allergies

Nose Issues [Show Notes]

 in Podcasts  tagged allergies / blood pressure / blood thinner / cancer / congestion / deviated septum / episode / hypertrophy / infection / nose bleed / polyps / smell / smoking / viruses by

Nose issues that cause your breathing to fail

  • Congestion from allergies, viruses, or infections.
  • Deviated septum – the septum (the bone that separates the nasal cavity and divides your nostrils) can get crooked and change the size and access of the nostrils or nasal cavity.  Can be from trauma, or may gradually get crooked from chronic pressure.
  • Turbinate Hypertrophy – over-growth of tissue covering the turbinates (tissue-covered bones that add warmth and moisture to the air you breathe). This can lead to snoring.  May be treated by steroid nasal sprays or surgery to remove extra tissue.
  • Nasal Polyps – uneven overgrowth of mucus membranes (symptoms may be runny nose, post-nasal drip, stuffiness).  They are not cancerous.  Treated by snipping them out.
  • Sinus cancer – a single growing tumor that causes bulging, either around the eye, face, or mouth.

Nose issues that cause your smelling to fail

  • Age
  • Deviated septum (see above)
  • Polyps (see above)
  • Chronic sinus infections – the smelling sensors are inflamed or covered with mucus so much that they become damaged or less sensitive.
  • Smoking – smoke and toxins can damage smelling receptors in your nose.  Also, the receptors become so clogged up with smoke and tobacco molecules that there’s no room for other molecules to be detected.  This can be temporary or permanent.

Nosebleeds

  • In kids, this is usually from trauma (either bumps and bonks or picking).  Can also be caused by dry air in the wintertime (use vaseline in the nostrils).
  •  In adults, can be from hypertension (high blood pressure) or chronic use of blood thinners.

PSA: Treatment for a nosebleed:  DO NOT tip your head backwards!!!!!  It makes you swallow that blood!  THAT’S GROSS!!  Proper treatment:  pinch the nose and tip the head forward.  This allows a clot to form and clots stop the bleeding.

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

*NEW* Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page

Music Credits:  “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Special Episode #4: Life & Blood Sugar [Show Notes]

 in Diabetes / Podcasts / Special Edition  tagged allergies / blood sugar / Diabetes / exercise / glucose / glycogen / hormones / insulin / sickness / Sleep / smoking / stress / T1D by

For someone with diabetes, everything they do in life affects their blood sugar.  They could be eating 100% right and taking their medicine 100% right, and something would cause the blood sugar to be off.

Exercise

It is well-accepted that exercise is good for you.  Your body will store extra sugar as a large molecule called Glycogen.  Imagine a line of kindergarteners hold hands trying to make it through the museum, Glycogen is just a bunch of glucoses holding hands.  When you’re not eating, your body will snip off a glucose at a time as it needs it.  The liver stores and directs the glycogen most of the time.  Your skeletal muscles also store some glycogen, because when they do work (i.e. exercise), it takes too long for the liver to snip off glucose from glycogen and send it to them.  

After exercise, the body replenishes the muscles’ glycogen stores.  This can cause the blood sugar level to drop, for someone with diabetes, this can be dangerous because they can’t “untake” medicine.  When protein and carbohydrates are eaten together, before or after exercise, the blood sugar changes can happen more slowly – the nutrient absorption in the gut causes a “traffic jam” of sorts.

Sleep

Certain metabolism processes happen only when you sleep.    Some people with diabetes wake up with really high blood sugar, others wake up with really low blood sugar.  Sleep is not restful and restorative if the blood sugar is out of balance, but also if sleep is not restful, then blood sugar levels can be jacked up – not just in the morning, but for the rest of the day.

Stress

The hormones that are triggered by stress – even something as basic as adrenaline, can cause the body to respond to insulin and glucose differently.  

Sickness

Your body is going to responds things differently when the immune system is in high gear – that includes insulin, glucose, the food you eat.  An infection requires an antibiotic because you are infected with a bacteria.  Bacteria are living organisms.  Living organisms consume energy sources and produce waste.  This can affect the sugar levels in your bloodstream.  You’re immune system doing work also burns sugar.

Allergies

Works about the same as sickness.  Your immune system is actively trying to protect you from something (allergens) and so it responds differently.

Smoking

If you smoke, STOP!  The nicotine and other chemicals make you more resistant to insulin.  This is most troublesome in Type 2 Diabetes.

Hormones

Especially for women, hormone cycles can affect sensitivity to insulin differently during different times of the month.  Adrenaline can override almost any response to any previous hormone response.

Life is hard

Life with diabetes is super hard.  Diabetes and other chronic diseases are silent and it doesn’t show on the outside at first sight.  Extend grace, extend compassion.

The Nashville chapter of JDRF is having their annual One Walk on September 24th. Friend of the show and previous guest, Rachel Mayo has been #T1D for over 10 years and she is passionate about the cutting edge research and support JDRF provides for people and their families. Her goal is for her team to raise $5000, you can contribute!

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

*NEW* Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page

Music Credits:  “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Medication Intolerances 3 [Show Notes]

 in Podcasts  tagged ADD / ADHD / allergies / blood pressure / headache / intolerance / medication by

Tidbits about Headaches

A headache is an ambiguous side effect because there are so many different things that can cause headaches.  Hormones are a big culprit of this.  Blood pressure medications can too.

