Recent strides in allergy treatment aim to get severe allergy sufferers up and moving with new pill and liquid (oral drop) treatments. If approved, these allergy drugs could work more effectively than and eventually replace traditional allergy shots.

Allergies and hay fever can cause allergy sufferers serious discomfort. In addition to a runny nose and nasal congestion, hay fever can cause sinus pressure, itchy eyes and dark circles under the eyes called allergic shiners. Severe hay fever also can cause sleep issues and sinus infections (sinusitis), and may worsen asthma problems.

Some allergy sufferers rely on injections to address these severe symptoms, especially in the spring and fall when allergies and hay fever peak. Shots are given frequently—as often as twice weekly to twice monthly—for several years to build a tolerance to allergens. This therapy is now available orally in pill or drop form, known as sublingual immunotherapy.

Immunotherapy can cut symptoms by 20-30 percent, slightly higher than the use of nasal sprays (17 percent) and daily antihistamines (12-15 percent). Although immunotherapy drops and tablets have not yet made their way to the United States, they are already being used in Europe. Researchers are still investigating the long-term effectiveness of sublingual immunotherapy. One such investigation appears in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

In the meantime, you can learn more about allergy shots and how to manage allergies and hay fever from the Mayo Clinic website.

You've heard of toning your abs and working your glutes, but what about your throat? As it turns out, throat exercises could relieve symptoms of sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea—apnea literally means “without breath” in Greek—affects more than 12 million Americans and causes on-again, off-again breathing throughout the night. People with sleep apnea may also experience loud snoring and/or feel tired despite getting a full night’s sleep.

There are two main types of sleep apnea—central sleep apnea, which occurs when the brain doesn’t send signals to the brain to breathe; and the more common obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when throat muscles relax.

A person with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) usually experiences disrupted breathing and poor sleep quality. For this study, 15 people with moderate OSAS did breathing exercises every day for 3 months. Another 16 did what were known as oropharyngeal (throat) exercises using a breathing machine.

Not unlike a stair master that works your thighs, the breathing machine works your throat using what’s known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The machine continuously pumps air through a mask to force air passages open during inhalation. Each session lasts for roughly 30 minutes.

Participants who did the breathing exercises did not show any significant improvements at the end of the experiment, but those who used CPAP had a lower neck circumference, snored less frequently and intensely, and experienced better sleep quality. The overall severity of their condition was reduced by a whopping 39 percent.

“Oropharyngeal exercises significantly reduce OSAS severity and symptoms,” authors of the study concluded. “(These exercises) represent a promising treatment for OSAS.”

Learn more about sleep apnea from the American Sleep Apnea Association, or read the source article from the New York Times.

Do you suffer from recurring sinus problems? If so, a friend's cigarette could be to blame. Two out of five cases of chronic sinusitis may be due to exposure to secondhand smoke.

Sinusitis occurs when the sinuses become swollen or infected. According to Mayo Clinic, sinusitis is usually the result of a cold, allergies or other nasal problems, and can easily be treated with antibiotics, heat (to relieve sinus pressure) or a variety of over-the counter medications.

When the condition persists for more than eight weeks or recurs frequently, this is known as chronic sinusitis. Secondhand smoke contains over 50 known carcinogens; these chemicals can also cause heart problems, asthma attacks and nasal irritation.

Researchers from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, recruited 612 non-smokers to participate in a study investigating the relationship of secondhand smoke (SHS) and its source to chronic sinusitis. All had been exposed to SHS for five years prior to the study, and half had been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis (CRS).

Researchers focused on four locations where participants were primarily exposed—home, work, public places and social functions. All showed a marked relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and incidence of chronic sinusitis, especially at social functions (51 percent) and in public places (90 percent).

Although levels of exposure were significantly lower for nonsmokers who had not been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis, study co-author Amanda Holm, MPH, says even modest levels of exposure carry risk.

"The poisons found in secondhand smoke are quite an irritant to the sinus and nasal passages and are a major contributor to the development of rhinosinusitis," Holm said in a press release. “"Our findings reaffirm the health hazards of secondhand smoke."

