ScienceHealth

Climate Change Is Going to Make Ragweed Allergies Even Worse, Study Finds

There’s no shortage of horrible things that will become more common in the near future due to climate change, like coastal flooding, extreme weather, and disease-causing ticks, to name a few. But new research published Thursday in PLOS-One adds another annoyance to the list: Allergy-causing ragweed. The common ragweed, or Ambrosia artemisiifolia as it’s formally … Continued

ScienceHealth

EpiPen Expiration Dates Extended as Schools Face Shortage of Allergy Medicine

The EpiPen, a life-saving medical product for treating severe allergies, is in short supply as American kids head back to school. But Mylan, the pharmaceutical company that owns the EpiPen, has come up with a solution to the shortage: Expand the expiration date on some of its products. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) … Continued

ScienceHealth

Parents Are Still Reluctant to Give Peanuts to Infants, Despite New Guidelines

Early last year, in a colossal U-turn, the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) issued updated clinical guidelines advising parents to feed peanuts to infants at an early age to prevent the onset of dangerous allergies. More than a year later, parents—who for years were warned to do the exact opposite—are either … Continued

ScienceHealth

Bed Bugs Are Pooping Histamine Into Our Homes—and Possibly Making Us Sick

There are few living things on earth that can set our nerves more on edge than the aptly named bed bug (Cimex lectularius). Even if you’ve never had the displeasure of being their unwilling blood bank, you probably know someone who has. Since at least the 1990s, bed bugs have started to resist the pesticides … Continued

Tech News

Why Do We Get Allergies?

Corporeality can be, at times, pretty great. And yet for all its advantages, there are certain downsides to being trapped in a sack of rotting limbs and organs and eye-juice. For instance: Allergies. There are innocent people out there who can’t pet a friendly dog without sneezing, or eat a peanut without instantly dying. Is … Continued

ScienceHealth

Pill Cures Peanut Allergy For Four Years in Limited Study

You’ve no doubt heard a peanut allergy horror story sometime in your life. Maybe a friend’s friend was on a plane that needed to make an emergency landing for an allergy sufferer, or someone you knew had an allergic reaction from kissing their romantic partner. We now have things like epi-pens to help, but of … Continued

Tech News

We Were Wrong About Not Feeding Peanuts to Infants

For years, parents have been told to withhold peanut products from their children until the age of three. In a total flip-flop, the NIH has issued new guidelines recommending that babies be fed peanuts early in their lives to prevent the onset of dangerous allergies. It now appears that the peanut guidelines put out by … Continued

ScienceHealth

A Skin Patch to Treat Peanut Allergies Just Passed a Crucial Test

A wearable patch used to treat peanut allergies has shown tremendous promise in a recently concluded clinical trial, performing particularly well among young children. It’s called the Viaskin Peanut Patch, and it administers small amounts of peanut protein through the skin. This might sound dangerous for people with severe peanut allergies, but it works by … Continued

Tech News

EpiPen Competitor Says Their Generic Won’t Be Available Until Late 2017 Or 2018

Mylan Pharmaceuticals spent the past decade raising the price of the EpiPen from $57 to $600. Why? Because they could. The company didn’t have any real competition. And now one competitor, Teva Pharmaceuticals, a company that has tried and failed to bring a generic EpiPen to market before, says that their product won’t be ready … Continued

ScienceHealth

Why Amish Children Rarely Get Asthma

For years, scientists have known that growing up on a farm protects children from asthma, but the reasons for this weren’t entirely clear. A fascinating comparative analysis of Amish and Hutterite farming communities has finally uncovered the specific aspects of farm life that are responsible for this built-in immune protection. In a new study published … Continued

Tech News

Kids Who Bite Their Nails and Suck Their Thumbs Develop Fewer Allergies

Parents, you can stop fretting about your child’s disgusting habits. An analysis of more than 1,000 kids between the ages of 5 and 11 reveals that nail-biters and thumb-suckers are less likely to develop allergic sensitivities later on in life. New research published in the journal Pediatrics shows that children with these habits are less … Continued

Tech News

Patient Develops an Allergy to Kiwis Following Surgery

A 46-year-old man who underwent a bone marrow transplant has suddenly contracted an allergy to kiwi fruit. Scientists say it’s the first evidence that allergies can be carried to a patient from a donor’s stem cells. The unidentified patient, who was undergoing treatment for leukemia, began to experience the allergic reactions—including tingling and swelling of … Continued

Tech News

Scientists Isolate Gene Responsible for Rare Vibration Allergy

A small segment of the population is literally allergic to vibrations, an annoying condition that gives rise to hives and other symptoms. Researchers at the NIH have now isolated the genetic mutation responsible for the disorder, and it’s offering new insight into related conditions. This type of allergy is called a physical urticaria, and it … Continued

io9

Got Allergies? Must Be Pollen Corona Season Again

Don’t be surprised if you look up in the Sun’s direction and squint with itchy, watery eyes. You might be staring into billows of tree pollen wafting through your town. It’s certainly been happening where I live. When conditions are right, billions of microscopic pollen grains consort to create small, oval-shaped rings around a bright … Continued

io9

Why Do We Have Allergies?

Allergies such as peanut allergy and hay fever make millions of us miserable, but scientists aren’t even sure why they exist. One master immunologist is offering up a controversial answer. But first, some personal context: for me, it was hornets. One summer afternoon when I was 12, I ran into an overgrown field near a … Continued

Tech News

Why Do We Have Allergies?

Allergies such as peanut allergy and hay fever make millions of us miserable, but scientists aren’t even sure why they exist. Carl Zimmer talks to a master immunologist with a controversial answer. For me, it was hornets. One summer afternoon when I was 12, I ran into an overgrown field near a friend’s house and … Continued

io9

Depriving Infants Of Peanut Products May Have Been A Colossal Mistake

For years, parents have been told to withhold peanuts from their children until the age of three, to prevent the onset of dangerous peanut allergies. A landmark study is now throwing this conventional wisdom on its head, instead suggesting that most peanut allergies can be staved off by introducing peanuts to children early. The prevalence … Continued

io9

This Cute Little Creature Can Kill You With A Cat Allergen

The slow loris is one of the few venomous mammals on earth, and the only venomous primate. It has one of the oddest venom-creation methods in the world. And it kills you much the same way your cat would (if he could). When the slow loris is frightened (or vengeful) it will raise its arms … Continued

io9

The Most Common Myths About Household Pets, Debunked

Do you own a hypoallergenic dog? I thought I did, too* – but surprise! Apparently they don’t exist. Above: My non-hypoallergenic dog, Lucca, sated and indescribably pleased with herself for eating two loaves of bread and a cheese scone while I was at work. (The dairy did not go over well with her digestive system, … Continued

io9

Researchers Isolate A Gut Microbe That Combats Food Allergies

Food allergies have risen dramatically in recent years, leading scientists to speculate about possible environmental factors. A recent study suggests that antibiotics may be destroying a key gut microbe — one that could be reintroduced into the body, to restore proper immune function. Food allergies are definitely on the rise. According to the U.S. Centers … Continued