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Showing posts from March, 2022

What's the Difference Between First-Generation and Second-Generation Antihistamines? - WebMD

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Antihistamines are a class of drugs that help to treat the symptoms of various allergies. The main difference between first-generation and second-generation antihistamines is that the latter do not cause sleepiness and are considered safer because they interact better with other medications. What Are Antihistamines Used For? Antihistamines are medications that block chemicals in the body called histamines. Histamines are the chemical that gets released after you are exposed to something you are allergic to. They cause the symptoms of an allergic reaction, like: Itchiness Hives Runny nose Itchy eyes Sneezing Insomnia Nausea Vomiting Fatigue There are two different types of histamines: H-1 receptor antagonists and H-2 receptor antagonists. Typically, antihistamines that treat H-2 receptor antagonists treat gastrointestinal symptoms. Both first-generation and second-generation antihistamines treat H-1 receptor antagonists. H-1 receptor antagonists treat:  What Are First-Generatio...

How to take seasonal allergy medications the right way - Popular Science

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Another round of snow and ice may have gripped large portions of the country recently, but spring is just a few weeks away. And with spring come allergies. Across much of the US, the influx of pollen and mold spores that herald spring's arrival also signal the return of sneezing, itchy eyes, runny noses, and more. Other allergies can irritate us year-round. Hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis) affects 10 to 30 percent of the population worldwide and can strike in any season due to dust mites and other common irritants.  Fortunately, there are several kinds of allergy medications that can tame symptoms. But, it's important to know the differences among the many options to find out when and how long they should be taken. Here are a few things allergy experts say to keep in mind while bracing for the start of allergy season.  DON'T make Benadryl a long-term fix   Many over-the-counter allergy medication...

1 in 2 skin lightening products contain toxic levels of mercury - Medical News Today

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Share on Pinterest An alarming number of skin lightening creams on the market may contain illegal levels of mercury. Getty Images Researchers analyzed over 100 popular skin-lightening or so-called "whitening" products sold on platforms such as Amazon and eBay for mercury. They found that almost half of these cosmetics contained mercury above legal limits. As a heavy metal, mercury is highly toxic to humans and can cause severe symptoms. Researchers are urging people to stop using skin-lightening products to avoid mercury exposure. Skin-lightening and skin 'whitening' products (SLPs) are available worldwide. A recent review of these products currently on the market has found that many still contain dangerous levels of mercury. Mercury in cosmetics, especially in skin-lightening creams, is not unheard of. The chemical is widely used in such products due to its ability to suppress melanin production, which gives color to the skin, and lighten hyperpigmentation such as d...

Shingles vs Eczema: Skin Rash and Symptom Differences - Healthline

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Shingles and eczema are both skin conditions that can cause areas of inflamed skin. The areas of inflamed skin can vary in size and be itchy or painful. Because of some of the similarities, it can be easy to mistake one condition for the other. Shingles and eczema aren't the same. They have different underlying causes, which require different treatments. Since both conditions can cause complications without proper treatment, it's important to differentiate between the two. Read on to learn more about the differences between shingles and eczema. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a disease caused by the latent varicella-zoster virus (VCV). The VCV is the same virus that causes chickenpox, or varicella, in children. It stays inactive in the body after a chickenpox infection. Anyone can get shingles. However, it's more likely to appear if you're feeling stressed, are dealing with an illness, or your immune system is weakened. If your immune system becomes weakened or compromis...

Spring allergies are back... here are some remedies to help you through it - PennLive

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Spring is here. The season of new life and regrowth. Soon we will see plants budding and blooming with new life. And while this is such a beautiful time of year - if you suffer with seasonal allergies - it can also mean your allergy symptoms will be coming back to life as well. Now is the time to begin preparing for allergy season, before we begin to see the familiar yellow dusting on our cars indicating the pollen has arrived. Here are some remedies to get your through the worst of pollen season: Of course, speaking with your health care provider about allergy medication options should be your first course of action. Here are a few over the counter medication options they may recommend: Zyrtec 24 Hour Allergy Relief Tablets, Antihistamine Allergy Medicine with 10 mg Cetirizine HCI, Bundle with 1 x 30 ct and 1 x 3 ct Travel Pack $20.06 Benadryl Ultratabs Antihistamine Allergy Relief Tablets, Diphenhydramine HCl 25mg, 100 ct $13.99 On sale: Claritin 24 Hour Allergy Medicine, Non-Drowsy ...

Benadryl and Eczema: Does It Work? - Healthline

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Although there are many treatments for eczema, you might wonder whether over-the-counter (OTC) options such as Benadryl can help. Although Benadryl is helpful for allergies and itchy skin from hives or bug bites, it is not recommended for eczema and is ineffective for treating it. But if you are having trouble sleeping because of the itching, Benadryl might be helpful because of its sedating properties. Talk with a doctor before using Benadryl in conjunction with your eczema treatment to ensure it's appropriate and safe for you to use. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is the brand name for an OTC antihistamine. It's often used to relieve allergy symptoms and itchy skin from bug bites or hives. Benadryl can be taken orally in pill or liquid form or applied to the skin in a cream, gel, or spray form. There are different formulations of Benadryl, with two allergy formulations, an itch-stopping cream and an itch cooling gel. All of the formulations except the itch cooling gel have diphen...

