Finding the Right Allergy Relief

For allergy sufferers, finding the right allergy relief can be downright frustrating and, at times, feel quite hopeless. When medication after medication proves unsuccessful, relief can seem like a far-off dream. However, being persistent, monitoring triggers, and keeping open lines of communication with a doctor may prove to be the best possible ways to get one step closer to finding a solution.

Depending on the type of allergy, many options are available for relief. Obviously, the most important treatment is to avoid the irritant as much as possible or to try and completely eliminate any type of contact with the allergen. In order to find the specific irritant, testing may take place to see what specific allergen is causing the allergy symptoms. Once the specific trigger is defined, a plan can be discussed with a doctor or allergist.

For individuals who suffer from pet dander, mold, dust, and mildew allergies, keeping the home as clean as possible can help to achieve some allergy relief. Choosing not to have an animal in the home if there is a pet allergy would eliminate this problem completely. But if the animal must remain in the home, frequent washing of the animal to eliminate excess pet dander can prove to be helpful in minimizing symptoms.

Frequent dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning of bathrooms and kitchens with a bleach and water solution can help keep dust mites and molds at bay. Protecting mattresses and pillows with covers and pads minimizes the possibility of dust mites. And weekly washing of all bedding, including blankets, will also provide allergy relief by reducing allergens within the air. Also, obtaining an air humidifier and an air filtration system can reduce mold spore production within the air.

Certain over-the-counter medications also prove helpful for sufferers of seasonal allergies - those that are induced by the release of pollens into the air - as well as any other type of mild allergy. Nasal decongestants or certain antihistamines such as psuedoephedrine, phenyleprhrine, or oxymetorlzaone can be used alone or in conjunction with each other to achieve relief through the elimination of such symptoms as itchy and watery eyes, stuff and runny nose, and chronic sneezing.

For sufferers of more severe allergies, prescription allergy relief may be found in long term antihistamine use or in nasal corticosteroids. Corticosteroids, taken at low dosages, have proven very successful in eliminating ongoing chest congestion. Immunotherapy is also utilized in severe allergy cases and involves injections of the specific allergen over time in order to build the body's immunity and create tolerance to that allergen in the future.

If all of the treatments have proven unsuccessful, individuals should remain persistent and discuss other alternatives with their doctor to find the relief they need. Monitoring the triggers and tracking any changes will help the doctor understand the individual's specific allergy. New treatments are being discovered on a daily basis and keeping up-to-date with the newest developments could lead to finding the right allergy relief for you.

Gluten: A Battle Worth Fighting

When my son was a little boy, he would come home from school with a splitting headache. He usually would throw up and go to bed to sleep through the night. We took him to doctor after doctor. We even took him to a headache clinic where the psychologist said we were terrible parents and told us to give him a strong pain reliever.

Being anti-drugs, I went to the internet. For the first time in 2004, I found a funny little word 'gluten'. Hadn't a clue what it meant nor what it did. In January of 2005, I had done enough research to realize that we could possibly have a reason or source to his headaches. Having proposed a two-week trial of not eating any packaged foods or grains, we were surprised to find that our little 9 year-old no longer had any headaches. His father asked if he wanted to continue the diet and he said of course.

In 2005, France and most of Europe didn't have a clue as to what we were doing. We got our testing done in the States. Statistically, it is not possible. I have one boy who is celiac and gluten intolerant whereas the other is only gluten intolerant. My husband is celiac. I have gluten intolerance. What it means in layman terms, is that we eat a lot of potatoes and rice to feel better and be in optimum health. The out come has been incredible.

In Canada, they call gluten intolerance (for the sake of a combining the two) the disease with over 228 symptoms. One of the most extraordinary symptoms is gluten rage. When children go through the terrible adolescent years, parents are often confronted to their eating 'crap'. Our children have given us their share but nothing in comparison to their friends.

There are about four doctors in the world who recognize the neurological transformation of the effect of gluten on the brain. Also remember, the stomach acts as the second brain. Not all just suffer from sitting on the toilet.

I have been off gluten now since 2005. My last grand mal seizure was in 2007. It is strange. I have yet to get it medically confirmed but I start a series of partials 46 hours after having consumed gluten.

You must be saying now, well don't eat gluten. Do you realize it is everywhere? Impossible to rid yourself when there are degrees of sensitivity. The standard deviation of ppm (parts per million) still can be between 20 and 200: degrees of sensitivity and the symptoms.

When the partials start, we count backwards to see what I ate. 99% of the time we can find the source. The good thing is that experience trains the eye. We read labels. Though different countries might not have the same luxury, we read the labels in different languages.

