So it’s world allergy week. As per the World Allergy Organisation the theme is
Allergy care does not stop with COVID 19.
So in the ongoing pandemic, if you have allergies, asthma, do not hesitate to reach out to your Allergy specialist. And keep in mind other monsoon diseases too
With great thanks to all doctors sincerely involved in covid duty!
Pollen allergy is fairly common in India. No, not maple, oak or birch. These plants are not found in the plains of India, yet they are included in the allergy testing panel of major blood allergy tests.
Pollen allergies can cause asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, skin rashes and other manifestation of allergy.
common symptoms are sneezing, itching, dark circles under the eyes (allergic shiners), allergic salute(persistent rubbing of the nose to push it up, most common in children, and conjunctivitis.
This is known as Pollinosis
So which plants fairly commonly cause allergies in India?
A lot of flowering plants grow in the tropical climate of India. Some plants which flower throughout the year spread pollen all the year round. They are known as perennial plants. They can cause allergy throughout the year. Most of the grasses, mustard, castor oil, papaya tree , mesquite and weeds like parthenium, amaranthus and chenopodium shed pollen throughout the year.
While plants like mango tree and a few other plants flower in specific seasons
However as per the Aria guidelines allergies are no longer classified into seasonal or perennial. They are known as persistent or intermmitent, mild, moderate or severe depending on the duration.
Common Allergy seasons are January to June, when most flowering plants shed pollen. and post monsoon till Novemberwhen tnere is a spurt in grass and weeds.
Global warming has lead to increased pollen allergy due to increased summer and warm climate favouring flowering of grasses and other trees.
What are weeds? weeds are small plants which are not planted deliberately. Their seeds are carried on the wind. They grow on the side of the road or in vacant lots like below
So a lot of people believe that pollen allergy is a thing of open grasslands and villages, not the cities. Wrong. A lot of wild plants and weeds which grow at the sides of gutters and the road fairly can cause allergy.
Pollen from grass and some trees is very small and is carried by the wind from one plant to the other. Some pollen can travel for hundreds of kilometres , mixing with the dust in the cities .Pollutants like smoke, petrol and diesel fumes in the air can worsen your allergies.
Following plants cause allergy throughout the year:
Plants like Doob grass or bermuda grass, the common Durva grass which is used for the pooja of Lord Ganesha. It is commonly used as a lawn grass. It is a major course of allergy
Congress grass or Parthenium. It is a common weed and grows at the side of the road, in grassland and vacant lots.
Neem tree
Amaranthus and Chenopodum are found in the same way.
Agreratum Conyzoides or Nilam, Xanthium or cockleburr.
Brassica nigra or sarson, mustard plants
Papaya tree, castor oil tree and coconut trees are fairly common all over india
Another common tree is the raintree. It is found in all major cities of India
Mango trees can cause allergy. They are seasonal plants from March to April
Papdi or Holoptelia
Prosopis or mesquite trees, commonly known as vilayati bavad, Pahadi Kikar,is a fairly common plant found at the edge of open grasslands on the outskirts of cities.
Ipomoea or Morning glory
Putrajivi
Typha Augusta
Prevention of pollen allergy in Cities:
https://nucareallergy.com/allergy-testing-and-immunotherapy-faqs/
So, all of us are aware that the world is in the grip of a pandemic. A lot of us suffer from allergies too. This article is not to give any advice on Covid 19 or its treatment. I stress that you follow the WHO guidelines on social distancing, hand washing, personal hygeine and stay at home. In case of fever, or any suspicious symptoms please consult your local health centre immediately.
Allergies
The hitch is household allergens: the biggest ones are house dust mites. A lot of people are taking advantage of the lockdown time and cleaning their houses, but in people with dust mite allergy this could be more of a curse than a blessing.
Your regular household helps may not be available to clean your house so refrain from over enthusiastic cleaning. Ask some other family member to do it instead. However, if the task is on you,
BEWARE OF STRONG CHEMICALS USED IN DISINFECTION.
They could trigger your allergies.Safer to stay at home than visit public places
On the other hand the rough hand sanitizer and soap could trigger skin allergies to chemicals, contact dermatitis and peeling of skin. Be judicious in your use of these chemicals and use plenty of moisturizer, petroleum jelly or plain coconut oil to keep your hands soft.