FDA Issues 'Boxed Warning' for Allergy Drug Singulair - Healthline

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Share on Pinterest Agency officials say the allergy and asthma medication Singulair can cause serious mental health issues for some people who take the drug. Getty Images A new FDA boxed warning cautions against prescribing the asthma and allergy drug Singulair for people with mild symptoms, including those with hay fever. FDA officials say the potential for serious side effects from Singulair includes mental health issues such as suicidal thoughts . The officials say these side effects may outweigh the potential benefits of the drug and alternative therapies should be used instead. As spring starts to arrive in most places, warmer weather also brings a less-welcome new arrival: pollen. While others get to enjoy the change of weather and blossoming trees, people with allergies deal with stuffy noses, watery eyes, and congested sinuses. There are a number of allergy drugs that can help make spring more enjoyable. But, like most medications, those drugs carry their own potential side eff...

Neurobiological processes occurring during puberty that trigger sex differences in learning and memory: New findings suggest optimal teaching tactics, psychiatric treatment, should adapt to reflect brain differences - Science Daily

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New research from the University of California, Irvine reveals that sex differences in learning and memory mechanisms are triggered by biological events occurring during puberty. Findings show prepubescent female rodents have much better hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and spatial learning than same-age males, but puberty has opposite consequences for synaptic plasticity in the two sexes. The study, titled "Prepubescent female rodents have enhanced hippocampal LTP and learning relative to males, reversing in adulthood as inhibition increases" was recently published in Nature Neuroscience . Since the late 19 th century, the general consensus in the scientific community has been that men outperform women on spatial tasks, while women excel in learning tasks involving verbal material, while the general debate has been about why there is a difference. "The surprising conclusion from our results is that the polarization of sex differences in hippocampal synaps...

For Black Patients, Hairstyles May Harm the Scalp - Everyday Health

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Chesapeake, Virginia native Daree Allen Nieves, 39, has struggled for years with an intensely itchy and irritated scalp. The discomfort began when she started straightening her tightly coiled hair. "I started getting relaxers when I was 13," she explains. When she was in her late twenties, she began seeing a dermatologist every few months — first a white doctor, then a Black one. Both prescribed a number of different treatments for her dermatitis (the medical term for skin irritation), but nothing helped. Her scalp problems persisted even after she gave her hair what she calls a "big chop" and went natural. "I've never been given a real cause or solution for my issues," she says. Allen Nieves' experience is not unique. Tightly coiled Black hair is very delicate and can require a lot of upkeep, but sometimes certain products, treatments, and even so-called "protective" hairstyles can cause more problems than they solve. People may notice c...

Atlanta daily pollen count | March 27 - 11Alive.com WXIA

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Atlanta daily pollen count | March 27    11Alive.com WXIA

A parent's guide to traveling with food allergies: How to plan, pack and enjoy your vacation - USA TODAY

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Cortney Fries  |  FamilyVacationist.com Show Caption Hide Caption The most allergy-friendly restaurant chains in America, ranked So you have food allergies. Do you know the safest place to get dinner? Time, Time Traveling with someone who has food allergies takes a bit of extra planning, whether that person is you or your child. But don't let that limit your family vacation ideas. With the right precautions, your family can travel safely even when food allergies and food sensitivities are a concern.  Whether your child is allergic to peanuts or seafood or has a gluten sensitivity, there are ways to pull off a safe family vacation that doesn't end with a trip to the emergency room.  If you or someone you care about is concerned about food allergies while traveling, here's how to plan, prepare and enjoy your trips. Planning a tr...

Natural remedies for allergy season - WWLP.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Natural remedies for allergy season    WWLP.com THE NOSE KNOWS: Allergy season is here, and both chemical and natural remedies can help    Tahlequah Daily Press Six ways to reduce your seasonal allergies | Health & Food | fairfaxtimes.com    Fairfaxtimes.com How to Get Rid of Seasonal Allergies Fast    Verywell Health View Full Coverage on Google News

FPIES in babies: Symptoms, triggers, treatment, and care - Medical News Today

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Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome is when food allergies affect the gastrointestinal tract of babies and young children. It is rare but may be more prevalent than doctors previously understood. The main symptoms of food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome, or FPIES, are recurring, severe diarrhea and vomiting. An infant may experience these symptoms from time to time, or they may be continuous and chronic. There are a few common trigger foods, but any food may be responsible. Doctors sometimes find it challenging to diagnose FPIES because the symptoms do not show up immediately. The disorder may present differently in every child, and treatment usually involves eliminating food triggers from their diet. Severe diarrhea and vomiting are the most common symptoms of FPIES. Vomiting typically occurs about 2 to 3 hours after eating a trigger food and is then followed by diarrhea. Other symptoms may include: lethargy, or feeling fatigued and weak blue skin color dehydration high...

The Big 9 Food Allergens - Food Institute Blog

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The U.S. has made progress in food safety issues by adding sesame to its former "Big 8" list of food allergens and, most notably, by broadening and supporting allergen prevention, treatment, and cures, food industry experts said. The 2021 Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (FASTER) Act required the FDA to add sesame as the ninth on its list of food allergens. Sesame will be subject to the same labeling regulations as the other eight major food allergens. Updated sesame labeling must be in place by Jan. 1, 2023. Even more significant, however, are other measures heralded by the FASTER Act. The FASTER Act makes only a minor change in adding sesame as a major food allergen, but it signals the government's intention to closely examine allergen restrictions and widen their scope, Food Safety Magazine reported. The FASTER Act increases awareness of and transparency about food allergens and has the potential to decrease accidental...