Soap vs Sanitizers

You squirt it on your hands as you enter the grocery store, and then again on your way out. You have bottles in your car, on your desk and in your home too – and you use them often.

And no, you’re not a germophobe, it’s just that your hand-sanitizer habit is helping to protect you from colds and flu and other nasty’s, that are wet, sticky and not yours!

And even if it doesn’t, it’s harmless. Right?

Not so fast! Word on the street has it that despite how clean your hands feel after using a hand sanitizer, they’re actually still dirty.  Worse still, they’re potentially toxic and might actually lower your resistance to disease.

So are these rumors true?!  Let’s take a look at the evidence.

When it comes to safety and effectiveness, the main concern with hand sanitizers is triclosan, – the main antibacterial ingredient used in non-alcoholic hand sanitizers.

“There’s no good evidence that triclosan-containing products have a benefit,” says Allison Aiello PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan. In fact, hospitals in Europe and the United States, won’t even use them because it’s thought that they don’t reduce infections or illness.

Dr. Anna Bowen, an epidemiologist at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says, “Triclosan-containing products don’t provide any disease protection beyond what you get from washing with soap and water.”

Research has shown that triclosan can disrupt the endocrine system, amplifying testosterone. In animal studies, it reduced muscle strength. It may also harm the immune system. Whether these findings add up to human toxicity isn’t established yet, but the FDA is currently reviewing the issue.

A more established concern: “When you expose bacteria to triclosan, it can elicit antibiotic resistance,” says Aiello. “Once the resistance is transferred, pathogenic bacteria can become resistant to many types of antibiotics.”   She also points out that quaternary ammonium, another antibacterial found in nonalcoholic hand sanitizers, has been shown to elicit antibiotic resistance.

The main concern with triclosan, that it’s an anti-bacterial, meaning it doesn’t protect against viruses or fungi.  Which means, colds and flu are not destroyed because they are caused by viruses, not bacteria.

Alcohol-based sanitizers, on the other hand, are fairly effective and safe. Those that contain  60% alcohol are good at killing bacterial pathogens and can also kill some viruses though not all of them.  Norovirus, for example, the bug responsible for the recent cruise-ship outbreaks is not affected.

“If you can’t get to a sink quickly, an alcohol-based sanitizer is a good alternative to washing with soap and water,” says Aiello.

One caveat: They don’t work on visibly dirty hands.  The alcohol can’t get past the dirt.

So how does soap and water match up?   First, they are both safe and effective. That’s right. Good old-fashioned hand washing before you prepare food or after you go to the toilet has been shown to drastically reduce the risk of diarrhea.

“Hand-washing campaigns reduce absenteeism in schools,” says Bowen, “and that means parents miss fewer days of work, too.”

But, and it’s a big but – you have to wash your hands correctly.

According to the CDC you need to wash for about 24 seconds to remove bacteria and viruses from your hands. You need to cover all parts of your hands, front and back and under your nails and then dry your hands well.

How long is 24 seconds? Apparently it’s about as long as it takes to sing two verses of Happy Birthday.  However, as I always tell my infection control students, if you’re in public, sing it with your inner voice …or you could have more than germs to worry about!

Bottom line –  soap and water beats sanitizers hands-down.  Suds up and stay safe this cold and flu season.

The Spread of Superbugs

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just published a first-of-its-kind assessment of the threat the country faces from antibiotic-resistant organisms.

And the news is not good.  In fact it’s downright scary. The agency’s overall conservative assessment of the problem includes frightening statistics such as:

• Each year, in the U.S., 2,049,442 illnesses caused by bacteria and fungi that are resistant to at least some classes of antibiotics
• Each year, out of those illnesses, there are 23,000 deaths
• Each year, those illnesses and deaths result in $20 billion of additional healthcare spending
• Each year, an additional $35 billion lost to society in foregone productivity.

The report marks the first time the agency has provided hard numbers for the incidence, deaths and cost of all the major resistant organisms. It also represents the first time the CDC has ranked resistant organisms by how much and how imminent a threat they pose, using seven criteria:

• health impact
• economic impact
• how common the infection is
• how easily it spreads
• how much further it might spread in the next 10 years
• whether there are antibiotics that still work against it
• whether things other than administering antibiotics can be done to curb its spread

Out of that matrix, their top three “urgent” threats they identified were:

• Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), a family of ICU germs that includes Klebsiella and  E. coli, that have become are resistant to almost all antibiotics, resulting in  9,000 infections per year and at least 600 deaths
• Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, which currently responds to only one drug: 246,000 infections per year
• Clostridium difficile,  which causes 250,000 illnesses, 14,000 deaths.

