A N E XPERT O PINION A BOUT A LLERGIES L ATEX A LLERGIES I NFO

T HE
USE OF LATEX GLOV ES HAS PUT A S T OP ON THE

TRANSMISSION OF INFE CTIOUS DISEASES TO H EALTHCARE WORKERS . A LLERGIC REACTIO NS TO LATEX HAVE TAKEN PLACE BECAUSE OF THE I NCREASE IN LATEX US E . "L AT EX " IS ASSOCIATED WI TH THE NATURAL RUBBER PRODU CT TAKEN FROM THE H EVEA BRASILIENSIS TR EE .

S YNTHETIC RUBBER IS S OMETIMES CALLED " LATEX ". E VEN SO , IT DOES NOT HAVE THE PROT EINS ASS OCIATED WITH ALLERGIC REACTIONS T O LAT EX . C ERTAIN PROTEINS IN
NATURAL LATEX RUBBER CAUSE TH E REA CTION I N LATEX ALLERGY . T HE NEC ESSARY AMOUNT OF LATEX EX POSURE TO ELICIT AN ALLERGIC R ESPO NSE IS NOT KN OWN . L ATEX PROTEIN EXP OSURE DIR EC TLY CORRELAT ES WIT H THE RISK OF DEVELO PING S ENSIT IVI TY . T HIS MEAN S THAT AN INCREASE IN EX POSURE EQUALS AN I NCREASE I N RISK .

C ANDLE A LLERGY T IPS

I NHALING
THE O DO R OF ESS ENTIAL OILS CAN MAKE ONE ' S

NASAL CAVITIES INFLA MED . H OWEVER , ESSENTIAL OILS ARE USED TO PROVIDE A SM ELL LIKE AUTUMN LEAV ES OR DUN E GRASS TO CANDLES . D R . W EDN ER SUGGES TS THAT YOU CANNOT ACQUIRE AN AL LERGY FROM IT . A CCORDING TO HIM , CANDLES GIVE THEM RUNN Y NOS E AND WATER Y EYES . T HIS IS BECAUSE P EOPLE WI TH NASAL ALLERGIES A RE MORE SENSITIVE .

T HE

SMELL OF CIGARET T E SMOK E CAN B E COMPA RED TO TH E SMELLING SENSATION O F A P ERSON HAVING A SENSITIVE NOSE . I F A PERSON EXP ERIENC ES IN TENS E SENSITIVI TY , HE SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM CAN DLES . I F Y OU INSIST TO HAVE CANDLES IN YOUR HOME , IT IS BES T TO B UY TH E O NES WITH FEW INGR EDI ENTS AND A SI NGLE SC ENT .

TO

KN OW WHAT ARE THE C ERTAIN SC ENT S OR IN GREDI EN TS ARE BOTHERING YOU , YOU SHOULD TRY T HE P ROCESS OF ELIMINATION . B REATHING SOME FRESH AI R GIVES A SOOTHING EFFEC T TO P ERSONS WHO EXPERIENC E UN WANT ED REACTIONS TO A SC EN T ED CANDL E .

A LLERGY S YMPTOMS F ACTS

T HERE

ARE S YMPTOMS TH AT A PERSON IS EXP ER IENCI NG

ALLERGIES AND TH ESE I NCLUDE WHEEZIN G , COUGHING , RASHES , ITCHY EY ES , AND RUNNY NOSE . T HE TYP E OF ALLERGEN AND THE MAN N ER OF EXPOSURE CON T RIBUTE TO THE TY PE OF S YMPTOMS AN IN DIVIDUAL EXPERI ENCES .

E.G.,

DERMATITIS MAY OCCUR WHEN A PERSON ACCIDENTALLY APPLI ES LOTION WHICH CONTAIN S CHEMICALS HE IS ALLE RGIC TO , OR HE MAY EX PER IENCE VOMITING IF HE EATS FOOD HE IS ALLERG IC TO , OR HE MAY HAVE DIFFICULTY OF B REATHING IF H E IN HAL ES POLLEN ON THE AIR . S OME ALLERGIES ARE I N HERITED . T HIS IS REFERRED TO AS ATOPI C ALLERGY . B ABI ES WHO HAVE LOW BIRTH WEIGHT ARE MOR E LIKELY TO INHERIT ALLER GIES . O N THE OTHER HAND , BOYS ARE ALSO SAID T O BE MORE LIK ELY TO INHERIT THE CO NDI TI ON THAN GIRLS . A N ALLERGIC REACTION MAY BE MILD , MODERAT E , OR S EVERE .

