farm kids, a group known to be relatively free from allergies, according to a new study. "The rates are very, very low," said Dr. Mark Holbreich, the study's lead author. "So there's something that we feel is even more protective in the Amish" than in European farming communities. What it is about growing up on farms -- and Amish farms in particular -- that seems to prevent allergies remains unclear. Researchers have long observed the so-called "farm effect" -- the low...

“I had no sense of well being till I went gluten free.” “I don't use my inhaler anymore.” “My skin rashes disappeared.” The testimonials are startlingly earnest. Although food fads come and go with wearying regularity, perhaps it's time we investigated wheat. Why are a small but steadily increasing number of people going gluten-free, and saying it's changed their lives. Perceived as a ‘Western disease,' gluten sensitivity has never really been taken seriously in India. Its most extreme form is Celiac disease, caused by acute allergy to gluten, present in wheat and related grains such as barley and rye. A...

Allergy research If infants encounter a wide range of bacteria they are less at risk of developing allergic disease later in life. This is the conclusion of research from the University of Copenhagen, which suggests completely new factors in many modern lifestyle diseases.Oversensitivity diseases, or allergies, now affect 25 per cent of the population of Denmark. The figure has been on the increase in recent decades and now researchers at the Dansk BørneAstma Center [COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood], University of Copenhagen, are at last able to partly explain the reasons. A variety of bacteria offers protection"In...

...What that basically means is that in an emergency situation, such as a declaration of martial law, chipping stations will be immediately deployed. It will be for you and your family, and will ensure that you’ll receive emergency rations and other services in the event of a serious catastrophe. Next, they’ll require all government healthcare recipients to be chipped in order to prevent rampant fraud. An off-shoot may be to implement nationwide chipping programs for those receiving any government benefits including social security, Medicaid, Medicare, and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance. Prisoners and even detainees will be part of the first adopter...

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20111022b3.html Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011 Fukushima cedar pollen to be tested Kyodo The Forestry Agency will test cedar pollen in Fukushima Prefecture for radiation from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, agency officials said Friday. If high radiation is detected, the test data might be incorporated into cedar pollen forecasts the Environment Ministry will announce later this year before the pollen starts raising allergy problems in early spring. The agency has requested funds to pay for the tests from the third supplementary budget for fiscal 2011 so they can be conducted as early as next month.

A London, Ont., school board has banned peanut butter substitutes simply because they could be confused with their peanut counterparts, angering parents already frustrated by efforts to find an acceptable lunch their kids will eat. In a recent memo, Thames Valley District school board director Bill Tucker wrote that “any products considered to be a peanut butter replacement are no more appropriate in our schools than regular peanut butter.” Parents were asked to “avoid using peanut butter and peanut butter alternatives because of the difficulty in being able to distinguish alternatives from the real thing.” “There’s a lot of upset...

I am a longtime lurker here and visit nearly everyday. I have developed a severe allergy problem. I have been told by my allergy Doctor that I am "allergic to iodine when taken as food in combination with other elements" In other words I can't tolerate iodine in my food. He said I am the first true case of this type he has ever seen. Many people think they are allergic to Iodine but in fact are allergic to a protein found in shellfish. I am living off of a few juiced raw vegetables,organic unsalted peanut butter,oranges,orange juice and organic...

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Some public school parents in Edgewater, Florida, want a first-grade girl with life-threatening peanut allergies removed from the classroom and home-schooled, rather than deal with special rules to protect her health, a school official said. "That was one of the suggestions that kept coming forward from parents, to have her home-schooled. But we're required by federal law to provide accommodations. That's just not even an option for us," said Nancy Wait, spokeswoman for the Volusia County School District. Wait said the 6-year-old's peanut allergy is so severe it is considered a disability under the Americans with...

Even eating ice cream is off-limits for 9-year-old Priscilla Nine-year-old Priscilla Pomerantz can't play in the snow, eat ice cream or walk her dog during the winter. She can't get cold at all, because she suffers from an allergy called cold urticaria. For Priscilla, air temperatures below 70 degrees -- or even eating chilly foods -- trigger an allergic reaction of hives, swelling and difficulty breathing. Left untreated, the cold could literally kill her.

