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Allergy Poetry Contest
2007-07-06 19:13:00
Allergic Living magazine is hosting their first annual allergy poetry contest. As stated at their website, “the only requirement is that they (the poems) in some way involve allergies, asthma or living with celiac disease.” There are three different age groups with two age appropriate prizes for each: Group 1 - 18+. Sharp Plasmacluster Ion Air Purifier, Sharp Electronic Dictionary Group 2 - 11 to 17. Root’s Stainless Steel Watch, Sharp Electronic Dictionary Group 3 - 10 & under. Olympus Digital Camera, Blue Bear Aware Allergy T-Shirts (2) The contest ends on August 23rd, so get to writing! For more information and official rules, visit Allergic Living Magazine.
More About: Contest , Poetry

6 Ways to Raise Food Allergy Awareness
2007-07-06 05:41:00
1. Start an annual allergy-free cook-off or bake-off! Challenge your community to come up with delicious recipes without using the top 8 most common food allergens (milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy). It would be easy enough to find local businesses as prize sponsors - a good place to try first would be kitchen gadget shops. You could make your event as simple or as elaborate as you’d like…you could have contestants mail or e-mail their recipes to you by a deadline and have a cookbook of all recipes available by the contest date for each contestant - and have extras for sale (donations with the proceeds to FAAN would be nice!). Just be sure to display printed recipes next to the dishes if you plan on allowing sampling by the general public. This ensures everybody is safe, even those with allergens not in the top 8 most common. 2. Volunteer to speak annually at local schools, community conferences, town meetings, etc. 3. Start a blog! Be sur...
More About: Food , Awareness , Waren , Rene , Aware

Beyond a Peanut Flashcards
2007-07-04 13:24:00
Beyond A Peanut Flashcards Not too long ago before I began this blog, I was e-mailed (assumingly directly by the company) to visit their website and consider ordering a few sets of the cards for the local allergy support group I lead. The product is named “Beyond a Peanut”, a set of 36 flashcards to be used as an educational tool for parents to teach their kids how to tell the difference between “safe” and “unsafe” foods for peanut and tree nut allergic children. I had actually thought of an idea similar to this in the past, in trying to think of creative ways I could teach my own allergic child about which foods are harmful. As a four year old she still has a hard time understanding the concept “allergic”. I would imagine that at this point, if another kid at the playground offers her a cookie, she’s not going to stop and think “is this okay for me to eat?” Which is an extremely terrifying thought. Back to the ca...
More About: Lash

Find the Best City for Your Allergies
2007-07-04 07:59:00
Whether you’re thinking of taking a job in a new city, or want to escape a cesspool of seasonal allergies you’re living in now, here are some considerations to take while on your quest to find the best potential cities for relocation as an allergy sufferer. Your first step should be to make a list of states and regions that sound appealing to you. You then need to try to narrow generalized areas down to specific towns and cities. Many of the tools I suggest for conducting your research require that you know the zip code for specific areas, so once you’ve got your rough draft list do a quick zip code search here and write the codes next to your cities. Got it? Good. Here we go… Pollution ScoreCard.com offers a search by zip code for regional pollution data. The information they provide is extremely comprehensive and insightful: listing toxic chemical plants in the area, as well as air and water pollution stats. Handy additional information for each category i...
More About: Allergies , Find , City

The Eczema Treatment Encyclopedia
2007-07-03 08:30:00
(Firstly let me apologize for the formatting of this post being a bit off, my blogging software is acting up!) One of the most unfortunate things about allergies, especially food allergies to me is that often a person is double - or triple - whammied with other medical problems associated with being allergic. Allergies, eczema, and asthma all go hand in hand sometimes…and eczema is extremely common, especially among allergic children. I’ve decided to compile a list of available eczema treatments, for now briefly describing each with examples but I may expand on some later on. I think it might be helpful for people who are new to the dermatitis world to learn a little about each treatment, all in one place since it seems most information is scattered all over the internet. I would love to read feedback of any kind - what’s been the most successful treatment for you? What absolutely has not worked? Did I leave any remedies out? Format: Type description (examples) ...
More About: Treatment , Eczema , Encyclopedia

A Charitable Cause
2007-07-02 10:36:00
Inspired by Angie over at Baby Cheapskate, who donated a penny for every page view to her blog for the month of June, I’ve decided to take up a similar project… For every: Comment or Digg on article and I will donate a penny Link to AllerJeez.com I will donate 5 cents Throughout the month of July…to The Food Allergy and Anaphlylaxis Network (FAAN) to support allergy research. I would love to do page views, but those few hundred pennies every day add up and I just don’t have the money to donate for every view, comment, and link. If you would like to donate to the charity yourself, please visit FAAN’s donation page. Thank you, Angie for the great idea!
More About: Harita , Char , Hari

Food Allergy Cure?
2007-07-02 09:32:00
The food allergy molecule has been discovered! It has been found that sufferers lack the molecule “interleukin-12″, which when intact prevents food allergy. Scientists are now trying to develop treatments for allergy sufferers using this new information: Dr Claudio Nicoletti and colleagues had already done research which showed that special types of white blood cells called dendritic cells are important in helping the immune system decide on how to respond to foreign molecules. They found that in allergic mice the dendritic cells are much longer lasting than normal, which over-stimulates the immune system. In the latest study, he compared the activity of dendritic cells in the gut and in the spleen of allergic and allergy-resistant mice. He found that in the gut of susceptible mice, dendritic cells have stopped producing interleukin-12. Dr Nicoletti said delivering an allergen, such as peanut, alongside the interleukin-12 molecule. may help to bring allergic reacti...
More About: Food , Cure

