Treatment of Flea Bites on Human - What Home Remedies Available?

Baby Allergies

Fleas not only bite and live off your pets, they bite people too. The typical human reaction to a flea bite is the formation of a small, hard, red, slightly raised, itching spot with no swelling. Some bleeding can occur, particularly if the bitten area is scratched. A single puncture point caused by the flea is generally apparent in the center of each spot.

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Flea bites normally occur on the legs and ankles. Different people have different reaction to fleabites. Some people are totally unattractive to fleas and are not affected by the presence of fleas while others may be "appealing" and sensitive to fleas resulting in severe allergic reaction to their bites.

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See some pictures of flea bites on humans

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Well, how to treat flea bites on human? Before you run off to your family doctor to seek medical treatment, here are some home remedies for the treatment of flea bites on human.

1. Firstly, it's important to keep the affected area clean. Wash the bites with some antiseptic lotion or soap. Use cold water but avoid the use of warm or hot water as this may tend to stimulate itch

2. Secondly, apply a cold pack over the bites to reduce swelling.

3. Do not scratch the inflamed area as this may lead to open wounds and secondary infections.

4. If the affected area is read and swollen, you may apply a mild steroid cream like 1% hydrocortisone cream. This should be easily available from any pharmacy without the need of a prescription. Hydrocortisone helps in reducing inflammation rapidly. Alternatively, if you have a bottle of calamine lotion at home, this may help too.

5. Very often, the itch caused by the fleabites can be very intense. An oral dose of anti-histamine like Dimetapp, Chlortrimeton is very effective in relieving itch. Once the itch stops, you will stop scratching as well and the healing will take place faster.

Treatment of flea bites using these home remedies should improves within a few days, However, if the condition worsen whereby, they remained red and swollen with discharges, then a trip to your family doctor may be necessary. Your doctor may prescribe a course of antibiotics for you and a jab of steroid may be needed to stop the inflammation.

However, success in treating flea bites is by no means a solution to your problem. To avoid further bites from these little pesky creatures, the only solution is to get rid of them totally. Killing fleas in house, getting rid of fleas on pets is what you need to do as part of your flea extermination plan

Treatment of Flea Bites on Human - What Home Remedies Available?

Baby Allergies

How to Tell the Difference Between a Cold and Allergies

Baby Allergies

Seasonal allergies are something that many people suffer from. These will occur during the beginning of one or all seasons as the pollen from various plants is released into the air. It is possible for people to go years without knowing that they suffer from these allergies and confusing it with the cold.

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The symptoms experienced between these two conditions are so similar and is why we confuse the two together. They both induce a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing, congestion, and a cough. However, each one are induce in contrasting ways and although they are the same they are also different.

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The first thing to think about when distinguishing between the two is when they begin. If it is allergies then the symptoms will usually come all at one time during a particular season. If it is the cold then the symptoms will come in waves. Usually it will begin with a sore throat before the runny nose begins and then a fever.

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How long do the symptoms last? People who suffer from the allergies will experience them for as long as they are being exposed to the allergy. When it comes to the cold it will usually only last for a week maybe two.

I know it sounds gross but try to examine the mucous coming from you runny nose. This is an easier way to differentiate between allergies and the cold. If it is yellow then you have the cold. If it is clear then it is only allergies.

How to Tell the Difference Between a Cold and Allergies

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Citric Acid Allergy?

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Do You Have a Citric Acid Allergy?

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There is some debate on the internet about whether such a thing as an allergy to citric acid is a known medical condition or not. Some people, including many M.D.s and other doctors (such as naturopaths) suggest that there is no such thing as an allergy to citric acid, instead calling it a "food sensitivity", a "food intolerance" or even a "non-allergic food hypersensitivity".

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Regardless of the terms currently used, the fact is that some of us have adverse reactions when we eat citric acid, and sometimes when we put it on our skin.