Young teenagers who use acetaminophen even once a month develop asthma symptoms more than twice as often as those who never take it, a large international study has found. And frequent users also had more eczema and eye and sinus irritation. Other studies have linked acetaminophen (often sold as Tylenol and in other over-the-counter remedies for pain, colds, fever and allergies) with an increased risk of asthma. But the new study’s authors cautioned that the findings did not mean children should stop using it. “Acetaminophen remains the preferred drug to relieve pain and fever in children,” said the study’s lead...

We have all had them, but have you ever seen a bear cub have a sneezing fit? Well why not take a break from all the political news and see something that is bound to make you smile and laugh. Follow this link to see a short video clip of aBear Cub Having a Sneezing Fit

A jab that could provide a "one size fits all" approach to tackling hay fever, asthma and eczema could be available within a few years, a conference heard.Swiss researchers claimed allergies that blight the lives of 10 million British sufferers could be largely eradicated with a single vaccine. An allergy conference in London heard the “one size fits all” injection that wards off asthma, eczema, hay fever and even peanut allergies could be on the shelves within four to five years. Experts say if the jab, known only as CYT003-Qbg10 which has been tested on humans, is properly developed it...

"If you are sick & tired of being sick & tired, I believe that Life Application Ministries (LAM) may be your missing link. This is a ministry based on the Word of God. It is the Word of Truth that sets people free, ALL people!" "Life Application Ministries, LAM, ministry, Word of God, word of god, Linda Lange, linda lange, six basic principles, spiritually rooted diseases, diseases and their root cause, the meeting place, healing and health in body, soul and spirit, introduction & foundation, relationship with god, spiritual roots preventing healing, blocks preventing healing, five r's to freedom, family...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For children at higher-than-average risk of asthma, having a dog around the house may increase the chances of developing the lung disease, a new study suggests. The study, which followed 380 children at increased risk of asthma due to family history, found that those exposed to relatively high levels of dog allergen at the age of 7 were more likely to have asthma. In contrast, there was no relationship between cat-allergen exposure and a child's risk of asthma, according to findings published in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. > "Dogs tend to have a...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sneezing, congestion, and runny noses from hay fever may be lasting longer because climate change may be extending pollen seasons, doctors in Italy said on Monday. Pollen seasons as well as the amount of pollen in the air progressively increased during a six-year study in Italy, the doctors told a meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in New Orleans. The team at Genoa University recorded pollen counts, how long pollen seasons lasted and sensitivity to five types of pollen in the Bordighera region of Italy from 1981 to 2007. "By studying a well-defined...

LONDON — The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline says it has advised medical staff in Canada to not use one batch of swine flu vaccine for fear it may trigger life-threatening allergies. GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White said Tuesday the company issued the advice after reports that one batch of the swine flu vaccine might have caused more allergic reactions than normal. She says the affected batch contains 172,000 doses of the vaccine. She declined to say how many doses had been administered before the advice to stop using them was given.

It is seldom recognized, commented historian René Dubos, that each society and every civilization creates its own diseases.1 Is the peanut allergy epidemic man-made? And if so, how has it been created in millions of children in just 20 years and who or what are its architects? The features of the epidemic continue to puzzle doctors. In the US alone, 5.6 million people – 2% of the population – are allergic topeanuts and nuts almost all having experienced onset as toddlers. This epidemic tipped into critical mass around 1998 when the first flood of allergic children entered kindergarten sending a...

A new study finds that a botanical drug could provide the key to new treatments for peanut allergies. The findings are published online in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Lead author Xiu-Min Li, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Center for Chinese Herbal Therapy for Allergy and Asthma at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and colleagues found Food Allergy Herbal Formula (FAHF-2) produced long-term protection following treatment against peanut-induced anaphylaxis in mice. FAHF-2 treatment protected peanut allergic mice from anaphylaxis for more than 36 weeks after treatment was discontinued.

