Medical App & Medical Advice with Hello Doctor

How to raise allergy-free kids

Convincing your child to eat their broccoli is hard enough, and it’s only worse if they have food-allergies!

A food allergy occurs when the immune system falsely communicates that a certain protein in a food is harmful. Once you have an allergy, an allergic reaction happens every time you eat that specific food. A baby’s chance of developing an allergy is increased if his siblings have also been diagnosed with an allergic condition like eczema, asthma, hay fever or a food allergy.

How does it work?

Food allergies are developed when a protein called Immunoglobulin E (IgE) and a mast cell interact. IgE moves around your blood and a mast cell is found in all body tissues, including common sites of allergic reactions like the nose, lungs, skin and gastrointestinal tract.

If a food allergen is eaten and the food is digested, IgE is produced in large amounts. IgE then attaches itself to the surface of the mast cells. The next time the food is eaten, it communicates with specific IgE on the mast cells to release chemicals called histamine. This causes different allergic reactions going forward.

Foods that cause allergies are called allergens. Common allergens are:

  • Eggs
  • Dairy products like milk
  • Peanuts
  • Tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts)
  • Soy
  • Seafood
  • Wheat
  • Sesame

But there is good news: it is possible for your child to outgrow certain allergies. And there is even better news: you could potentially prevent certain allergies, if you start early with the following practices:

Breastfeed your baby

If you’re able to breastfeed your baby, then do so. It’s the least likely source of nutrition that would cause an allergic reaction in your baby and breast milk easy to digest. It will also strengthen your baby’s immune system, making him less susceptible to infections and illnesses.

Offer possible food allergens regularly

Feed your baby common food allergens like dairy products, egg and nuts, a few times a week. This will help them maintain a tolerance to these foods and prevent food allergies from developing.

Feed your baby whole foods early

A recent study found that babies who are fed homemade whole foods developed fewer allergies than babies whose diets consisted of processed baby food. This is because eating whole macronutrients helps stimulate cells that work for the good of your immune system. So, if your baby can swallow whole foods (between four and six months), include fish, fruit, poultry and veggies in his diet.

Get rid of dust mites

Airborne substances like dust mites may trigger asthma and other allergy symptoms in your child which will increase the risk of him developing food allergies. Use allergen-impermeable covers on pillows and mattresses, and remove carpets and upholstered furniture from your child’s room.

Watch your diet when you’re pregnant

It’s tempting to eat whatever you want during your pregnancy, but it’s important to include wholegrains, vegetables, fish, white meat and fruit in your diet. Research has shown that pregnant women who have strong digestive tracts and healthy gut floras pass this down to their babies. Nuts and other common allergens during pregnancy have also been shown to help build up your baby’s tolerance to possible allergies.

Treat your baby’s eczema

Controlling your baby’s eczema will minimise the chance of developing allergies as healthy skin acts as a barrier to protect us from allergens. Talk to your doctor if you’re struggling to treat your baby’s skin. If necessary, your doctor may suggest a visit to a paediatric allergist or dermatologist.

References:

Save a life this summer with these first aid tips

The holidays make for fun times, but all that merriment, alcohol and lowered inhibitions can lead to scary situations. This may not give you a qualification as a paramedic, but these tips can help you be a little more prepared for an emergency.

If someone’s having a convulsion

  • Lay the person on the ground, away from dangerous objects.
  • Don’t try to restrain them.
  • Loosen their clothing if necessary.
  • Never place anything in their mouth!
  • When it’s over, keep them on their side with their head down to allow easy breathing and prevent choking.

If someone’s having an asthma attack

An attack usually happens in episodes, during which the airways to the lungs narrow, making it hard to breathe. Help the person find and take his medication quickly. Talk to him in a calm, reassuring manner, and encourage him to rest and sit quietly until help arrives.

Get help immediately if:

  • Someone’s struggling to breathe or is unusually short of breath.
  • The person’s medication doesn’t bring relief.
  • The person has difficulty walking or talking.
  • His fingernails and lips turn bluish-gray.

