Allergies are now recognized as a world-wide societal problem but particularly so in economically advanced nations where nearly 30% of people suffer one form of allergy or another. Essentially one person in 4 suffers respiratory allergies. Sneezing, stuffy and runny nose in addition to itchy eyes and asthma may make life miserable, interfere with proper […]
It used to be simple: respirologists took care of asthma, otolaryngologists (Ear, Nose & Throat specialists) took care of blocked noses and allergists addressed allergies. Modern medicine recognizes that it is not longer ideal for specialists to work in isolation. It is in patients’ best interest that physicians, nurses and pharmacists collaborate in a paradigm […]
It seems that respiratory allergy, take for example hay fever, allergy to house dust mites or to cat or dog dander, is often overlooked as if somewhat unimportant or something that cannot be changed. Why else would people wait on average 8 years to talk to their family physician or more than 10 years before […]
Allergy immunotherapy without the sting! It used to be that for patients severely affected by respiratory allergies such as pollen allergies, house dust mite and animal dander allergy, the only way to relief beyond antihistamines and other symptom-reducing medications was the option of allergy shots. Needles, weekly visits to the doctor and the fear of […]
People are fond of tests: they seem to give an unequivocal answer. Or do they? Certainly, the biologic reality of allergy is different from that of diabetes or pregnancy where indeed the tests are most accurate and the clinical “verdict” unescapable. Allergy lies within the realm of biology, where proteins, large molecules which can vary […]
People are generally affected by more than one respiratory or seasonal allergy and, fortunately, more than one allergy can be treated at the same time!
As the name suggests, antihistamines inhibit the effects of histamine (a mediator of allergy, a chemical compound present in the blood and most body tissues and released in nasal passages, eyes, lungs or skin during allergic reaction).
An allergy is an abnormal reaction by a person’s immune system against a normally harmless substances that we are commonly exposed to.
That’s an excellent question that is rather complex and the subject of continuing scientific research.
A person with no history of allergies can indeed experience sudden onset of a respiratory or severe food allergy.