In addition, the CDC identified 12 resistant bacteria and fungal infections which the agency dubs “serious” i.e., requiring “prompt and sustained action.”  They include the hospital-acquired infections  Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) ; the foodborne organisms Campylobacter, Salmonella and Shigella; MRSA; Candida and TB.

The last category, “concerning” i.e., requiring “careful monitoring and prevention” includes rare but potent vancomycin-resistant staphylococcus aureus  (VRSA), as well as strains of streptococcus resistant to two different categories of drugs.

For each organism, the report explains why it is a public health threat, where the trends are headed, what actions the CDC is taking, and what it is important for health care institutions, patients and their families, and states and local authorities to do to help.

Commenting on the report, Ed Septimus MD, professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Sciences Center in Houston says “It’s up to us to make the recommendations in this report happen. If we do nothing but say, ‘Here’s the problem,’ then the problem will continue to grow.”

Well said Doctor, well said.

Top Travel Tips To Ensure You Don’t Come Back With More Than You Left With

Passport. Check.

Tickets. Check.

Health. Huh?

That’s Right! For those of you planning to get away this summer, SRxA’s Word on Health reminds you get your health planning in before leaving for the airport.  While an overseas trip may appear to be “just what the doctor ordered” , it can also pose various health hazards, depending on the type of travel, length of stay and destination.

Significant changes in altitude, humidity and temperature can lead to illness, and in many parts of the world – especially developing countries and tropical locations – the risk of infectious disease is high.

“Not all countries are high-risk for travelers,” said Christopher Ohl MD, an infectious disease specialist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Europe is generally safe, and so are Canada, Japan, Australia. But anybody planning to go to Mexico or Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Africa, most anywhere in Asia, or the Pacific islands should definitely look into what health risks they’ll encounter and what they’ll need to do to minimize their chances of getting ill.”

So where should you look for this information?  The Internet, of course, has a multitude of resources, some better than others, but you still need to be aware that even reputable sites such as those of the U.S. State Department, federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization offer only general information about the world’s countries and often do not include specifics about particular locations or activities within those countries.

For someone going to South Africa, there’s a big difference between staying in a modern hotel in Cape Town for a week and going on a two-week budget trip to Kruger National Park!

Because the details of an individual’s health, destination, activities, accommodations and mode of travel are important elements in determining health risk, a travel medicine specialist is probably the best person to consult

Travel clinics also stock the sort of vaccines and anti-malarial medications you’ll need and can advise on up-to-the-minute requirements.

In addition to administering shots and writing prescriptions, travel clinics also provide information on how to avoid insect-borne diseases, how to self-treat diarrhea and other common ailments, what to eat and drink and what to avoid eating and drinking and so on, all based on the person’s health status, where they’re going, what they’re going to be doing and how long they’re going to be there.

And because accidents, not diseases, are the most common cause of injury and death among travelers the clinic can also provide safety tips based on information from the State Department and authoritative foreign sources, such as whether there may be civil disturbances in a particular location, whether it’s advisable to travel at night or even “if it’s safe to rent a scooter.”

But don’t leave it until the last minute. Travelers, regardless of their age or the type of trip they’re planning should visit a travel clinic at least four to six weeks before departure, to allow sufficient time to get prescriptions filled and for vaccines to take effect. Even if the destination doesn’t call for any special shots, he said, a trip abroad presents a good opportunity to see that “routine” vaccinations such as measles-mumps-rubella, diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus, chickenpox and flu, are up to date.

And in the unfortunate event that you return home with something other than a suntan and souvenirs, travel clinics can also provide post-travel medical care. A number of diseases common overseas don’t present symptoms right away, some can even take months to develop, and they might not be recognized by a general practitioner.

Stay safe this summer!

 

Bypassing Genetic Obesity Genes?

Fact. Obese mothers tend to have kids who themselves will become obese.

Fact. In 2012, 35.7% of US adults and 16.9% of US children age 2 to 19 were obese, according to the CDC

Fact. Half of all U.S. adults will be obese by 2030 unless they change their ways, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Fact. Obesity raises the risk of numerous diseases, from type 2 diabetes to endometrial cancer, chronic heart disease and stroke.

