MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'allergic reaction'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:22:36 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158996&cid=t_157299_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffab-antivenom-found-to-cause-fewer-allergic-reactions-than-previously-thought%2F2011.08.24 The current standard of care with regard to using antivenom for pit viper snakes (e.g., rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths) in North America is to use Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab antivenom (CroFab;FabAV). This antivenom is created using a process that obtains antibodies “raised” by immunizing sheep and then harvesting and purifying the product. One of the major benefits of using this product is to take advantage of a lesser incidence of allergic reactions (than have traditionally been observed with previous products). It appears that the situation regarding the incidence of allergic reactions may be better than previously thought. In the article, “Short Term Outcomes After Fab Antivenom Therapy for Severe Crotaline Snakebite,” Eric Lavonas, MD and colleagues (Ann Emerg Me... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158996 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:00:00 +0100 5158996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968490&cid=t_157299_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffood-allergies-treating-severe-allergic-reactions%2F2011.06.25 An allergic reaction in an outdoor setting can rapidly become a life-threatening emergency. While most of us think of food allergies as annoyances, they can be quite serious or even life threatening. Itchy skin rashes can progress to breathing difficulty, swollen soft tissues (e.g., lips, tongue, throat) that compromise the airway, and low blood pressure or even shock. Therefore, it’s important to be familiar with the signs and symptoms of severe allergy and to be prepared to respond rapidly in the event of an emergency. An EpiPen (an epinephrine auto-injector) The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has released Food Allergy Guidelines for healthcare professionals to help guide the care of patients with life-threatening food allergies. The full guidelines can be found ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968490 Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4968490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489671&cid=t_157299_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbioadhesives-for-repair-of-childbirth-lacerations%2F2011.02.17 Bioadhesives are a reasonable alternative to sutures for repair of perineal lacerations sustained during childbirth, according to a poster presentation at last week’s annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Researchers at the Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem randomized women with first degree perineal tears to either 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (Dermabond) adhesive glue or suture for wound closure. While healing and incisional pain was similar, women who received the adhesive closure were more satisfied than those who were sutured. In Portugal, bioadhesives have been studied for closure of the top skin layer of an episiotomy repair, and found to shorten the duration of the procedure with similar outcomes to suture in terms of pain, healing, and infecti... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489671 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:00:52 +0100 4489671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899396&cid=t_157299_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2F5-things-you-should-know-about-organic-beauty-products%2F2010.08.24 “All natural. Certified organic. Made from natural ingredients. Pure botanicals. Chemical free.” You might guess I’m standing in the farmers market. Nope. I’m in the “Health and Beauty” aisle at Target. The ubiquitous all-things-natural trend has overtaken the cosmetic industry. How do you know what’s real and what’s marketing hype? Here are five things you should know about organic beauty product labels: 1. Labels that say “natural ingredients” or “botanicals” are not certified organic. These statements are not regulated. Most natural ingredients used in beauty products are actually modified in a lab. Truly botanical ingredients, like you’d pick in your garden, are usually unstable and would spoil like food. 2. Natural doesn’t always mean be... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899396 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:00:49 +0100 3899396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3865267&cid=t_157299_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsystemic-fibromyallergia%2F2010.08.13 Happy:  Ma’am, I noticed you have an allergy to prednisone listed.  Ma’am:  Oh, I can never take prednisone again. I’m allergic to it. Happy:  Really? Huh. What happened when you took prednisone? Ma’am:  It made my tongue swell up really bad. Happy:  Huh. What did they give you to reverse the allergic reaction? Ma’am:  Some sort of steroid through my IV. I’m thinking this qualifies as a raging case of systemic fibromyallergia. *This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3865267 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3865267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3633446&cid=t_157299_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Ffood-allergy-or-not-new-test-in-the-works%2F2010.06.06 Current methods of testing people for food allergies aren’t particularly precise, leaving many people to falsely think that they have a condition that they really don’t. MIT chemical engineer Christopher Love is working on a new test based on cytokines that may prove to be substantially faster and more reliable. