Allergies & Asthma

“The rooster isn’t causing the sun to come up.” — Paul Offit, MD, of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, commenting on how a physician who died after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine does not imply a causal relationship between the two events. “He knows about EHR [electronic health record] adoption, he knows about interfaces — the

Wide adoption of infant feeding guidelines calling for peanut introduction during the first year of life in Australia prompted a significant decline in child peanut allergies in that country, researchers reported. In 2016, guidelines in Australia were changed to recommend the introduction of potentially allergic foods such as peanut butter, cooked eggs, dairy, and wheat

Inhaled budesonide (Pulmicort), a steroid generally used to treat asthma, dramatically reduced the need for hospitalization in COVID-19 patients within a week of symptom onset, a small randomized trial in the U.K. found. Among 139 patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms, 10 in the control group required either a COVID-19-related urgent care or emergency department (ED)

Asthma patients with confirmed COVID-19 were no more likely to require hospitalization or mechanical ventilation than patients without asthma, researchers found. Moreover, the asthma patients were less likely to die from COVID, reported Lacey Robinson, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, at the virtual annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma &

Black and Hispanic children have a higher risk for developing food allergies compared with white children, and studies suggest they may also have a significantly higher risk for anaphylaxis and death due to allergic food reactions. African-American, Hispanic, and other minority children are also greatly underrepresented in food allergy clinical trials, and a new analysis

Patients who experienced an allergic reaction to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines could potentially be eligible to receive the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, CDC staff said on a Tuesday call with clinicians. Currently, patients can be eligible to receive the Johnson & Johnson adenovirus vaccine after receiving one dose of mRNA vaccine only in special circumstances,

“We’re going to be in a ‘Pinkalicious phase’ for the next few months.” — Chris Martin, MD, MSc, of West Virginia University School of Public Health, quoting surprisingly apt advice from the popular children’s book series and applying it to potentially choosing one’s COVID vaccine. “It is sloppy and lazy to lump cladribine and alemtuzumab

A team of Mount Sinai surgeons in New York City earlier this year performed the world’s first human tracheal transplant surgery, the health system announced this week. News of the procedure’s success already has other patients taking note. To date, surgeons have been unable to transplant the trachea — an organ essential for speaking, breathing,

A graded dosing protocol allowed two patients with hypersensitivity reactions to the first dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to receive their second doses safely, researchers said. The patients — one with an immediate hypersensitivity reaction managed on site and one needing emergency department transport — got divided second doses, reported S. Shahzad Mustafa, MD, of

A short-term rise in nitrogen dioxide air pollution could be tied to a bump in local mortality rates the next day, researchers showed in a large international study. Across 398 cities (located mostly in the U.S., Europe, and Asia), each 10 μg/m3 increase in ground-level NO2 concentration was associated with increases in mortality the next

During the holidays, time spent at your own home can seem like a far off memory – you’re bouncing from your in-laws’ cabin to a best friend’s apartment to grandma’s house. It’s all in good fun, to celebrate a wonderful time of year with people you love, but it can expose you to a variety

Those in the food allergy community know the top eight food allergens like the back of their hand: Milk Eggs Fish Shellfish Tree nuts Peanuts Wheat Soy The talk about adding sesame to the top eight food allergens — making it the new “top nine”— has been a big topic in recent years. With new

Every year, winter brings a variety of viruses, and 2020 brought a new one that is concerning to most – COVID-19. While people tend to disregard allergy as a cause of winter illness because most outdoor allergens are minimal, there’s an exception in the south. It’s called Cedar Fever, and it can cause some pretty

We’re always looking for new research about sublingual immunotherapy and related topics. In fact, twice a year we find the most up-to-date published articles and put those applicable into our bibliography. It now houses nearly 1,300 articles that have been reviewed by our Medical Advisor and author of the La Crosse Method™ Protocol, Dr. Mary

Most people look forward to spring, the warmer temperatures, and the increased sunshine it brings. What’s not to love? Millions of Americans may respond with “the allergies that come along with it.” The big offenders in the early spring are trees and mold, but grasses can start causing symptoms shortly after. To avoid the wrath

Managing your allergies is a big job – and can be a lifesaving practice. Like anything these days, there’s technology that can help make it simpler. In this blog, we’re talking about free apps that can help with adherence to your allergy treatment and medications, as well as food and environmental allergy management. Adherence apps

Many people with food allergies go looking for treatment with their eyes on the prize — reducing reactions to a certain food or foods. After testing for allergies and finding out you have a multitude of underlying food and environmental allergies, your provider might recommend treating a broad spectrum beginning with environmental allergies (as authors

Dr. Mary Morris not only dedicated her career to offering allergy treatment following the La Crosse Method™ Protocol, but her family has also owned and operated an apple orchard for more than 100 years. New research by Nothegger1 and other researchers about the level of allergic sensitivity to different apple varieties for those with birch

March is National Nutrition Month — which highlights important topics for everyone. Adequate nutrition is critical to all, but for those with limited diets due to food allergy, it can be more of a challenge to meet. There are also so many different layers to staying safe that need to be considered when it comes

Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect on our planet and what we can do to make it better. Climate change is a popular topic, especially on and around Earth day — and it may impact your allergies more than you think. A 20-year study looked at how environmental allergy seasons are impacted by

You know the saying “it’s just the tip of the iceberg” – have you ever thought of it in terms of allergy? About one in five people have allergies, but only a portion of them have the typical allergy symptoms – itching, sneezing, and runny nose – that are associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis. Many

Very early introduction of high-dose gluten was associated with a lower prevalence of celiac disease at 3 years of age in a prespecified secondary analysis from the Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) infant food allergy prevention trial. None of the infants in the analysis randomized to the gluten early introduction arm of the study had developed

The FDA issued a warning Thursday against taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl) at more than recommended doses, following accounts of at least one teen dying from overuse. The agency is investigating reports of teens who have been hospitalized and died after taking part in the latest social media craze encouraging youth to consume a dangerous amount of

earn free cme credit Earn CME credit by reading this article and completing the posttest. Sign Up Study Authors: Cornelia A. Verberkt, Marieke H.J. van den Beuken-van Everdingen, et al.; Eric W. Widera Target Audience and Goal Statement: Pulmonologists, pain management specialists, primary care physicians, public health and policy experts The goal of this study

Note that some links may require registration or subscription. The Pentagon took some of the money meant for spending on masks and swabs for the COVID-19 pandemic and spent it on jet engine parts and body armor instead. (Washington Post) British prime minister Boris Johnson has ordered a 10 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants,

Allergy symptoms in the eyes – they’re not something to scratch at. Called allergic conjunctivitis, some allergy sufferers experience a variety of symptoms in their eyes during allergy season. For those with indoor allergies, allergic conjunctivitis can stick around all year. Learn more about eye allergy symptoms and ways to prevent the itch and irritation

In patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, add-on mepolizumab (Nucala) reduced both polyp size and the need for surgery in the SYNAPSE study, a researcher reported. In the 52-week, phase III, multicenter trial, treatment with the IL-5 inhibitor biologic was associated with a 57% reduction in the need for surgery versus placebo in patients

Fixed-dose triple therapy with fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (Trelegy Ellipta) improved lung function in adults whose asthma was uncontrolled with an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and long-acting beta-agonist (LABA), the CAPTAIN study showed. On Wednesday, based on findings from the trial, the FDA approved the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment at two different doses for adults 18 and