So we were extremely interested to learn of new research that suggests the unhealthy cycle could be broken by weight-loss surgery.  In a first-of-a-kind study, Canadian researchers tested children born to obese women prior to weight loss surgery and their siblings conceived afterward.

The surprising results?  Kids born after mom lost lots of weight were slimmer than their siblings. They also had fewer risk factors for developing diabetes or heart disease.

Even more intriguing, the researchers discovered that numerous genes linked to obesity-related health problems worked differently in the younger siblings than in their older brothers and sisters.

Although diet and exercise will play a huge role in how fit the younger siblings will continue to be, the findings suggest the children born to mothers who have undergone weight loss surgery might have an advantage.

“The impact on the genes, you will see the impact for the rest of your life,” predicts lead researcher Dr. Marie-Claude Vohl of Laval University in Quebec City.

So why would there be a difference? Clearly weight loss surgery doesn’t change a womans’ genes.  However, it seems as if either the surgery or more likely the subsequent weight loss can change how certain genes operate in her child’s body. The researchers suggest that factors inside the womb seem to affect the chemical  ‘dimmer switches’ that make the fetus’ genes speed up or slow down or switch on and off.

Dr. Susan Murphy of Duke University wasn’t involved in the research says it makes biological sense that the earliest nutritional environment could affect a developing metabolism, although she cautions that healthier family habits after mom’s surgery may play a role, too.

The research has implications far beyond the relatively few women who undergo gastric bypass surgery before having a baby. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, more than half of pregnant women are overweight or obese. Tackling obesity before or during pregnancy can provide a lasting benefit for both mother and baby.

It’s not just a matter of how much moms weigh when they conceive, gaining too much weight during pregnancy increases the child’s risk of eventually developing obesity and diabetes. Overweight mothers have higher levels of sugar and fat in the bloodstream, which in turn makes it to the womb.

How much weight loss is needed to have a healthy baby?

In the study, researchers took blood samples from children born to 20 women before and after the complex gastric bypass surgery, who, on average, lost about 100 pounds. They compared differences in more than 5,600 genes between the younger and older siblings and found significant differences in the activity of certain genes clustered in pathways known to affect blood sugar metabolism and heart disease risk.

Only time will tell if the children born after mom’s surgery really get lasting benefits. Meanwhile, specialists urge women planning a pregnancy to talk with their doctors about their weight ahead of time. Besides having potential long-term consequences, extra pounds can lead to a variety of immediate complications such as an increased risk of premature birth and cesarean sections.

Teaching your child the ABC’s of Heart Health

Heart disease is not a major cause of death among children and teenagers, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it is the largest cause of death among adults in the United States. In fact, someone in America dies every 37 seconds from some form of cardiovascular disease.

Certain factors that play an important role in a person’s chances of developing heart disease. Some of these life-style risk factors can be changed, treated, or modified, and some, such as congenital heart disease cannot.

Zachary Stone M.D, a primary care physician at the University of Alabama, agrees that it’s possible to build a future free from cardiovascular disease by starting heart-healthy habits at a young age. Most of the risk factors that affect children can be controlled early in life.

“The process of atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries and is known to cause heart attacks, strokes and sudden death, has been shown to begin in early childhood,” says Stone. “It’s important to concentrate on healthy lifestyles in children to prevent adult cardiovascular disease.”

The three main areas to watch are diet, activity levels and smoke exposure.

Diet: Good nutrition can help to decrease cardiovascular disease. It can help prevent hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity. Obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease. 1 out of every 3 American adults is obese and obesity is linked to more than 110,000 deaths in the United States each year. Childhood obesity in the United States is also on the rise. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, between 16% and 33% of children and teenagers are obese. Because obese children are more likely to be obese adults, preventing or treating obesity in childhood may reduce the risk of adult obesity.  A young person’s diet should be low in saturated fats and primarily consist of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Activity: One easy way to increase physical activity in children is to limit their sedentary activities.  Parents should limit television and multimedia to 1-2 hours per day and ensure that their kids participate in at least one hour of moderate activity daily.

