logo
ENع
#

Latest news with #TheDose

Seasonal allergies are getting worse, but newer medications could offer relief
Seasonal allergies are getting worse, but newer medications could offer relief

CBC

time17-05-2025

  • Health
  • CBC

Seasonal allergies are getting worse, but newer medications could offer relief

Most people with seasonal allergies have likely noticed an uncomfortable trend over the past few years. In parts of Canada, allergy season not only seems to be lasting longer, it seems to be more intense. Experts like Dr. Anne Ellis, chair of the department of allergy and immunology at Queen's University, say the roughly one in five Canadians who experience respiratory allergies aren't imagining things. The past few years have brought some seasons with a lot more pollen than Canadians are used to, she told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of The Dose podcast. "Definitely last year's birch pollen season, and it looks like this year is going to be a doozy as well, has certainly been higher than we've seen in the last 10 years," said Ellis. Thankfully, newer medications and treatments, including allergy tablets that dissolve under the tongue, are offering seasonal sufferers more relief. What are seasonal allergies? Allergic rhinitis, the more technical term for seasonal allergies, is the body's response to stimuli like ragweed, pollen, dust and mould. Typical allergy symptoms include a runny nose, itchy or watery eyes, as well as coughing and sneezing. Allergy seasons vary slightly across Canada, says Ellis, adding that allergy seasons in Ontario and Quebec are among the worst in the country. "We have nice, robust summers with lots of trees and lots of pollen, but importantly also ragweed," she said. "Come late summer, early fall, we tend to get the biggest hits in terms of seasonal allergies across the country." Dr. Angeliki Barlas, president of the B.C. Society of Allergy and Immunology, grew up in Saskatchewan and says that she found her seasonal allergies were worse in the prairies than in B.C. But for some of her patients it's the opposite. "There's different allergens across the country, so it affects everybody differently," she said. While ragweed is more common in eastern Canada, Ellis said western provinces get a longer tree pollen season instead. Why are seasonal allergies getting worse? Experts agree that climate change is the primary driver for worsening conditions across Canada. "That spring to summer shift has gotten much shorter," said Ellis. "It just means that it changes how trees pollinate, it changes when the seasons start and stop, and leads to things being different than they were 20 years ago." In Ontario, Ellis says allergy season used to start around May with pollen, and last into July with a slight reprieve before ragweed season kicked in from around mid-August until the end of autumn. Now, however, pollen allergies begin when the weather warms up and continue until it starts to snow. WATCH | How to manage seasonal allergies this spring: How to manage seasonal allergies this spring 3 days ago Duration 2:52 Warmer temperatures overall mean plants produce more pollen, says Barlas. Plus, it takes smaller amounts of pollen to cause symptoms. Ellis says there's some evidence that suggests increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere lead to more allergenic and robust pollen. Additionally, the long-standing practice of planting male trees in urban areas has exacerbated seasonal allergies, says Ellis. Female trees bear fruit that creates mess when it drops on sidewalks and in parks, while male trees produce pollen. "So we're getting more allergens in the air because of some of those city planning decisions," Ellis said. The future of allergy relief? Over-the-counter antihistamines and nasal sprays can offer temporary relief for seasonal allergies. But allergy shots and sublingual tablets that dissolve under the tongue are longer-lasting immunotherapy solutions, says Barlas. "You are desensitizing the body to the allergen and you become less allergic — about 30 to 50 per cent less symptoms." Most people who suffer from seasonal allergies have likely heard about immunotherapy in the form of allergy shots. Allergy shots can be given year round, and usually consist of six months of weekly injections to help build-up resistance