Allergies + Original Articles

How Often Should You Wash Your Sheets?

Even if you shower every night and sleep alone, you're not the only one messing up your bed... here's why (and how) to keep it clean. What has eight hairy legs and snuggles up with you at night? A dust mite. These too-small-to-see creatures live in household dust, and almost everybody has them. When dust settles from the air or gets kicked up from the carpet, it lands on your sheets, pillowcases, covers, and quilts, and dust mites end up sleeping in your bed.

Autumn's Worst Allergens

A look at the two biggest culprits for fall allergies, with a few tips from a doctor. Spring and summer are usually the first seasons that come to mind when most people think of allergies. But for many people, autumn is just as irritating a season for itchy eyes, runny noses, and scratchy throats. The biggest culprits are ragweed, which makes an appearance by mid-August and can last through October; and mold, which proliferates toward the middle and end of the fall season.

Is it Allergies or a Summer Cold?

Five clues to help you figure it out. The sun is out and the temperature has climbed, but instead of enjoying all that the season has to offer, you’re sniffling, sneezing, and rubbing your eyes. Are you suffering from a summer cold or do you have allergies? It’s not always easy to tell: According to doctors, there’s a lot of overlap in the symptoms.

Is This Common Household Appliance Threatening Your Kids’ Health?

What the latest research says about children’s allergies and eczema. You may believe you’re doing your family a service by investing in a dishwasher—not only are they a time saver, they're scientifically shown to be more effective than hand washing when it comes to removing bacteria from tableware, glassware, pots, and pans.

4 Myths (and the Facts) About Nasal Allergies

Are you sabotaging your health because of these assumptions? If you regularly sniffle, sneeze, and cough, you may be one of the 50 million people in this country, including one in five children, who suffer from allergies. There’s a lot of information swirling around about allergies—and some of it isn’t correct.

Allergy Encyclopedia

Your guide to the most common allergy terms. Achoo! Do you suffer from allergies? You’re not alone: "Some 50 million Americans have allergies, and that number is on the increase," says Montefiore Medical Center’s Waleed Abuzeid, MD, an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

Fatal Allergic Reactions: A Cause Identified

New information about life-threatening allergic reactions. What triggers anaphylaxis, or life-threatening allergic reactions? You may think of peanuts, shellfish, and bee stings. But one particular substance causes more allergy-related deaths than any other allergen (allergy-causing substance), including foods and insect venom: Medications.

Helping Out in Health Emergencies: What You Need to Know About 4 Chronic Conditions

What to do--and what not to do--in these urgent situations. Health emergencies are often unexpected, and you never know when you'll be called upon to help. If a friend or a loved one has a chronic condition, it's important to be prepared should he or she suffer a disabling episode. Here's what to do—and what not to do—during emergencies for people dealing with one of these four conditions… Epilepsy When the brain experiences abnormal electrical impulses, a seizure can result.

Anaphylaxis: Preventing and Treating Life-Threatening Allergic Reactions

Stay safe by following these guidelines. Anaphylaxis is a sudden and serious allergic reaction that can present with a variety of symptoms. In the most severe cases, a patient’s blood pressure falls, airways constrict, and there is difficulty breathing. Common sources of this allergic reaction include certain foods (especially peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish), medications, insect bites, rubber latex, alcohol (ethanol), and food additives.

Don t Let Allergies Come Between You and Your Pet: 7 Helpful Hints to Reduce Symptoms

Suffering from allergies triggered by your pet? Don t give away Mittens or Fido just yet. Read on for ways to minimize your symptoms. As many people who have dogs or cats know, pets are beloved members of the family. So it can come as a nasty surprise when handling or just being around Fido or Mittens starts to cause sneezing, sniffling, and itchy eyes. Allergies can strike at any time—even if you never had them when you were a child.
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