Smoke exposure:  Exposure to smoke is dangerous to the health of a child for many reasons, including that it can increase the risk of developing heart disease as an adult. According to the CDC, more than 3.6 million middle and high school students smoke cigarettes, and nearly 4,000 kids under age 18 try their first cigarette every day.  More than 90,000 people die each year from heart diseases caused by smoking. Among young people who would otherwise have a very low risk of heart disease, cigarette smoking may cause as many as 75% of the cases of heart disease. And, the longer a person smokes, the higher the risk of heart disease. Parents should talk openly to their kids about both the dangers and bad effects of smoking, such as yellow teeth, bad breath, smelly clothes, shortness of breath and lung damage.  Parents also need to act as a role model for their children, by not smoking or allowing others around them to smoke, thereby reducing their exposure to second-hand smoke.

Keeping kids heart healthy is an investment in their future and yours, and may be the best gift you can ever give.

A Breath of relief for Colorectal Cancer diagnosis

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States.  In 2008, 142,950 people were diagnosed and 52,857 people died from it.

Although early diagnosis can often lead to a complete cure, many people who should get tested, don’t.  Maybe it’s because the current diagnostic tests for colorectal cancer include colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy.

Few people in America will forget that day almost 12 years ago when  Katie Couric underwent a colonoscopy, live on the “Today” show in an effort to encourage screening after her husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998.  And while she did her best to show that the procedure does not have to be either uncomfortable or embarrassing, and there was a 20% spike in colonoscopies in the years that followed, according to the CDC half of colorectal cases are still being diagnosed in the late stages

This is, please excuse the pun, a huge bummer, because if found in the early stages, colon cancer has a survival rate of over 90 percent.

Which is why SRxA’s Word on Health was excited to read a new study, published in a supplement to the British Journal of Surgery, which showed that a simple breath analysis could be used for colorectal cancer screening.

Apparently, cancer tissue has different metabolism compared to normal healthy cells and produces some substances which can be detected in the breath of these patients. Analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) linked to cancer represents a new frontier in cancer screening.

Donato Altomare, MD, of the Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation and his team of researchers at the University Aldo Moro of Bari, collected exhaled breath samples from 37 patients with colorectal cancer and 41 healthy controls.

Results showed that patients with colorectal cancer have a different selective VOC pattern compared with healthy controls. Tests based upon these VOC’s are able to discriminate patients with colorectal cancer with an accuracy of over 75%.

“The technique of breath sampling is very easy and non-invasive, although the method is still in the early phase of development,” Altomare notes. “Our study’s findings provide further support for the value of breath testing as a screening tool.”

A previous pilot breath test study showed that the technique is not only able to detect cancer, but it can also differentiate between the four most common forms of cancer: lung, bowel, breast and prostate.

While this is all still at an early stage there is no doubt that simplifying the methods for early diagnosis of cancer, will have a significant impact on cutting death rates.

Staying Healthy this Halloween

SRxA’s Word on Health wishes all of our readers a Happy and Healthy Halloween.  For the 50 million or so people living on the Atlantic Seaboard of America affected by Mondays’ Frankenstorm we hope you are staying safe and recovering from the devastation wreaked by Sandy.

Although the United States experiences hurricanes almost every year and most people have a rudimentary knowledge of the dangers, there are a number of health risks that people seem to forget about in every storm. And frequently, it’s these things that cause unnecessary deaths, injuries, and illnesses.

While many people believe that high winds are the greatest risk from a hurricane, that’s simply not true. According to Ready.gov the majority of deaths are from flooding.   Flooding deaths often result from people trying to wade or drive through moving water or water of unknown depth.  Six inches of water will stall most vehicles – a foot of water may float a vehicle. Sadly, many flood deaths happen as a result of misadventure. Victims who chose to ignore warnings and drive around barricades set up to restrict travel in flood danger areas.

Other deaths happen when people walk or drive through flood water and discover that the ground has been washed away or the water is too deep to cross. Falling trees and tree limbs are another cause of hurricane deaths and injuries. Wait until the storm passes to begin any work on these hazards, even if they have fallen on a house or car. And even then take extreme care.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warns that tree parts can move without warning by a mistaken cut of a saw.  If in doubt call your local fire department or check out the CDC’s advice on preventing chain saw injuries.

High winds and flood produces power outages and electrical dangers. Electrical providers suggest that all downed wires should be considered as live. Stay ten feet away, at minimum. And remember don’t touch tree limbs, fences or other objects that a power line is touching since they can conduct electricity, sometimes for hundreds of feet.

Flooded homes and flooded appliances inside homes represent another electrical hazard. Don’t use power outlets or lights in a building that was flooded until the electrical system has been inspected by an electrician. Carbon monoxide poisoning is another oft overlooked danger after a hurricane. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and exposure can be deadly. Please remember that generators, charcoal grills, hibachis and other similar cooking methods should only be operated outside.

