Free Republic

Boy with nut allergy banned from school because he is a 'health and safety risk'Like anyone with a nut allergy, George Hall-Lambert had always assumed it was the food that caused the problem – not him. His new school didn't agree. Concerned that none of the staff was trained to cope if the 11-year-old had an allergic reaction, the headmaster banned him – on health and safety grounds. George, who was diagnosed with a nut allergy at 18 months, carries an emergency adrenaline injection, known as an EpiPen, and wears a medical tag to alert carers to his condition. When...

Odor of Cigarette Smoke Causes School Employee to Lose Job Last Edited: Friday, 14 Sep 2007, 9:53 AM CDT Created: Friday, 14 Sep 2007, 9:36 AM CDT Suzanne Lidster lost her job at a Denton elementary school because she smelled like cigarette smoke. The Denton Independent School District has removed an employee from her position because she smells like cigarette smoke. Suzanne Lidster was thrilled when she was recently hired to assist a student with disabilities at L.A. Nelson Elementary. "It's something that God sent me here to do with this child," Lidster told FOX 4.  "It's like OK,...

BRANDON, S.D. (AP) Mom's brownies and other homemade goodies have been banned from grade schools in the Brandon-Valley School District. The ban is intended to protect kids who are allergic to nuts. The "no shared treats" policy means no more suckers, cookies or even apples. And it means shared treats will not be allowed at Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's parties in grade-school classrooms. School district officials say the ban will be strictly enforced. Although the district no longer allows shared treats in elementary schools, students may bring their own snacks from home. The ban does not apply to Brand Valley...

A clown has had the smile wiped off his face after being told he couldn't use balloons in his act because children might be allergic to latex. Barney Baloney said he was told by bosses at a supermarket where he was booked to appear that he should leave his balloons at home because of the potential for allergic reactions. The 47-year-old entertainer, also known as Tony Turner, has previously had to ditch his bubble-making machine because he could not get public liability insurance as companies assessed that youngsters might slip and hurt themselves.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - An office worker for the US city of Detroit is suing for her colleagues to be banned from wearing perfume which gives her such severe headaches, nausea and coughing fits that she must leave work. Court documents showed Thursday that Susan McBride suffered so acutely from allergy to the chemicals in scents, lotions and sprays that she had to go home sick when a heavily perfumed co-worker shared her office at the city's historic districts department. Her sensitivity is such that she avoids the detergent sections in shops and cannot sit near perfumed people in a movie...

The children of women who ate apples and fish during their pregnancies appear to have a lower risk of developing asthma and some allergic diseases, according to a new study.

Infants Wheeze Less In Homes With Multiple Dogs Living in a home with multiple dogs may help reduce an infant’s risk for developing wheezing in the first year of life, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC). Having multiple dogs in the home early in life may help prevent future allergy development in certain kids. (Image courtesy of University of Cincinnati) Cincinnati researchers, led by David Bernstein, MD, have found that infants living in homes with high levels of endotoxins (bacterial contaminants) and multiple dogs were more than two times less likely to wheeze than other infants....

If you are allergic to cats, would like to have one and have $3,950 spare, this may be your lucky day. Allerca Inc., California, USA, says it has managed to breed the world's first hypoallergenic cats. People who are allergic to cats and buy one of these will not experience sneezing, red and itchy eyes or asthma - except in very acute cases. The company says that as soon as the news got out people rushed to place orders and now there is a waiting list. The company tested thousands of cats, looking for those tiny few that do not...

July 28, 2006 -- New moms should breastfeed exclusively for six months to help protect their babies against developing food allergiesallergies later on, one of the nation's leading allergy and asthmaasthma groups says. Solid foods of all types should be avoided for the first six months, and certain items -- like cow's milk, eggs, fish, and nuts -- should not be introduced until even later, according to a consensus statement on infant feeding released this week by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). "It is important to understand that we are talking about exclusive breastfeedingbreastfeeding, with no...

Los Angeles -- The father of a 5-year-old asthmatic girl has sued the apartment complex where the family lives in an attempt to stop residents from smoking in common areas. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Superior Court, alleges that second-hand smoke from common areas around the complex have hurt Melinda Birke's health. The areas include the swimming pools, the barbecue areas, the children's playground, the outdoor dining area and the entrances to the rental office and clubhouse. The girl has had pneumonia three times since 2003, and has suffered from asthma and chronic allergies since she was 18 months old,...

