Food allergy: Basics and Beyond
Food allergies are a growing food safety and public health concern. They affect 4%–6% of children and up to 4 % of adults in the United States. Food allergy symptoms are most common in babies and children, but they can appear at any age. Though less common; one can develop an allergy to foods eaten for years without a problem.
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Allergies: Prevention is the Best Medicine
Before discussing allergies, we should first understand what the word “allergy” means. Allergy is basically a mistake of the immune system, where the body is trying to defend itself against a harmless substance. So, instead of the body normally ignoring a cat dander particle, an immune response is set up to fight it off as if it were an infectious organism. In this example, chronic exposure to cat dander leads to a cold-type syndrome that never seems to go away.
Read MoreWinter Asthma and Allergies
Pollen allergy sufferers may experience relief during winter months as most outdoor allergens disappear until spring. But our South Florida winters are mild and brief with tree pollination starting in February and people with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) sensitive to tree pollen may experience bothersome episodes of recurrent sneezing and runny nose early in the year.
Read MoreEl Otoño y las Alergias Alimenticias
La estación de otoño por ser temporada de cosechas y acopio, es también, de antaño, época de grandes fiestas, verbenas, ferias y romerías que celebran la abundancia y prosperidad con amplio despliegue de manjares y golosinas. La naturaleza suavizada y vestida de oro, nos ofrece la merecida recompensa por nuestra ardua faena. Es ocasión de plenitud y satisfacción, cuando familia y amigos se reúnen alrededor de la mesa a deleitar recetas de la abuela a prueba del más exigente comensal.
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SUMMER ALLERGIES: Keep your Summer Safe and Fun
Summer means fun – school vacation and long lazy days filled with outdoor family outings, cookouts and adventure. Here in South Florida it likely includes days of sunny sandy beaches, sunscreens, pollens and insects. If you have allergies, take these simple precautions and make them part of your summer routine. Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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What is an Allergy?
An allergy is a peculiar reaction to a substance than is not harmful to normal, non-allergic people. “Allergy,” however, is an often misunderstood term. Most people believe that an allergy refers to any uncomfortable reaction to a substance that is inhaled, eaten, or that touches the skin. Symptoms that are attributed to allergy include sneezing, wheezing, nasal irritation, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose, heartburn, bloating, diarrhea, and a variety of skin rashes.
Read MoreNew Asthma Drug Nucala (Mepolizumab) for Severe Eosinophilic Asthma
I was going to write a blog entry about this exciting new asthma drug that should be available for use very soon. But then, Dr. Alan Khadavi, an Allergy/Immunology Specialist from Los Angeles beat me to it. So, as I always say, “Don’t reinvent the wheel.”
Read MoreExtreme Reversal – Research Now Suggests Early introduction of Peanuts to Infants May Prevent Food Allergy
This story reminds me of the movie, “Sleeper.” The Woody Allen movie from the 70s focuses on a man who was put into a cryogenic freeze when he died after a simple operation in a New York hospital. He woke up 200 years later and found that the world was very different. He was surprised that everyone was smoking cigarettes. This future scientists told him that research had determined that tobacco was extremely healthy for the lungs.
Read MoreSublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), “Allergy Drops” – Our Take on the Subject
Subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT), or “allergy shot therapy,” has been around since the early 1900s. It is considered a well-accepted therapy for allergic rhinitis and asthma. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has garnered a great deal of attention lately since two sublingual tablet formulations to treat grass allergy were reviewed by an FDA advisory committee.
Read MoreProtecting food allergic kids in school
Here’s an article about food allergies from the Palm Beach Post – with a couple of quotes from me. Dr. Gershman New laws aim to save schoolchildren from deadly allergic reactions By Stacey Singer – Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Waffles. That’s what sent 8-year-old Emma Serle to the emergency room. Allergic to five different foods, …
Continue reading “Protecting food allergic kids in school”
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Processed food isn’t great for babies – No kidding
Here is some unexpected news… fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you. It turns out that babies who ate more fruits and vegetables , and less processed foods, seemed to have less problems with food allergy.
http://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/113039-children-and-food-allergies
Dr. Gershman and Dr. Ramirez on the set for the “Ask the Allergist” segments
Dr. Gershman and Dr. Ramirez on the set for the “Ask the Allergist” segments.
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Dr. Neil Gershman has been elected to be the President of the Florida Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society!
We are very proud to announce that Dr. Neil Gershman has been elected to be the President of the Florida Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Society!
Dr. Neil Gershman is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Medicine. He did his Internal Medicine training at Montefiore Medical Center of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and his Allergy/Immunology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.
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Dr. Gershman’s Asthma Inhaler Demonstration Video
Even though I am no videographer, I think you will get a lot out of watching this video. Just a couple of disclaimers: 1. Watching this video should not take the place of the care and advice of your physician or pharmacist 2. This is some disagreement on the “proper” use of inhalers.
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