And even when the worst of the storm is over, as things start to dry out, those that got wet in the flooding will begin to mold. The CDC offers a web page about how to reenter a flooded home and another on dealing with the dangers of mold. You should also keep in mind that any surface that was flooded, especially basements may be contaminated with sewage.

Also consider the dangers from food spoiled by loss of power. If the power is out for less than 2 hours, then the food in your refrigerator and freezer should be safe to consume. However, if the power is out for longer than 2 hours, then you should remember the following:

A freezer that is half full will only hold food safely for up to 24 hours. A full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. Beyond that you will need to toss the contents.

So whether you hunkering down, bailing out or trick-or-treating today, please stay safe and healthy.

Modern Family’s Emmy winning actress takes on the most important role of her life

Actress Julie Bowen, recently awarded her second Emmy for her role in the hit TV comedy “Modern Family,” started a more serious role last week: raising awareness about life-threatening childhood allergies and anaphylaxis.

The two-time best supporting actress in a comedy series and mother of three knows firsthand about potentially fatal allergic reactions. Her oldest son, Oliver, was 2 years old when he developed anaphylaxis as a result of a double-whammy exposure to a bee sting coupled with a bit of peanut butter.

“We had no reason to suspect we might have a problem. He had had peanuts before. And he had always been fine,” explained Bowen. “But then one day we found out that, no, he’s not.”

Almost immediately, Oliver’s face swelled dramatically. Other symptoms of anaphylaxis include chest pain; hives; breathing difficulties; tightening of the throat; lip and tongue swelling; nausea; dizziness and fainting.

Bowen’s husband, who was at home with the toddler, was terrified. “He knew it was bad.” Oliver was rushed to the hospital and immediately given an injection of epinephrine – the drug used for the emergency treatment of anaphylactic reactions that can follow exposure to allergens such as peanuts, walnuts, shellfish, bee stings, medications and/or latex.

Although any child can develop an allergy, or abnormal immune response, they are more likely to occur in people whose family members also have allergies.

Bowen now is spearheading the nationwide awareness campaign with the help of Mylan Specialty L.P., the pharmaceutical company that makes EpiPen^®.

“The goal is education,” said Bowen. “We, as parents, can’t always be with our children all day, every day. So we want the people around them to be educated.”

Thankfully, Oliver made a full and quick recovery. “Once he had the proper medicine, it was a very quick process,” she noted. “But today we always carry epinephrine with us wherever we go.”

Food allergies are the leading cause of anaphylaxis. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that food allergies in children have increased 18% since 1997. More than 9,000 children are hospitalized because of severe food allergies each year.

Many allergic reactions occur when children accidentally consume foods they’re allergic to at school. According to the CDC as many as one-quarter of anaphylaxis happens in students with no history of food allergies.

Parents and school employees shouldn’t dismiss a child’s complaints, Bowen says, “We want parents and teachers to know the signs, so that if you see them coughing, scratching at their throat some, or that they’ve got some rash, that you go ahead and look into it further.”

If you suspect your child may have an allergic reaction to anything, get it checked out. Call 911 and get medical attention immediately because there’s no way to guarantee that your child is never going to have an anaphylactic reaction.

The odds are not insignificant. “One to two children in each classroom could potentially be at risk for a serious food allergy,” says Dr. Carla Davis, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the section of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.  Of those, 30-40% would be at risk for life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Epinephrine is the first-line treatment, and caregivers must act quickly in order to treat effectively.  How quickly? Ideally, within minutes of the child developing a reaction.

For more information on anaphylaxis, visit the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Does Your Doctor ‘Get You’?

Does your doctor understand you? Does he (or she) know what you’re thinking? Does he really feel your pain? In short, does he care?

Seems this is something you should really care about. According to a study just published in Academic Medicine, patients of doctors who are more empathic have better outcomes and fewer complications.

Researchers from Thomas Jefferson University together with a team from Parma, Italy evaluated relationships between physician empathy and clinical outcomes among 20,961 Italian diabetic patients and their 242 physicians.

The study was a follow up to a smaller one undertaken at Thomas Jefferson University that included 891 diabetic patients and 29 physicians, and showed that patients of physicians with high empathy scores had better clinical outcomes than patients of other physicians with lower scores.

