Are 'Inactive' Ingredients in Your Drugs Really So Harmless?

WEDNESDAY, March 13, 2019 -- More than 90 percent of the medications that Americans take contain an inactive ingredient that could cause an allergic reaction, a new study suggests.

Lactose, peanut oil, gluten and chemical dyes are added to drugs to improve taste, prolong shelf life, improve absorption or make the drug tamper-proof, researchers explained. But they can also spell trouble for patients who are allergic to those ingredients.

Why Do Some Kids With Eczema Develop Food Allergies?

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27, 2019 -- Researchers have added to a growing body of evidence that skin plays a major role in food allergies.

Their study of 62 children with eczema found that those with food allergies had skin irregularities not present on others.

Peanut Allergy Patch Shows Middling Results in Trial

FRIDAY, Feb. 22, 2019 -- Delivering "exposure therapy" via a patch to help curb peanut allergy in kids is somewhat effective, but not as good as delivering the tiny amounts of peanut by mouth, new research shows.

The international trial involved 356 children, aged 4 to 11, from five countries. All had been diagnosed with peanut allergy and were asked to wear either a skin patch with a very tiny amount of peanut allergen (250 micrograms) or a placebo patch without any allergen.

How to Decide When You're Too Sick to Work

SUNDAY, Feb. 10, 2019 -- Even if you think you can go to work when you have a cold or flu, you need to think about others, an infectious disease expert says.

"I see a lot of patients whose jobs and stress make them feel torn between staying home and going in when they're sick," said Dr. Robin Wigmore. She is a primary care physician and infectious disease specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

How to Prevent and Treat Eye Allergies

THURSDAY, Jan. 31, 2019 -- When it comes to allergies, allergic rhinitis with its congested, itchy nose gets a lot of attention. But for some, allergic conjunctivitis with itchy, watery eyes is the greater nuisance. You might even have both reactions.

Allergic conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva -- the layer of tissue lining the eyelids and covering the whites of the eyes. It's caused by contact with a substance you're allergic to, such as outdoor pollen or indoor pet dander or dust spores. Blood vessels in the eye swell, and eyes become itchy and red, and start to tear.