Managing food allergies :
So now everyone is at home there is the temptation to create and try out new recipes.
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The views are solely of the author. please contact your local health care workers for any emergency
Don’t take snoring lightly! It can be the sign of an underlying serious disease!
Why do we snore?
Sleep Apnea
What do you mean by Sleep Apnea?
How do we diagnosis sleep Apnea?
Proper History taking
Polysomnography or sleep study
This is a study of changes occuring in the body during sleep
Drug induced sleep endoscopy or DISE:
It is a short stay procedure done with a shot of anesthesia to make the patient sleep like normal sleep. Once the snoring starts, the flexible endoscope is inserted through the nose and recording of the changes in the airway during sleep can be seen. Fluttering of the palate, narrowing of the airway and different changes are recorded during sleep
Treatment of Sleep Apnea
CPAP machine: The primary treatment is the Continuous positive airway pressure machine or the CPAP machine
Surgery
Surgery helps in opening the airway and improving the breathing. It prevents collapse.
It is avoided in overweight people . Types of surgery are
Tongue holding devices and mandible repositoning devices also help. These are simple solutions.
Please consult your doctor for proper treatment and advice. The views on the website are for information only.
Wishing you freedom from Allergies!
So a lot of patients come to me for ENT disorders, especially for ear problems,blocked ears, earache, wax removal, etc. I’ve seen a lot of patients try to treat themselves before they come to me. It makes things difficult.
What is ear wax?
Wax is a natural secretion of the body produced by special glands in the ear. It helps in removing any dirt, insects or foreign bodies in the ear. Wax naturally comes out on it’s own. However, for certain patients, if the wax is too hard or the ear canal is too twisted and narrow, the wax accumulates over a period of time. This can cause pain or blockage of the ear with difficulty in hearing. In that case it is advisable to visit your ENT specialist to get it cleaned.
Don’t use ear buds! They can push the wax inside. This makes it difficult to remove. You can damage your ear drum and hearing. If you get a nasty scratch in your ear canal it can get infected , or become a hair follicle infection which is extremely painful. In patients of diabetes it can even affect the surrounding structures and bones of the skull, a condition called skull base osteomyelitis, commonly called malignant otitis externa, which is a very serious condition difficult to treat. And sometimes the packed wax becomes so hard that it is painful to remove without giving general anaesthesia.
Don’t put warm oil in your ears, or ear drops without proper examination by your ENT specialist!
And don’t pour chemicals or hydrogen peroxide.
This can lead to painful difficult to treat fungal infections.
If you suddenly have symptoms of hearing loss, pain, ringing sounds in your ear, sudden dizziness with vomiting, please consult your ENT specialist urgently. Sudden hearing loss has a good chance of being reversed if detected early.
Children with hearing problems, colds should visit their specialists and be treated early.
For proper care, visit your ENT specialist
Sleep is one thing which no one can deny. Everyone needs sleep. Minimum 7-9 hours sleep is required for Adults. However, in today’s fast paced life, people are losing out on adequate sleep. The corporate lifestyle, targets, deadlines, meeting, presentations, all have taken a toll on our sleep hours. Not to mention electronic devices, social media, mobile phones which provide an unlimited source of entertainment cut in our sleep hours too. Sleep is being neglected which is not healthy.
Sleep is a phase of our body for resting the body. It is an essential phase for the body clock or circadian rythm tp function normally. This body clock regulates secretion of certain hormones and certain physiological processes. Growth hormone is secreted maximum during sleep. It is a very important hormone since it helps in tissue repair, delaying the aging process and in injuries. So beauty sleep is a genuine thing.
The body clock is subject to light and dark changes throughout the day. This all is affected by artificial lighting, especially mobile screens, laptops and television. The exposure of light delays our sleep.
Ancient myths and fairy tales have recognized the importance of sleep. Sleeping beauty, who had to sleep for hundred years. And in Indian mythology, Kumbhakarna was cursed with six months of sleep, on the condition that if he was awakened that would lead to his early death.
In a way, this condition is true for everyone. Lack of sleep is hazardous to our life and we do not realize this.
If we do not get proper sleep we increase the risk of heart disease , blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes.
So we can see how important sleep is in our life.
Next: Sleep disorders
