I have always fought with the idea of weather to stay home from work when sick. Some companies are very progressive with this and others not so much. In my workplace it is expected that if you are sick you stay home and if you are well enough to work but nervous about getting people sick then you just telecommute (freedom of being an IT guy)

To help you decide, Sharon Horesh, MD, instructor of clinical medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, gives her advice.

Just keep this in mind: “There’s no antibiotic that can get rid of the common cold or flu or stomach virus,” says Horesh . “That’s my pet peeve … antibiotics only work with a bacterial infection … bacterial bronchitis, pneumonia, strep throat, earache, pink eye.”

Also, be careful about which medications you take for the common cold, says Nathan Segall, MD, a private practice allergy specialist in Atlanta. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: allergy, antibiotics, Atlanta, bacterial infection, bronchitis, common cold, earache, Emory University School of Medicine, instructor, instructor of clinical medicine, Nathan Segall, pneumonia, private practice allergy specialist, Sharon Horesh

Losing weight for good is a big topic. There will also not be much said about some fairly obvious health issues. If you smoke or have a problem with alcohol or drugs, you probably realize that this isn’t good for you. The same with overeating. Some of the methods here can help you with these issues, but I am not going to go into any detail about subjects that are so extensively covered all over the mainstream media and internet. The same with the advice to exercise. I do refer to exercise in the breathing chapter, but I don’t spell out “get x number of hours of exercise per week.” Exercise is important, but it should be tailored to you as an individual. I don’t want to imply that what I haven’t written about in detail is not important. It just isn’t the focus of this report.

What I am doing here is presenting a solid foundation upon which you can build. If you do have specific health challenges, need to lose a lot of weight, get into better shape, everything here will definitely be a good base upon which to add anything else you may need.

One final note about the focus of this report. I try, as much as possible, to give positive rather than negative advice. What I mean by that is, except where it is absolutely necessary (as with the chapter on junk foods!), I try to keep the focus on the positive –what is good for you rather than on what to avoid. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allergy, animal products, antibiotics, athlete, Autism, Ayurvedic medicine, cancer, dairy products, depression, diabetes, energy, healthier products, healthy products, heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, meditation, nutritional product, obesity, Organic products, particular systems, reflexology, relaxation, restaurant food, Sleep deprivation, strenuous sports, sweet products, Swimming, vegetarian diet

Eczema is much less frequent in adolescence than in the first years of childhood. In teen-agers it usually causes a thickening, dryness, and redness of the skin. Itching, and at times pain, may accompany the rash. At this age, eczema is most frequently found in the folds of the elbows and knees and on the wrists. Another common location is the back of the neck and ears.

Eczema may bring scaling of the skin. At times there is marked splitting of the skin and sometimes blisters appear, filled with clear fluid or pus.The cause of eczema is usually an allergy. Though in infancy, the allergens (allergy causers) are nearly always foods, in later years the eczema is just as likely to be a reaction to wool, nylon, or other materials. Reactions to various plants can also cause the rash. The reactions may be from touching the plants or from inhaling their pollens.

The emotions can play an important role in eczema. If a person is anxious or tense, he is more likely to scratch and pick at the lesions. This can lead to trouble from secondary bacterial infections, or just from the mechanical irritation and injury to the skin. When the eczema has a nervous or emotional root, the medical term for it is neurodermatitis. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allergens, allergic reaction, allergic reactions, allergy, angioneurotic edema, bacterial infections, blisters, cause of eczema, eczema, Flea, food, frequent food allergens, hives, incision, irritation, itching, joint pain, neurodermatitis, pain, pus, rash, urticaria

I have been compiling info on artificial sweetners for years and there are some that are OK and some that are really bad for you but here is a bit of an overview of he dangers of using different artificial sweeteners to try to drop your calorie intake.