If someone’s in shock

Shock is when blood pressure drops suddenly and drastically. This could lead to tissue damage and even death.

  • Early symptoms of shock may include confusion, restlessness and anxiety.
  • Call an ambulance immediately if you suspect someone is going into shock.
  • Elevate the person’s legs if they have no spinal injury, keep them warm and calm, and don’t give them anything to eat or drink.
  • Check the ABCs: airway, breathing and circulation. If necessary, begin rescue breathing and CPR. If there’s any external bleeding, do your best to stop it.

If someone’s been poisoned

  • Call emergency services if the person shows signs of poisoning or is unconscious. Provide information about the poisoning: the poison that was taken, the amount, how it entered the body, and when it was taken. Give the person’s age and approximate size or weight.
  • Perform CPR if the person is unconscious and not breathing, but first check for poisonous material around the mouth. Wash the area around the person’s mouth and if necessary, use a barrier device.
  • Keep a sample of what the person has taken, even if it’s an empty container.
  • Don’t try to make the person vomit. This could cause more damage.

If someone has a head injury

  • If he hasn’t lost consciousness and is alert, apply an ice pack to the area for 20 minutes. Wrap the pack in a cloth to prevent damage to the skin from extreme cold.
  • Watch the person carefully for the next 24 hours. If he shows signs of internal head injury, call your doctor immediately.
  • You need immediate medical attention if the person is unconscious, has an obvious wound, is bleeding, has speech or vision disturbances and struggles to breathe.
  • If he’s unconscious or there’s any paralysis, don’t move him at all.
  • If he vomits, roll him onto his side to prevent choking.
  • If he has a seizure, roll him onto his side and make sure the tongue has fallen forward in the mouth to keep the airway clear.
  • If there’s swelling to the head, apply an ice pack.
  • Don’t remove any object stuck in the wound.

References:

How to stay in control of your Asthma

If you suffer from asthma and take medication for it, then you likely already know what triggers an attack for you. Allergies and intensive exercise are common triggers for most people, but the good news is that both of these triggers can be managed – it just takes a bit of know-how and vigilance.

What Actually Causes Asthma In The First Place?

It’s very difficult to nail down exactly causes a person to become asthmatic, but doctors believe it could come down to genetic predisposition and under-exposure to allergens at an early age. Under-exposure would happen if a child is brought up in an overly clean and sterile home environment. You see moms, a bit of dirt isn’t so bad!

What Are The Most Common Asthma Triggers?

We spoke Hello Doctor’s resident GP, Dr Kotze, to find out what the most common asthma triggers are, and here’s her top list of triggers:

  • Allergens such as dust mites, pollen, animal fur or feathers
  • Chest and airway infections, upper respiratory infections caused by cold and flu viruses, or sinus infections
  • Airborne irritants: chemical fumes, cigarette smoke and pollution
  • Medicines: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers including aspirin and ibuprofen
  • Alcohol and foods containing sulphites: sulphites are used as preservatives in concentrated fruit juice, jam, prawns, certain wines, and processed or convenience meals
  • Weather conditions: sudden changes in temperature, wind, poor air quality, cold and hot air, humidity
  • Emotional factors: stress or laughing
  • Living conditions: damp or mouldy walls, chemicals in carpets and flooring materials, and dust mites
  • Intense exercise: some people find their asthma symptoms are worse when they exercise. This doesn’t mean you should avoid exercising, you just need to make sure you warm up slowly before you do start exercising, to help prevent an attack
  • Severe heartburn

How Do I Stay Healthy With Asthma?

Asthma affects people of all ages, young and old, and the chances are your asthma started when you were still young. When it comes to staying healthy, the most important thing you can do is to know what triggers your asthma, and how you can control it. If you’re able to do this, you should be able to reduce symptoms and the number of attacks you have.

