Ithcy, watery eyes? Optometrists give tips to relieve spring allergy symptoms

The sunshine and bright colors of spring are here, but so are seasonal allergies from pollen, dander, smog or mold that can often lead to itchy, watery eyes. Eye irritation is the body's immune response to allergens, so when pollen comes in contact with eyes, for example, the body releases histamine, causing eye redness, burning and itching.

The Kentucky Optometric Association says discomfort from itchy, swollen or water eyes can be reduced with simple steps, such as maintaining a healthy diet full of anti-oxidants like spinach, broccoli, carrot discomfort that boost the immune system in addition to taking fish oil supplements that help reduce redness and irritation.

Other tips from the KOA include using preservative-free lubricating eye drops or re-wetting eyes with contact solution if you wear contact lenses. Applying a cold compress to eyes can also relieve itching and redness by constricting the histamine-releasing blood vessels. And remember: Do not touch or rub eyes, and be sure to wash hands with soap and water.

A local eye doctor can examine eye allergy symptoms to ensure the cause is properly identified, said Dr. Max Downey, an optometrist in Campbellsville. Optometrists' treatment could range from eye drops to prescription medicines, said Downey.

In addition to discussing allergy relief with your optometrist, the KOA recommends adults have yearly eye exams at the minimum, depending on the severity of allergies.

Bill encouraging schools to stock EpiPens to stop deadly allergic reactions will become law

A bill encouraging Kentucky schools to stock EpiPens, or epinephrine auto-injectors, to stop anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, has passed will soon be signed into law by Gov. Steve Beshear.

When someone has anaphylaxis, the sooner you use an EpiPen, the better the outcome can be, said Thomas Sternberg, an allergist at Graves-Gilbert Clinic in Bowling Green, told Alyssa Harvey of the Daily News.

Under House Bill 172, schools could keep at least two EpiPens in case of emergency, and school boards would develop and approve policies and procedures for managing a student’s life-threatening allergic reaction, reports Harvey.

The bill also helps schools receive or buy the auto-injectors through local health departments and directs the state Department for Public Health to develop clinical protocols for using the auto-injectors in schools. Harvey reports that EpiPens can be donated to schools, and the EpiPens for Schools Program will provide up to four free auto-injectors per school year; if more are needed, they can be purchased at a discounted rate.

"You don’t know when someone could have an anaphylactic reaction,” Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Florence, who sponsored the bill, told the Daily News. She alluded to an incident in Virginia, where a 7-year-old student died last year after an anaphylactic reaction, and no medications were available at the school to treat her. "There could be a hero in the school who was able to reach for that epinephrine pen and save a child’s life and not a tragedy like in Virginia,” Wuchner said. She filed the bill late in the 2012 session, but the language has been revised for this year's session to encourage rather than mandate schools to stock EpiPens.

Amy Wallace, treasurer and former president of the Bowling Green area's Food Education Allergy Support Team, told Harvey she was disappointed schools will not be required to make necessary provisions, but said advocates of the bill are happy to see that the problem is being addressed. (Read more)

Childhood obesity is linked to more immediate health problems than doctors formerly realized

While a plethora of research on childhood obesity has linked it to long-term health problems, a new UCLA study focuses on the condition's more proximate consequences, showing that obese children are at a greater risk for immediate health problems than previously thought. That's important for Kentucky, which ranks poorly in many health measures and is third highest in child obesity. (Photo by Tara Kaprowy)

"This study paints a comprehensive picture of childhood obesity, and we were surprised to see just how many conditions were associated with childhood obesity," said lead author Dr. Neal Halfon, a professor of pediatrics, public health and public policy at UCLA.

Compared to kids who are not overweight, the study found that obese children have nearly twice the risk of having three or more reported medical, mental or developmental conditions. Specific medical conditions included bone, joint and muscle problems; asthma; allergies; headaches; and ear infections. Obese children also reported a greater tendency toward emotional and behavioral problems, higher rates of grade repetition, missed school days and other school problems, ADHD, conduct disorder, depression, learning disabilities, and developmental delays.

The study provides the first comprehensive national profile of associations between weight status and a broad set of associated health conditions, a UCLA release said. Halfon said these findings should serve as a wake-up call to physicians, parents and teachers, who should be better informed of the risk for health conditions associated with childhood obesity. (Read more)

Use of pacifiers could lead to very sick babies, study finds

Oklahoma State University researchers report that they have found a wide range of disease-causing bacteria, fungus and mold on pacifiers that young children had been using.

In research presented at the American Society for Clinical Pathology, scientists have shown that pacifiers can also grow a slimy coating of bacterial film that alters the normal bacteria in a baby or toddler's mouth, increasing the likelihood of colic and ear infections. It gets worse, according to study author Tom Glass, a professor of forensic science, pathology and dental medicine: The same types of bacteria found on a common pacifier have been linked to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases.