Aspartame

Aspartame, a dipeptide of aspartic acid and a methyl ester of phenylalanine, is approved for use in pharmaceutical products and is being used increasingly in chewable tablet and sugar-free formulations. Labels for both prescription and nonprescription products must include the phenylalanine content. The major consideration in the use of aspartame in children is in patients with autosomal recessive phenylketonuria. Although heterozygotes do not appear to have clinically significant increases in phenylalanine after ingestion of even large amounts (equivalent to 24 12-oz cans of diet beverages), homozygotes with strict dietary restrictions should avoid aspartame. Children without dietary restrictions could safely ingest 10 mg/kg/day. Dietary consumption of aspartame is typically less than 5 mg/kg/day; young children, however, could ingest considerably more. For example, a 2-year-old child weighing 12 kg consumes 17 mg/kg from drinking one 12-oz can of diet soda and one serving of a sweetened product (eg, cereal, pudding, gelatin, or frozen dessert). Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: absence seizures, affective disorders, albuminuria, allergy, American Herbal Products Association, American Medical Association, artificial chemical, artificial sweetners, aspartame, aspartic acid, bladder cancer, blisters, Brazil, cancer, chemical, dairy by-product, dairy products, depression, diarrhea, diet beverages, Dietary Supplement, dietary supplements, dizziness, eczema, epilepsy, evidence, fda, FDA/National Cancer Institute, food, food additive, Food additives, food processors, food products, headache, headaches, Hypersensitivity, insomnia, Japan, Japanese government, migraine headaches, mitral valve prolapse, nausea, neuropsychiatric disorders, nonprescription products, oliguria, panic attacks, Paraguay, pharmaceutical agents, pharmaceutical products, phenylketonuria, placebos, product, prurigo, pruritus, Saccharin, salty applications, SeaLife SL 200C 35mm Film Camera, seizure disorders, seizures, sodium chloride, Stevia, strabismus, Sucralose, tachycardia, Tagatose, United States, urticaria, vascular headaches, visual hallucinations, wheezing

Some allergies are widely thought to be outgrown. Usually kids will outgrow egg and milk allergies but do not outgrow nut allergies. A recent couple of studies by John Hopkins.

The prognosis for a child with a milk or egg allergy appears to be worse than it was two decades ago, said Robert A. Wood, M.D., a co-author of both studies, and colleagues. Rather than outgrowing the allergies by the time they start school, only about 20% to 40% of children do so with milk and about 4% to 26% with egg. Twenty percent of patients with milk allergies and 30% of those with egg allergies don’t develop tolerance till age 16, found the researchers.

“We may be dealing with a different kind of disease process than we did 20 years ago,” Dr. Wood said. “Why this is happening we just don’t know.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allergic rhinitis, allergies, allergy, Asthma, atopic dermatitis, co-author, counseling, eczema, egg allergies, egg allergy, food allergies, food allergy, infants and young children, john hopkins, milk allergies, milk allergy, nut allergies, pediatric allergy, Robert A. Wood

Causes of Respiratory Allergies

Doctors don’t know for sure why some people get allergies or allergic asthma. However, they have identified some factors that make a person more likely to develop these conditions:
• Family history-the tendency to develop allergies may be inherited
• Exposure to air pollution
• Being exposed to certain substances in the workplace
• Exposure to secondhand smoke
• Having certain health conditions, such as respiratory infections during childhood or being overweight

Diagnosing Allergies
Some allergies are easy to identify, because there is an obvious pattern of symptoms following exposure to certain substances. For example, if a person always sneezes around cats, that points to an allergy to cats. Someone who gets a runny nose and itchy, watery eyes every spring may be allergic to pollen.

A visit to the doctor’s office for a physical exam¬ination is important. When the allergy trigger is not obvious, the doctor may recommend a specialist called an allergist who will likely do a series of skin tests to identify the allergens that are causing the problem.

Treating Allergies

Avoiding the allergen is the best way to prevent an allergy attack, but this isn’t always possible. Someone who is allergic to pollen, for example, can’t hide in a closet during allergy season. However, there are some steps people can take to reduce their exposure to allergens. If pet dander is the trigger, it will help to limit the areas of the home that family pets are allowed to be in. If dust is the problem, regular cleaning will help to keep it from accumulating. Avoiding damp areas will help if mould is the culprit.

