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Allergies, whether they are indoor or outdoor affect more than 35 million people in the United states each year.  Allergies have become quite common; even if you do not have them, you probably know someone who does.

Of the more than 35 million people who are affected; 50% of those people believe that their symptoms interfere with work, 27% have missed important events due to their allergies, and 20% could not have a traditional house pet due to their allergies.

Many allergies are caused by environment, so the city in which you live can affect the degree and frequency of allergy symptoms. Most allergy symptoms are more severe in the fall, however springtime can be just as difficult.  With fall in full swing the Asthma and Allergy Foundation has conducted and released their Fall Allergy Capitals list, which ranks the 100 most difficult cities for those who suffer from upper respiratory allergies.

To rate the cities, 3 factors were used: scientific analysis of pollen scores, number of allergy meds per patient, and number of allergies per patient. Of course, this means that only people who have seen doctors and received a diagnosis for their allergies.  This means it may exclude those without insurance or access to affordable health professionals.

THE LIST

1. Greensboro, North Carolina

2. Greenville, South Carolina

3. Little Rock, Arkansas

4. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

5. Jackson, Mississippi

6. Knoxville, Tennessee

7. Grand Rapids, Michigan

8. Wichita, Kansas

9. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

10. Madison, Wisconsin

11. Tulsa, Oklahoma

12. Chattanooga, Tennessee

Childhood food allergies are on the rise, with about 3 million kids being affected.  Experts point out that it may be because parents are more  aware and more proactive on having their children checked earlier in life.

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 1 in 26 children were affected by food allergies last year.  These diagnoses are up 18% since 1997.

Unfortunately, now one is sure what is causing this increase.  Some experts point to the doubling of peanut allergies as one factor. It also seems that children are also taking longer to outgrow allergies such as eggs and milk than they did previously.  They are also pointing out that doctors and parents who are more likely to consider food as a trigger for an allergic symptom such as; breathing problems, vomiting, and rashes.  In past years people often dismissed children who were constantly sick as “having a weak stomach,” or “sickly.”

The CDC derived their results from an in-person survey conducted in 2007.  They went door-to-door to 9,500 households with children under 18 years of age.  Researchers inquired if any of the children had experienced any kind of allergic reactions to food in the past year and about 4% said yes.  Caregivers were not asked if the child had been diagnosed by a doctor and no medical records were checked.  It is possible that some of the results may be inaccurate due to the parents not understanding the difference between digestive disorders and immune response.

Apparently there is more to that nasty nighttime occurrence of snoring than previously thought.  In fact there are a number of things that happen early in life that can lead to snoring later in life.  Respiratory infections are one factor, but you may not have known that the family dog is another.  Apparently sharing a bed, snuggling on the couch, or romping and rolling in the yard with your dog can lead to snoring later in life.

Karl Franklin, M.D., Ph..D; author and physcician at University Hospital in Umea, Sweden has released his findings that include identifying the environment at an early age can affect whether a person snores later in life.

 Franklin and his team of researchers asked women and men between the ages of 25-54, as well as the residents of Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Estonia, and received responses from 15,556 people.   These participants were asked about their childhood and whether or not they had a dog or other pets, if they had ever been hospitalized for a respiratory infection prior to the age of 2, and whether or not they experienced reoccurring ear infections.  They were also asked about the size of their family, their parents backgrounds, and how old their mothers were.

The findings revealed that 4 criteria were associated with snoring later on.

•  If they had been hospitalized due to a respiratory infection before age 2, their risk for snoring was 1.27 times higher.
• If they had frequent ear infections in childhood, their risk increased 1.18 times.
• If they were in a family with more than 5 members their risk increased 1.04 times
• If they were exposed to a dog in the household as a newborn the risk increased

Dr. Franklin stated that why the exposures increased the risk of snoring is not yet known. “Perhaps these things like dogs, infections, might increase the size of the tonsils” and that may boost the risk of snoring later in life.

Before you decide to ban the family dog, Dr. Franklin has stated that more research must be done to gather conclusive evidence.

It’s that time of year again. The flowers start to bloom and the bees are buzzing, but so is your head. It’s also time for spring time allergies, namely hayfever. Every year millions of people are affected by seasonal allergies and dutifully drive to their pharmacy or retail outlet and purchase anti-histamines to hault their allergy symptoms.

Many people are unaware that you can actually reduce or stop allergies using natural, alternative methods. There are two great ways to reduce allergy symptoms; nasal rinses and nasal creams. A nasal rinse is usually a solution made up of salt, water, and a sprinkle of baking soda. Using the rinse 2 0r 3 times a day helps to rinse the excess mucus and allergens out of the nasal passage. The salt in the solution works much like a nasal decongestant to shrink the inflamed blood vessels in the nose.

Nasal creams are another great alternative to anti-histamines. These are usually a petroleum-based ointment that is applied to the inside of the nose. A recent study found that using a nasal cream reduced allergy symptoms by 60%. Nasal creams work by reducing inflammation and creating a barrier that allergens can’t get through. Nasal creams are not on the market yet, but if you dab a bit of petroleum jelly (vasaline) on the end of a Q-tip, it should work just as well.