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No, they do not contain the same active ingredient. Benadryl (trade name) is also known as diphenhydramine (generic name); loratidine (generic name) is also known as Claritin (trade name). Both drugs are primarily antihistamines and primarily active antagonists at the H1 subtype of histamine receptor. It is this property that makes them effective for ...
9
A very brief review of an allergic response is in order so that the answer makes sense. Think of a linked chain of events here.
An "allergen" is something a person is allergic to, e.g., cat dander or pollen. When someone is exposed to an allergen, they either become allergic or not.
In a susceptible individual, something in the allergen (called an antigen, ...
9
The TH1/TH2 model of T-cell responsiveness can be summarized as TH1 being the "antiviral/antibacterial" immune response and TH2 is the "antiparasite" immune response against worms and other multicellular parasites (though, as with most biology, lines drawn like this are always subject to exceptions). These separate pathways counteract ...
7
There is no true allergy to cold, but there is a condition called cold urticaria, which is a subtype of physical urtiaria. Other subtypes of physical urticaria include increased sensitivity to physical pressure, water, heat, sun exposure, etc.
Mayo Clinic: Cold Urticaria
Cold urticaria is a skin reaction to cold that appears within minutes
after cold ...
6
Yes, you can develop a food allergy as an adult.
Apparently nobody really knows why but a couple of plausible theories:
being exposed to allergens when the immune system is weakened, such as during an illness or pregnancy
not being exposed to a high enough level of the allergen as a child but reaching that threshold in adulthood
From the Food Allergy ...
6
Mild case of artistic license.
The effects of epinephrine are rapid and can be dramatic, but they're not long-lasting. EpiPens are only intended as a delaying tactic to buy time for the patient to get to more definitive medical care.
But how much that matters depends on the severity of the reaction. If someone had a relatively mild reaction and used an ...
6
From Medicinenet.com:
A misguided reaction to foreign substances by the immune system, the body system of defense against foreign invaders, particularly pathogens (the agents of infection). The allergic reaction is misguided in that these foreign substances are usually harmless. The substances that trigger allergy are called allergen. Examples include ...
6
This page from the NIH has a lot of relevant information about lactose intolerance.
There are several standard diagnostic tests for lactose intolerance, but your physician might ask you to try eliminating dairy from your diet before you receive any of those tests. If avoiding lactose alleviates your symptoms, you've potentially treated your primary lactose ...
6
The possible link between antibiotics and increased allergy and asthma incidence was mentioned at the 2004 annual meeting of American Society for Microbiology (New Scientist, 2004). They said that increased antibiotic use may change normal intestinal flora; more exactly, it may stimulate yeast overgrowth, which may then alter the immunity, but they didn't ...
5
You can look up practically any medicine that exists and you will find long lists of all of the possible side effects, risks and interactions.
Manufacturers have to list everything that could possibly go wrong, in order to cover their butts legally, in this "Caution: Coffee May Be Hot!" world that we live in. Medical companies have to do extensive ...
5
Symptoms, in short:
Common cold: blocked nose, yellow/green mucus, scratchy throat lasting for 7-14 days (usually no headache, fever or fatigue), year round
Hay fever (allergy to pollens): runny nose (not really blocked), clear mucus, itchy eyes, lasting for several weeks, mainly in spring (usually no headache, fever or fatigue)
Flu (seasonal influenza): ...
5
In general a cold (usually rhinovirus), Influenza, or even a bacterial infection can have quite similar symptoms. If contracted through airborne particles, they primarily affect the respiratory system. Mucus, sneezing, fever, are all signs that the body is fighting an infection, as is fatigue as the body diverts resources to the immune system. Essentially, ...
5
It means that the receptors are blocked forever. A cell is a living thing, continuously producing new proteins (including receptors) and recycling old ones. So the cell is not defective forever, it will slowly phase out its blocked receptors and replace them with new ones.
You can read the basics of the way receptors work in textbooks on cell signalling, ...
5
A quick, non-comprehensive google search turned up a couple of publications targeted at doctors indicating that maintenance doses of allergens are in the range of 5-20 micrograms:
http://www.greerlabs.com/files/Grier_Tom_HowsMyDosing_Publication_3_2012.pdf
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0815/p689.html
This obviously varies a great deal depending on the ...
5
People can get allergy to sunlight. It is called photosensitivity or sun allergy. The most common form of this is known as polymorphic light eruption (PMLE), also known as sun poisoning[1,2]. This is characterized by redness of the skin found on the arms, wrists, neck, and other areas. Here is a picture of this:
(From here)
Based on your description, this ...