Make sure you have regular check-ups – at least twice a year – with your doctor, to help ensure your asthma is under control and that you’re taking the right medication. It’s very important that you know how to use your inhaler correctly, and that your close friends and family also know how to use it in case of an emergency. Always carry your inhaler with you!

Want to talk to one of our doctors about your asthma? Just sign up here!

Dealing with childhood asthma

Globally, more than 80 percent of childhood asthma starts before age five. It’s more common in boys and in children who have allergies or come from allergic families. Asthma affects about one in every 10 children. Diagnosing asthma in infants and toddlers can be difficult as many children wheeze and suffer frequent colds, especially if they go to a crèche or daycare where they continually pick up germs and viruses.

Some children also have naturally smaller airways. This may be a result of inherited factors, smoking by the mother during pregnancy, maternal viral illness during pregnancy or if the child is born prematurely. Research shows that not all children who wheeze go on to develop asthma but, if your child has recurrent bronchitis or a cough especially at night or during the early morning, then be on the alert.

Asthma alert:

  • Look: if your child gets an anxious look in the eye, draws his shoulders up and you can see the spaces between his ribs, he’s struggling to get enough air.
  • Observe: if your child becomes tired within six to 10 minutes of playing, if his playing slows down, if he avoids action sports or complains of a tight chest, there’s a good chance he has asthma.
  • Listen: a chronic cough, whistling lungs, shortness of breath and shallow breathing are indications of asthma. In children, a chronic cough is seen as asthma until a doctor says otherwise.
  • Be alert: specialists warn that what you might think is the flu or a cold is often asthma.

What to do in an emergency

A moderate or mild asthma attack. Signs:

  • Tightness in the chest.
  • Coughing up of mucus.
  • A feeling of restlessness and trouble sleeping.
  • A wheezing or whistling sound when breathing.

He needs two puffs from his reliever (controller medication will not relieve bronchoconstriction during an acute attack).

If two puffs are not enough:

If the asthma symptoms don’t ease within two minutes, the attack is severe, and you must call a doctor. While waiting, or driving your child to the doctor, keep up the reliever therapy. He now needs to use five to 10 puffs in a row. Imagine a huge boa constrictor tightening its grip around the child’s chest.

Special warning
In some cases when the attack appears to have eased up, a second wave, which is even more dangerous, can hit. This happens when the airways continue to swell, and this can last for days or even weeks. It can also happen even if there are no asthma symptoms, and can trigger more attacks as the lungs become more sensitive to other irritants.

The second wave often sees patients admitted to hospital and given medicine to reduce the swelling in their air tubes and relax the tightened muscles.

If five to 10 puffs do not work:
You need to get to a hospital – but remember to take his pump along and keep giving him five to 10 puffs along the way.

You may also see the following:

  • Wheezing (usually loudly) or noisy breathing.
  • Breathing fast (more than 30 breaths per minute) or irregular breathing, trying to clear his throat.
  • Unable to speak in sentences and trouble talking.
  • Anxious look, flared nostrils (with pulse rate higher than 120/min) and neck muscles becoming tight during breathing.
  • Spaces between ribs visible when sucking in air (more prominent in a child), skin becoming tight around the ribs, or peak flow having dropped below 60 percent.
  • Hunched-over posture.
  • Paleness or blue/grey colour around mouth and fingernails, sweating, fatigue.

At the clinic or hospital, your child will probably receive the following emergency treatment:

  • Oxygen.
  • More of the inhaled reliever therapy.
  • Inhaled anticholinergic therapy (a strong bronchodilator).
  • Corticosteroid tablets or an injection.

Remember

  1. Know the early warning signs and symptoms.
  2. Give a list of these symptoms to friends, family and teachers, together with an action plan and a written set of instructions on what to do in an emergency.
  3. Have the telephone numbers of your doctor and the local hospitals handy in the event of an emergency.
  4. Severe asthmatics are also advised to have oxygen at hand and to get to the emergency service at the local hospital as quickly as possible.