T HE CO NDITI ON CAN BE LIFE THREATENI NG IN SOME T HIS IS CALLED ANAPHY LAXIS . A NAPHYL AXIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE MEDICAL INT ERVENTIO N .

CASES .

L ATEX A LLERGY E XPLAINED

F OR
PEOPL E WI TH LATEX HYPERSENSITIV ITY , LATES T

GLOVES ARE THE MOST COMMON OFFENDI NG PRO DUCTS . H OWEV ER , THERE ARE ALSO CONDO MS AN D MEDICAL EQUIPMENT THAT MAY C ON TAIN LATEX . T HESE PRODUCTS CAN TRIGGER LATEX ALLERGY AS W ELL . D URING AN ALLERGIC REACTION DU E TO LAT EX , SYMPTOMS WILL APPEAR . T HES E ARE EYE T EARING AND IRRITATION , COUGH , WHEEZING , SHORTNESS OF BREATH , AND I TCHINESS OF THE SKIN OR NOSE . M ILD REACTIO NS OF LAT EX ALLERGY ARE JUST SKIN RASHES . T HE MOST SEVERE ALLERG IC REACTION A PERSON WI TH LATEX AL LERGY MAY EX PER IENCE IS ANAPHYLAXIS . I T CAN CAUSE DIFFICUL TY OF BREATHING ,

DEVELOPMENT OF HIVES , AND GASTROINT ESTINAL PROBLEMS .

IN

ORDER TO TREA T ALL ERGIC REACTION S , PRODUCTS WI TH LATEX SHOULD B E REMO VED . E PIN EPHRINE AN D ANTIHISTAMINES CAN C URE ALLERGY SYM PTOMS . I F YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO LATEX , YOU MUST WEAR A M EDIC A LERT BRACELET TO GIVE AWA RENESS TO THE P EOPLE AROUN D YOU . Y OU SHOULD NEV ER FORGET TO BRI N G YOUR EMERGENCY EPI NEPHRIN E KIT WHEREV ER YOU G O .

P EOPLE WHO ARE S ENSIT IV E TO LATEX SH OULD AVOID LATEX - CO NTAININ G PRODUCTS TO PR EVENT ALLERGIC REACTIONS TO OCCUR .

H AY F EVER A LLERGIES G UIDE

AN
ALLERGIC RESPO NSE TO POLLEN GRAINS AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES IS CALLED HAY F EVER . T HE TIME OF RECURRENCE IS THE FA CTOR THE S EPARATES T HE TWO TY PES OF ALLERGIC RHINITIS . T HE S EASONAL TY PE CAN HAPPEN IN SPECIFIC TIMES OF TH E Y EAR , WHEREAS T HE OTHER T Y PE OCCURS ALL YEAR ROUN D .

H AY

FEVER CAN HAVE S IMILAR SYMPTOMS AS N ONALLERGIC RHINITIS . I T IS TH E T YPE OF REA CTION T HAT DIFFERS O NE FROM THE OTHER . H AY FEV ER DURING SP RI NG TIME IS CAUSED BY TREE POLLE NS . D URING SUMMERTIME , GRASS AND W EED POLLENS MAY CAUSE ALLERGIES . W EEDS CAUSE PROBLEMS IN AUTUMN . M EANWHILE , FUN GUS SPORES THREATEN FROM LATE M ARCH TO N OVEM BER . I N DOOR ALLERGENS MAY CAUSE SOME ALLERGIC REACTI ONS T O PEOPLE WITH P EREN NIA L HAY FEVER .

A LLERGENS

SUCH AS DUS T MITES , ANIMA L DANDER AND EV EN FEATHERS CAN BE SEEN IN MATERIALS FOUND I N HOMES , FOR EXAMPLE , PILLOWS AN D CARPETS . M OLD THRIVES IN DAMP AREAS . B ATHROOMS AND BASEMEN TS ARE COMMON AREAS WHERE THIS ALLERGEN CAN B E FOUN D .

T HE EDITOR WRITES ASS ESSMENTS , CRITIQUES , AND

INFORMATIVE CONTENTS ON THE SUBJECT OF HYPERSENSITIVITY . W OULD YOU LIKE TO FIN D OUT REGARDING A LLERGY SYMPTOMS ? G ET REPLIES DIRECTLY FROM THE WR ITER WHO BASICALLY SUFFERED VARIOUS HYP ERSENSITIVI TY SINCE CHILDHOOD YEARS .