Education

FRAGGE ALLEGY & ASTHMA CLINICS HAS JOINED ENT & ALLERGY SPECIALISTS OF NKY.
Please go to WWW.NKYENT.COM for additional information about our practice.

Check out these reputable Allergy Asthma educational websites for more information:

www.aaaai.org

www.acaai.org

www.foodallergy.org

www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

www.primaryimmune.org

Can I become allergic to tobacco smoke?

We have several patients in our allergy and asthma practice who ask to be allergy tested for tobacco smoke. There are many patients who think that tobacco smoke is an environment allergen because they get symptoms of nasal congestion, runny nose, post-nasal drainage, watery eyes and sinus headaches when exposed to an environment with cigarette smoke or smoke fumes. Well, it is time to clear the air. Cigarette or tobacco smoke is not an allergen. It is an irritant and toxin that irritates our nasal membranes resulting in the above allergy-like symptoms. The nose is just doing its normal function of trying to protect the nasal membranes by making the nose congested and runny in an attempt to block and wash off any additional tobacco fumes from entering the respiratory airway. The symptoms of irritated and watery eyes are sometimes thought of being allergic reactions, when they are just symptoms of the eyes trying to protecting itself. Itching is the classic allergy symptom that is seen in conjunction with the other above mentioned symptoms. The absence of itching means that it is not an allergic reaction. It is instead an irritant, non-allergic reaction.

What is mixed rhinitis?

There are many patients who think that they have nasal allergies. They complain of chronic nasal congestion, runny nose, postnasal drainage, sinus congestion and headaches. Their nasal and sinus symptoms are usually set off by exposure to various triggers such as changes in the weather, certain perfumes, cigarette smoke, changes in temperature, strong moldy smells and sometimes with exposure to allergens such as dust, cats, dogs, and pollens. These patients have both allergic and non-allergic rhinitis which means that they have both allergic and irritant triggers.

Interested in participating in Clinical Trials? Go to Abraham Research for further information.

Obesity and Asthma

Obesity and Asthma are both leading health problems, each with their inherent effects on quality of life, impact on public health and health care costs. Many think that asthma leads to obesity because of its negative effect on physical activity however, several studies have demonstrated that obesity itself may increase the risk of asthma and have a negative impact on asthma. Large scale studies have demonstrated the effect of obesity on asthma on children, adults and women. Find out more

Is there such a thing as a hypo-allergenic pet?

It is amazing how much people claim that there is such a thing as a hypoallergenic pet. This is truly a myth. A lot of people think that pet allergies are caused by the dog’s or cat’s fur or hair, when in reality it is caused by a protein that is in the pet’s saliva or urine. This allergenic protein sticks in the pets dander, or hair and gets circulated into the environment.

How do we become allergic to pets?

People who develop pet allergies usually have the genetic predisposition to become allergic. If you have one parent who has some form of allergies such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, or eczema there is a 30% chance that one will become allergic. If both parents have some form of allergies, there is a 50% chance of developing allergies

There is usually a period when the individual does not have the pet allergy. It is only after a significant time of exposure that his body starts having the immune reaction to develop allergic antibodies or IgE antibodies that causes one to develop allergy symptoms. Once he or she has enough allergic antibodies, then that individual will start having allergy symptoms when exposed to the pet. These allergy symptoms would include sneezing, itchy eyes, itchy nose, runny nose as seen in someone with allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis; wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing, as seen in someone with allergic asthma. They may also develop hives when the pet allergen present in saliva or other animal secretions come in contact with their skin causing allergic urticaria.

Get the pertinent information on cat allergies.

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