What Is Nasal Congestion?

Nasal congestion, commonly called blocked or stuffy nose, refers to blockage of nasal passages caused by swelling of nasal mucous layer. Apart from nasal congestion, there are other causes of blocked nose.

Causes of Nasal Congestion

A cause of blocked nose may be suspected from symptoms, their duration, circumstances preceding blockage and effect of treatment trials. When the cause is not obvious, a doctor should be visited. Main causes include:

1. Infections
2. Allergies 
3. Non-allergic rhinitis: emotions, cigarette smoke, medications, irritant gases, hormones, pregnancy, drug addiction, spicy foods…
4. Poisoning

continue reading Stuffy Nose – Nasal Congestion

Tingling or Numb Lips

Lip tingling is abnormal feeling in the lip, and lip numbness is decreased or absent feeling in the lip. Both sensations, medically called paresthesia, arise from conditions affecting sensory nerves in the lips, but usually not from neurological diseases. Skin diseases also rarely cause tingling or numbness but rather itch, burning or pain in the lips.

Main causes of tingling and numb lips are listed below.

continue reading Causes of Tingling or Numb Lips

FOOD ALLERGY TESTS

How to prepare for allergy testing? Antihistamine and antidepressant drugs should be stopped 3-5 days before testing, but only with doctor’s approval.

Skin Prick Test

A skin prick test can confirm allergies to certain foods. A drop of a dissolved food sample is placed on the forearm, and pricked with a needle and thus pushed beneath the skin; a red bump, appearing in 10-15 minutes (in delayed reaction in several hours) speaks for allergy (1). False positive results are common but false negative results are rare. The size of the skin reaction does not reflects the severity of allergy. Rarely, an anaphylactic reaction (a life threatening immune response) may occur during the test.

continue reading Food Allergy and Food Intolerance Tests

What is Eosinophilic Colitis?

Eosinophilic colitis (EC) is a rare allergic disorder of an unkown cause in which eosinophils, a special type of white blood cells, can be found in the colon. In many cases a food that triggers allergy can be identified. Both children and adults may be affected.

Disorder is a part of eosinophilic gastroenteritis that may affect only the colon, or any other part of the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the rectum.

continue reading Eosinophilic Colitis

The term ‘swollen eyes‘ is often used to describe a range of eye swellings caused by a number of conditions. It is important to first differentiate whether the swelling is around the eye  (above, below or around the eyeball), a swelling of the eyelid or swelling of the eyeball itself. Other signs and symptoms may also assist with identifying the causative factors and this includes an itchy, red eye or darkening of the swelling itself as in trauma or a ‘black eye’.

continue reading Swollen Eyes & Swelling of the Eye

A swollen lymph node or gland is a term commonly used to describe lymphadenopathy, a condition associated with enlarged lymph nodes in a specific area of the body (localized) or throughout the entire body (generalized lymphadenopathy). Lymphadenopathy is an indicator of a disorder affecting a certain area of the body or a generalized condition throughout the body.

continue reading Swollen Lymph Nodes, Glands – Lymphedema, Lymphadenopathy

Gluten Intolerance

Some people have diarrhea after ingesting gluten-containing food (wheat, rye, barley) but they have no intestinal changes and no characteristic antibodies tTG IgA, EMA igA found in the blood. This condition is called gluten intolerance and it is not an immune disorder (1). The term is often mistakenly used for celiac disease.

Prevention is by gluten-free diet.

continue reading Gluten Intolerance, Wheat Intolerance, Wheat Allergy, Celiac Disease

What Is and What Is Not a Food Allergy?

Food allergy (Greek allon = different, strange; ergon= activity) is an exaggerated reaction of the immune system to certain food substances otherwise not harmful for the man. These substances, when triggering an allergy, are called allergens. Practically any food may contain substances that can act as allergens; most of people with a food allergy are allergic to fewer than four foods at a certain time, though (5). Allergic reaction involves production of IgE antibodies and releasing of histamine into affected tissues. It is histamine that causes most symptoms like itchy skin or diarrhea.

continue reading Common Food Allergies in Children and Adults – Causes, Symptoms, Test

What is Allergy?

Allergy is abnormal reaction of a sensitive person to certain foreign substances (like food or drugs), heat, or physical contact that themselves are not harmful. It includes production of IgE antibodies and release of histamine what results in typical allergic symptoms: itch, hives, wet eyes, sneezing, runny nose, cough, or eczema, or, in severe cases, short breath or fainting.

Above is description of the IgE allergy.

continue reading Can Allergy Cause Headache?

What is Mold?

Molds (in British English = moulds) are a type of multi-cellular fungi (as opposed to yeasts that are one-cell fungi). Molds are widely present in nature – they break down organic substances.

Mildew is a type of fungi that appear on plants (outdoor and indoor). In practice, a term mildew is often used for any mold growth.

continue reading Mold Spores Allergy – Symptoms & Treatment