Tag: allergic reaction

What is An Air Purifier?

Air purifiers; there is a good chance that you have heard of them before. Despite the fact that you may have heard of air purifiers before, do you know what they are or what they do? A large number of individuals do not. Air purifiers can greatly benefit you and you family, but before the benefits can be felt, you must familiarize yourself with air purifiers, namely what they are and what they do.

Air purifier, also commonly referred to as air cleaner, are electronic devices. The goal of these electronic devices is to clean the air. This is done by eliminating harmful air contaminants. Air contaminant is another word that is used to describe air particles. No matter what they are called, they could be harmful to your health or to those who visit your home. That is why it is recommended that all homes have an air purifier in them. In fact, in addition to be recommended, some homeowners are actually urged to have an air purifier for their home.

If you are wondering why someone would be urged to have an air purifier in their home, you may be wondering who those individuals are and just who it is that is doing the urging. Well, the truth is that there are a fairly large number of individuals who are urged to have air purifiers. These individuals may be those who have pets or who have in-house smokers. It has been said, and actually proven in multiple studies, that pets and cigarette smoke causes unhealthy air particles to form. With an air purifier, those particles will either be completely eliminated or reduced.

In addition to those who have a house with pets or a cigarette smoker, it is also advised that those with allergies purchase an air purifier for their home. Air purifiers work to eliminate common dust particles, which is a common cause for allergies. As previously mentioned, air purifiers are also recommended for those with pets. In addition to keeping your homes air clean, an air purifier may also help to reduce an allergic reaction to pets or pet hair.

Although it is important to know who can benefit from an air purifier, you may also be wondering exactly how they work. With air purifiers, you will find that different purifiers work in different ways. This is because many air purifiers are produced by different manufacturers. Each of those manufacturers is likely to develop their own product in their own way. Despite these differences, there are a number of different air purifiers that use ionizers and filters. These filters often filter out harmful air purifiers by preventing them to pass through the system. Essentially, this means that only safe, clean, and breathable air is allowed to pass through.

If you make the decision to purchase an air purifier or cleaner, and with all of the benefits there is a good chance that you will, you are advised to shop carefully. You will find that many air purifiers claim to be the best, but very few are. Although you may wish to purchase a low-cost air purifier, you are advised to be cautious when doing so. Many cheaper air purifiers are low-performing and the high-performing ones may need to have their filters replaced every few months. If this is the case, you will want to check the cost of replacement filters; in some cases the filters may end up costing more than the machine originally did.

Peanuts and Pregnancy

Ask any parent who has a child who is allegeric to peanuts how difficult their live has become. Food shopping can take hours because every food label must be read it and studied to make sure it contains no traces of peanuts. Arrangements for peanut free foods must be made with the child’s school ahead of time and other children’s birthdays parties can be a parent’s worse nightmare. Peanut allergies although common can be one of the most fatal allergies a child could suffer from. Some children are so sensitive to their peanut allergy that if they come into contact with peanuts just from someone else’s skin, their life can be at risk. Peanut allergies can lead to anaphylactic shock which is a sever allergic reaction that can be fatal.

Peanut allergies are usually not diagnosed until a child reaches the age of 2 or even three years old. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that parents who have a peanut allergy in the family should wait until their child is at least three years old before giving them peanuts or anything containing peanuts. There are even some conservative obgyns who advise their pregnant patients not to eat peanuts especially if when they are in their third trimester regardless of if there is a history of peanut allergy in the family or not.

The reason for this is because in order for a peanut allergy to develop, the child has to come into contact with small traces of a peanut. This contact sensitizes the child so that they later have a severe allergic reaction. Some experts believe that this first sensitization can occur during pregnancy. It is believed that a tiny amount of peanut protein can cross the placenta. In fact a recent study showed that if a women ate peanuts or peanut butter while pregnant their baby could be four times more likely to develop a peanut allergy than a child whose mother didn’t eat any peanuts during her pregnancy.

This isn’t to say though that if you have a no history of nut allergies you should avoid peanuts at all costs. In fact, peanuts and peanut butter are very beneficial to you and your baby. Peanuts are a useful source of folic acid and protein, both which are very important to your and your growing baby. Peanuts and peanut butter has been said to help some women get through the first trimester morning sickness. Keep in mind however that there have been some instances when women who had no history of peanut allegeries in their family and ate a over whelming amount of peanuts or even peanut butter through out their pregnancies wound up with children who had a peanut allergy.

Before you decide to throw out all your peanuts and say good bye to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, talk to your doctor. Give your doctor a detailed family history and let him know if there are any peanut allergies in your family. With your doctors help you will be able to create a healthy peanut eating plan for your pregnancy. If you do not feel comfortable at all eating peanuts due to the risk do not let anyone change your mind. It is your body and your child and you have the right to make that decision.