Your kid doesn't have an allergy to nuts. Your kid has a parent who needs to feel special. Your kid also spends recess running and screaming, "No! Stop! Don't rub my head with peanut butter!" Yes, a tiny number of kids have severe peanut allergies that cause anaphylactic shock, and all their teachers should be warned, handed EpiPens and given a really expensive gift at Christmas. But unless you're a character on "Heroes," genes don't mutate fast enough to have caused an 18% increase in childhood food allergies between 1997 and 2007. And genes certainly don't cause 25% of parents...

The new blue uniforms issued to Transportation Security Administration officers at hundreds of airports nationwide may have a snazzy look, but they have become a major irritant for some of those employees. The new uniforms are causing rashes and other irritations among transportation security officers who screen passengers at airports, according to the union representing the workers. "We're hearing from hundreds of TSOs that this is an issue," said Emily Ryan, a spokeswoman for the American Federation of Government Employees. Most of the complaints have been for skin rashes, but they have also included runny or bloody noses, lightheadeness, red...

DETROIT—A federal judge says a Detroit city employee can proceed with a civil suit claiming she couldn't work because of a co-worker's strong perfume. The Detroit News says U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff determined Susan McBride has a potential claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The city is asking to have the suit dismissed. McBride says she's severely sensitive to perfumes and other cosmetics. She says the perfume worn by a co-worker in the city's Planning Department made it difficult for her to breathe. She says the co-worker also used a plugged in room deodorizer. The suit says the...

This is a total personal (vanity?) thread, but I have searched Google, and can't find the exact answer I'm looking for. For many years I have learned to never eat dairy and shellfish within a certain timeframe, because it will make me very sick (nausea and all the other unpleasant things that go with it). I ate shrimp for lunch yesterday, and after many hours (4-5 is my usual minimum) I ate ice cream. I still got ill, although not as severely as I would have, had I not heeded my usual rule. I now know I will have to...

A contaminant found in tainted heparin, the blood-thinner drug that has been linked to dozens of deaths, can trigger severe adverse reactions all by itself, researchers report. In one study released today, researchers confirm the presence of the chemical, known as oversulphated chondroitin sulphate, in suspect batches of heparin1. Another study found that the compound seems to trigger in pigs the same symptoms that have been seen in patients treated with the contaminated drug2. Contaminated heparin produces similar adverse reactions in swine.ANTONIA REEVE / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY “We show that the contaminated heparin activates two inflammatory pathways, causing severe allergic...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Starting Thursday, allergy sufferers can find the most-prescribed allergy medication available for over-the-counter sales. Zyrtec is the brand name for cetirizine and is approved to relieve allergy-related sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and also, itching from hives. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it for sale without a prescription in November.Dr. Rajan Merchant from Woodland Healthcare said it is the same formula as a doctor would prescribe."The efficacy is the same; the dosage is the same as the prescription strength. But the reason it is going over the counter is because we have enough safety data...

Cures for a wide range of food allergies are less than a decade away, scientists said yesterday. By modifying the proteins in foods that cause the reactions, researchers have created treatments that can safely desensitise the body's immune system. "Therapies for food allergy will be on the market within seven to 10 years," said Ronald van Ree, of the University of Amsterdam, who is leading work on the development of treatments. (Snip) Because the allergens are well known, he was able to artificially produce them, but with a difference. "We can change the molecules so that IgE antibodies do not...

I just found out my daughter is peanut alergic, she is a 2/5 at just 15 months of age. Is there anything that a freeper can tell me about how bad this is? do chiledhood peanut allergies ever go away? how often? how ofter and how fast do they get worse?

US scientists claimed today to have bred the world's first hypoallergenic kitten, opening the doors and arms of millions of pet lovers for whom cuddling a cat has, until now, been a curse. At $US4000 ($5400) a head, the allergy-free felines will not be cheap. But the biotechnology firm behind the project believes sensitive owners will happily fork out extra for the chance to have a cat that doesn't leave them wheezing and sneezing. In a statement, the San Diego-based company, Allerca, said it had produced the cats using a technique known as genetic divergence. After identifying the genes of...

hi, all. my son is ready to sign up with the Marines - but he has a sevier allergy to peanuts. is this a disqualifier, or if not, is there much chance of exposure in the field? it is quite a sever allergy. thanks!

