What Is Post Nasal Drip?

Here’s a really gross fact for you: the glands in your nose and throat produce one to two quarts of mucus a day. In as little as two days, you can produce a gallon of snot. Mucus is actually a good thing for your nose and throat. It helps keep things moist and clean up in your nose. Mucus can help humidify air and trap foreign matter. Mucus is actually a good infection fighter because it traps things that could cause you to get ill. Usually, we swallow mucus without thinking about it. But the feeling of it collecting in … Continue reading

Food Allergies

Twenty-five percent of American adults believe they have some sort of food allergy… but in truth, only about TWO percent of adults have an actual food allergy. If something you eat doesn’t agree with you — you get an upset stomach, gas, or diarrhea — it’s not the same as having a food allergy. A food intolerance and a food allergy are two very different things! A food allergy essentially triggers a massive overreaction by your immune system. You may experience rashes or swelling, and even blood pressure and breathing problems. And a food allergy isn’t limited to things you … Continue reading

What Is Asthma?

Nearly twenty million Americans suffer from asthma — a disease of the lungs where airways become blocked or narrowed, causing problems with breathing. There are actually two types of asthma — allergic, or extrinsic and non-allergic, or intrinsic. Allergic asthma is triggered by an allergic reaction. More than half of the people who suffer from asthma have allergic asthma. Asthma attacks are triggered by inhaled allergens like dust mites, pet dander, pollen, or mold. A person suffering from an allergic asthma attack may cough or wheeze, feel short of breath, and experience a tight feeling in the chest. The airway … Continue reading

Asthma-Proofing Your Home

Often, allergies and asthma go hand in hand. Some of the triggers are the same — allergens can cause an allergy attack OR an asthma attack. Or both! Keeping the triggers under control in your home can help reduce the number of asthma attacks and even help decrease the need for inhalers and other asthma medications. What triggers an asthma attack? Allergens like pollen, mold, or dust Irritants like smoke, perfumes, or room deodorizers Exercise Infections, especially the upper respiratory kind Emotions like anxiety, fear, or anger The best thing you can do to keep your home free of allergens … Continue reading

OTC Allergy Medicine: Diphenhydramine

Another antihistamine you may see in over-the-counter allergy medicines is diphenhydramine. Diphenhydramine isn’t just for allergies; it is also used for a variety of other problems like insect bites and bee stings, poison ivy and sunburns, motion sickness, sleeplessness, and Parkinson’s disease. Because it has so many different possible uses, read the directions carefully and be sure to follow them! Before taking an over-the-counter allergy medicine that contains diphenhydramine, you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Be sure to talk about what other medicines you are currently taking — prescription and nonprescription. Diphenhydramine can be a problem if you … Continue reading

OTC Allergy Medicine: Pseudoephedrine

Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant used to relieve nasal and sinus congestion. It may also be used to help relieve ear congestion due to inflammation or infection. You may find it used in combination with an antihistamine in various allergy medicines. Pseudoephedrine is available as a tablet/capsule, syrup, and fast-dissolving tablet. Before taking any over-the-counter medicine, you should read and understand everything on the label. If you are not sure about something, or want to ask about drug interactions, call your doctor or ask your pharmacist. Pseudoephedrine should not be used if you are taking beta-blockers or MAO inhibitors — the … Continue reading

OTC Allergy Medicine: Loratadine

If you decide to go with an over-the-counter allergy medicine, you may be wondering which one to pick. I can’t tell you which product will be best for you, but I can tell you what the different ingredients are and what they do! Loratadine is an antihistamine — a drug that blocks substances (may be called allergens or histamines) in the body that cause allergic symptoms. Like most allergy relief medicine, it relives sneezing, runny noses, itchy and watery eyes, and other allergy/hay fever symptoms. Some name brands that use loratadine as the main ingredient? Claritin and Alavert. The name … Continue reading

What’s Blooming This Spring?

It’s spring, which means that things are blooming. Great… unless you’re one of the many allergy sufferers out there! More than three and a half million people in the United States suffer from seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis. In general, the allergy season starts in February or March and continues through October. Trees start making pollen the earliest, in February or March. Grasses join the pollen brigade in May, June, and July. The length of your allergy season depends on where you live — southern states may start to feel the effects of spring … Continue reading

How to Tell the Difference Between a Cold and Allergies

It’s allergy time, everybody! Things are starting to grow and bloom, and that means the start of the season of suffering for allergy folks. (How ironic that the Midwest actually got SNOW on the first day of spring — northern Kentucky got four inches and parts of Saint Louis got up to eight inches of the white stuff!) But if you start to have symptoms… how do you know whether it’s a cold or allergies? Colds and allergies share a lot of the same symptoms. Either one can come with a cough, sneezing, sore throat, and runny nose. But despite … Continue reading

Is Your Cat Allergic? Wow, That’s a Switch!

Whenever I think of cats and allergies, I am reminded of a t-shirt I once saw a woman wearing in a New York subway. It read:” Husband and Kids Gone- Cat Allergic!” While this may seem an exaggerated twist of fate, it is more than ironic that a cat can contract allergies just like people can- namely my Maine Coon cat, Jasmine Dee. She started scratching both in and behind her ears, and did so with such force that the poor thing scratched the fur off the back of her ears! I rushed her to the vet and he gave … Continue reading