News Bits
2007-07-01 09:31:00
Things that make you go “huh”. Can you be “allergic” to electromagnetic radiation? One woman’s story. A homeowner wants to remove nut trees from his property due to his children’s severe nut allergies. The city will not allow it, stating the removal of the trees would hurt the local eco system. While it would probably be in his best interests to just move to avoid nut trees in surrounding properties, the responses to this short article make my blood boil. There’s so much ignorance and unconcern for the health of the children from the majority of commenters it’s terrifying. New drug could stop allergic reactions
More About: News , Bits

AllerJeez Blog Carnival : 1st Edition
2007-07-01 09:15:00
Tracee at Blog Fabulous wrote an entertaining and insightful piece about her battles with allergy and how she came to find her Sinus Wash Miracle Cure. Those with food allergy will obviously want to be mindful of the ingredients of the recipe (contain walnut and coconut), but if your only concern is seasonal allergies and other sinus problems, you probably want to give this a try. The comments of the post contain multiple positive testimonials of the treatment. Madeleine at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog has written a limerick entitled : Ode to Genetically Altered Cats to give pet allergy sufferers a chuckle. Clara at Mind Mart discusses some herbal remedy suggestions to help with seasonal allergies. More 4 Kids’ Kevin posts an article by Dr. Caron Goode on helping your child cope with asthma, featuring breathing exercises you can practice with your children to give them some control when an attack hits. — This concludes our very first blog carnival! I plan on posting a ne...
More About: Carnival , Blog Carnival , Edition

Sex, Semen, and Allergies
2007-06-30 18:26:00
I just read a very interesting short article at South Coast Today as part of a Q & A session for health concerns. The question asked was by a husband concerned that his wife might have an allergic reaction to his semen during lovemaking. What an interesting question it is. I have heard of women being allergic to the semen itself - specifically to the proteins. This condition is called “human seminal plasma protein hypersensitivity”. However it’s news to me that apparently, it is thought to be possible to have a reaction to food and medications that you’re allergic to through your lover’s secretions. “In some cases, substances such as certain medications and foods, may cause allergic reactions when transmitted through seminal fluid.” - AANMA This is an alarming news to me, although it seems rather obvious if you think about it. I’ve just never personally considered this possibility before. I’d assume that most cautious sig...
More About: Allergies

News Bits
2007-06-28 07:03:00
Lots of news today… Firstly, we’ve got a couple of sad headlines…a 10 year old girl dies after having an anaphylactic reaction to peanuts after eating at a restaurant, while an elderly woman is fighting for her life after reacting to silver birch trees. Has a student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem School of Pharmacy come up with a possible cure for asthma? How about this for the US? July 8th is declared National Allergy Awareness Day in the Philippines - GMANews Could a can of cannabis help skin allergies and eczema? - MRT A good piece about gluten free beers for celiacs over at PhillyBlurbs MedicAlert celebrates 40 years by recognizing physicians with Healthcare Professional of the Year awards - HealthCareRepublic Not a moment too soon, the American Medical Association (AMA) moves to require all schools to allow children to bring their asthma and anaphylaxis medications with them - MedicalNewsToday An asthma and allergy related medical study in New Zeala...
More About: Bits

Organic: Better for Allergics and Everyone
2007-06-26 08:25:00
I believe most of us who are even somewhat health conscious have felt twinges of desire when we pass through our grocer’s organic produce section, or spot 100% organic clothing, bedding, and other novelties. Some of you may already be fudging the extra cash for the good stuff, or you might buy a thing or two, but the rest of us have at least considered it. Today, a favorite financial blog of mine - My Money Blog - published a great article about which fruits and vegetables are best bets for buying organic if you’re concerned about pesticide reside that’s left behind on produce. They’ve posted a neat chart showing the top 12 most pesticide laced foods, alongside the cleanest. The article got my wheels turning and inspired me to do some more research about how organic products could benefit allergy sufferers, and possibly make the additional cost of such products worthwhile. Organ ic Produce The article over at My Money Blog concerned itself with worry of pest...
More About: Bett , Everyone

Allergy Proof Your Bedroom for Under $100
2007-06-26 03:41:00
The first step should be to rid the room of unnecessary hotspots where mites like to party. These areas would include curtains, carpet, and stuffed toys in children’s rooms (although I know some of you adults still haven’t parted with your childhood bear). I hope you’ve already got a pull down screen or blinds in addition to those curtains, because those aren’t included in this budget. If you’re desperate, you could always tape newspaper over the windows! Remove the carpet if you’re handy or if you’ve got a willing or blackmailable friend who’s able to do it. Otherwise, please see the alternative suggestions at the end of this article if you’ve chosen to keep your carpet installed. The cost of ridding yourself of these mite utopias? Free, if you make it. Next, be sure that no clothing is left sitting out on a dresser or other surface. Folded clothes that sit will gather dust, so it’s best to put them away in drawers if...
More About: Proof , Bedroom , Under

News Bits
2007-06-25 08:47:00
Columnist advises an office employee regarding her stinky situation with perfume: I certainly don’t expect everybody in the world to accommodate anybody with any type of allergy.  However when you’re in tight spaces with a trigger every day and you’ve respectfully approached the offending source, they should comply and eliminate the problem. The fact that this issue now must be addressed by higher management is absurd. Greek and Dutch consumers unsatisfied with food labeling practices: seems other parts of the world still have inadequate food labels too. A link between asthma and antibiotics: this doesn’t surprise me. I have a dear friend who was on antibiotics many times in her early life and now as an adult suffers from asthma, allergies, arthritis, and other disorders.
More About: News , Bits