to the problem allergen, followed by monthly maintenance shots for the rest of the year. Most allergists start their patients on seasonal allergy shots in the fall when pollen counts are typically lower, says Ellis, so that by the time tree pollen season starts in March or April, they only need their monthly maintenance shots. WATCH | Your allergies are about to get worse: Your allergies are about to get worse 8 days ago Duration 3:05 In contrast, Ellis says sublingual tablets are taken every day during allergy season, until the first frost, when allergens typically subside, and resume once allergy season starts again. Ellis acknowledges that allergy shots can be cumbersome for many patients. "I definitely am prescribing much more immunotherapy in total, but particularly I'd say at least half of my practice has switched to tablets as opposed to injections," said Ellis. Immunotherapies can only be provided by a certified allergist, and treatment can last anywhere from three to five years, though some patients may need to keep receiving allergy shots to keep their symptoms at bay. Allergy shots are available for a wide range of allergens, but you can only get sublingual tablets for grass and tree pollen, dust mites and ragweed. Additionally, a medication used to treat allergic asthma is now receiving attention for its seasonal allergy-fighting potential. Xolair is the generic name for the omalizumab, a lab-made protein that mimics the body's ability to fight off harmful antigens. It works by targeting IgE, an antibody responsible for allergic reactions, says Ellis. Xolair isn't currently used to treat allergic rhinitis, but Ellis's patients who take the drug for allergic asthma have noticed improvements in their hay fever symptoms. In the U.S. it's also used for food allergies, but isn't yet prescribed for that use in Canada, says Ellis. A 2022 retrospective cohort study looking at Xolair's effects on seasonal allergies found that taking the drug before allergy season "could significantly relieve … related symptoms and reduce medication use." However, that study only looked at the medical records of 64 patients. Another small study in 2024 that examined its effects on seasonal cedar allergies in Japan, also suggested Xolair can be used to treat allergic rhinitis. Antihistamines, environmental control are still options too While more research is conducted on the future of seasonal allergy treatments, Ellis and Barlas say that existing over-the-counter and prescription antihistamines are still relatively effective. And Barlas says there's no single best treatment option. "Sometimes you have to do trial and error with different patients in terms of medications," she said. Nonetheless, experts recommend using some of the newer over-the-counter antihistamines, like cetirizine and loratadine. "We're trying to move away from first-generation or sedating antihistamines like diphenhydramine, which has a lot of side effects," said Ellis, adding that these medications can cause issues like delirium and other cognitive difficulties. Stronger prescription antihistamines, like bilastine and rupatadine are also good options. When it comes to nasal sprays, Ellis recommends inserting the spray into the nasal passages and pointing the nozzle toward the ear, rather than spraying straight up the nose. "Don't put it into the middle of your nose, because, one, the medication isn't getting where it needs to, and, two, you're more likely to have side effects like nosebleeds, nasal dryness and headaches," said Ellis. Some research suggests there are "uncommon side effects," including gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, dizziness and confusion. But Ellis says taking antihistamines every day doesn't usually cause long-term harm, and nor do they really lose their effectiveness if taken every day for many years. "Sometimes patients have reported to me that they feel like it's not working anymore," she said. "Chances are good that means you need to move on to something beyond an antihistamine, but certainly it's safe to take an antihistamine on a daily basis all the way through the year if you need to." Ellis adds that neti pots or other saline sinus rinses are a good non-pharmacological options for patients looking to avoid medication by cleaning the nasal passages of allergens instead.

