CHIROPRACTIC
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Why do allergies affect some and not others?
It's in the Genes
Allergies can often be blamed on mom and dad. The tendency to become allergic is inherited, and the chances that you also will be allergic increase from about 50 percent when one parent is allergic to 75 to 80 percent when both parents have allergies.
Tell your friends you're "atopic," meaning that you have inherited the tendency to have an allergy. (And hope that none of your friends know Greek, as "atopic" derives from the Greek word for "strange.") But you needn't feel strange...or alone. The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) estimates that as many as 50 million Americans suffer with asthma, hay fever, or other allergy-related conditions.
So, the family genes are stacked against you. Does this mean instant sniffles? Not always. Don't forget, even if you have a
60 percent chance of developing allergies, you also have a 40 percent chance of not developing them. That's why Fido
turns your nose and eyes into streams while your brother is pretty much dry. In the genetic roll of dice, he came out the
winner.
Allergies and the Environment
There's more to developing allergies than heredity. What you become allergic to is based on when and how much you're exposed to a substance and how much of it you're exposed to.
For example, say you have a tendency to be allergic to mold spores. You may have no allergy symptoms when you're living alone in your spic 'n' span apartment, but when a roommate moves in, bringing along a jungle of houseplants, an old mattress, and a humidifier (to keep her skin moist), you soon become a symphony of sneezes and snorts. What happened? You had endured a certain amount of exposure to mold spores without a problem, but once the scales were tipped by the onslaught of your roommate's mold-bearing stuff, your immune system kicked into high gear.
How old you are when you're exposed is critical. Recent studies show that heavy exposure early in life -- before 2 years of age -- may be protective against animal allergies and asthma.
Where you live may also affect the degree to which you suffer from allergies. Say you're allergic to the big four: grass, pollen, dust mites, and mold. If you dwell in the Pacific Northwest, where all four are abundant nearly year-round, you may suffer a lot of the time with chronic allergies. Your nose will drip, you'll sniffle, and you'll have a sore throat from postnasal drip, but your symptoms won't be extreme, just ever-present. Move to a higher and drier region, where the grass grows wild but mold spores and dust mites are less common, and your allergies may become seasonally acute (sudden and severe). You might find yourself sneezing uncontrollably for a month but then your symptoms will abate. Living with allergies is often a game of give and take, especially if you suffer from several kinds.
Relief and Treatment
There are three techniques commonly offered by doctors to help allergy sufferers:
Avoidance
Medication
Immunotherapy
Many allergens, once identified, can simply be avoided. If you know you're allergic to shellfish, you don't eat it. Pet allergies can be handled sometimes by keeping the pet outside.
Unfortunately, many allergens -- like pollen, mold and dust -- are very difficult, if not impossible, to avoid. These can often be managed by using medications such as antihistamines, decongestants, cromolyn sodium, corticosteroids and, in the case of anaphylaxis, epinephrine.
Immunotherapy is expensive, time consuming and not without risk. But it is often the only hope a person has for leading a normal life. It consists of a series of injections of the offending allergen, beginning with a very weak dilution and gradually building in strength to a maintenance dose that may be continued over time. The injections help the immune system to produce fewer IgE antibodies, while also stimulating the production of a blocking antibody called IgG. This works to varying degrees with many allergies, but some cannot be treated this way.
As with all medical discomforts and problems, you should seek the advice of your doctor or allergist if you suspect you are allergic to something.
For an additional report check out this report on Allergies and Sensitivities.
What is the purpose of a surgeon's mask? A surgical mask, also known as a procedure mask, is intended to be worn by health professionals during surgery and during nursing[1] to catch the bacteria shed in liquid droplets and aerosols from the wearer's mouth and nose. Its first recorded use was by the French surgeon Paul Berger during an 1897 operation in Paris.
Surgical masks are also popularly worn by the general public in East Asian countries to reduce the chance of spreading airborne diseases; in Japan, it is common to wear a face mask whilst ill to avoid infecting others in public settings.[2] Surgical masks were widely used in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Toronto, Canada during outbreaks of theSARS virus, during the 2007 bird flu pandemic in Japan, and in the United States and Mexico City during the 2009 flu pandemic featuring swine flu and the H1N1 virus. They are also worn by people in dusty environments such as sanitation workers.
In higher risk environments, N95 or NIOSH masks may be used in place of surgical masks as they provide better protection due to their shape and securing straps.
Modern surgical masks are made from paper or other non-woven material and should be discarded after each use.
