RESEARCHERS CONFIRM BENEFITS OF ALLERGY SHOTS CHICAGO (AP) A new study confirms the long term benefits of allergy shots, which virtually cured some children of their reactivity to dust mites in a year study in Japan, researchers reported Monday. Allergy shots have been dogged by controversy despite their use for years. Two well publicized U. S. studies two years ago found they worked no better than the relatively new corticosteroid inhalers for severe asthmatics. But an expert not involved in any of the research said Monday that.. The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution , In the ket A SIGH OF RELIEF Mail order allergy products company helps patients, d ors breathe easier In , as the father of a year old child struggling with allergies, Ryner Wittgens saw a need for an easy way to buy the products that reduce dusts, molds and other nasties that triggered her sneezing. After checking out the market, he decided to launch National Allergy Supply Inc. , a mail order company that now offers a sleek page color catalog for allergy and asthma sufferers “It all started because it was so difficult to find the products you needed,” said.. Washington Post , ALLERGY MEDICINE Q Now that allergy season is approaching, I’d like to know if there’s anything more I can do to ward off the itchy, watery eyes and sneezes. Recently, my doctor changed my prescription for allergy medicine from Seldane to Allegra. He said something about Seldane being taken off the market.

Acting on a petition by WellPoint Health Networks of Thousand Oaks, Calif. , the Food and Drug Administration panel recommended that Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec be made available over the counter, without supervision by.. May , allergy drugs could get over the counter status allergy drugs could get over the counter status GAITHERSBURG, Md. Three popular allergy medications are safe enough to be sold without prescription, a federal advisory panel ruled Friday in an unprecedented case that could save the health insurance industry billions of dollars but increase costs for many consumers. Acting on a petition by WellPoint Health Networks of Thousand Oaks, the Food and Drug Administration panel recommended that Claritin, Allegra and Zyrtec be made available.. Los Angeles Times , Say ‘Aaah’ Kid Health Something in the Air Spring Allergies For many people, spring is the season of sniffles. Experts say that some % of kids in the United States suffer from allergies. Called hay fever, spring allergies actually have nothing to do with hay. Plant and tree pollen, which is released into the air, can cause sneezing, congestion, coughing, wheezing and itchy eyes. “Your body is reacting against something in the environment, like pollen, or cat fur or dust mites,” explains Dr. Robert Roberts, an associate.. Sports Illustrated for Women Survive the Season Allergies can affect anyone’s game. Here’s how to tame some common triggers Ah, the sounds of spring training the crack of a bat, the thwack of a golf club, the bang of a starter’s gun. Unless you’re an allergy sufferer. Then it’s more likely sneezing, wheezing and gasping — and the minute you exercise, everything gets worse. “When you go from breathing four liters of air per minute to between and liters per minute, you’re inhaling enormous amounts of pollen, mold and.. Advertiser, The (Adelaide, Australia) , ALLERGY SUFFERER WINS LEGAL FIGHT AGAINST AIRLINES An issue worth more than peanuts A WOMAN who was banned from an international flight because she suffers from a peanut allergy has won an out of court settlement with the airlines involved. Michelle Flanagan, of Sydney, booked a trip to Ireland with Alitalia and KLM in , only to have her ticket cancelled days before departure. The airlines refused to allow her to fly after she informed them of her severe peanut allergy known as anaphylaxis because of concerns she might suffer a mid air attack. The condition is..

Allergy drugs impair drivers Driving while taking some over the counter allergy drugs can be more dangerous than driving drunk, a study released today says. And to the surprise of researchers, even the drivers who did not feel drowsy while on the popular drug Benadryl performed just as pitifully as those who were drunk. The drivers believed their performance was unaffected. ”You couldn’t predict who was impaired based on drowsiness scores,” said John Weiler,.. May , INDUSTRY GROUPS SEEK RESEARCH INTO ALLERGY FREE PEANUTS WASHINGTON (AP) In the wake of last year’s aborted government bid to protect peanut allergy sufferers in airplanes, peanut industry groups are seeking federal funding for research aimed at producing allergy free peanuts. Representatives of peanut farmers, manufacturers and shellers met with lawmakers and key congressional staffers this week to outline a three year,. million proposal for research at the University of Georgia, the University of Florida and Alabama.. Chicago Sun Times , ALLERGY FACTS A few facts about children’s food allergies Peanuts, milk, wheat, eggs, soy, almonds, pecans, walnuts, fish and shellfish cause about percent of food allergies. Some children outgrow allergies to foods, while some might remain allergic throughout adulthood. Children are three times more likely than adults to have severe food allergies because their immune systems are not yet fully developed. Usually, a child will not have an allergic reaction the first time a food is.. SELDANE OUT OF BREATH DRUGMAKER TO PULL ALLERGY MEDICINE Saying allergy sufferers can buy a safer treatment, the maker of Seldane, a popular allergy drug, announced Monday that it will pull the controversial antihistamine off the market The Food and Drug Administration began proceedings to ban Seldane and Seldane D, a decongestant formula, a year ago because of potentially deadly side effects, but maker Hoechst marion Roussel balked. The FDA had argued that the same company made another drug called Allegra that fights allergies as.. St. Louis Post Dispatch , STUDY GENE WORK POSES ALLERGY RISK Researchers have found that an allergy causing substance in one crop can be passed to another, prompting calls for greater regulation of gene spliced foods. An article in today’s New England Journal of Medicine reveals that an allergy causing protein in Brazil nuts can be transferred to soybeans through genetic engineering. The goal had been to make soybeans a richer source of protein for animal feed. But the process also transferred a protein known to cause reactions in humans.