Whole-body deodorant is no fix for accepting that everybody stinks sometimes
Whole-body deodorant is no fix for accepting that everybody stinks sometimes

CBC

time27-04-2025

  • Health
  • CBC

Whole-body deodorant is no fix for accepting that everybody stinks sometimes

As the weather warms up and we start to spend more time outdoors, many of us will be reminded that people have a tendency to smell. Pharmaceutical companies have tried for years to convince people to purchase products that cover up their smells, even introducing deodorant for the whole body. "We all have B.O.," Sarah Everts, a Carleton University associate professor and author of The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration, told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of The Dose podcast. While pharmaceutical companies continue to market products aimed at encouraging people to cover up their natural scents and help stop sweating, experts say that body odour and sweat are perfectly natural and people shouldn't worry about them quite so much. Why do we sweat? University of Calgary kinesiologist Patricia Doyle-Baker said sweating is a response to the environment. "[Sweating] is a biological advantage, because we can do any type of exercise or be in a hot environment and our body is able to thermoregulate itself," she said. Both Doyle-Baker and Everts describe sweating as a kind of evolutionary "superpower," because our bodies provided us with a mechanism to rapidly cool down after explosively bouts of exercise. "We are better than any other animal at cooling down," said Everts. Sweating happens when the skin sends signals to the brain indicating that the body is getting hot, triggering sweat glands to release a liquid mixture of mostly water, as well as salt, potassium and carbohydrates. The beads of water that form on our skin evaporate, cooling us down. That said, the sweat generated by the endocrine glands on our skin is a little different than the sweat produced by the apocrine glands in our armpits or groins. The kind from our armpits and groins are a little fattier, which is part of what leads to the unique mixture of scents we sometimes call body odour — especially when combined with bacteria on our skin. "Although we think of sweat as being odourless, when it mixes with that bacteria, that's what produces the smell," said Doyle-Baker. How do we smell? Dr. Johannes Frasnelli, a psychologist from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, says even the most basic single-cellular organism needs a way to sense its environment. "Let's say there's a sugar present, well then they'd rather go there. Some toxins present, well then they'd rather move away. And we basically do the same thing," he said. Frasnelli says both our senses of smell and taste are essential for maintaining our airways, our gastrointestinal system and the rest of the body. Humans are able to smell thanks to our olfactory systems, which allow our noses to identify inhaled molecules and transmit that information to our brains through electrical signals. WATCH | The truth about vaginal detoxing: The truth about vaginal detoxing 5 years ago Duration 4:22 Health Canada has stopped the sale of a natural health care product that is marketed as a way to "detox" vaginas, following an investigation by CBC's Marketplace. Our investigation found that Goddess Vaginal Detox Pearls' claims of cleansing and healing from sexual trauma could lead to serious mental and physical health impacts. Olfactory information is also processed through the limbic system, the part of the nervous system that's responsible for things like memory. "So when we smell something, the brain areas that are involved in memory formation, in memory retrieval, that are involved in emotions, that are involved in reward, are directly activated," said Frasnelli. The relationship between smell and memory is part of the reason why certain smells can make us feel like we've travelled through time, remembering moments when we first encountered them. Why do we smell? Frasnelli says our armpits, genitals and buttocks produce a mix of things that are distinct from person to person. "This cocktail of substances is not entirely understood yet what exactly is in it, but we know that this cocktail is individually different between all of us," he said. At the same time, he says that body odour is affected by a number of factors, including the foods we eat, meaning that eating foods with distinct aromas will sometimes make us smell like them. "We can very well imagine that different cultures eat different things and will therefore smell different because of that," said Frasnelli. Exploring the cultural factor Despite what some might believe, there are very few universally agreed upon bad smells. According to Frasnelli, multiple factors play into our like or dislike of scents, including how strong it is, as well as how long we smell it, and even the emotions surrounding a smell. A person's reaction to body odour, for instance, can be determined by how familiar they are with a certain smell. Familiar scents can be attractive to us, but scents that are too familiar can protect us from accidentally pursuing a mate who is related to us. Speaking from personal experience, Frasnelli added that different cultures have different views on body odour. " I grew up in Europe, and I've been living in North America and Canada now for 20 years, and I can definitely confirm that the rules around body hygiene are different," he said. "What is acceptable as body odour in the parts of Europe where i grew up are not acceptable in the part of of North America." The pitfalls of too much deodorant Dr. Renee Beach, a Toronto dermatologist, said there are potential social and medical downsides to wearing too much deodorant to mask our natural scent. "The risk socially is smelling like a walking perfume factory," said Beach in an email to CBC. "This is brutal in certain close encounter situations like elevators, medical appointments." Though not quite deodorant, French President Emmanuel Macron's alleged overuse of cologne generated headlines after an author claimed that aides could smell the politician before he walked into the room. Medically speaking, wearing deodorant risks irritating skin, especially skin that's inflamed or broken, said Beach. Beach says the risk of skin allergy isn't dependent on the amount worn, but on the ingredients in the deodorant. However, she cautions against using whole-body deodorant. Instead, she says showering regularly with soap and water should suffice in maintaining good hygiene. "In particular, the concept of intimate skin deodorant/body perfume is not only unnecessary for the vast majority of us, but potentially irritating to our skin and in our intimate areas," said Beach. "Unfortunately some of the advertising around this concept has preyed upon our insecurities and fears of having odour when body scents are completely natural and, again, often sufficiently controlled with daily bathing."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store