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Archive for April, 2008
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Friday List: 3 Reactions to the Denmark Dust Mite Review
If you have no idea what the dust mite review is, read this first. 1. AAFA Director of External Affairs Mike Tringale isn’t happy. According to MSN, Tringale thinks the write-up concentrates too much on dust mites without addressing other allergens, points out that dust mite reduction should be part of a larger asthma maintenance effort, and [...] -
Have Asthma? Give Up the Dust Mite Fight
Well, maybe. A startling new piece of research turns dust mite trigger prevention on its head. All the things we do to avoid dust mites in our homes may be a big, fat waste of time and money. And I mean every measure we’ve tried may not work. I’m talking the mattress and pillow covers, the stuffed [...] -
Weird Health Wednesdays: Dangerous Kids, Lion Hug
Adventure Playgrounds, Because Danger’s Good for Kids Now, we’re not talking about broken glass and rusty nails here. Research shows “reasonable risk” helps children’s mental, physical, and social development, so urban adventure playgrounds (originally inspired by WWII ruins) basically recreate the experience of playing in the woods and building forts out of found boards and other [...] -
Asthma Mom’s Glossary of Allergy Terms
Well, it is pollen season and my area’s at its peak, so here’s the allergy segment of my Asthma Glossary. Allergen – substance causing an allergic reaction. An allergen is an antigen that, in non-allergic people, doesn’t invoke the immune response. Allergy – excessive immune response to an antigen, or foreign substance, not normally harmful to the [...] -
CDC Says Climate Change Endangers Public Health
Sheryl Canter over at the EDF’s Climate 411 blogged about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s finally getting to address Congress on climate change’s danger to public health recently. We’re talking droughts, floods, more infectious diseases in the food and water supply, geographic spread of diseases like malaria, and increased air pollution. Apparently, though, [...] -
Saturday Links: Beta Blockers for Asthma, Scary Monsanto, Randy Pausch
New Research: Improve Your Breathing By First Making it Worse Here’s even more startling asthma research, this time from University of Houston professor Richard Bond, who’s been experimenting with beta blockers as asthma therapy. It’s a pretty revolutionary idea when you consider beta blockers are antagonists while the meds of choice for flare relief are agonists. [...] -
The Friday List: Why I Love and Hate Telecommuting
Why Working from Home Beats an Office Job Any Day of the Week 1. I have time for this blog. 2. I largely work barefoot and in yoga pants. 3. I get more work done in less time. 4. I don’t have problems getting to doctor and dentist appointments. 5. I don’t have to pay for afterschool [...] -
Discovery of One Genetic Variation that Ups Asthma Development
The search for that asthma on/off switch just narrowed a little bit more with the discovery of a gene that appears to raise or lower the asthma risk, depending on just a tiny mutation. Bear with my roundabout explanation here, because I want to describe the background for the study first. I’m no scientist and I [...] -
Weird Health Wednesdays: Vasectomies and Guns, More Testosterone, and Dyslexia
India Special: Trade Vasectomy for Faster Gun License I just had to search for this link after reading the story on News of the Weird. Basically, this is a population control effort in rural India that will streamline the gun license process for men who undergo vasectomies. The thinking: getting a gun, a “male status symbol,” [...]
