Trees usually produce the first pollens of the year. That means folks with tree pollen allergies will be already facing their typical symptoms, from allergic rhinitis to asthma exacerbations.

If you are allergic to trees - even if the trees are not yet budding where you are - it’s worth it to get on your preferred antihistamine now. Tree allergy season is just around the corner. While it seems crazy to treat allergies before they show up, all the research shows that antihistamines work best if they are in your body in sufficient concentrations before you are exposed to your allergen! Some antihistamines appear to take time before they really relieve symptoms - but this is more likely to be related to the fact that they get used up quickly as they quell an existing reaction, leaving no additional medication available to handle any new reactions as they start up. Given that we aren’t dealing with allergy season yet, but will be any day now, if you start antihistamines now your body will be ready to handle your allergen - regardless of when the first tree sends out its pollen.

You can also start other kinds of alternative treatments before the pollen is drifting through the air, to give your body a fighting chance to handle your tree allergies better. One alternative treatment that we’ve had good results with in this family - and which is great for your overall health - is taking bee pollen daily. Get pollen from a local bee keeper if possible, because it will best represent your local plant life. Start with a relatively small dose if you are severely allergic - 1/2 teaspoon or even less - and work up to as much as 2-3 teaspoons a day.

In our case, we add this to our family’s morning smoothie. The actual dose to each person is about 1 teaspoon (or slightly less). For my son’s seasonal allergies, this really helped to reduce symptoms. We started last spring before the allergy season started, and were surprised at how much it reduced his symptoms.

After all, current research is showing that sublingual immunotherapy works for such allergies as grass pollen - so why not tree pollen?

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In a study of 160 children between the ages of 5 and 18, children with peanut allergies had both more hospitalizations for asthma and a higher rate of corticosteroid usage.

However, when treating children with asthma, most doctors want to avoid both hospitalization and corticosteroid use. Corticosteroids can have side effects that are detrimental to growing bodies.

The lead researcher on the study, Dr Alyson Simpson, recommends that parents with children who have both peanut allergies and asthma work carefully with their child’s doctors to ensure that asthma is well-controlled. This will mean careful avoidance of asthma triggers as well as allergy triggers.

Source: Reuters

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The book promotes food allergy awareness through story. In the book, children learn about the most common food allergies, and how to check for ingredients on the back of food packages. Lovable cartoon characters go through some of the most common situations that food allergic kids have to deal with. It also talks about allergy cards as a tool to eat safely at restaurants.

The Allergy Buddy Club is available online from Green Apple Tales for $5.99.

Sources: Food Safety News, Green Apple Tales

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If you have celiac disease yourself, your offspring have a 5 to 15 per cent chance of having it themselves. It’s also true that your genetic siblings have the same 5 to 15 per cent chance of this autoimmune condition.

If you are an identical twin, and your twin has celiac disease, your chance of having it climb to 70 per cent.

Here’s the most astonishing part of gluten-sensitive enteropathy: it is the most common genetic autoimmune disease in the world.

You have a better chance of having celiac disease than you do lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease - and yet, it often goes undiagnosed.

Source: PressDemocrat

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Gluten is a protein that is found in certain grains - specifically wheat, barley and rye. Oats are often contaminated with gluten because they are processed in the same facilities as gluten-containing grains. The good news is that there are many grains that do not contain gluten, including rice, corn, buckwheat and quinoa to name just a few. Early introduction of gluten has been linked to celiac disease, which damages the small intestine and results in poor nutrient absorption.

Celiac disease has been linked to constipation for some sufferers.

Constipation is a significant issue for parent and baby; it is the reason behind about 5 per cent of pediatrician visits. Constipation often starts around the time that solid food like cereal - which could contain gluten - is introduced or when the baby is switched from breastmilk to formula.

Of children in the study, 12 per cent were considered to have functional constipation by age 2. What this means is that these children were having fewer than 3 bowel movements per week or were having hard stools lasting for 2 or more weeks at a time.

Source: Reuters, BeAllergyWise

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