Allergies & Asthma

TTHealthWatch is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. This week’s topics include computer-based therapy for PTSD,

After years of struggling with what I thought was only allergies I was formally diagnosed with spontaneous idiopathic urticaria and angioedema (I will refer to it as urticaria from here as it is a mouthful and a lot to write over and over). I wrote a blog post about it a few months ago, it

Asthma is a chronic disease that causes the airways to be inflamed (swollen). Some of the most common symptoms include trouble breathing, coughing, and wheezing. But in infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children, asthma can look a bit different. If you have a little one with asthma, it’s important to know what to look for. The

Since 2000, Allergychoices has supported providers from every corner of the country with offering sublingual immunotherapy — a disease modifying allergy treatment. Each provider has their own story about offering this treatment, with personal anecdotes of how it has ultimately impacted both practice and patients. Amber Beckenhauer, DO, added allergy testing and sublingual immunotherapy to

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is sharing this press release from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to bring you the latest research news quickly. [PRESS RELEASE] Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19

June is National Healthy Homes Month. Your home can have a big impact on how well you manage your asthma and allergies. Reducing asthma triggers and allergens in your home should be an important part of your asthma and allergy management plan. How Do I Know If I Have a Healthier Home? Take this quick

Medical gaslighting is a term that I have seen around on social media quite a bit over the last year or so. I would read stories about patients experiences of poor medical care or incorrect assumptions made by medics which have been devastating for the patient and feel blessed that this has never happened to

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is sharing this press release from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi to bring you the latest research news. [PRESS RELEASE] Children treated with Dupixent and topical corticosteroids (TCS) achieved clearer skin, experienced significantly improved overall disease severity and significantly reduced itch compared to TCS alone at week

There is a familiar, tropical, smell that comes to mind when you think back on beach days or soccer games in the middle of the summer — the sweet smell of sunscreen. Are you using allergy-safe sunscreen? For those with allergies and eczema, sunscreen is just another product that should be thoroughly examined and tested

Children with asthma may not always understand what’s going on when they have symptoms. But teaching your child about asthma from a young age can help them communicate better with you, teachers, and other caregivers when they do have symptoms. Plus, this will help prepare them for self-care as they get older. Here are some

Outdoor events, cookouts, and picnics are great ways to get together with family and friends during warmer months. If you have allergies or asthma, take steps to avoid triggers and prevent flare-ups. Make sure you have your emergency medicines, like quick-relief asthma medicines or epinephrine, with you at all times and know how to use

The difference between a food intolerance and food allergies can be confusing. Find out what causes symptoms, what symptoms look like, diagnosis processes, and how allergy drop immunotherapy can treat the cause of food allergy. What is a food intolerance? A food intolerance can occur from a variety of causes including a missing enzyme needed to digest food,

Presentation A 72-year-old man presented to the doctor with complaints of hip pain and groin pain affecting his left lower extremities that gradually began over the last couple of months. The patient denied recent trauma. He had COPD and had received high-dose injections of triamcinolone as intermittent treatment over the course of his adult life.

Did you know women are twice as likely to die from asthma than men are? Living with asthma is horrible. To keep it stable there are so many considerations you need to think about compared to someone without asthma. For me my mind is always racing and I am checking my surroundings to make sure

On Tuesday evening I attended one of my first face to face events since the COVID-19 pandemic started. I cannot begin to explain how good it was to be back at an in person event. A few months ago the rebranding of the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership was unveiled. Along with new

The COVID-19 pandemic was a double-edged sword for patient engagement. For some, the inability to access traditional, brick-and-mortar healthcare opened their minds to virtual solutions and helped them get more acutely involved with their health. For others, the past 2 years magnified feelings of isolation and helplessness, which perpetuated a sense of overwhelm about their

Did you know there are different types of asthma? One type you may not have heard of is called eosinophilic [EE-oh-sin-oh-FILL-ick] asthma. It is sometimes called e-asthma or eos asthma for short. It is a type of asthma that has increased inflammatory cells called eosinophils [EE-oh-sin-oh-FILLS] in the airway. An estimated 25 million people in

SAN FRANCISCO — Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who changed treatment from so-called triple therapy to a two-drug product omitting the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) component tended to see improved symptom control, as well as fewer adverse effects, a researcher said here. In a German registry study, it took about 14 months for half

SAN FRANCISCO — Ordinary adolescents showed higher levels of a biomarker for airway inflammation in the days following rain or snow, researchers reported here. For every 2 mm/day of precipitation averaged over the previous week, Massachusetts teens showed a 3.64% increase (95% CI 0.72-6.65) in fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), according to a group led

SAN FRANCISCO — For neighborhoods near a major coking operation in Pittsburgh, its shutdown at the end of 2015 was followed by markedly lower rates of respiratory disease hospitalizations, researchers reported here. Inpatient admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among area residents were steadily increasing during 2013 to 2015. But from 2016 onward, they

Taking your asthma medicine regularly is an important part of controlling your asthma. But do you know how you take your medicine is just as important? Why Is Correct Asthma Inhaler Use Important? Incorrect inhaler use can stop your asthma medicines from getting to your lungs. Inhaler mistakes are more common than you might think.

Advocating for people with asthma and allergies is a great way to spread awareness during National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. We invite you to join us for Advocacy Action Day! Today, we ask you to help us tell Congress what people with asthma and allergies need to live full, healthy lives. More than 65

SAN FRANCISCO — Phase III results look very good for a two-drug combination inhaler in helping asthma patients regain symptom control when maintenance medications weren’t doing the job. In the MANDALA trial, patients using the investigational product PT027, which combines 90 μg of albuterol with 80 μg of budesonide, were significantly less likely to experience

TTHealthWatch is a weekly podcast from Texas Tech. In it, Elizabeth Tracey, director of electronic media for Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, and Rick Lange, MD, president of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, look at the top medical stories of the week. This week’s topics include use of ECMO in

A healthy living space begins with good indoor air quality (IAQ). Allergens, scents, chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and outdoor air pollution can affect the IAQ in your home. Good IAQ is an important part of asthma and allergy management. But asthma triggers and allergens can hide all over our homes. So where do you

Join the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) for an, “Ask the Expert Chat: How to Use Your Asthma and Allergy Medicines.” Board-certified allergist John James, MD, will be our featured expert to answer your questions about asthma and allergy medicines. The text-based chat will be hosted on our community on Wednesday, May 18,

As if sneezing and itching wasn’t enough, some people experience heartburn symptoms due to their environmental and/or food allergies. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) might be to blame. It can be allergy-related, but mainly causes reactions that impact your digestive system. The first official EoE diagnosis was in the 1990s, but there’s been an increase in diagnoses and ongoing research

Dr. John James, a board-certified allergist, answers top questions people have about asthma and allergy medicines. Question: I was recently diagnosed with asthma. My allergist prescribed two inhalers. Why did they prescribe two? How do I know when to use each one? Dr: James: This is a very important and practical question about asthma inhalers.