Medications can help ease the symptoms. Some can be bought over-the-counter; others require a prescription. Allergy medicines fall into several different categories:
• antihistamines
• decongestants
• corticosteroids
• bronchodilators
• mast cell stabilizers
• leukotriene modifiers

When medications don’t provide enough relief, a doctor may recommend immunotherapy (allergy shots) to reduce sensitivity to the allergy triggers.

Not every treatment is right for all allergy sufferers, so it is very important to discuss possible treatments with your doctor.

Anaphylactic Shock

Sometimes the sensitivity to an allergen is so extreme that the body goes into anaphylactic shock (also known as anaphylaxis). This is a sudden, severe allergic reaction that affects various systems in the body. The result is:

• difficulty breathing
• swelling of the face, throat, lips, and tongue
• rapid drop in blood pressure
• nausea and vomiting
• dizziness
• unconsciousness.

If it is not treated rapidly, it may lead to death. Anaphylaxis can happen within seconds of being exposed to a triggering substance, or it might happen up to two hours later. Among the most common causes of anaphylaxis are peanuts, seafood, and insect stings.

Anaphylaxis requires immediate treatment. People who know they have severe reactions should carry medication (epinephrine) with them at all times. The medication comes in a small syringe that may look like a pen, and it must be injected. Highly allergic people, their family members, and their friends should know how to give the injection in an emergency. This knowledge could save a life. Medical treatment is important even after the shot is given, because a single injection is not always enough.

Your pharmacist will be happy to answer any questions you have about allergies or allergy treatments and to help you select products to ease your family’s symptoms.

Tags: air_pollution, allergic reaction, allergies, allergy, allergy_attack, allergy_medicines, allergy_season, anaphylactic shock, anaphylaxis, Asthma, bronchodilators, corticosteroids, dizziness, epinephrine, family_pets, immunotherapy, itchy_watery_eyes, nausea, pet_dander, pharmacist, respiratory infections, respiratory_allergies, sneezes, unconsciousness, vomiting

People with allergies are super-sensitive to things that most people find harmless, including pollen from plants, mould, dust, cockroaches, pet dander (tiny skin flakes), and food.

When a super-sensitive person comes in contact with the substance that causes the allergy (called an allergen), the immune system overreacts and releases a large amount of a chemical called histamine. Large amounts of histamine cause tissue swelling (inflammation) and tightening (constriction) of muscles and other tissues, including those in the breathing passages.

Allergies can affect many different parts of the body. For example, some allergies affect only the skin; others affect more than one body system. Respiratory allergies are those that affect the organs and airways that help us breathe.

Symptoms
Not all people with respiratory allergies are allergic to the same things. One person’s allergies may be triggered by pollen, while someone else may react to dust. However, most people who suffer from respiratory allergies share the same symptoms, which may include:
•    itchiness
•    watery or red eyes
•    coughing
•    sneezing
•    stuffiness in the nose

More serious symptoms may include shortness of breath or wheezing. In severe cases, the airways may become so constricted and swollen that breathing becomes difficult or impossible. This is a serious condition called anaphylactic shock, and it requires immediate medical attention.
Common Allergies that Affect the Respiratory System

•    Hay fever (allergic rhinitis): According to The Canadian Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Foundation, hay fever affects 20% to 25% of Canadians. It can be seasonal, if it is caused by the pollens of grasses and flowers, or chronic (long-term), if it is triggered by things such as dust, animal dander, or mould.

•    Food and drug allergies: Eating fish or shellfish may cause allergic reactions such as stomach upset or skin reactions, or it may cause severe breathing problems. Some other foods such as peanuts, milk, and eggs may also cause this type of reaction. Medications, too, can cause allergic reactions. It is important to speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergies and are taking any medicines.