“This new, large-scale research study has confirmed that empathic physician-patient relationships is an important factor in positive outcomes,” said Mohammadreza Hojat, Ph.D., Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and the Director of Jefferson Longitudinal Study at the Center.  “It takes our hypothesis one step further. Compared to our initial study, it has a much larger number of patients and physicians, a different, tangible clinical outcome, hospital admission for acute metabolic complications, and a cross-cultural feature that will allow for generalization of the findings in different cultures, and different health care systems.”

The Italian researchers used the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) –an instrument used to measure empathy in the context of medical education and patient care. The JSE includes 20 items answered on a seven-point scale (strongly agree = 7, strongly disagree = 1) and measures understanding of patient’s concerns, pain, and suffering, and an intention to help.

The primary outcome measure of the study was acute metabolic complications, including hyperosmolar state, diabetic ketoacidosis, and diabetic coma. These were used because they require hospitalization, can develop quickly, and their prevention is more likely to be influenced by the primary care physicians.

A total of 123 patients were hospitalized because of such complications. Physicians with higher empathy levels had 29 : 7,224 patients admitted to the hospital, whereas physicians with lower levels had 42 : 6,434 patients admitted.

There are many factors that add to the strength of the study. Firstly, because of universal health care coverage in Italy, there is no confounding effect of difference in insurance, lack of insurance or financial barriers to access care.

“What’s more, this study was conducted in a health care system in which all residents enroll with a primary care physician resulting in a better defined relationship between the patients and their primary care physicians than what exists in the United States,” said co-author Daniel Z. Louis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 25 million people in the U.S. population have been diagnosed with diabetes, with almost 700,000 hospitalizations per year. There are approximately 2 million new cases per year. Worldwide, the number of total cases jumps to 180 million.

“Results of this study confirmed our hypothesis that a validated measure of physician empathy is significantly associated with the incidence of acute metabolic complications in diabetic patients, and provide the much-needed, additional empirical support for the beneficial effects of empathy in patient care” said Dr. Hojat. “These findings also support the recommendations of such professional organizations as the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Board of Internal Medicine of the importance of assessing and enhancing empathic skills in undergraduate and graduate medical education.”

Does your doctor get you? Let us know.

Some VERY strange allergies

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 90% of all food related allergies are caused by milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, soy and wheat.

While these are the most common, there are other allergy triggers you may not be so familiar with.

How about water?  Yes, it is possible to be allergic to one of the most abundant substances in the world, including the water in our own bodies. People with this condition, properly known as aquagenic urticaria, can experience severe itching and hives within five minutes of coming into contact with water, regardless of its source or temperature.

This condition is rare – only around 30 cases have been reported in the literature and the reason for it isn’t known. Worse still for those affected, histamine levels — the usual allergy culprit — don’t actually increase in these patients, meaning that traditional antihistamines don’t work.

While it might be hard to envision a life without water, spare a thought for women who are allergic to their own female hormones.  Although it’s not uncommon for women to suffer from acne, water retention and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) at certain times their cycle, a small number of women suffer from a condition called autoimmune progesterone dermatitis (APD). This skin disorder is triggered by progesterone hypersensitivity after ovulation.

And speaking of women’s problems – just imagine if you were allergic to semen.  While it’s more common in women, we need to point out that it’s also possible for men to be allergic to their own sperm.

Dutch researchers recently reported 45 cases of post-orgasmic illness syndrome. In both cases, the men experienced allergic symptoms around their eyes and nose, and transient flu-like symptoms within seconds, minutes or hours after sex, masturbation or spontaneous ejaculation. Yikes!

As if life without water or sex is difficult to contemplate, imagine if you were allergic to the weather.  In some people, a drop in the temperature can set off an inflammatory disorder known as cold urticaria.  Patients with the condition can experience redness, itching, swelling, hives and, in rare cases, death when they come in contact with cold air, cold water or even cold drinks. For others it’s the sun that’s the problem. Solar urticaria, can cause similar symptoms within minutes of exposure, in affected individuals.

And if all of this has left you feeling a little faint, be careful where you lie down! Although as we told you earlier soybeans are a common food allergen, and sufferers need to omit soy products from their diet, soybean allergies can be triggered by beanbags. According to a case study reported in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, a 6-year-old boy experienced respiratory distress while playing at school. His reaction was apparently triggered by dust from the dry soybeans in the beanbag.

Are you allergic to anything strange?  Share your stories and suffering with us!