Is hygiene responsible for allergy increase?

Is our obsession with cleanliness responsible for the rise in food allergies in children?

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston found that the number of food-induced allergic reactions treated in their ER more than doubled over six years - from 164 cases in 2001, to 391 in 2006.

The findings are in line with studies pointing to a general increase in food allergies among US children in recent years, according to Dr. Susan A. Rudders, one of the authors of the study.

No one is sure why food allergies are being increasingly diagnosed, but one theory is that less exposure to germs from early life may, in some people, make the immune system more prone to attacking normally benign substances, like food proteins and pollen. This is known as the "hygiene hypothesis".

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3 million school-aged children in the US had a food allergy in 2007, which was up 18 percent from 10 years earlier. Among the most common triggers of food allergies in Medical ID wearers are peanuts and tree nuts -- such as almonds, walnuts and cashews -- milk and eggs.

Doctors concerned about asthmatic children and exercise

Medical professionals have expressed concern over the lack of exercise in children with asthma.

A study published in this month’s British Journal of General Practice found that over-protective parents are stopping their asthmatic children from exercising when to do so would be completely safe.

Researchers from the University of Dundee carried out a study in six GP practices, a paediatric respiratory unit and four schools in Tayside, Scotland. They found that GPs often found it difficult to negotiate with parents who think that because their child has asthma, he or she should be excused from sports and other school activities.

Physical activity was seen as some kind of threat to the child’s health by some parents, rather than something that could be beneficial to Medical ID wearers.

The researchers said GPs and asthma nurses needed to provide clear management plans explaining what was appropriate and safe in terms of exercise on a child-by-child basis. This would address the misunderstanding and disagreement among children, parents and teachers on this issue.

Bones link to diabetes

New US research may have important implications for both diabetes and osteoporosis patients.

A study in mice found that the breakdown of old bone to make way for new bone growth helps to keep a healthy level of glucose in the blood with a hormone called osteocalcin apparently the link. Further tests on osteocalcin and glucose levels in a small group of patients with a genetic defect in their bone turnover supported the initial findings in mice.

An important consequence of the finding for Medical ID wearers is that bone-strengthening drugs used in conditions such as osteoporosis may interfere with this process and cause problems with blood sugar.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the condition and is caused when the body no longer properly responds to insulin leading to out of control blood sugar. The results suggest that for some people, diabetes may be triggered by changes in the skeleton.

Dr Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "The research is interesting and this area of investigation could open up the possibility of more targets for drugs to treat or prevent type 2 diabetes."

Essex woman allergic to cash

A British woman suffered a rash, itching and breathing problems for months before learning she is allergic to cash.

Yvonne Simon now has to pay for everything on her credit card.

Tests found that it was the dyes in notes and metal causing the problem, the Daily Star reports. Tests also showed Ms Simon was allergic to latex gloves, so the 33-year-old from Essex cannot even use gloves to hold her cash.

Allergists said they had not heard of the allergy but advised Ms Simon to wear cotton gloves and, of course, Medical ID like this Octagon Medical Pendant.

Gene may herald breast cancer breakthrough

The discovery of a gene could herald new treatments for thousands of medical alert wearers.

Edinburgh scientists have been studying a disease known as HER2 positive breast cancer, an aggressive form which grows and spreads more quickly than other forms. They believe they have found a gene which triggers the spread of the disease, which represents about 20% of all breast cancer cases.

At the moment it is treated with the drug herceptin, which prevents the cancer cells multiplying. Scientists hope this discovery will help them develop a new treatment.

Research leader Dr Elad Katz, of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Unit, said: "We are at an early stage but there is now a real possibility there could be a new treatment for women with HER2-positive breast cancer."

Babies at risk from pregnancy asthma attacks

When you're expecting a baby you have enough on your mind without also worrying about an asthma attack, but an Australian researcher has found that 55 percent of women with asthma will have at least one acute asthma attack during pregnancy.

Not only is an attack dangerous for the mother, it can also have a detrimental effect on the unborn baby with growth restriction, preterm delivery or even stillbirth among the risks.

However, proper management of asthma means less risk of an acute attack and therefore reduced risk of poor outcomes for the baby. It's obviously also a good idea to wear Medical ID in case of an emergency.

But it's not all bad news. Asthma UK states that around one third of women find their asthma symptoms improve in pregnancy, one third stay the same and one third find their asthma gets worse.

Peanut allergy teen hospitalised by a kiss

When Laura Kukic's boyfriend kissed her hello, he had no idea it would result in a hospital visit.

Laura, 14, from Barton-Le-Clay, Bedfordshire, was first diagnosed with a severe nut allergy when she was three years old. Her throat swelled up and she began struggling to breathe after kissing the boy, 16, who realized he'd eaten cereal with hazelnuts but had forgotten to mention it.

Like many Medical ID wearers, Laura carries her EpiPen around with her wherever she goes and recovered after staff injected her with adrenaline, but she was taken to hospital as a precaution.

She said: "It was just a friendly hello kiss. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing passionate just a brief touch of the lips. It just shows you how something that you would think is so safe could turn into something so dangerous."

Man's best friend helps medical alert wearers

For medical alert wearers with particularly difficult to control diabetes, a Hypo Alert dog may be able to help. The dogs are trained to prompt their owners - by licking or pawing - to check their blood sugar levels and take action before they suffer an attack.

Seizure alert dogs are also trained to give a warning before an epileptic seizure and dogs have also been trained to successfully sniff out bladder cancer in human urine samples, leading to research into the concept of an electric nose that can mimic that of a dog.

If the idea of being licked or pawed doesn't appeal, how about this stylish Medical ID Dog Tag?