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Medgadget* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3633446 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 11:00:02 +0100 3633446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2703868&cid=t_157299_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F9NMnRQm3hts%2F The story of 48-year old Andy Kessler really caught my attention this week. He died of an allergic reaction to an insect bite. Apparently “at least 40 people in the United States die each year as the result of insect stings,” and while that number may not sound huge right now, I can tell you that if it’s your loved one you would wonder why modern medicine can’t do something about a severe allergic reaction. Many people have the potential to have an allergic reaction but either avoid insects to the extend they can, or get lucky. Some don’t ever know they are allergic until it’s too late. People will generally have redness or shortness of breath when a reaction occurs. But I can already tell you from having an allergic reaction once myself, doctors DO NOT... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2703868 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:54:36 +0100 2703868 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2201193&cid=t_157299_129_f&fid=36036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Fkelly-building-a-crohns-disease-community%2Fmy-experience-taking-biologics-for-crohns-disease%2F There has been a lot of progress in the area of anti-TNF drugs which are usually referred to as “biologics.” In this blog post I will give you all the information that I have on each of the drugs, as well as, my experiences with the ones that I have taken.  Keep in mind that I am a mechanical engineer and not a doctor.  I also want to emphasize that these are my personal experiences with these medications.  Every person reacts to medication differently and you should always be in constant contact with your doctor before, during and after taking biologics for Crohn’s disease. A brief background: The anti-TNF drugs target a substance in the blood called the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-alpha which is a cytokine (specialized protein that promotes inflammation in the intest... Life with Crohn's blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2201193 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:27:31 +0100 2201193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1811676&cid=t_157299_167_f&fid=37833&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnutrition.edublogs.org%2F2008%2F09%2F17%2Fmore-about-food-allergies%2F According to The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, eight foods account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. The eight foods most likely to cause a food allergic reaction: Milk Egg Peanut Tree nuts (walnut, cashew, etc.) Fish Shellfish Soy Wheat In adults, the foods that most often trigger allergic reactions include * Fish and shellfish, such as shrimp, lobster and crab * Peanuts * Tree nuts, such as walnuts * Eggs Problem foods for children are eggs, milk (especially in infants and young children) and peanuts. Food Allergy Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body’s immune system. Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death. Tree nuts and peanuts are the leading causes of deadly allergic reactions called anaphylaxis. ... Nutrition and Wellness Biology 50 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1811676 Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:04:41 +0100 1811676 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1301914&cid=t_157299_136_f&fid=36051&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FCancerCommentary%2F%7E3%2F251076162%2F An allergic reaction to the cancer drug cetuximab has been found. Sometimes the reaction includes anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition characterized by a drop in blood pressure, fainting, difficulty breathing, and wheezing. Now researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered that specific pre-existing antibodies cause the severe reaction to the drug. Cetuximab is an immune-based therapy commonly used to treat persons diagnosed with head and neck cancer, or colon cancer, marketed as the popular brand Erbitux — a product of ImClone Systems Inc. and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Find more details from NIAD/NIH. Tags: allergic reaction, cancer-drug, cetuximab, colorectal-cancer, Erbit... Cancer Commentary blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1301914 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:19:39 +0100 1301914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1037732&cid=t_157299_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F11%2F20%2Fanaphylaxis-the-dread-attack.html  By Dov Michaeli MD, Ph.DHave you heard the one about the boy who ran through the kitchen into the backyard and dropped dead? No, this is not a bad joke. It is a real case report published in the 80’s. Imagine, if you will: a young boy with known allergy to fish running through the kitchen while his mother is boiling some fish stock. He inhales a few molecules of the fish protein that dissolved in the cooking vapor, and dies within minutes! To put things in perspective: we are not talking here about toxins, that can kill at microgram concentrations (millionth of a gram), and not even nanogram concentrations (billionth of a gram), but picograms (trillionth of a gram). This is probably as potent a killer as they come.Anaphylactic shockThe cause of this deadly attack is known ... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1037732 Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:38:22 +0100 1037732