How long do you think it will take for chiropractic care to help you?
To deal with your initial condition, 30% - 50% reduction should be noticed by the first 3 weeks. If you wish a lifetime of well-being, you should discuss with your physician how to maintain long term function.
12 Things Not To Do
If You Want To Stay Healthy
1. Skipping breakfast.
While the science is somewhat debated, most experts agree it’s better to eat breakfast than to forego it entirely. It can be easy to breeze through your morning on only a cup of joe, but research suggests eating breakfast can help you kickstart your metabolism and help increase your energy so you’re not feeling sluggish later on. If that isn’t convincing enough, some experts even advocate for eating a doughnut over skipping the meal, though obviously that shouldn’t be a recurring choice. If you’re looking for some easy morning options, try one of these quick breakfast recipes.
2. Leaning your face on your hand.
Sure, it’s comfortable, or perhaps you’re not even thinking about it — but touching your face excessively may be an enemy to good skin care or hygiene. “Touching can make the face more prone to breakouts or other conditions ... because it spreads bacteria and other bugs,” board-certified dermatologist and Heal Your Skin author Dr. Ava Shamban previously told HuffPost. Yikes.
3. Eating a sad desk lunch.
Important PSA: Your brain needs a break. Without one, your productivity and your energy levels plummet. Besides, research shows multitasking is inefficient, so you’re probably not getting much done by pushing through anyway.
4. Slouching in your chair.
Bad posture = Bad health? It’s certainly possible. Studies show that when you slouch you may be negatively influencing your mood. Not to mention poor posture, which is frequently associated with staring at technology, puts a strain on your upper body, too, which could lead to neck and shoulder pain.
5. Touching your eye.
It may be tempting to swipe off that smudged eyeliner in the middle of your day, but be wary of hand-to-eye contact as it’s another way to spread germs. Not only that, you may be damaging some very delicate skin. “Rubbing the eyes ... can actually create microscopic tears in the tissue (making the eye area look older faster), break the capillaries in the eyelids (causing little thread-like veins called telangiectasia) or break the capillaries under the eye (intensifying dark circles),” Dr. Shamban said.
6. Sitting all day.
Many experts claim that “sitting is the new smoking,” which isn’t such great news if you’re chained to a desk for eight hours a day. A sedentary lifestyle can increase your risk for diabetes and heart disease, and it’s probably hurting your back. Make it a point to get up and move as often as you can or opt for a standing desk if the opportunity exists. You can also try this yoga move to undo some of the damage that comes with sitting at a desk.
7. Petting the office dog and returning to your keyboard.
If you’ve been lucky enough to receive a “there are dogs in the office today” email, you know what pure weekday joy feels like. Just be sure to wash those hands once playtime is over. Pets, including dogs, potentially carry germs that can spread from animals to people, according to the CDC — but nothing a good scrub won’t fix.
8. Bringing your phone to the bathroom.
Half of smartphone users ages 18 to 29 admit to bringing their phones with them to the toilet, according to a 2013 HuffPost/YouGov poll. It may be tempting to, er, multitask, but you’re really just inviting germs into your body and back to your desk. In fact, research shows that your phone has more bacteria than that porcelain throne. Seriously, just leave it behind.
9. Not taking a sick day.
The common cold can take a lot out of you, physically and mentally. By not allowing yourself to properly rest, you may be prolonging the sickness. You’re also compromising your co-workers’ immune systems by exposing them to the virus. It’s better for your health, their health and both parties’ productivity in the long run.
10. Crossing your legs.
It can be easy to cross those legs to avoid playing footsie with your neighbor, but you may want to re-think your sitting stance. Crossing your legs too much may cause back and neck pain and even might elevate your blood pressure, Yahoo! Health reported. The ideal seated position comes with your feet flat on the floor and your knees and ankles at a 90 degree angle whenever possible.
11. Indulging in free office pizza.
The marketing department may be sharing the wealth with their leftover lunch food, but be wary if it’s been sitting out too long. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that cooked commercial foods should sit out for no more than four hours, as that’s the time in which bacteria can grow and multiply, the New York Times reported. Consumer and homemade meals have an even shorter timeframe of only two hours.
12. Not unplugging once you get home.
Burnout is real — and it can sneak up on you fast if you don’t catch the little habits that get you there. Mindless scrolling after dinner or checking your email before crawling into bed may seem insignificant, but it may be contributing to mental exhaustion. Try stashing the phone once you walk through the front door — you’ll thank yourself later.