5
From the MayoClinic, it isn't clear why adult allergies develop:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058483
However, there is evidence that food sensitivities develop when someone has a compromised gut. If the gut is compromised, undigested food particles "leak" into the blood stream and the body ...
5
Essentially this depends on which specific protein a person is allergic too. There will be a lot of crossover in plants so closely related as to be different subspecies of the same species, but some proteins may be unique.
Following your example of corn, this is taken from an interesting 2012 paper on the Molecular Features of Maize Allergens and their ...
5
This answer would be for the Hygiene Hypothesis part of the question
Epidemiology studies in favour of Hypothesis
The geographical distribution of allergic and autoimmune diseases is a mirror image of the geographical distribution of various infectious diseases, including HAV, gastrointestinal infections and parasitic infections. 3
migration studies ...
4
Very generally speaking I would say it depends on the cause of the intolerance - if it is a primary intolerance (i. e. genetic problem with lactase persistence deficiency, the enzyme for digesting lactose) no additional exposure will cause a change in genetics. Another genetic form of lactose intolerance prevents forming of lactase enzymes.
Secondary ...
4
There are foods that won't increase your pollen allergy symptoms, but instead cause them. This is a condition called Oral Allergy Syndrome, also known as Pollen-Food Allergy Syndrome.1 This is caused by a reaction to foods that contain similar ingredients or proteins to the type of pollen they are allergic to. So while this allergy is a bit different than ...
4
The CDC has a great website on cleanup after mold. Also, this is a simple pamphlet. The degree of decontamination needed depends on the item and the extent of the mold. Whether something needs to be thrown out depends on multiple factors. There is too long a list to give a full discussion here, but the fundamentals include:
Bleach can kill spores. Some ...
4
My condolences for the difficulties you have -- and will continue -- to face on this subject. The unfortunate part of your ordeal is that there is no clear guidance -- whether regulatory or industry -- that is clearly observed and standardized throughout the entire industry. With FSMA rolled out, I expect things are better than before, but it still is ...
4
Neosporin has its advantages but also has way too many disadvantages. It is said to speed up healing but most cases prove that Neosporin is actually one of the antibacterial ointments behind the spread of a lethal strain of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) called USA 300.
So it'll be highly recommended to resist and desist from the use of ...
4
Due to the rarity of the condition, pathogenesis is poorly understood. According to Aung, Montelibano, & Zin (2017), water may act as a solvent in aquagenic urticaria, solubilizing an antigen that permeates the skin and activates dermal mast cells. It is also possible that water may interact with sebum to form a substance capable of acting as a direct ...
4
No.
Allergy, which is an exaggerated immune sensitivity to certain environmental compounds, usually plants, or less commonly microorganisms, metals and other materials.
McConnell, Thomas H. (2007). The Nature of Disease: Pathology for the Health Professions. Baltimore, Mar.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-7817-5317-3. Archived from ...
4
The pathogenesis behind Aquagenic Urticaria isn't definitively known - and the extreme rarity of the condition makes studying it difficult (only ~100 cases published!)
It does appear to be an allergic-type response - as shown in the linked article from your question the wheals are formed when histamine is released and AU appears to respond to antihistamine ...
4
Common cold, which is an acute viral infection of the nose, is rarely associated with fever in adults (Canadian Medical Association Journal ; DPHHS Montana).
Allergic rhinitis does not usually cause fever; it's not mentioned as a symptoms on major clinical websites (Emedicine ; Mayo Clinic ; MedlinePlus). News In Health says allergic rhinitis "never" causes ...
3
I've seen diets like that (often with lamb included) not to prevent allergies but to prevent eating something you are allergic to. The idea is that the person is allergic to a large number of diverse things and is eating something allergenic every day. By wildly restricting the diet, two things will happen.
First, the rash or other symptoms will calm down ...
3
Not sure what you mean by sterile eye drops? Most eye drops are sterile formulations so you do not introduce bacteria or pyrogens into your eyes.
Regardless, I looked into the product Clearine and found that the active ingredient is naphazoline. There are still many over the counter eye drop products that contain naphazoline so you might consider trying one ...
3
The most common side effect of loratadine is headache which has been reported in up to 12 percent of users. Other common side effects include drowsiness occurring in 8 percent of users, fatigue in 4 percent and dry mouth in three percent. Drinking plenty of water while your dose is in effect can help alleviate these symptoms. Some who use loratadine ...
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