For someone with chronic high blood pressure, the higher pressure becomes the body’s new “normal”.  Once medication starts to bring it down, even though the pressures are within a normal range, the body will experience symptoms of low blood pressure.

2 lies people tell about allergies

  1. No allergies – so then they take something they are allergic to and have an emergency
  2. Allergic to “everything” – because they experienced mild or moderate side effects.  Or in the case of pain pill seekers, they’re “allergic” to the weak pain meds to get the doctor to prescribe stronger ones.

Stimulants

Irritability, nervousness, jitteriness, or moodiness can be a side effect of amphetamines (used for ADD) or cold medicines (i.e. pseudoephedrine).

A factoid about ADD/ADHD:  the focus and attention area of the brain are underactive, so a stimulant helps it be more active so improve focus.

The biggest complaint people have from any stimulant is the inability to sleep at night.  Just need to make sure it’s taken early enough in the day so it wears off in time for bed.

Bones and Joints

In this case, we rarely want you to keep taking the medication if these side effects happen.  For example, cholesterol medications (i.e. statins, and fibrates) and quinolone antibiotics (Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox).  The quinolones have a rare but serious side effect of tendon rupture; it is painful and permanent.

Tendons: the connective tissue that anchors muscles to the bones.

Osteoporosis medications can lead to bone pain – since their job is to cause changes in the way the bones are built and rebuilt, it’s not uncommon to feel something.  But usually temporary.

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

*NEW* Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page

Music Credits:  “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Medication Intolerances 2 [Show Notes]

 in Podcasts  tagged allergies / dryness / flushing / intolerance / itching / medications / rash / skin by

3 drug intolerances that involve the skin

  1. Itching and rash – even though they are a big sign of allergies, they also can be typical side effects of medications
    • Narcotics – in hospitals, they give diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to calm an itching side effect
    • Sulfa antibiotics and tetracyclines – sun hypersensitivity.  Not a sunburn, though.  May require pain reliever to get comfortable.
  2. Flushing – redness and hotness of the skin
    • Niacin – used for cholesterol reduction.  Flushing is reduced by taking 81 mg of aspirin 30 minutes before taking niacin
    • Hormones – natural or in medication (birth control or hormone replacement).  Can be reduced or eased by taking before bed or taking with food
    • IV contrast – as the medication spreads through the body.
  3. Dryness – especially of skin surfaces that require moisture (i.e. mucous membranes)
    • Antihistamines and cold medications – dry eyes, dry nose
    • Overactive bladder medications – dry eyes, dry mouth, constipation
    • IBS meds that control diarrhea – constipation

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

*NEW* Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page

Music Credits:  “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)  Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Allergy Attack

 in Podcasts  tagged allergies / antihistamines / otc medication / reactions by

An image of dandelions in the two forms - yellow flowers and white puffs against a black background. Several white seeds from the puffs are floating up in the air. These are responsible for triggering allergies.

Allergy Basics

Seasonal allergies can lead to nasal congestion and throat irritation, eye irritation with itchiness or watery eyes, or asthma-like symptoms.

If you can’t breathe or swallow or see, call 911.

At first sign of allergic reaction, take Benadryl (diphenhydramine).  It’s an antihistamine to counteract the histamines that are part of an allergic reaction.

Benadryl also comes as a topical.  The other option is Cortisone (hydrocortisone) – a steroid.  This can’t be used all over your body because it can soak all the way through your skin and get in your bloodstream, which would lead to systemic effects of steroids.  If you need systemic effects, it’s best to get a steroid prescribed by a doctor.

Antihistamines

1st Generation: Benadryl – drowsy side effects, works fast but wears off fast.

2nd Generation: Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra – all have generics, all OTC, just take 1 time a day.

Steroid nasal sprays are newly OTC – Flonase and Nasacort.  Localized steroids in your sinus passages can help block the other chemicals involved in allergic reactions, not just histamines.

The only medication that requires a doctor’s prescription is Singulair – it works best for asthma-like reactions that is produced in the lungs.

Also, Albuterol inhalers can be used for people who have asthma-like symptoms to open the airways back up quickly.

Audience Question

Is poison ivy cumulative in your body? (from @steve_tessler)

When you come in contact with an allergen (poison ivy leaves), you body recognizes it as a “bad guy”.  Once your body deals with the offender, it “remembers” poison ivy, so the next time you come in contact with it, your body’s systems can be more efficient at taking care of it (antibodies).  A problem arises if your body does “too good” of a job or gets overzealous.  This can lead to a more serious reaction or possibly anaphylaxis.

Poison ivy is typically a topical offender.  It would require an unusual type of exposure  (i.e. burning it and inhaling the smoke) for it to affect other systems of you body than just your skin.

Avoid poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and any other poisons if you can help it.

Note:  I told a story on the live broadcast. Afterwards, I checked my facts and found out I told it wrong, so I cut it out.  Here is the real story (to the best of my knowledge – I reserve the right to add or correct details as I learn the full story)…

True Story

My husband’s grandfather burned a pile of brush that included some poison ivy or poison oak.  He ended up breathing in some of the smoke which allowed it to go through his lungs and even into his bloodstream.  It obviously caused a terrible, widespread reaction.  And he would have an allergic reaction every year after that at about the same time as the original reaction.

Connect with me

Support us on Patreon

*NEW* Join the Pharmacist Answers Podcast Community on Facebook

Subscribe: iTunes, Stitcher, GooglePlay, TuneIn Radio

Like the Facebook page