Ayurvedic Medicines

In a time of year when many are used to sun bathing, another kind of bathing proves not only safe, but beneficial. A recent New York Times Health featurette explores the claim that exposure to plants and parks can boost immunity . “Forest bathing,” a term adopted from the Japanese practice of visiting nature parks for therapeutic effect, does in fact appear to have health benefits, according to a series of recent studies

Professor Fiona Watt will today (12 July) give the Anne McLaren Memorial Lecture at the UK National Stem Cell Network annual science meeting and will detail a new approach to screening for drugs that…

Implementing a program of universal HIV testing and immediate antiretroviral treatment (ART) for infected individuals could have a major impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, DC, but a new…

In light of our recently launched Allergy Consumer Report series on allergist interviews , we thought it would be a good time to point out 8 Allergy Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore . As Health.com reports, if you've been diagnosed with allergies and you experience any of the following, you should contact your doctor: Pain in the sinus area and other symptoms of sinus infection (fever, or a creamy, yellow, or green discharge from the nose). A worsening of allergy symptoms with no known cause

Recent studies suggest an increased prevalence of food-induced allergy and an increased incidence of food-related anaphylaxis. The researchers performed a cross-Canada, random telephone survey. Food allergy was defined as: – perceived (based on self-report) – probable (based on convincing history or self-report of physician diagnosis) – confirmed (based on history and evidence of confirmatory tests) Of 10,596 households surveyed in 2008 and 2009, 34.6% responded

For egg, milk, peanut, and fish allergy, diagnostic levels of IgE, which could predict clinical reactivity in this population with greater than 95% certainty, were identified: – egg, 6 kilounits of allergen-specific IgE per liter kU – milk, 32 kU (or 15 in newer studies) – peanut, 15 kU – fish, 20 kU For egg, milk, peanut, and fish allergy, diagnostic levels of IgE, which could predict clinical reactivity in this population with greater than 50% certainty, were identified: – egg, 2 kilounits of allergen-specific IgE per liter kU – milk, 2 kU – peanut, 2 kU References: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9338535 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11344358 http://www.questdiagnostics.com/hcp/topics/immunocap/immunocap.html Levels of specific IgE that predict food allergy reaction (click to enlarge the image). Posted at Allergy Notes . Stay updated and subscribe , follow us on Twitter and connect on Facebook

The new trend of interactive web communities and social media bring some wonderful opportunities for community as well as some areas to be cautious of. People suffering from a medical condition or an allergy can now communicate with others and there is a great opportunity for brainstorming and information sharing. People can find out what treatments have been effective for others.

The diagnosis and treatment of exercise-induced asthma are well characterized. However, other syndromes are relatively common but not well-established in the literature with high-quality evidence: – exercise-induced vocal cord dysfunction – exercise-induced paradoxical arytenoid motion – exercise-induced hyperventilation Laryngoscopic view of normal vocal folds.

Epidemiologic evidence regarding the association between allergic diseases and cancer has been inconsistent. This Canadian study examined whether a history of asthma or eczema is associated with various cancers among men in a population based case-control study conducted in the 1980s. Questionnaire-based interviews were performed in 3,300 cancer cases and 512 population controls A history of asthma was negatively associated with all cancer types combined (odds ratio (OR), 0.72) and similarly for a history of eczema (OR, 0.66)

In a previous study by the same authors, latitude was positively associated with EpiPen prescription rates. This study sought to determine whether a similar geographic difference exists for emergency department (ED) visits for acute allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis). The researchers combined National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for ED visits to noninstitutional hospitals from 1993 to 2005.