Your Body On…Allergies

Easy tips to head off an allergy attack early

Read more at Women's Health: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/allergy-body#ixzz1tZ9wEfyf

It's sneezing season

With pollen levels likely to be high this year, allergy sufferers prepare for the worst

"Basically, I'm afraid to go off the pills. They are a part of my life," said Waldman, 59, who received allergy shots as a teen because she is allergic to a mixture of grasses, trees, ragweed, pollen and mold. "It has gotten worse. It's a pain. Both of my parents and my children have allergies."

Allergy season has already started, said allergist Dr. Neeta Ogden, fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

NATURE MEDICINE | NEWS

Nothing to sneeze at

Erica Westly

Nature Medicine 16, 1063–1065 (2010) doi:10.1038/nm1010-1063

The study of histamine pathways is in the midst of a revival, thanks in part to the discovery of a new type of receptor. “Histamine being involved with asthma makes sense, so I would definitely be interested in learning about new antihistamines for asthma treatment,” says Neeta Ogden, an allergist. But there are still many questions to answer before the H4 antagonist can be used to treat asthma in humans.  

http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v16/n10/full/nm1010-1063.html

Pets: Snuffle the Sneezes

"There really isn't a hypoallergenic pet," says allergist Dr. Neeta Ogden. "Every pet carries allergens in its skin, saliva and urine. It's thought that some dogs may elicit less severe symptoms, likely because they shed less dander."

http://www.bergen.com/family/Pets_Snuffle_the_Sneezes.html

Tips From an Allergy Expert

For red eyes: Neeta Ogden, MD, an adult and pediatric allergist at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in Englewood, N.J., has a great tip. "To avoid red eye that occurs with allergy season, I often tell people to use a saline wash, preferably preservative free, to wash away residual pollen from your eyes after you come home from being outside."

http://www.everydayhealth.com/allergy/0410/fight-allergy-face-with-advice-from-kate-walsh-and-rebekah-george.aspx