•    Insect allergies: Cockroaches can be a major household allergen, especially in densely populated city areas. This may be why there is a higher rate of breathing problems among children who live in inner cities. Bee stings can cause severe, life-threatening reactions in people who are allergic to them.

•    Allergic asthma: Asthma is one of the fastest growing diseases in this country, affecting between 15% and 20% of all Canadians. It is the leading cause of hospital admissions in children. Most of the cases of moderate to severe asthma are linked to allergies.

Tags: allergic reactions, allergic rhinitis, allergies, allergy, anaphylactic shock, anaphylactic_shock, and Immunology Foundation, animal_dander, Asthma, breathing_passages, Canadian Allergy, chemical called histamine, drug allergies, food, Hay fever, hay_fever, histamine, inflammation, itchiness, mould, pet_dander, pharmacist, pollen, respiratory_allergies, shortness of breath, stomach upset, wheezing

A food allergy is a reaction by the body’s immune system. When a person is sensitive to a food, such as peanuts, the immune system overreacts when the person comes in contact with that food. True food allergies are quite rare, affecting only about 1 % of adults and about 5% of children.

Many people think they have a food allergy, but what they really have is a food intolerance, which is a problem in the digestive tract and does not involve the immune system. In someone with a food intolerance, either the food irritates the digestive tract or the body is unable to digest that food properly.

While the symptoms of food allergies and food intolerances are often similar, there are important differences between them as well. Eating even a tiny amount of a food can trigger an allergic reaction, and the reaction will happen every time the person eats that food. On the other hand, a food intolerance may not cause a reaction unless a large amount of the food is consumed. For example, in someone with lactose intolerance drinking a cup of coffee with a small amount of milk in it may not cause a problem, but that same person might become sick after drinking a whole glass of milk.
The foods that most commonly trigger allergies are:
� cow’s milk
� eggs
� fish (such as bass, cod, and flounder)
� shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
� peanuts
� tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, and walnuts)
� wheat
� soy

Symptoms
Food allergy symptoms usually develop within an hour of eating the food, sometimes within minutes, and they can range from mild and annoying to frightening and life-threatening. People who are especially sensitive may have a reaction from simply touching the food or breathing in particles of it.

Symptoms of a food intolerance may be extremely uncomfortable, but they are typically less serious than the symptoms of a food allergy.

In severe cases of food allergy, the person may suffer from a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis or anaphylactic shock. This dangerous reaction can cause:
� tightening of the airways, including a swollen
throat that causes breathing difficulties
� shock, with a severe drop in blood pressure
� rapid pulse
� dizziness, light headedness, or loss of consciousness.

These are warning signs of a serious problem and require immediate medical attention. There is a medication (epinephrine) that people with serious allergies should carry at all times. It comes in a self-injecting device, and anyone who has food allergies or knows someone who does should know how to use the device. This can, quite literally, be a life saver. Even if the reaction is controlled quickly, immediate medical attention is still necessary. A single injection is not always enough to completely control the reaction.

People with severe allergies should also wear medical identification jewelry. During a severe reaction a person may not be able to speak, and this jewelry can identify the problem for emergency medical personnel so that the proper treatment can be given quickly.

When a child has a food allergy, the parents must take special precautions. Make sure that all caregivers (including family members, teachers, babysitters, and the parents of the child’s friends) all know how to use the epinephrine injection device. Older children should learn to use the device themselves.

Parents must also impress on children how important it is not to eat the food they are allergic to. Young children should be instructed never to eat food given to them by anyone other than a family member. Older children should be instructed to ask about any food someone gives them and to make sure the person giving them the food knows about their allergy and how serious it is.