CHICAGO -- When a neighbor told Garmit Kaur that McDonald's had listed wheat -- a taboo for her two children with food allergies -- as an ingredient in its french fries, she flat-out didn't believe it. "I was shocked when I checked the Web site this morning," said the mother from Elmhurst, Ill. "I thought, that cannot be right because I'm very careful ... and it wasn't there a couple months ago." But there was no mistake. At the end of a long list -- including partially hydrogenated soybean oil and dextrose -- was the single offending line: "Contains wheat...

President’s Ronald Reagan's former allergist, Ralph Bookman, M.D., has earned the respect of doctors and patients by developing effective ways to minimize allergy problems. He is an ‘old school’ scholar with a tremendous amount of valuable information for allergy sufferers. While Governor of California, Ronald Reagan came looking for Dr. Bookman for some allergy relief. Ronald Reagan liked what he saw With Dr. Bookman it’s not hard to like, what you see is what you get. "The practice of allergy has become overly complicated and complex, says Dr. Bookman. It’s essentially a very simple subject, and unfortunately, some of its...

DETROIT -- A former disc jockey at a Detroit country radio station has seen her award in a perfume lawsuit dramatically reduced. A federal jury this spring awarded Erin Weber (pictured, right) $10.6 million. She said station owner Infinity Broadcasting fired her in 2001 after complaining about an allergic reaction to another host's perfume at 99.5 FM WYCD. Infinity said Weber was fired for not coming to work. A federal judge reduced the award to $814,000. He said he was tempted to throw the jury's entire verdict out because he questions whether Weber really has a perfume allergy. Weber's lawyers...

Irish scientists are investigating parasitic worms to try to find new ways to prevent asthma and reduce allergies.Dr Padraic Fallon, from Trinity College Dublin, and colleagues have already managed to cure asthma in lab mice by infecting them with the tiny creatures. The team now has to explain how the parasites achieve this feat at a molecular level. If they can do that, they should then be able to synthesise a new drug compound to treat asthma in people. On the riseAsthma and other allergies have increased almost threefold over the last 30 years in many developed countries, including...

Faced with a lawsuit, the Bellingham Board of Library Trustees last night adopted a new policy banning latex balloons and gloves in the building.Patrick Callahan, whose 9-year-old son Andrew has severe latex allergy, said he is relieved. He has been fighting for three months to get the facility latex-free. "As long as we are in agreement, I will officially drop the case," he told trustees after a meeting in the library last night.Trouble brewed in February after a children's program in the library left balloon sculptures displayed in the building. Callahan said he asked library officials to remove the balloons...

Living with a latex allergy requires constant caution By Mitch Mitchell Star-Telegram Staff Writer FORT WORTH - Sherry McGee's latex allergy has made her deathly afraid of balloons. Recently, McGee saw balloons at a Sam's Club, but because they were at a distance, she assumed it would be safe to go inside. Her body reacted to the latex almost immediately, but McGee discounted the warning signs -- the scratchy throat, watery eyes and itchy scalp. A little while later, as she and her husband, John, left a nearby restaurant, she could barely breathe. "John was handing me a toothpick as...

YORKTOWN, Ind.-Savannah Dowling is a typical 8-year-old girl; much of her protein comes from peanut butter sandwiches.However, if she wants to bring one to Central Indiana's Pleasant View Elementary School, she has to eat it at a special table to accomodate one first grader with a severe allergy. Soon she'll have to take her lunch to an area the school is calling the "peanut gallery" so the one child with the peanut allergy isn't affected.

YORKTOWN, Ind. — Savannah Dowling is a typical 8-year-old girl; much of her protein comes from peanut butter sandwiches. However, if she wants to bring one to Central Indiana's Pleasant View Elementary School, she has to eat it at a special table in the cafeteria to accommodate one first grader with a severe allergy. Soon she'll have to take her lunch to an area the school is calling the "peanut gallery" so the one child with the peanut allergy isn't affected. "I don't think everybody should have to suffer because of one kid," said Mike Raper, a critic of the...

