Information and opinions on MyAllergyNetwork from Kathleen MacNaughton http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387 en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/ http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/27171/modern-living Wed May 14 16:07:00 -0400 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton Nasal allergies, food allergies and allergic asthma are all disorders of the immune system. Our immune system is supposed to keep us safe from harm by fighting off infection, cancer, and other invaders. Unfortunately, in allergic disease, the immune system misreads the cues and ends up stimulating a reaction -- or overreaction -- that actually results in us feeling worse than we did to begin with.   Experts have been noting over the past... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/27171/modern-living http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/27166/capitals-location Tue May 06 18:06:00 -0400 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton The Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) recently announced this spring's "Allergy Capitals" for 2008. This is NOT a coveted award -- it's actually more like a booby prize if your city makes it on to this list.   Twice each year, once in the spring and once in the fall, the AAFA performs research to determine where the unhealthiest places in the United States are for people with allergies. They call these places the "most... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/27166/capitals-location http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/25633/spring-forward Mon Apr 21 03:54:43 -0400 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton For people without allergies, spring is a wonderful time of renewal when the whole world seems to be blooming, temperatures are balmy after the long, cold winter, and life is filled with happy anticipation of good times ahead.   But for those of us who have seasonal allergies, spring often brings a certain brand of misery as well. When plants are blooming, they're also shedding pollen and the warm & windy days of spring can spread... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/25633/spring-forward http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/21802/sprung-ready Mon Mar 17 03:48:00 -0400 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton Spring comes to the US this year on March 20th. And with spring, comes the return of seasonal allergies. Those of you fortunate to only have seasonal allergies may have enjoyed a temporary respite from allergy symptoms during the colder months of the year, depending on where you live. (For instance, if you live in the South, where frosts are infrequent, you may never see a complete stopping of symptoms, simply because allergens remain present... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/21802/sprung-ready http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/21180/child-ready-event Wed Mar 05 18:35:00 -0500 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton What if the worst possible thing were to happen to your child when he or she is out of your sight (and care) at school? What if your child went into a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis? It could happen, you know. Is your child prepared? Does he or she know what to do to prevent such an attack – or how to act if it happens? Anaphylaxis or allergic shock, as it's sometimes called, is a severe, life-threatening... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/21180/child-ready-event http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/21128/drug-decides Tue Mar 04 20:16:00 -0500 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton Read Kathi's Post on Choosing the Right Allergy Drugs For You  As I'm sure you know, drug prices have risen dramatically in the past couple of decades. Sure, there are some great new medicines available (and more coming all the time), but they are only available at a high cost... one that the health insurance companies want less and less to bear. Even if you have health insurance, it can be hard to get them to pay for the... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/21128/drug-decides http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20343/care-health-care Thu Feb 14 10:00:00 -0500 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton I remember when I was in nursing school and as a young nursing graduate hearing about how wonderful managed care would be for our health care system. Proponents spoke in glorious terms about preventive health care and it made such sense. We would all be incentivized to act in healthy ways so as to prevent health problems from cropping up in the first place. When managed care was first launched, we continued to hear a lot of rhetoric along... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20343/care-health-care http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20342/anaphylaxis-you Wed Feb 13 18:29:00 -0500 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton In my last post, I talked about allergies to medicine and how that can result in anaphylaxis. I thought I'd go into a bit more detail in this post about what anaphylaxis is and what you can do about it. Allergies come in many forms. There's the kind closely linked to asthma that can cause sneezing, sniffling, stuffy head, wheezing, and cough. Then, there's the kind that causes itchy skin, rashes and sensitivity to all sorts of ... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20342/anaphylaxis-you http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20340/allergic-reactions Wed Feb 13 17:31:00 -0500 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton Read Kathi's previous post on Anaphylaxis  Medications are given to us to help ease symptoms or battle a health condition. They are meant to be helpful, not harmful. However, any time you place a foreign substance into your body, you run the risk of triggering negative consequences, along with the positive ones. In most cases, these negative effects take the form of mild, bothersome, but ultimately short-term, side effects.... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20340/allergic-reactions http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20319/otc-relief-eye Wed Feb 13 03:12:00 -0500 2008 Kathleen MacNaughton I have eye allergies, and they're no fun. Any time of the year, but especially in the early summer and during ragweed season, I can expect to unexpectedly have itching, watering, and/or burning of one or both of my eyes.  Usually, I don't even know why it starts. Sometimes it only lasts for a short time; other times, it can go on for days, getting steadily worse. One summer, it got so bad, I had a corneal abrasion and sustained... http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3387/20319/otc-relief-eye