Children with Milk Allergy May be ‘Allergic to School’

Many of today’s school teachers opt for dustless chalk to keep hands and classrooms clean. But according to a study published in the May issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, this choice in chalk may cause allergy and asthma symptoms in students that have a milk allergy.
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Have Asthma? Self-Medicating During Allergy Season can Lead to Mental Impairment

Seasonal allergies and asthma may not seem like anything serious. But when these conditions are misdiagnosed and not properly treated, can lead to disrupted sleep and mental impairment. Read more

ACAAI News Releases

Ask Dr. Richard Weber, ACAAI president, and ACAAI Experts your questions on allergies and asthma!

AsktheAllergist@acaai.org

Peanut Component Testing

Q: My son was diagnosed with peanut allergy by screening blood testing when he was 18 months old (done for a family history of food allergy in first cousins) but he never had a major reaction to peanut before the diagnosis, and nothing has happened since. I recently read about a new kind of blood test for peanut allergy, and I am wondering if this test could be helpful for my son?

A: Peanut allergy seems to be on the rise in the US over the past decade. While there are some promising treatments being researched, the current standard of care is complete avoidance of peanut. Because this restriction can have such a major impact on everyone involved, it is very important that you receive an accurate diagnosis. Peanut allergy affects most areas of a person’s life, from the home setting, to play dates, to school, to dining out and beyond. Read more

Allergy to Olives or Olive Oil?

Q. If someone is allergic to olives, should olive oil also be avoided? Does the oil contain trace proteins from the olive, or just the fat?

A. Serious allergy to the olive fruit as a food has fortunately been rarely reported. Olive trees commonly cause seasonal allergy symptoms from inhaled olive tree pollen, something which typically occurs in specific growing regions. Read more.

Link to Archived Questions and Answers

Disclaimer: This advice is not intended to diagnose or treat, but concerns general recommendations; the archived questions and answers may not reflect all of the current knowledge in our field. As always, consult with your own physician.

Effect of acupuncture on allergy symptoms minor

The effect of acupuncture on seasonal allergy symptoms, such as a runny nose and watery eyes, is small, according to a study in Annals of Internal Medicine. Scientists at Charite-University Medical Center in Berlin, Germany, randomly assigned 422 subjects with seasonal allergies to receive real or fake acupuncture or to take antihistamines, as needed. After eight weeks (12 treatment sessions), 71 percent of those receiving acupuncture reported an improvement in their allergies, as well as 56 percent of those receiving fake acupuncture. And, after another eight weeks with no treatment, there was no longer any difference in the degree of symptom improvement between groups.Read More

Study: People with asthma have more lung fungi

Healthy lungs are full of fungi, but according to a study in BMC Infectious Diseases, asthma patients have large numbers and different species of fungi in their lungs. Researchers at Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom, examined the mucus or sputum of patients with and without asthma, finding 136 different fungal species total, with 90 species more common in asthma patients and 46 species more common in those without asthma.Read More