My oldest boy sleeps all day when he consumes gluten. He knows it. He has only the gluten intolerant gene. Unfortunately, he is in his rebellious stage and decides for himself. Europe is far behind the States. His last comment, referring to gluten was to tell me he avoids it before exams otherwise he won't wake up.

My husband is celiac. Over 1% of the world population is allergic to this genetically modified food. The wheat, we ate three thousand years ago, had one- third the number of chromosome it has today. Our bodies have not changed enough. He gets horrible intestinal problems.

As a small introduction to the horror of one's family's health in the struggles of the gluten crusade, it is only the tip of the iceberg. I am not a doctor nor do I have any intention do claim any medical knowledge. I speak from experience and observation of those in my entourage.

Allergy Testing - A Look at the Skin Test

Studies estimate that more than 50 million people in America alone deal with some degree of allergy reaction at some point during the year. Some are unfortunate enough to be saddled with the reactions all year long. These allergens can be due to something outside, something in their home, or even something they have eaten. To treat these reactions, the first step is to find out what exactly is causing them. Doctors can perform allergy testing, which can determine the culprit, thus opening up a path for avoidance and proper treatment. Today's skin tests are very accurate and the results come back quickly. Here's a look at the screenings themselves.

Two Types
When you talk about the skin and allergy testing, you're usually talking about one of two different kinds of tests. The first is percutaneous, sometimes known as the scratch test. With this screening, the doctor will put a drop of solution mixed with a suspected allergen on the patient's skin. So this screening doesn't drag out over a period of months, the physician will usually test several allergens at the same time. If the patient is allergic, the reaction will show on the skin. The other type of test is intradermal. Here, the doctor will actually inject the solution below the skin's surface, allowing for greater sensitivity if the scratch test proved inconclusive.

Results
There are several advantages to using these skin tests for allergy testing. One of the main advantages is that the results usually show up almost instantly. Few people have to wait more than a half hour to know whether they had a reaction. When it comes to intradermal tests, however, there may be a delayed reaction, which can take several hours to show up. Either way, it won't be long before the doctor knows what he is dealing with and whether or not you were allergic to the suspects you were exposed to.

Discomfort
Some doctor-phobic patients avoid getting allergy testing done because they are afraid that it will hurt. Rest assured that children undergo these tests all the time, testifying to the fact that they are relatively painless in nature. Does that mean you won't experience any discomfort? Perhaps not; those with more sensitive dispositions may not care for the sensations. But very few would describe the procedure with the word "painful. The discomfort will be over almost immediately, and certainly, the results are more than worth it.

The Facts Of TB Test Results

In the civilized worlds of today, TB was supposed to be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, because of lax immigration laws, TB is becoming a major epidemic in the modern world. However, there are some misconceptions about TB test results that I am going to try to put to rest in this article. Hopefully, this will help remove the hysteria from the facts.

First off, for those of you who don't know what TB is, since this is supposed to be a disease that has long been wiped out, it is caused by a bacteria known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This particular bacteria usually attacks the lungs as its primary target, but TB can actually effect many organs in your body such as your kidneys, liver and even your brain. TB can be fatal if not treated immediately.

TB is a disease that is transmitted through the air from person to person. It is highly contagious and those that have active TB are put into immediate quarantine. And therein lies the misconceptions about TB test results.

My wife, who is a school teacher in an urban district, where there are a lot of illegal immigrants, just recently went for a routine physical. After getting some tests back that didn't look quite right, the doctor decided to test her for TB. Sure enough the test came back positive. Now, my wife, who is normally a very rational person, became quite hysterical, as she understood exactly what that meant. At least she thought she did. The doctor assured her that the test result simply showed that the disease was lying dormant in her system and by simply taking some pills for a number of months, she would be okay. She did NOT have active TB.

If your doctor suspects that you have TB from other tests, usually a build up of calcium somewhere, and gives you a TB test that you test positive for, it is most likely as latent TB infection if you have no symptoms and don't feel sick. If this is the case, you cannot spread TB to others. However, if you do not get treatment for the latent disease, it can turn into active TB and become very serious.

How long the latent infection will take to become active depends on the individual. Some people have latent TB their whole lives and never become ill from it. Others become ill quite soon. It all depends on how good your immune system is. That is why, during the course of treatment for latent TB, the patient is given a strong dose of vitamins, especially vitamin B 6.

While TB is a very deadly disease when active, don't let a positive skin test send you into a panic. If you are feeling okay, most likely it is latent TB and can be easily treated. Treatment takes about 9 months, but once you've been treated you will be immune to the disease from that point on.

