Allergies & Asthma

A first-in-class drug under development for severe asthma passed what its developers hope is the final test: achieving its primary endpoint in a phase III registration trial dubbed NAVIGATOR and now reported in a major journal. Tezepelumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), cut the annualized rate of asthma exacerbations by more than

There are some illnesses that can simply be a tough case to solve, often leaving people bouncing from specialist to specialist to determine the cause. In some cases, allergy might be the key to finding a treatment that really works. In this blog, learn how Irritable Bowel Syndrome, heartburn and headaches can be brought on

You might think that when asthma patients were switched involuntarily from regular insurance to high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), a substantial number would cut corners on their daily controller medications — but you would mostly be wrong, researchers said. In fact, in a study of some 185,000 pediatric and adult patients with asthma spanning 2002 to

The 24-hour news cycle is just as important to medicine as it is to politics, finance, or sports. At MedPage Today, new information is posted daily, but keeping up can be a challenge. As an aid for our readers and for a little amusement, here is a 10-question quiz based on the news of the

Rather than site-wide food bans or allergen-restricted zones, allergy training, action plans, and available epinephrine to treat suspected anaphylaxis are recommended to address allergic reactions to food at child care centers and schools, according to new practice guidelines. Not only has research found little evidence that food bans work, such restrictions can pose monitoring and

Contents of baby’s first stool were a biomarker for early-life allergy risk in a study of 100 infants. Infants who developed IgE-mediated atopy by age 1 showed a significantly poorer environment in their meconium — the fecal matter accumulated prior to birth and typically expelled within a few days of delivery — for microbiotal development

One of the most talked about food allergies is peanut. Though not the most common food allergy, it’s the most common food associated with severe allergic reactions – so it’s an important one to be educated on. Consider this overview on peanut allergy: from symptoms, diagnosis, and avoiding peanuts, to options for treating the cause.

Presentation At her 8-year-old son’s regular check-up, a mother asked the pediatrician to look at a skin condition that developed rather suddenly about a month ago. He had a few groups of follicular scaly papules bilaterally on his knees and elbows. They didn’t seem to bother him at all, but since he is prone to

As the world starts to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis, another global — and even more devastating — existential threat persists: climate change. Worldwide, climate-driven disasters including storms, droughts, fires, and floods displaced more than 10 million people since last September. Here in the western U.S., we face increasingly catastrophic wildfire seasons with powerful effects

Note that some links may require registration or subscription. A new coronavirus variant, BV-1, has been discovered in Texas. (Fox News) The European Medicines Agency said it found a “possible link” between the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and blood clots and recommended that a warning be added to the vaccine’s label, but they also

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

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

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

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

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

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 &

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,

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

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

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)

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

“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

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, both the CDC and the World Health Organization identified asthma patients as being at high risk for severe disease and hospitalization, but it soon became evident that this may not be the case when study after study showed little or no support for that conclusion. Now the largest research review

Ten cases of anaphylaxis and over 100 cases of severe allergic reactions were reported following administration of the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, but nearly all were among those with a history of allergic reactions, researchers found. Of the 10 cases of anaphylaxis, nine were among those with a history of allergies or

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

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