After the long, dark cold of winter, many people look to spring to bring them bright sunshine, warmer weather - and non-stop sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), seasonal allergic rhinitis, also known as "spring allergies" or "rose fever," is one of the most common allergic conditions in the United States, affecting approximately 36 million people (www.aaaai.org).

Looking for decongestants to relieve sinus and allergy symptoms soon could become a real headache. The same legislation that gives law-enforcement officials broad powers to identify terrorists now enables the government to track the sale of certain over-the-counter medications that can be abused or used by drug rings to manufacture methamphetamines.

April 6, 2006 — It's an annual rite of passage for those who suffer from seasonal allergies: sinuses so blocked it's difficult to breathe, a recurring headache, a feeling of constant "pressure" on the face. But for people like Michele Lynch who suffer from chronic sinusitis, allergy season seems to last all year. "I couldn't work. You can't breathe. I couldn't sleep," she said. Lynch, 24, had suffered from sinusitis most of her life — the result of abnormal bone growth in her sinuses. But a few weeks ago, doctors suggested she try a radically new treatment that's been available...

MONTREAL — A lack of oxygen to the brain likely played a role in the death of a teenager once thought to have died of a peanut allergy after kissing her boyfriend who had just eaten peanut butter, a Quebec coroner said Monday. Coroner Michel Miron told The Associated Press that it appeared that Christina Desforges, 15, had suffered from "cerebral anoxia," or a lack of oxygen to the brain, which caused serious damage. He provided no further details — other than to say that no foul play was suspected in Desforges' death — because he has yet to submit...

Saguenay, Que. — A fifteen-year-old girl with a severe peanut allergy did not die from kissing her boyfriend after he had eaten peanut butter, Saguenay coroner Michel Miron says. The story made headlines round the world, and Mr. Miron said he wants people to know that a peanut-butter sandwich did not cause the death of Christina Desforges last November. Mr. Miron would not reveal the cause of death, because he has not submitted his final report to the provincial coroner's office and is also waiting on some final test results. He said, however, that he wanted to speak out before...

Thinking she was having an asthma attack, Christina Desforges burst into a friend's room and woke him in a desperate search for medicine. Friends called an ambulance as her breathing grew labored, but Desforges collapsed a moment after she stepped outside. She died four days later. It quickly became clear the 15-year-old girl succumbed to a peanut allergy _ not from nuts she ate, but a peanut-butter sandwich her boyfriend had consumed before kissing her that day. A friend of the couple said in a television interview that Desforges' boyfriend and other companions had no idea she was allergic to...

Newhouse News Service Multiple-choice question: Why are more American kids allergic to foods, particularly peanuts? A) Their immune systems are confused by increasingly clean homes. B) Nervous parents wait too long to feed their children peanuts. C) We roast peanuts rather than boil them. D) Maybe one of the above, and/or something else. Unfortunately, the answer is "D." One study estimates American children's rate of allergy to peanuts and tree nuts (like walnuts and pecans) — about 1 percent of those under age 18 — has doubled in recent years. No one can say why. But whatever biological mysteries are...

A Quebec teenager with a peanut allergy has died after kissing her boyfriend who had eaten a peanut butter sandwich hours earlier.

Irish scientists are investigating parasitic worms to try to find new ways to prevent asthma and reduce allergies.Dr Padraic Fallon, from Trinity College Dublin, and colleagues have already managed to cure asthma in lab mice by infecting them with the tiny creatures. The team now has to explain how the parasites achieve this feat at a molecular level. If they can do that, they should then be able to synthesise a new drug compound to treat asthma in people. On the riseAsthma and other allergies have increased almost threefold over the last 30 years in many developed countries, including...

Do people who enjoy smoking have any rights? Increasingly, the answer is no. It is essential to keep in mind that smoking cigarettes, cigars, or pipes is an entirely personal choice. No one is required to smoke. Millions voluntarily stop smoking every year. People have been smoking, and enjoying tobacco products for a very long time, but now they have been demonized and ostracized. Using the power of government, to tax, smokers are being ripped off at every level. Recently, New York City sent letters to 2,300 residents giving them thirty days to pay the taxes on the cartons of...