Parents of children with food allergies know to be vigilant at Halloween. But even someone who hasn’t previously exhibited allergy symptoms can suffer a bad reaction from something dropped into a trick-or-treat bag.

The good news – particularly for the estimated three million Americans who have nut allergies – is that more people are turning away from sweet treats at Halloween.

Dr. Charlotte Casterline, Kingston, a board-certified allergy and asthma specialist, said even children who have no allergies could suddenly have a reaction.

“They could have a new allergy to something old. A child could be eating peanuts for years; it does not mean the next piece of nut won’t cause a reaction,” Casterline said.

The most important thing a parent can do – regardless whether their child has a food allergy – is inspect a Halloween treat bag thoroughly before allowing children to enjoy the items collected.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology this year sent out a nationwide press release urging children and parents to watch out for hidden foods that could trigger allergic reactions, specifically anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction with symptoms that include headache, nausea, vomiting, sneezing, coughing, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, and itching all over the body.

More severe allergic reaction symptoms include difficulty breathing, and a drop in blood pressure.

Nazziola said he has not seen allergic reactions to Halloween candy in the emergency room, but said parents should keep an eye out for allergic reactions such as rashes, wheezing, and swelling of the face, lips and tongue.

“Most allergies, the thing about them is they are unpredictable,” Nazziola said.

Dr. Richard Garri, emergency room doctor at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, said he finds most parents of children with allergies know to inspect candy they accumulate at Halloween and thoroughly read through the ingredients. He also noted, however, that allergies can emerge in a surprising way.

“An allergy can occur at any point in time. People eat strawberries for years, then one day have an allergic reaction,” Garri said.

Peanut derivatives and even food coloring can cause allergic reactions, Casterline said. Even fruit such as apples – which many would consider a healthy trick-or-treat alternative – can cause allergies.

The AAAAI reports that the most common causes of food allergies in children are peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts), eggs, milk and soy. That crosses out even cupcakes for some kids.

“It’s a hard time for kids with food allergies. School is hard because of the parties – any holidays are hard,” Casterline said. For those with nut allergies, especially, “Anything that says the word nut has to be avoided. Some items have trace ingredients with nuts.”

“It’s important to educate the child, teachers and relatives too. Relatives are a big problem. Sometimes they do not understand the complexity of the allergy and say ‘oh, this little bit of nut isn’t going to hurt you,’ ” Casterline said.

Research has shown that individuals who have acne frequently have very oily skin as a result of the increased levels of testosterone and androgen in their body. As a result, many skin experts now believe that a proper balance of estrogen and androgen hormones are required in order to have an acne-free skin. On the other side of the coin, if a hormonal imbalance of these hormones does, in fact, occur acne does tend to be one of the side-effects.

The connection between acne and hormones starts in young adult-hood, if not earlier. Between the ages of 19 and 24 individuals frequently get acne lesions not only on their face but also on their chest and back. Unfortunately, most people have face acne, more than anywhere else, which makes it all the more painful to look in the mirror.

The connection between hormones and acne goes further as it is believed that acne occurs once the body starts producing androgen hormones. It is this hormone that encourages that sebaceous glands in the skin to enlargen and produce oil and sebum. What occurs then is that the sebum moves to the hair shaft until it reaches the outside layer of the skin. As this process occurs the sebum connects with bacteria which results in a blockage of the hair follicle. This blocked hair follicle becomes the very unwelcome breeding area for bacteria which results in acne and all its horrible side-effects.

Hormones provide many critical functions in the body. They regulate many every day processes like growth and sleep. That is why a hormonal imbalance can have so many side effects including the onset of acne. Generally speaking, if your hormones are balanced acne should not occur.

The hormone and acne connection also explains why acne occurs in teenagers and adults all over the world. Acne usually occurs during the onset of puberty in teenagers as this is when androgen hormone production starts. The menstrual cycle and also pregnancy play a role in the development of acne in many women. In fact, studies have shown that acne that usually gets worse during a woman’s menstrual cycle is not something that a woman is likely to grow out of.

Allergy symptoms often appear in children at a very early age.   In some cases, the child may “outgrow” the allergy over time.  However, it is much more common that a hypersensitivity or allergy will stay with the child as they grow in to adulthood.  It is estimated that up to 50 million Americans, including millions of children, have allergy symptoms.  Because children’s allergies are often mistaken for viruses or infections, experts estimate that up to 2 million days of school are missed each year due to allergy symptoms.  These symptoms are easily treated in both adults and children, if only the individual is able to realize that they may be suffering from allergies, not a sickness.

If you or your child is suffering from allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, or cough, please contact us at 512-ALLERGY (512-255-3749).  We at the Roby Institute are always happy to help.

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In February 1999, researchers published a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled “Sexual Dysfunction in the United States.” Using data from the National Health and Social Life Survey, a study of adult sexual behavior in the United States, they calculated the incidence of various sexual problems among adults aged 18-59. Among the women in this representative sample, the number one problem was low libido, which affected almost one-third of survey respondents.

One of the major reasons why women may experience a decline in libido, especially as they pass into their thirties, forties, and beyond: a deficiency of testosterone.