HealthDay reporters Barbara Bronson Gray writes that Glass said the problems associated with pacificers are also applicable to any removable orthodontic appliance like retainers, mouth guards and dentures. Glass said his researchers were particular concerned about their findings when they discovered that "many of the bacteria growing from the used pacifiers were resistant to commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin and methicillin. The development of such resistance to certain antibiotics does not cause the organism to be more infectious than other strains that have no antibiotic resistance, but it can make the infection more difficult to treat." Glass told Gray that he does not recommend that pacifier use. use. "After doing the study, I say why take a risk?" (Read more)

Meds-for-meth bill drew record lobbying expenses, not even including radio and newspaper ad campaigns

Makers of over-the-counter drugs spent more than any lobbying interest ever had during a single Kentucky legislative session in their effort to defeat a bill requiring prescriptions for the key ingredient in methamphetamine, Bill Estep reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

"The Consumer Healthcare Products Association spent $457,053 on lobbying activities in the first three months of this year's legislative session, according to reports filed with the state Legislative Ethics Commission," Estep writes. "The group's lobbying effort was so dominant that it spent more than the next five groups combined in that period, January through March, according to spending reports."

And the figure doesn't even included hundreds of thousands of dollars that the trade group spent on radio and newspaper campaigns, because the lobby-reporting requirements do not apply to messages aimed only at the general public. The group did report spending on "a phone-bank operation to put people in contact with legislators to voice concerns about legislation to require a prescription for medicine containing pseudoephedrine, which is now available over the counter," Estep writes.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/30/2170495/makers-of-cold-medicines-set-new.html#storylink=cpy

The efforts, dating back to 2010, were partly successful. The legislature passed a bill "that will require a doctor's prescription for pseudoephedrine, but only after someone has bought 24 grams of the medicine a year," Estep notes. "A 48-count box of the generic medicine with 30-milligram pills contains 1.44 grams of pseudoephedrine. The bill excludes limits on gel caps and liquid pseudoephedrine." (Read more)

The lobbying effort wasn't only about Kentucky. The makers of Sudafed and other pseudoephedrine preparations are trying to stave off similar efforts in other states, and viewed Kentucky as a sort of firewall after seeing prescription-only laws pass in Oregon and Mississippi.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/30/2170495/makers-of-cold-medicines-set-new.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/30/2170495/makers-of-cold-medicines-set-new.html#storylink=cpy

Growing up on farm helps immune system, study of pigs shows

For the first time, there is conclusive evidence that growing up on a farm is good for the immune system. Researchers from the University of Bristol's veterinary sciences school have published a study showing that "spending early life in a complex farm environment" increases the number of T-cells one has, reports Sarah Muirhead of Feedstuffs. T-cells have been identified as universal regulators of immune systems, with low numbers increasing risk of developing allergies, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Researcher Marie Lewis said it wasn't previously known whether farm life increased immunity to allergies, or if people more prone to allergies weren't living on farms.

Piglets were used in the study since they share many aspects of human physiology, metabolism, genetics and immunity. Some of the piglets were nursed by their mother on the farm, while the others were kept in an isolator unit under hygenic conditions and fed formula milk to reflect the "extremes of environment" in which many humans are raised. Farm-raised piglets had increased levels of T-cells compared to those raised in the isolator. Lewis said it's not clear yet exactly what caused the increase in T-cells in farm-reared piglets, but said previous work shows that intestinal bacteria "plays a pivotal role." (Read more)

High use of meds earns Louisville bad name for allergies, which are becoming more common as pollination periods expand

Louisville is the second worst American city for spring allergy sufferers, based on use of allergy medicine, says the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Though the city has only an average pollen score and an average number of board-certified allergists, it has an above average number of patients who use allergy medicine, the Spring Allergy Capitals 2011 survey concluded.

Only Knoxville, Tenn., ranked higher than Louisville. Charlotte, N.C., came in third, followed by Jackson, Miss., and Chattanooga, Tenn. "The worst cities are always in the South, where the temperatures are warmer and the plant life flowers earliest," Dr. Joseph Leija, an allergist who performs the Gottlieb Allergy Count, told research-reporting service Newswise.

Louisville ranked second last year as well, first in 2009, and 21st in 2008. In the past nine years the survey has been conducted, pollen concentrations have increased. "There's a lot of evidence that trees, grasses and weeds are pollinating more, said Mike Tringale, vice president for external affairs at the foundation. There is also evidence that the pollination season is lengthening, starting 10 to 15 days sooner and lasting 10 to 15 days longer.

As a result, more people are suffering. "Allergy prevalence has more than doubled in the past 30 years," Tringale said. "No one is really sure why. One of the leading theories is global warming." Today, between 12 to 14 percent of people have nasal allergies.

As for why some cities are affected more than others, Tringale said he didn't have an answer. Researchers will be looking at patterns and correlations next year in time for the 10th year of the study.

The study looked at the number of prescriptions that are written and refilled for all allergy medications, "whether eye drops, nasal sprays or oral pills," Tringale said. It also looked at all of the over-the-counter versions of allergy medicines that are sold at pharmacy counters, which account for about 20 percent of all over-the-counter sales. Medications sold at regular check-out aisles and at grocery stores were not accounted for, nor were medicines sold at Walmart. "Walmart doesn't give out data," Tringale said. Though Tringale acknowledged the low percentage of OTC sales tracked is a weakness of the study, he said it was done in this way "to standardize the data between cities."

Pollen counts were collected weekly "from thousands of different stations," Tringale said. The American Board of Medical Specialties provided the data regarding the number of board-certified allergists. (Read more)