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Citric acid is frequently made from corn, and I believe that often a reaction to corn is actually a reaction to the citric acid that is in the corn. Citric acid is found in MANY foods naturally, and not just citrus fruits and most people think.

It is also used as a cleaner and descaler in concentrations around 6% to remove hard water stains from surfaces, and it is also used to slow the rate at which concrete sets, so you can see it has many industrial and household uses.

In food, citric acid frequently used as a preservative, and many vegetable and fruits are washed in a mild citric acid solution to prevent them going brown (and looking less appealing to shoppers) by reacting to oxygen in the air (oxidization).

It is also used as a flavoring to make foods taste tart, and is sometimes used in place of lemon juice by food manufacturers. You'll see it on the ingredients list of many canned drinks, including many colas and root-beers.

How Much in the World?

In 2007 there was an estimated 1,700,000 tons (that's 3,400,000,000 or three point four BILLION pounds) of citric acid produced, most of it made in China. Where did all this go?

Here is the breakdown:

Half of it was added to drinks, 20% as food additives, another 20% added to cleaners and the last 10% is estimated to be added to cosmetics, like shampoos and soaps.

As you can see, it isn't just something quite rare tat you find in a few things, but rather is extremely common.

The Difference Between Allergies and Intolerances

So what exactly IS the difference between an allergy and an intolerance? Well, here is what I have managed to gather from my studies.

To be an allergy, technically, your immune system has to be involved. That is, something has made your immune system start to do its job and try to protect you. The problem with allergies is that too often, your immune system seems to start doing its job when it doesn't need to, because it reacts to things that aren't really very harmful to you, such as pollen.

A food intolerance (or food sensitivity) on the other hand, is a body's inability to digest certain compounds in food, but does NOT involve the immune system. The reasons that this happens seems to be caused by several factors, and more research needs to be done to determine what all of these factors are.

Important

It's vitally important to determine whether or not you do indeed have an allergy or intolerance, and the only way to do this is to see a licensed doctor, preferably an allergist or other specialist in that field.

Allergies can be life threatening (hence me saying it's VITALLY important) and many people are now prescribed "epi-pens" which are syringes full of epinephrine, which they must administer to themselves (or have others do it for them) if an attack happens when you aren't near a physician (which is most of the time of course).

Other Food Intolerances

There are several common food intolerances, including the following:

Lactose Intolerance - which means you can't drink milk or eat milk derived products

Gluten Intolerance - which means you can't eat breads or any products made with wheat

Carbohydrate Intolerance - which means you can't eat many vegetables

Citric Acid

I've spoken with several doctors and citric acid intolerance (often called citric acid allergy) seems to be new to many of them. While this probably isn't a life threatening condition, because of its symptoms, it can be very debilitating, and quite often very embarrassing.

Citric Acid Allergy?

Baby Allergies

TEA for TWO, For BABY and YOU!

Baby Allergies

Baby Rooibos Tea is naturally good for your baby. It is an anti-allergic nutritional supplementary drink and is suitable for babies from birth. It can help relieve the following conditions:

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Colic
Insomnia
Food Allergies
Stomach Cramps
Eczema

Baby Allergies

Rooibos Tea has been a trusted solution for the above conditions for the last three decades amongst South African mothers and more recently, mothers worldwide.

Baby Allergies

Rooibos Tea contains the soothing and relaxing flavonoid quercetin with anti-spasmodic properties and luteolin an anti-inflammatory antioxidant. Rooibos tea has a dramatic calming and soothing effect when added to allergic babies' bottles and promotes good sleeping patterns.
Furthermore, Rooibos has anti-allergic properties because it contains the unique flavonoid aspalathin, which only occurs in the Rooibos plant.

