Tag: allergies

What makes us sneeze?

Posted on by bill
What makes us sneeze? Spring is here and so is allergy season.   One of the symptoms of allergy season is sneezing.   Sneezing may also occur if you catch a cold or are exposed to an irritant in the air or underneath your bed. Sneezing is not only limited to humans. A sneeze may come on suddenly, or you may first feel a runny nose and then you have that urge to sneeze gradually come on. The sneeze does serve a function although continued sneezing will also cause more irritation which causes more sneezing. For allergy season, I usually recommend Alpha Read More »

What causes that runny nose and what can you do about it?

Posted on by bill
What causes that runny nose and what can you do about it? So you have a runny nose.   Why is it happening? A runny nose is a watery discharge from the nose and can be irritating, especially if it is a postnasal drip that is going down your throat. A runny nose can be caused by any number of allergies, irritants in the air you breathe, dry air in the home, or a virus your body is fighting off.   It can be worsened by repeated use of nasal sprays and constant sneezing. Some of the basic ways to reduce the Read More »

Too many antibiotics given to infants may be why so many of us have allergies according to the NY Times.

Posted on by bill
Too many antibiotics given to infants may be why so many of us have allergies according to the NY Times. Why are some people so allergic to different things while others have so few allergies? According to the NY Times which cited a new study in the JAMA Pediatrics journal, the reason may be too many antibiotics. The study reviewed covered prescriptions for five classes of antibiotics: penicillin, penicillin with a beta-lactamase inhibitor, cephalosporin, sulfonamide, and macrolide. They found that the use of antibiotics had a direct relationship to allergy symptoms such as anaphylaxis, sneezing and running nose asthma, food Read More »

Allergies, hay fever and, seasonal inflammation; skip the Zyrtec and try this healthy approach instead.

Posted on by bill
Allergies, hay fever, and seasonal inflammation; skip the Zyrtec and try this healthy approach instead. We are in the middle of hay fever season, and people sensitive to grass and pollen are suffering. Allergic rhinitis causes an inflammatory response in the body within minutes of exposure.  The symptoms feed on themselves as the body reacts, sometimes violently with watery eyes, swollen sinuses and you feel miserable. While many of us have looked to medications such as Sudafed which works but will keep you up and make you feel wired, or Zyrtec which will make you feel like you have a Read More »

Is your immune system properly trained? A warning to all germaphobes.

Posted on by bill
Is your immune system properly trained? A warning to all germaphobes. Several years ago, Purell hand sanitizer dispensers were everywhere, and so were outbreaks of norovirus.  There was a known association between the use of these sanitizers and illnesses.  Weren’t these hand sanitizers supposed to protect us from germs? The truth is, bacteria and other germs are all around us.  Another truth is that our immune system is constantly being trained to counteract infections and build up immunities on a regular basis.   Did using Purell have the side effect of making our immune systems less effective? Did many of Read More »