References

South African student creates breakthrough sensor for asthma

Take a slow, deep breath. Imagine holding a long straw; so thin that a toothpick wouldn’t fit through it. Imagine clenching this thin straw between your lips without any leaks. Now try to breathe through that small opening between your pursed lips, using no more, and no less than the tiny gap.

THIS is what asthma feels like, except an asthmatic can’t control it, and – more often than not – they can’t predict when the next attack will happen. Until now.

Continue reading “South African student creates breakthrough sensor for asthma”

4 Great exercises for asthmatics!

If you suffer from asthma, you probably know that exercising can cause an attack. In fact, this might be why you’re not exercising at all. “What if I get another attack?” “Will my reliever work this time?” “What if I collapse completely?” An asthma-attack can be scary! But how do you stay fit, unless you get your legs moving and your blood pumping?

Well, the good news is that you CAN still exercise – you just need to be more selective about the sports and exercise you choose.

Why do I get an attack when I exercise?

Doctors aren’t sure exactly what causes your lungs to constrict during exercise. When we become active, our lungs work hard to get rid of carbon dioxide, and inhale oxygen. This process involves heavier breathing, change in blood flow, shift in lung fluid, increased heart-rate, hormone changes and a lot more. The sudden changes that happen with air moving in- and out of your lungs causes your body to have something of a ‘fright’, causing your lungs to close up. Three ways to avoid this, are:

– Maintain control of your breathing at all times: sudden changes in your breathing can cause your lungs to close up.
– Breathe comfortably through your nose, not your mouth: the sudden cold air through your mouth can cause the same reaction in your lungs.
– Feel good about the exercise that you’re doing: stressing about the exercise can make things worse!

So, what exercises are considered safe for those suffering from asthma? Let’s take a look:

1. Swimming

Swimming gives you an entire body workout, and it doesn’t put any pressure on the joints – which makes it suitable for people of all ages. An indoor pool is the best option because the air is warm and moist so your airways won’t dry out and you’re less likely to suffer an asthma attack.

2. Short exercises

Exercises and sports that allow you to take regular breaks also reduce your risk of having an attack. Examples of these include basketball, netball, tennis, volleyball, walking and light weightlifting. All of these sports offer a great cardiovascular workout without being overly strenuous.

3. Yoga

Although yoga is generally low intensity, it still gives the body a good workout and helps strengthen and tone your muscles and calm your mind. Also, because most yoga is done indoors, you’re less likely to suffer from an asthma attack that’s triggered from outdoor environmental asthma triggers.

4. Running on a treadmill

Cold, dry air is often cited as one of the worst asthma triggers, and if you enjoy walking and running then this can pose a big problem – especially when working out during winter. The good news is that walking and jogging are considered safe for asthmatics. However, these are exercises best done on an indoor treadmill, so you avoid any potential triggers that could set off an attack.

Please remember that although these exercises are considered low-risk, they aren’t entirely risk free – so always carry your inhaler with you in case you do have an attack. If that does happen, stop whatever exercise you are doing immediately and seek medical help if you’re unable to bring your attack under control.

Easing asthma symptoms through diet

If changing your diet could reduce your asthma symptoms, would you do it? For most people, it’s an easy “yes!” Asthma is one of the most common respiratory diseases in the world, and the number of new people being diagnosed with asthma each year is on the rise. To help solve the mystery behind the increase, researchers have been looking at everything from diet to air pollution.

Continue reading “Easing asthma symptoms through diet”

Asthma – frequently asked questions

Q:  Can I exercise if I have asthma?

A:  If your asthma is being treated, and it’s under control, then there’s no reason why you can’t still do exercise, it’s just a case of making sure you choose the right type of exercise. Always keep your inhaler with you, and use it before you exercise if you feel the need. It’s also important to warm-up and cool-down properly before and after you work out. If you suffer from exercise induced asthma, the best low-risk exercises are swimming, yoga, treadmill running, and exercises that allow you to take regular breaks – for example basketball, netball and tennis.

Continue reading “Asthma – frequently asked questions”