To YOUR Health,

Gluten Intolerance Vs Celiac Disease

People often assume gluten intolerance and celiac disease are one and the same. While celiac disease is a gluten sensitivity, it is possible to exhibit clear signs of a gluten sensitivity without testing positive for celiac sprue disease. One accurate way to look at it is to view celiac disease as a severe and more clearly diagnosed subset of a gluten intolerance. Let's walk through some of the similarities and differences between gluten intolerance vs celiac disease.

Similar Symptoms

One obvious similarity is that the symptoms experienced by someone who is intolerant to gluten and someone diagnosed as a celiac will be very similar. The primary symptoms will include alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea, excessive foul-smelling flatulence, intestinal bloating and cramping, lethargy, weight-loss and sore joints.

Similar Microvilli Response To A Gluten-Free Diet

One way doctors try to diagnose people as celiac or not is to take a biopsy of the small intestine wall before having the patient subscribe to a strict gluten-free diet and then after that patient has been on that diet for some time (usually at least six weeks).

Along the walls of the small intestines are little finger-like hairs called villi or microvilli. Someone suffering from both gluten intolerance and celiac disease will have damaged microvilli, and after subscribing to a strict gluten-free diet for a good period of time, the microvilli will start to recover.

Different Presence of Antibodies

The most common blood test for celiac sprue disease involves checking for raised levels of specific antibodies that are triggered by consuming gluten. These antibodies are AGA, EMA, and Anti-tTG. However, there have been cases where someone who broadly exhibits negative effects from consuming gluten won't always show a clear sign of having these antibodies at a raised level. In some people, these antibody levels may fluctuate, so testing them at different times may create different results.

While the presence of these antibodies strongly suggests celiac disease is present, some people have exhibited a clear negative response to consuming gluten despite testing negatively for this blood test, so it can be a difference.

Different Presence of Specific Genes

If DNA testing is conducted, a pretty stark line can be drawn between gluten intolerance vs celiac disease. If you exhibit symptoms of a sensitivity to gluten and you have the HLA-DQ8 or HLA-DQ2 genes, than you have celiac disease. If you show all the signs of being gluten sensitive but you don't have these genes you will be diagnosed as having an intolerance to gluten but you may not be diagnosed a celiac sufferer.

However, the genes associated with various degrees of gluten sensitivity are currently being researched and our understand of this matter appears to be evolving. But for now, this is another difference between those who would be considered gluten intolerant compared to those who would be officially diagnosed as having celiac disease.

Just because you test negative for celiac disease doesn't mean you aren't suffering from some form of gluten sensitivity. Please see your doctor before defining yourself either way. Specifically, I encourage you to discuss the matter with an immunologist who has specific experience with gluten sensitive patients.

High Blood Pressure - Keep it Under Control

It's easy to imagine the cardiovascular system in a simplistic way. First of all, the heart is the pump. It can vary the fluid flow in the system by either pumping more forcefully, more frequently, or by increasing pump volume. Then there are the pipes, which are the arteries and the veins. The pressure and velocity in the vascular system depends on the diameters and tone of the pipes. Think of squeezing a garden hose and feeling the pressure and velocity rise. The main plumbers in the system are the kidneys, making constant adjustments in the fluid viscosity and in the pipes' diameters with chemical vascular tone enhancers or tone reducers.

This is, of course, a very simplistic model for a living system. The true system is infinitely more complex. The heart has both innate mechanisms and brain hook-ups which make moment to moment changes in its pumping capacities. The pipes are alive and stretch and contract, altering the force within the system. Rather than two plumbers, there are numerous cells and chemicals which make continuous adjustments in the system. Sometimes these mini-plumbers can work against one another in a counter-productive fashion or too much to drop the pressure or too little to decrease the pressure.

Before we proceed, we need to clarify why blood pressure and hypertension are such critical determinations. Simply put, they are major factors in the occurrence of coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, aneurysms, and overall health and longevity.

What are desirable and undesirable blood pressures? Any values less than 120/80 are considered normal and desirable. If a blood pressure is 120 to 139/ 80 to 90, this is called prehypertension. This is a strong indicator of blood pressure problems to come. A blood pressure of 140 to 159/90 to 99 is called Stage I hypertension. Values above 160/99 are called Stage II hypertension, and can lead to serious consequences.

There may be underlying medical causes for high blood pressure like thyroid, pituitary, or adrenal conditions called secondary hypertension. If there is no apparent underlying cause, it is called essential hypertension. 90% to 95% of hypertension is essential. This is not to say we don't know things which can contribute to hypertension like obesity, family history, being of African-American or Native-American race, excessive use of alcohol, poor physical conditioning, and excessive intake of salt. Although these factors contribute to hypertension, their effect is still considered essential hypertension.