Scientists have found that Rooibos Tea has the following properties:

- Anti-allergic
- Anti-bacterial
- Anti-ageing
- Anti-spasmodic
- Anti-viral
- Anti-oxidant
- No caffeine
- Low tannin
- Rich in Minerals
- Anti-carcinogenic

Rooibos Baby Tea contains all the essential minerals and trace elements needed to give your baby the best start in life. Replace juice or water with Baby tea for a nutritional supplementary drink, you can even use Baby tea instead of water, when mixing baby's normal bottle-feed. The Tea does not replace baby's normal bottle or breastfeeding, but is a Nutritional, Anti-Allergic, Calming Supplementary drink. Because Rooibos Tea is low in tannin, it will not deplete baby's own natural iron reserves. Even better, no sweeteners are necessary. The Tea has a naturally sweet and fruity taste. The tea goes through strict pasteurisation and sterilisation processes to ensure it is up to baby's standards!

ROOIBOS TEA IS GOOD FOR MUM & DAD TOO!
Favoured by families worldwide, Rooibos Tea is highly regarded for its unique health benefits and has powerful rejuvenating and antioxidant properties.

Anti-oxidants help to reverse and prevent free radical damage to our bodies. The Rooibos plant contains a number of different flavonoids, which help to neutralise the effect of these free radicals. In combination with the tea's naturally high Vitamin C content (1,5mg/ml), they act as anti-oxidant compounds to protect your family against diseases like cancer.

The Japanese, who have studied Rooibos Tea extensively, and in particular its anti-ageing qualities, actually call Rooibos tea "Long Life Tea".

In 1968, Dr Annique Theron made the amazing discovery that Rooibos Tea not only alleviates allergies internally, but also externally. The Tea had such a calming and soothing effect on her own allergic baby daughter that she felt she wanted to share it with mothers all over the world. At that time, there was hardly any information available on the natural therapeutic properties of Rooibos Tea and Dr Theron set out to find out as much as she could about this remarkable plant through her own investigations. She strived to gain all the knowledge she could and to utilise the full potential of the plant's unique properties.

Dr Theron published a book: Allergies: an Amazing Discovery on the anti-allergic qualities of the Rooibos Plant.

Dr Theron received International Acclaim from the World Intellectual Property Organisation in 1997 and received the Woman Inventor of the Year Award for her discovery of the beneficial properties of the Rooibos Plant, Aspalathus linearis and for the application of her Patented Rooibos Extract in skin-and healthcare products.

Rooibos Tea is a healthy and nutritious drink for the whole family, from Baby to Grandma and Grandpa.

TEA for TWO, For BABY and YOU!

Baby Allergies

Food Allergies - Why Are Peanuts So Dangerous?

Baby Allergies

Since peanut allergies are particularly dangerous, a lot of research has been carried out on the subject in recent years.

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Some people's allergic reaction to peanuts can be extremely severe, and the problem is only compounded by the number of foods which may contain peanuts; often in products you wouldn't necessarily expect to find them. Even supposedly peanut-free foodstuffs may have been contaminated in a factory which also produces products containing peanuts. Peanuts are the number one cause of food allergy induced fatalities, and it only takes a very small amount to cause a reaction in susceptible people. What's more, the allergen doesn't even have to be ingested -- airborne particles, for example from peanut oil or flour can also cause the reaction.

Baby Allergies

For those who suffer badly from this particular allergy, the biggest danger is anaphylactic shock. This occurs when histamines are released into the bloodstream, causing the throat to swell, with accompanied difficulty in breathing, and circulatory problems such as dangerously low blood pressure; it can be fatal.

Baby Allergies

The allergic reaction occurs when a person's immune system identifies certain proteins contained in peanuts as a potential threat and produces antibodies to counter the perceived danger to the body. From then on, further contact with peanuts will result in the antibodies instructing the immune system to release histamine into the blood, which causes the allergic reaction.