Tags: allergic reaction, allergies, allergy, anaphylactic shock, anaphylaxis, dizziness, epinephrine, epinephrine injection device, family member, food, food allergies, food allergy, food allergy symptoms, food intolerance, food intolerances, immune system, lactose intolerance, light headedness, loss of consciousness, peanuts, self-injecting device

My wife has been taking high dosages of aspirin tow or three times a day for the last few months as she had some clots show up on her legs and the doctor, after having me give her injections to thin her blood, gave her this prescrition for a generic type of aspirin derivative that she is taking. As always I scoured the internet to find more information on taking aspirin and I have copied the following info from both Wikipedia and the FDA in case you have a simeilar interest. The wiki info is an outline on aspirin itself and the FDA info is a bunch of questions and answers about aspirin.

Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid (acetosal) is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (against minor pains and aches), antipyretic (against fever), and anti-inflammatory. It has also an anticoagulant (”blood-thinning”) effect and is used in long-term low-doses to prevent heart attacks.

Low-dose long-term aspirin irreversibly blocks the formation of thromboxane A2 in platelets, producing an inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation, and this blood-thinning property makes it useful for reducing the incidence of heart attacks. Aspirin produced for this purpose often comes in 75 or 81 mg dispersible tablets and is sometimes called �Junior aspirin�. High doses of aspirin are also given immediately after an acute heart attack. These doses may also inhibit the synthesis of prothrombin and may therefore produce a second and different anticoagulant effect.

Several hundred fatal overdoses of aspirin occur annually, but the vast majority of its uses are beneficial. Its primary undesirable side effects, especially in stronger doses, are gastrointestinal distress (including ulcers and stomach bleeding) and tinnitus. Another side effect, due to its anticoagulant properties, is increased bleeding in menstruating women. Because there appears to be a connection between aspirin and Reye’s syndrome, aspirin is no longer used to control flu-like symptoms in minors.[1]

Aspirin was the first discovered member of the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), not all of which are salicylates, though they all have similar effects and a similar action mechanism.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: A. Consumers, A. Patients, acetyl group, aches, allergy, angina pectoris, angioplasty, arthritis, Arthur Eichengr, Arthur Eichengrun, aspirin, aspirin products, Asthma, Bayer, body systems, British Columbia, bypass, Cerebral Ischemia, Charles Frederic Gerhardt, chemical, chemical structure, chemist, chest pain, chills, coronary artery disease, Cox, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Derek W. Gilroy, diarrhea, Egypt, fda, fever, first discovered member, Friedrich Bayer & Co., Gerhardt, Germany, Glasgow, headaches, hearing loss, heart attack, heart attacks, Henri Leroux, Heyden Company, high blood pressure, Hoffmann, hydroxyl functional groups, ibuprofen, ISIS, John Robert Vane, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ketoprofen, kidney disease, London, Michigan, myocardial infarctions, osteoarthritis, pain, pains, pharmaceuticals industry, pharmacist, physician, pleurisy, Raffaele Piria, research assistant, researcher, Reye's syndrome, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, Royal College of Surgeons in London, selective inhibitors, spondylarthropathies, stroke, Stroke Prevention, strokes, Sumeria, systemic lupus erythematosus, thrombus, tinnitus, transient ischemic attack, treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, United Kingdom, United States, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, unstable angina, Walter Sneader

The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. I was so impressed when I started researching the benefits of Green tea that I started a Chinese Green Tea website.

In fact Chinese Green tea has been researched and linked to help all of the following conditions.

* rheumatoid arthritis
* high cholesterol levels
* cariovascular disease
* infection
* impaired immune function
* Cognition
* Stopping certain neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimers
* Treating Arthritis
* Treating MS
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: allergy, arthritis, Asia, beriberi, cancer, cardiovascular disease, cariovascular disease, chemical, CVD, depression, Eisai, energy source, esophageal cancer, fatigue, food, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, HIV, hyperthyroidism, indigestion, insomnia, Japan, kidney disease, light processing, National Cancer Institute, nervous disorder, nutraceuticals, rheumatoid arthritis, skin cancer, skin disorders, Switzerland, Tea Increases, Tea Work, the American Journal, the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, tumor, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, University of Geneva in Switzerland, University of Purdue, Zen priest