The medicines for hypertension basically work on the cardiovascular system at various levels to reduce the blood pressure. One of the first treatments to have been used is diuretics, which reduce the fluid volume in the system. They work by causing the kidneys to excrete sodium, or salt, and this salt takes fluid with it. The beta blockers and calcium channel blockers reduce heart pumping force and rate, and relax blood vessel constriction. Then there are the so-called ACE inhibitors which interfere with the kidneys making angiotensin II from renin, a kidney-secreted hormone. Angiotensin II is a substance which constricts blood vessels in the vascular system. Finally, there are the ARB's which actually block the receptors for angiotensin II in the blood vessel walls.

So here's the deal with your blood pressure: You've got to check it frequently. Mostly, it is silent in its relentless destructive processes, and unless it is advanced to the point that you're having severe headaches, passing out, going blind, or going into kidney failure, you won't otherwise know it's elevated. Stick your arm in those blood pressure measuring devices when you're waiting at the pharmacy. Have it checked when you're at a health fair. If it is showing up elevated, go ahead and invest in a blood pressure device you can use at home especially with a printer that can record your pressure accurately and permanently. Be sure you know how to use it; have it checked for accuracy at your physician's office. Keep a notebook with your blood pressure readings in it, and always take it with you when you see your physician.

Take your blood pressure medicine every day, and don't miss a dose. Remember the lifestyle changes that can benefit your blood pressure-- like slimming down and getting moderate exercise every day. A diet that's low in salt, cholesterol, and saturated fat can't do anything but help you. Evaluate your alcohol intake: if it's more than a drink a day, it would be good to reduce it to that level. Smoking is something else that elevates blood pressure. Be aware that you may have family or ethnic history that predisposes you to high blood pressure. If you are diabetic, it is especially important that you keep your blood pressure at the lowest desirable values.

There is probably nothing more significant that you can do for your immediate and long-term health than maintaining a normal blood pressure. There are enough medicines available, and at reasonable costs, that everyone should be able to do this vital step. It is a tragedy when someone has a stroke or a heart attack, or ends up on a dialysis machine, because he or she had high blood pressure which could have been controlled with a simple office visit to their physician several times a year.

Douglas Beatty M.D.
Doctors Medical Center

ADHD Test - Urinary Peptides

Ask any doctor, and he will tell you that medication is the best and only way to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Western medicine believes that ADHD is a genetic and chemical issue that can only be corrected by stimulant medication and some behavioral therapy. While there is indeed a genetic and chemical aspect to the disorder, ADHD is also caused by other environmental triggers and bodily imbalances.

One of these environmental triggers is the food intolerances that infiltrate the immune system, the digestive system, the nervous system, and the brain. Allergologists have discovered that a large number of children with ADHD also suffer from an intolerance to gluten and casein, complex proteins found in wheat and dairy products, respectively. Wheat and milk are ingredients of many foods we normally eat, but most people have trouble digesting gluten and casein. When gluten and casein are partially digested, they form harmful peptides that induce morphine-like effects on the body: you feel drowsy and sedated, and concentrating on tasks and maintaining your attention require far more effort. In severe cases, peptides from gluten and casein alter speech, sensory integration, and behavior.

Treating ADHD should involve eliminating the source of the intolerance, but before we can even begin to talk about treatment, we need to uncover the causes. Although Western medicine has certain tests and technologies that detect food intolerances, they are unable to objectively determine the particular substance causing the intolerance. To see if intolerance to gluten and casein is aggravating your child's ADHD, you will need a specialized test called "urinary peptides," which is offered only by chiropractors and alternate health care practitioners.

The urinary peptides test is a non-invasive method of measuring the peptide content in your child's urine sample. A healthy gastrointestinal tract may have a few peptides present, which are harmlessly eliminated through urine. However, a diet high in dairy and carbohydrates combined with a problematic digestive system will result in an excess number of peptides in the urine. In fact, not all the peptides are excreted efficiently; some make their way to the bloodstream and the brain, where they bind with the nervous system's opioid receptors and produce their morphine-like effects.

The urinary peptides test requires a 10 ml sample of your child's urine. Your child does not need to fast before the test; in fact, it would help if your child maintains his or her eating habits. Through methods like spectrometry, HPLC, and RA methods, a lab technician can identify the presence and levels of peptides in your child's urine. The peptide content in the urine is also reflective of the peptide content of the blood, because the elements found in urine are waste elements of the blood. If the test reveals that your child has an excess amount of peptides in his or her urine, your child will have to follow a gluten-free, casein-free diet as part of the treatment protocol.

To obtainthe urinary peptides test, visit http://www.genovadiagnostics.com and look for a test called "Urinary Polypeptides with IAG." Remember, the urinary peptides test is just one part of a comprehensive testing protocol. Experts recommend that your child be tested for food allergies, because children with gluten and casein intolerance are more likely to be intolerant to other substances.