Health and Beauty Les Halles

Two new studies help to show the power of nutrition to assist allergies and asthma. In one study people with higher levels of folic acid in their blood had had fewer IgE antibodies, fewer reported allergies, less wheezing and lower likelihood of asthma. In another study researchers found that lower blood levels of vitamin D in children were linked to allergy and asthma severity.

There is a national epidemic of asthma in children, in part due to obesity and in part due to the overuse of antibiotics that has caused an overgrowth of Candida, in turn causing excessive production of airway inflammatory signals coming from the Candida.

Nutrients are certainly important and low levels of key nutrients may allow such problems to manifest. Magnesium has long been known to be lacking in individuals with allergies and asthma. Vitamin C and bioflavonoids, especially quercetin, are of immense help.

In the new folic acid study researchers look at medical records of 8,000 people ages 2 to 85, comparing folic acid blood levels to levels of IgE antibodies, a key immune system marker that elevates to an allergen. People with higher blood levels of folate had fewer IgE antibodies, fewer reported allergies, less wheezing and lower likelihood of asthma. The researchers believed that folic acid was acting to help reduce inflammation.

“Our findings are a clear indication that folic acid may indeed help regulate immune response to allergens, and may reduce allergy and asthma symptoms,” says lead investigator Elizabeth Matsui, M.D. M.H.S., pediatric allergist at Hopkins Children’s.

In the new vitamin D study the researchers found that “children with lower vitamin D levels were significantly more likely to have been hospitalized for asthma in the previous year, tended to have airways with increased hyperreactivity and were likely to have used more inhaled corticosteroids, all signifying higher asthma severity. These children were also significantly more likely to have several markers of allergy, including dust-mite sensitivity.”

It appears that nutrient deficiencies of common nutrients set the stage for excessive inflammatory reactions, which include allergy and asthma. Parents should obviously improve the quality of the diet of any child with such a problem.

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Burning eyes affects about 30% of reading glasses wearers at one time or another. It is the commonest symptom of dry eyes. Most just suffer in silence, but there are simple steps that can be taken to help the condition.

Eye burning with discharge is burning, itching, or drainage from the eye of any substance other than tears. Lots of different things can make your eyes burn. Smoke, pollen, or a viral infection such as a cold or the flu can cause eyes to itch, burn, water, and redden. In these cases the burning and itching usually go away when the irritant is removed.

Sometimes burning and itching eyes are due to environmental pollutants that might be eliminated by social action. If secondhand cigarette smoke is annoying, say so. If an industrial plant in the area is polluting, contact the EPA for solutions.

Unprotected eyes can also be burned by the ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun, tanning lamps or arc welding equipment. Like sunburns to the skin, you won’t feel pain until hours later, when the eyes and the area around them swell. Near-UV rays can damage your retina. The risk of sunburn to the eyes is very high when sunlight is reflected off water, sand or snow.

Causes of Burning eyes

Chronic dry or burning eyes can be caused by age, some medications, and disease. Itchy, burning eyelids can also result from infection.

Tears bathe the eye, washing out dust and debris and keeping the eye moist. They also contain enzymes that neutralize the microorganisms that colonize the eye. Tears are essential for good eye health.

Allergy is caused by an oversensitive immune system, which leads to a misdirected immune response. The immune system normally protects the body against harmful substances, such as bacteria and viruses. It reacts to substances (allergens) that are generally harmless and in most people do not cause a problem.

Sometimes burning and itching eyes are due to environmental pollutants that might be eliminated by social action. If secondhand cigarette smoke is annoying, say so. If an industrial plant in the area is polluting, contact the EPA for solutions.

Pink eye or viral conjunctivitis causes a red or bloodshot eye and excessive tearing. If you suspect pink eye, remember to wash your hands often, and avoid touching the unaffected eye. The infection will run its course in about 10 days.

During the normal aging process, our bodies and our eyes produce gradually less and less oil. This reduction in oil in the tear film results in quicker evaporation leading to the formation of dry spots on our eyes.

Treatment for Burning eyes

Artificial tears used four-to-six times a day can also relieve symptoms. Avoid over-the-counter eyedrops other than artificial tears because they will eventually make symptoms worse.

Antihistamines in the form of eye-drops or ointments may be prescribed. Cortisone-like eye ointments are not often prescribed. These medications will reduce many types of inflammation, but can make certain infections, such as herpes, worse.

Conserving the tears in your own eyes is another approach to keeping the eyes moist. Tears drain out of the eye through a small canal into the nose (that is why your nose runs when you cry). Your ophthalmologist may close these canals either temporarily or permanently. This closure conserves your own tears and makes artificial tears last longer.