If you’re wondering what testosterone has to do with a woman’s interest in sex, the answer is: everything. In women as well as men, testosterone is the hormone of desire. The millions of women in this country who experience estrogen dominance suffer not only from a relative deficiency of progesterone but also from a deficiency of testosterone:

In women who are of reproductive age, levels of testosterone peak at ovulation, the very time in a woman’s menstrual cycle when she is fertile. This surge in testosterone midway through her cycle stimulates a woman’s desire for sex. However, when a woman is estrogen dominant, she experiences numerous anovulatory cycles in which there is no elevation in testosterone at this midpoint. This problem is compounded by the fact that estrogen dominance increases the liver’s production of sex hormone-binding globulins, proteins that attach to the small amount of testosterone in circulation and inhibit the hormone’s entry into cells.

Signs and Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women:

• Low libido

• Blunted motivation

• Fatigue

• Depression and/or anxiety

• Low blood levels of free testosterone

If estrogen dominance is bad news for a woman’s libido, a hysterectomy can be devastating. About half of a woman’s testosterone is produced by her ovaries, with the other half produced in the adrenal glands. Women who undergo a total hysterectomy, with the removal of their ovaries, immediately lose 50 percent of their circulating testosterone. The resulting symptoms of low libido, fatigue, and malaise often are attributed wrongly to the sharp drop in estrogen, when in fact it is the abrupt decline in testosterone levels that is the culprit. The primary sexual effect of estrogen deficiency is thinning and dryness of the vaginal tissues, not a decrease in desire. For women who undergo natural menopause, the decline in testosterone is more gradual, but it still can dampen libido and contribute to depression, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms.

What are Hormones?
Hormones are chemicals your body produces to regulate various functions. They do so by sending important messages and signals to various organs and tissues. When they work harmoniously, your body behaves in a predictable way. But if there is too much or too little of any one hormone, then imbalance occurs and you can begin to feel that something is wrong. Wanted pregnancies don’t happen, the discomfort of PMS makes the days before menstruation very difficult, or menstruation may occur irregularly or not occur at all. This is when an accurate assessment of hormone balance can mean all the difference in the world–and is the reason Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory created the Female Hormone Profile.

Hormones in Women

The most important groups of hormones for women are estrogens (especially ß-estradiol) and progestins (like progesterone). In a healthy female body they balance each other so phases of the menstrual cycle occur regularly. When one is going down, the other is going up. Their synchronized cycle repeats about every month (25 to 35 days). When the balance between estrogen and progesterone is lost, your body may act in unpredictable ways. When everything works normally, the menstrual cycle goes through appropriate phases. For the first 10-16 days, a woman’s body is getting eggs ready for fertilization (pregnancy). Follicles grow in the ovaries. The tissue in the womb prepares for a fertilized egg. If eggs are fertilized, then the menstrual cycle is suspended for the nine months of pregnancy. The body automatically produces appropriate amounts of both estrogen and progesterone. These in turn stimulate secretions for nourishing the fertilized egg. If fertilization doesn’t occur, the nurturing environment created in the womb rapidly changes. Hormone levels drop off quickly after about two weeks, the womb cleanses itself through menstruation, and the process is ready to repeat again.

At the Roby Institute, we often see patients who are suffering from symptoms and conditions caused by allergic reactions and hormone imbalance. Surprised at the diagnosis, many of them says to us, “But my hormones are in the normal range, and other then how I feel, my family physician says I’m in great health.”

Would you believe that when we hear this from patients, we agree 100%?

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An allergy is a hypersensitivity, or exaggerated response, to a substance. We often tell people that they don’t have allergies because they are in poor health or have a weak immune system but rather quite the opposite. Allergic reactions occur when a person’s immune system is TOO active and too effective. That is the very definition of hypersensitivity. So when patients say, “My doctor says I’m in great health…” we are able to point to their exaggerated responses to substances, also known as allergies, and see that they are indeed correct.

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Furthermore, it is almost always the case that a patient has been told their hormone levels are in the normal range. Unfortunately, the generally acknowledged “normal range” of hormone levels doesn’t account for factors that are almost always different amongst people, including age. For example, not long ago we had a 22 year old female patient and an 81 year old female patient in at the same time. Dr. Roby reviewed the lab panel of each and confirmed that their hormones were within “normal” levels. The 22 year old was interested in starting a family but suffered from fatigue almost every day and migraine headaches a few days each month. The 81 year old was a mother of 4 and was experiencing fibromyalgia and muscle pain.

These two very different patients had almost exactly the same hormone levels.

Different ages. Different symptoms. Different life experiences. And yet they had the same hormone levels that were within the generally accepted “normal range.”

At the Roby Institute, we work to understand what hormone levels are best for each patient depending on them as an individual. An optimal level of health can not be achieved by simply accepting that hormone levels in the “normal” range are good enough. Everyone is different. Everyone needs their own body to perform and react in a way specific to them. At the Roby Institute, we don’t look at hormone levels and say they are “normal.” We look at hormone levels and ask, “are they normal for you?”

“In more then two decades of practicing allergy, I have never seen ragweed levels this high,” says Dr. Roby.  Despite the fact that ragweed is a substance to which tens of thousands of individuals in central Texas are hyper-allergic, many go untreated.  Dr. Roby continues by saying, “What’s amazing is that we are able to safely and quickly neutralize the symptoms being experienced by countless allergy sufferers.  There are no doubt a lot of people walking around sneezing, suffering with a headache, feeling tired, or even experiencing shortness of breath who have no idea that the ragweed in the air around them is setting off their bodies and creating the chain reaction has them feeling so poorly.”

If you think you may be suffering from an allergy to ragweed or any other airborne substance such as mold or pollen, please give us a call at 800-842-6349 to schedule a consultation.