Allergies in Adolescents

Allergies are reactions by immune system that are abnormal in nature to stuff that are usually harmless to majority of the people. When somebody is allergic to something the immune system of that person gets confused and thinks that the substance is detrimental to the body. The substances causing allergic reactions are known as allergens. The examples of allergens are dust, food, plant pollen, medicine etc. The body produces antibodies to protect itself from these allergens. The antibodies make certain cells present in the system to let chemicals to mix with the bloodstream and one of them is histamine. This chemical then acts on nose, eyes, skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and results in allergic reaction symptoms. Exposure to the same chemicals in future triggers same response to the antibodies again meaning every time one comes in contact with the same allergen, allergic reaction is produced in the body.

Allergic reactions can range from mild symptoms like runny nose to more severe ones such as difficulty in breathing. Teenagers suffering from asthma often have allergic reaction to cold and get asthma attack is another example of allergies. Some kinds of allergies trigger multiple symptoms. Allergic reactions in very rare cases also produce severe reaction known as anaphylaxis for which the signs are difficulty in breathing, difficulty in swallowing, swelling in tongue, lips and throat and dizziness. This allergic reaction occurs as soon as the system is exposed to substances that trigger allergic reactions like peanut although some reactions are delayed by as much as four hours.

The reasons why people get allergies can be various and one of the reasons could be hereditary but that that does not necessarily mean that children are bound to get allergies from their parents. Some of the common allergens include food, airborne particles, insect bite and sting, medicines, chemicals etc. Food allergies typically occur in infants and usually vanish as the child grows. The list of food allergens includes milk & dairy products, wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, and seafood. Some people are allergic to stings and bites of certain insects. The venom in the bite is the one which actually causes reaction and can be as serious as anaphylactic in some teens. Some teens are also allergic to airborne particles which are also known as environmental allergens. They are also the commonest of all the allergens. Examples of these allergens include dust mites, animal dander, mold spores, grass pollens, trees and ragweed. Some adolescents are also allergic to certain antibiotic medicines. Another common allergen is chemical, certain chemicals present in laundry detergents or cosmetics can cause rashes that are itchy in nature.

Allergists usually treat allergic problems. They may ask questions like symptoms of the allergy and whether it is hereditary. They may also prescribe certain diagnostic tests like blood or skin test depending on the type of allergy. The best way to treat allergies is to completely avoid the substances that cause allergies. However there are certain medications and injections are also available to treat allergies.

One can follow certain things to avoid allergies like people who have food allergies that contain should peanuts and any food containing smallest amount of peanuts. Also avoid using cosmetic that contain chemicals allergic to the skin. One can also avoid airborne allergies by keeping pets in restricted areas and away from bedroom. Replace carpets and rugs from time to time. Avoid keeping things that accumulate dust. And also clean the room and house frequently.

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What You Should Know about Laser Hair Removal

Are you considering laser hair removal? If so you should read on to find out what you should know before deciding. Something like this is a rather major change. You want to know all the facts before you commit to something such as laser hair removal.

Are you eligible for laser hair removal? If your hair is darker than your skin you might be okay. It is not recommended that any person tanning with dark hair do this. If you are tanning, you will have to wait until your tan fades. Then you can proceed with laser hair removal. If you tan but have light hair, it is not recommended for you.

If you are dark skin you might not want to do it. The pigments in your dark skin will absorb laser energy. The darker your skin is the harder it is to perform laser hair removal. You will have to have more treatments and this will make the cost go up as well.

You can treat most areas of the body. The main areas are: Neck, Chest, Underarms, Back, Abdomen, Bikini Line, Legs and Face. You cannot have laser hair removal anywhere around the eyes. The laser is harmful to your eyes so you should wear eye protection during the treatments no matter what area you have done.

Know your options to laser hair removal. You could continue shaving, tweezing, bleaching or even waxing. While these may not sound as great, they might be better for you. The lasers produce highly concentrated beams of light that will penetrate your skin and find your hair follicle. This will produce a hot heat and damage the follicles, preventing them from future growth.

When preparing for laser hair removal you do not want to use any other type of hair removal product. That means no tweezing or waxing or anything similar. The laser hair removal will be hard to perform if there is no hair there to remove!

You also do not want to tan or moisturize. If you tan the laser could burn your skin and if you moisturize it could block the laser energy and maybe even give you an allergic reaction. Avoid both of these at all costs!

How much can you expect to spend? It will vary depending on your location and laser hair removal facility of course. According to a 2000 survey of ASAPS the average cost per treatment (one) for each of the following regions was:

Midwest: $497
East: $458
South: $307
West: $469
National Average: $360

Contact your local laser hair removal clinic to find out the costs. If they happen to be a bit too high for you check the closes surrounding laser hair removals clinics. Maybe they are a bit more in your price range.
Keep in mind when doing laser hair removal that it does not mean one hundred percent of your hair will be gone. Each person is different and some may require more treatments than others. You will definitely see a significantly reduced amount of hair.

You might end up with a type of sunburn like reaction after laser hair removal. You could even have blotches, discoloring, blistering and scarring and even crusting or scabbing. Talk to your professional to find out if laser hair removal is right for you.