A woman with a severe allergy to tomatoes died after opening a tin of spaghetti bolognese, it emerged yesterday. Raya French, 37, a part-time receptionist from Tankerton in Kent, was preparing dinner for her four children two weeks ago when the tomato sauce in the can sent her into anaphylactic shock. She was taken to hospital, but never regained consciousness. She was allowed to die four days later after her family decided that she had no chance of survival. Mrs French developed an allergy to raw tomatoes three years ago, and would come out in hives and suffer asthma attacks....

ALLERCA Inc. today launched a project to produce the world's first hypoallergenic cats. The hypoallergenic cats produced by ALLERCA will allow consumers to enjoy the love and companionship of a pet without the cost, inconvenience, risk, and limited effectiveness of current allergy treatments. Clients will take delivery of the first ALLERCA kittens in 2007. The hypoallergenic cat is the first of a planned series of lifestyle pets that ALLERCA will develop over the next few years. ALLERCA's hypoallergenic cats will be a significant new alternative to the traditional treatment of cat allergies given that it eliminates the allergen at its...

The increasing use of antibiotics to treat disease may be responsible for the rising rates of asthma and allergies. By upsetting the body's normal balance of gut microbes, antibiotics may prevent our immune system from distinguishing between harmless chemicals and real attacks. "The microbial gut flora is an arm of the immune system," says Gary Huffnagle at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbour. His research group has provided the first experimental evidence in mice that upsetting the gut flora can provoke an allergic response. Asthma has increased by around 160 per cent globally in the last 20 years. Currently...

<p>SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. (AP) — The parents of a sixth-grader say they are outraged over an indefinite suspension of their son after he was accused of threatening to expose a highly allergic teacher to peanut butter cookies.</p> <p>The boy's father, Loubert Gabriel, said his 12-year-old son, Jules, was suspended on April 2 after a girl in his social studies class at South Orange Middle School made the accusation.</p>

Mystery blood clots kill U.S. troops Monday 06-Oct-2003 8:58PM Story from United Press International Copyright 2003 by United Press International (via ClariNet) WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Several U.S. soldiers in the Iraqi war died from sudden illnesses and a United Press International probe shows those were triggered by unexplained blood clots. The Pentagon says blood clots caused two soldiers to collapse and die. At least eight other soldiers have also collapsed and died from what the military has described as non-combat-related causes. NBC reporter David Bloom also died of a blood clot in his lung after collapsing near Baghdad....

Mystery blood clots felling U.S. troops By Mark Benjamin Investigations Editor Published 10/6/2003 12:41 PMView printer-friendly version WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Unexplained blood clots are among the reasons a number of U.S. soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom have died from sudden illnesses, an investigation by United Press International has found. In addition to NBC News Correspondent David Bloom, who died in April of a blood clot in his lung after collapsing south of Baghdad, the Pentagon has told families that blood clots caused two soldiers to collapse and die. At least eight other soldiers have also collapsed and died...

<p>An East Bay elementary school's ban on peanut butter sandwiches and other nut products in its kindergarten classes has some parents questioning whether school district administrators overreacted to concerns for one allergic child.</p> <p>At the center of the storm is a 5-year-old boy enrolled at Valle Verde Elementary School in Walnut Creek. He suffers from "peanut and tree nut" allergies that his mother says are life-threatening.</p>

High nickel levels in some euro coins can cause red hands and painful itching, researchers warn. Other symptoms include inflation, loss of national sovereignty, bureaucrats in Brussels being insufferably smug... - Ivan Researchers from the University of Zurich say the design of the one and two euro coins - an external ring of metal surrounding an inner "pill" of a different colour - lead to the release of high levels of the metal. They say the yellow and white alloys contain different amounts of nickel, copper and zinc, which encourage corrosion as metal ions flow from one alloy to the...