Since we relocated, I've noticed that my son has been having more asthma episodes. Because it's perpetually summer over here, swimming is one of his usual activities but it took a few months until we noticed a pattern. Every time he would go swimming, he would have some sniffles the following day, which would then get worse and end up in a full blown coughing fits and wheezing. It happens each and every time, and it took us so long to notice it only because he'd hit the pools perhaps just twice a month or so. So that by the time he was again well enough to go swimming, he would, and the cycle would start all over again.

What we still don't know is whether it's sensitivity to chlorine, or to the low water temperature. The pools here are unheated, and are about 22 to 25 degrees on a warm sunny day. I've bought him a thermal swimsuit, but seems to be ineffective. He wore the swimsuit last weekend, and as was before, he still had colds an cough. Hm, perhaps a visit to a specialist is warranted. Hopefully, there's still hope; after all, Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe also had chlorine sensitivities.

Do you have allergies but hesitate wearing an all too obvious medical bracelet? Perhaps a medical alert wallet is more suitable for you, then. You will still have the medical symbol on you, with as much information and instructions on what to do during emergency, so that in such cases, paramedics or other people can help you better.

I especially like the Travel Lite bi-fold wallet- it's made of microfiber nylon and is thus lightweight and not bulky. Choose from the many varieties of medical wallets here.

That stress can aggravate allergies among children is something that has already been documented. But how? And how stressful must an even be to have an effect?

German researchers addressed these questions, and report intriguing findings. The investigations are based on data from 6-year old children from the LISA (Lifestyle - Immune System - Allergy), which investigates the influences of lifestyles on the immune system development in early childhood and the emergence of allergies.

Blood samples from 234 children showed increased blood concentrations of the stress-related peptide VIP (vasoactive intestinal polypeptide) as well as an increased concentration of immune markers related to the occurrence of allergic reactions such as cytokine IL-4, in connection with moving house or the separation of parents. However, such changes were not observed in other stressful situations such as death in the family, or unemployment of parents. The researchers believe these situations are less significant to have a measurable impact on the immune system.

Read the full report here.

One of the most commented entries in this blog is that on nitrile allergies. Nitrile gloves are often regarded as alternative to latex rubber gloves because latex allergies is a big issue particularly in the healthcare industry. To date, as it was over a year and a half ago when I first wrote it, there is not much information on nitrile allergies on the web. It's as if the experts in the industry do not want to acknowledge the possibility that one can indeed be allergic to nitrile.

Until now.

I would like to lift a comment left by Colette Perches, President/CEO of First Line Gloves from that old blog entry as I feel these are useful information for people who think they might be having allergic reactions to nitrile. (Emphasis are mine).

Unfortunately, the conversion to nitrile was falsely promoted as a "fix all" for allergies. The bottom line, it is absolutely possible to be allergic to acrylonitrilabutadeine, the raw material used in the manufacturing of nitrile gloves. In fact, a person can be allergic to AIR. The sensitization process and potential ultimate development of anaphylaxis in extreme cases cannot be predicted by either doses or time exposed to a glove. This is the same for latex as well as nitrile. Gloves are manufactured using accelerators, the most common are carbamates and thiruams. Both can cause Type IV alleric reactions. There are accelerator free gloves and these can be tried to determine if accelerators are the culprit.

With the option to purchase Powder Free Latex, the incidence of latex allergy has dramatically declined. The powder was in fact the primary vehicle that the protein found in latex attached to, became airborne and ultimately sensitized so many individuals by providing a direct inhalation process to mucous membranes. The Adenna polyurethane gloves were discontinued due to cost and low demand. They were developed by an engineer who initially intended them to be used in clean rooms due to their "cleanliness" levels and anti static properties. This base material can be utilized still however the hospital industry remains unwilling to procure products that are quality driven as opposed to price driven.

Users should try different brands of gloves, as the leaching process in the manufacturing cycle is critical to removal of all residual chemicals. Users may find that a different brand of nitrile will not cause a reaction, and the same applies with latex. I hear of nitrile allergies daily to many manufacturer's gloves. I believe that in time hospitals and many other markets will offer both latex and nitrile as effective hand PPE, dealing with the potential reaction to anyphyaxis in both. Users should seek a qualified allergist for testing using a western blot or rast assay to determine if they are allergic to either proteins, other raw materials or chemical acclerators. Vinyl gloves typically have more pinholes and the material is not recommended as a barrier to pathogen penetration. OSHA recommends these gloves be used only when exposure is not prevalent.

In addition, the skins own natural oils are critical to the skins integrity and ability to withstand entry of any substance. The increased use of anti bacterial and anti microbial hand soaps, as well as quick dry hand soaps laden with alcohol have stripped the hands of these oils. Many soaps also contain chemical ingredients that cause allergies, however, users are conditioned to look at the glove as the culprit. Using colloidal oatmeal based soaps and lotions to promote the hands healing is critical to the users ability to wear gloves. I hope this has been helpful.

Well, I'm not convinced with that bit about being allergic to air, but I believe Ms. Perches raised several very important issues.

German researchers report having identified a major gene for allergic diseases.

The newly discovered FCER1A gene encodes the alpha chain of high affinity IgE receptor, which plays a major role in controlling allergic responses. The team of scientists led by Dr. Stephan Weidinger from the Technische Universität München and Dr. Thomas Illig from the Helmholtz Zentrum München found that certain variations of the FCER1A gene decisively influence the production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies. IgE antibodies are a particular type of antibody that is normally used to protect against parasites. In Western lifestyle countries with less contact, however, elevated IgE levels are associated with allergic disorders.

In genetically susceptible individuals the immune system becomes biased and produces IgE antibodies against harmless agents such as pollen, dust mites or animal hair. These IgE antibodies then work in conjunction with certain cells to get rid of the allergens, a process that gives rise to the symptoms of allergy such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever), atopic dermatitis or asthma.

Their research, which is based on the genetic scans of 10,000 adults and children in Germany, is published in PLoS Genetics.

We often see it on hygiene and skin care products- hypoallergenic. But what does it really mean? Apparently, not much.

In 1975, the FDA issued a regulation governing use of the term hypoallergenic, stating that a cosmetic product could be labeled hypoallergenic only if scientific studies on human subjects showed that it caused a significantly lower rate of adverse skin reactions than similar products not making such claims. The manufacturers of cosmetics claiming to be hypoallergenic were to be responsible for carrying out the required tests. But this regulation was subsequently declared invalid by U.S. courts, leaving manufacturers free to apply the term as they wish, without any required testing to prove that a product is hypoallergenic.

So although the term implies that a product may be less likely to trigger allergic reactions, one should take it with a grain of salt. In fact, I've seen a lot of so called hypoallergenic skin care products that contain nut oils, for example. So a careful look at the ingredients list might give you more of an insight than a stamp saying that it is hypoallergenic.

The bottom line is that the term hypoallergenic has very little meaning and is primarily used as a marketing tool. It's important to understand that it is impossible to guarantee that a cosmetic or skin-care product will never produce an allergic reaction. Since the FDA does require that cosmetic ingredients be listed on product labels, consumers who have had allergic reactions or problems with a specific substance can avoid purchasing products that contain these substances.