By now you’ve heard the news that the manufacturers of over the counter cough and cold medicines have stopped promoting the use of these medications for kids under 4. Last summer, the FDA sent out a warning for use of these cough and cold medicines for kids under 2, and they are presently investigating the use in children under 6. What’s a parent to do? Check out the recent Get Healthy 4 Life video with Dr. Jackie Eghrari-Sabet.
If you are already one of our patients, then the answer is YES!! You are either between the ages of 6months and 18 years, you are 50+, or you are in between with an allergic and/or respiratory disease.
You heard if you are allergic to eggs then you shouldn’t get the vaccine? WRONG!! You should get the vaccine, but there is a special way we need to give it to you. We need you to call our office and make an appointment for us to safely give you the flu vaccine. Most people with egg allergy are at risk of having asthma or respiratory disease. These are the very people who need the flu vaccine most!
Check out Dr. Eghrari’s interview on NBC4 on October 6th. It is all about the who/what/where of flu vaccines.
If you use your rescue inhaler (albuterol) more than twice a week, you may be using the wrong medication. Sports, games, practices, even recess all count towards the tally of how often you need to puff on a rescue inhaler in order to get through a game. Watch this clip from Dr. Eghrari-Sabet and call our office for an appointment if you think you need a controller maintenance inhaler.
Influenza virus (the flu) has hit the Washington DC area quite hard. Here’s what you can do to prevent the disease and treat the symptoms if you are amongst the unfortunate who get the flu.
Prevention: Coulda, shoulda, woulda
Everyone ( especially kids, those with respiratory diseases, and those who work or live among the masses of humanity) should have a flu shot every year.
Did you get a flu shot?! Dont worry that it doesn’t cover all the strains. There is some activity against the flu from “cross over” immunity. Some immunity is better than none.
If you have respiratory problems like asthma, frequent sinus infections, or COPD (smoking related diseases) then BE SURE to take your maintenance medication to lessen the severity of the flu. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You may have fallen off the wagon with taking these medications that will keep you healthy. This would be the time (before you get sick) to get back on the wagon. You wont have so far to fall when the wagon hits a bump in the road.
Avoidance: You can continue to avoid viruses by washing hands, the more the better. Be careful of using communal dishes at work. Watch out for people who wipe their nose on their sleeve, you need to disinfect after coming in contact.
Fighting the flu once you have it:
The following can increase your chances of not getting knocked out by flu symptoms -
- Get lots of sleep
- Decrease stress, that will increase your immune system’s ability to fight the good fight
- Drink lots of water — stay hydrated. The flu will dehydrate you.
- Exercise — this too will boost your immune system so when you need it, it will be there for you
Medical Remedies:
Drink green tea – On paper this makes sense, it’s water and antioxidants all rolled in one. Research has shown that green tea is extremely effective at preventing the flu when consumed regularly. (note: this research is done by the UK tea council)
Vitamin C : The effectiveness of this has been long debated. Overall the consensus is if you take increased amount of vitamin C when you get sick you will get over the flu faster, and spend less days at home and in bed. This does not mean you will prevent the flu, but it may help lessen the severity. The best way to get vitamin C is naturally ( fruits and veggies).
I have recently returned from an incredible trip to Antarctica. Yes! It was COLD! (and remember this is their summer season). As an allergists there were a few reasons to go to Antarctica –one being that there are no dust mites to be found on the continent. There are no human skin cells for them to feast on, hence why try to eek out an existence there? I did get to see some allergy and cold weather related pathology, however, in my fellow humantravel-mates: cold induced bronchospasm, and cold induced urticaria.
Cold induced bronchospasm is that cough and chest tightness that comes when you step out into the cold. It can really flare when you step out into the cold and exert yourself, like shoveling snow, or clearing off the car. Asthmatic patients, young and old, can trigger a cough or wheeze by being exposed to cold. If your asthmatic lungs are not in tip top shape, because you have not been on your maintenance controller medication, or because you have had a recent respiratory virus, you will find your self coughing and wheezing pretty quickly when the blast of cold air comes at you. The answer is to 1) cover your nose and mouth with a scarf, try to warm up the air that goes into your lungs 2) maintain your maintenance controller asthma medications 3) get your kids to shovel the driveway and clear off the car.
Cold induced urticaria is when a person breaks out in hives (welts) from exposure to cold. We just had two such patients in the office this week. You can prove this with an ice-cube test. Place an ice-cube on the forearm, and when it is removed and the skin rewarms there will be a welt (usually shaped just like the ice-cube) on your arm. I have had patients who tell me of welts on their arms when they carry cold jugs of orange juice from the fridge to the table. The more common story is patients who have hives on their arms and legs when they splash in the ocean at the beginning of the summer when the water is cold. Yes, I did see some cold urticaria on the Antarctica trip (from a fellow passenger, not from a penguin). There is medication to treat this disorder, and as always, excellent counseling on how to stay healthy, that only an allergist can give.
Thinking of giving a gift of health this year? How about a practical but much loved (and useful) gift for your allergic loved one! Dust mite allergy is the #1 allergy in the world — and the best way to combat it is avoidance. In our daily lives we run into dust mites wherever human skin cells come together with natural fibers. Therefore your bed, your wool blanket, your down pillows, your pillow top mattress, and your cotton covered box spring are great dust mite condominiums. All a dust mite need to do is show up, and feed on the all you can eat smorgasbord. The best way to handle dust mites in your bed is to have dust mite encasement covers. The trick is, if you are going to cover the bed — you need to cover it all. No sense in just covering the pillow when the dust mites from the mattress will just crawl over the top of the pillow again.
This season think about giving the gift of health in the form of dust mite encasements. There are a host of web sites where you can buy such covers. What matters is that they are true dust mite encasements, not just “hypoallergenic” bedding. Try :http://www.allergysolution.com for starters.
Check out Dr. Eghrari’s latest NBC 4 Healthy for life segment Monday Dec 17th at 4 PM. www.nbc4.com