Visit Mayo Clinic to learn more about chronic sinusitis, or learn more about Holm’s study in The Archives of Otolaryngology.

A study released today from the January edition of Archives of Otolaryngology reports an “alarming” rise in the number of infections of the ear, nose, and throat in children that were caused by the “superbug” known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The proportion of Staph infections of the head and neck in children caused by MRSA more than doubled from 2001 to 2006.

In the study, researchers reviewed data regarding pediatric head and neck infections that occurred at more than 300 hospitals nationwide between 2001 and 2006. They found that between 2001 and 2006 there were 21,009 pediatric head and neck infections caused by Staph bacteria. Over that span, the percentage of those infections caused by the difficult-to-treat MRSA bacteria increased from 12 percent to 28 percent.

MRSA is similar to other Staph infections, except that it is resistant to the penicillin-related antibiotics such as methicillin that are normally used to treat Staph infections. Treating a MRSA infection requires use of other antibiotics, but if such treatment is started quickly, the infection can usually be controlled without any problem. However, if a MRSA infection is not treated properly, it can cause dangerous, life-threatening complications. This can occur if someone with a MRSA infection is misdiagnosed as having a non-MRSA Staph infection and is given penicillin-related antibiotics, which have no effect on MRSA.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 94,000 Americans get serious, invasive MRSA infections each year and 19,000 die.

Ten years ago, most MRSA infections were acquired in hospitals, often by chronically ill patients. However, during the past decade, “community-acquired” MRSA infections that occur outside of heath care settings have become more common, frequently affecting otherwise healthy individuals. The new study provides evidence that nearly 60 percent of the MRSA infections of the head and neck among children in the study were acquired outside hospitals.

Staph bacteria including MRSA tend to live on the skin surface and can be spread by direct skin-to-skin contact or by contact with surfaces contaminated with Staph germs from cuts and other open wounds. About one-third of the population is “colonized” by Staph bacteria, meaning they have it on their skin or in the nose or throat but they aren't sick. For reasons that are not yet understood, the number of these carriers who are colonized, but not infected, by MRSA germs is also on the rise.

MRSA head and neck infections most likely develop in MRSA carriers who become susceptible because of ear, nose, or throat infections caused by some other bug. MRSA skin infections tend to occur when the bacteria enter the body through a cut or abrasion.

Doctors believe inappropriate use of antibiotics has contributed to the rise of MRSA infections. The researchers suggest that that quick culture tests be done on suspected head and neck infections to determine the cause of the infection before treatment is started and that antibiotics be prescribed “judiciously.”

If you want to learn more about MRSA infections, join the Healia Health Community for MRSA

 

 

_{Photo: edenpictures, Flickr, Creative Commons}

If you have a runny nose, coughing, or sneezing at this time of year, you may be wondering if you have an allergy or a cold given that allergy and cold symptoms are very similar. A good rule of thumb is if your cold-like symptoms last longer than one or two weeks, or if you have frequent colds, you may want to consult your doctor to discuss being tested for allergies.

Allergies are very common, affecting an estimated 50 million Americans (one in every six people in the United States). A multitude of allergens may trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive people. Exposure to allergens can occur through the air, by touch, or by ingestion. Common allergens include indoor and outdoor airborne particles, animals, foods, drugs, and chemicals, including:

• animal dander 
• dust mites
• mold spores
• bee venom
• latex
• tree, grass, and weed pollen
• medicines, such as penicillin, sulfa drugs, local anesthetics
• foods, such as peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat

For information regarding how to prevent or minimize exposure to allergy triggers, see Healia’s Health Guide on Allergies.

As part of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, Healia’s President and Founder, Tom Eng, will talk about allergies as a guest on KOMO TV First News at 4:00 PM (PST), Wednesday, May 14, 2008.

In addition, Stephen Tilles, MD, a board certified allergist at the Northwest Asthma and Allergy Center, will be available to answer your allergy questions for the next two weeks as part of Healia’s Allergy Community.

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