Unfortunately, there is currently no way to cure or alleviate a peanut allergy, and scientists aren't sure why some people have the problem and not others. However, it has been shown that you are more likely to suffer from peanut allergy if other members of your family do as well. Although around 20% of children who have the allergy will eventually outgrow it, this should not be seen as a 'cure', as the person can relapse at some point in the future. It is therefore advisable to continue avoiding peanuts, even if you think your allergy is cured.

Food Allergies - Why Are Peanuts So Dangerous?

Baby Allergies

12 Surefire Ways in Preventing Sinus Allergies

Baby Allergies

Sinus infection & allergies have become a major concern for many people. Many of those who suffer from these allergies resort to over-the-counter and prescribed medication for quick relief. Preventing them from coming back may be nearly impossible to attain, but there are lots of ways to lessen the occurrence of attacks and preventing it from becoming chronic.

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As they say, treating the causes of sinus allergies is much helpful rather than trying to recover from a severe attack. Thus, take a look on twelve surefire ways to help prevent a sinus infection:

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1. Avoid pollution and other irritants. As they say, the best thing to do is to avoid what triggers the sinus allergies. Being exposed to contaminated environment and polluted air such as chemicals and strong fumes may aggravate our nasal passages and irritate our sinus linings.

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2. Treat allergies and colds - People with inflamed nostrils due to allergies and colds may likely have a very strong reaction to irritants.

3. Use humidifiers and air conditioners but avoid temperature extremes. Moisten the air in your home using humidifiers because your sinuses drain effectively when the air is moist. Also, air conditioners are perfect in stabilizing the temperature of your home so you can avoid sinus pain due to sudden change of weather. You may attach filter into it, as well as to your heating equipment to remove allergens from the air.

4. Do away with smoking. It is said that tobacco and smog are known to cause irritation of our sinus linings leading to awful drainage of mucus and cause congestion as well.

5. Do away with alcohol. Alcoholic drinks especially beer is said to cause swelling of nasal and sinus membranes thus exposing them to infection and irritation.

6. Do away with travelling by air. Travelling by air may cause problem for those suffering from chronic sinus allergies. This is so because a bubble of air within the body tends to expand as the air pressure in the plane decreases. This expansion of air causes pressure on the tissue and can block the tube connecting ear to pharynx. This will lead discomfort in the sinuses or in the middle air during the ascent and descent of the plane. However, if air travel is unavoidable, consult your doctor before your flight to avoid inconvenience.

7. Drink lots of water and juices. It is believed that water helps increase the amount of moisture in our body as well as helps in preventing congestion and thins the mucus for appropriate drainage.

8. Avoid swimming and diving but take hot showers and steam inhalation. People with sinus infection may not like to swim in a chlorine-treated pool because it may irritate the lining of the nose and sinuses. And those who dive often experience congestion resulting in a sinus infection because the water enters the sinuses. Instead, take hot showers and do the steam inhalation because these may help loosen your mucus and moisten your throat for proper drainage.

9. Observe proper hygiene. The most common causes of sinus infection are bacteria and virus. It is recommended to wash your hands with soap and water as frequently as possible. As you see, everything around us is contaminated with germs. Thus, washing your hands all the time is very important especially if we in contact with people with flu.

10. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and reduce consumption of dairy products. Eating fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants and other chemicals could help improve your immune system and help your body defend against infect ion. Also, do away, if not, reduce eating dairy products because it causes to restrict your nasal passages and clot your mucus resulting to pain and headaches.

11. Avoid stress. You may not know it, but stress can worsen our sinus infection. So, if you have sinusitis before, stress may trigger it and makes it worse.

12. Go natural, go herbal. You may use natural way of preventing sinus infection by the use of homeopathy and herbal medicines as well as vitamin supplements.

These are 12 surefire ways to help prevent sinus infection. May this help in your battle with your clogged nose and irritating sinusitis.

12 Surefire Ways in Preventing Sinus Allergies

Baby Allergies

Milk Allergies in Infants and Children

Baby Allergies

Milk is very important part of the diet of infants and children. Milk provides both calcium and vitamin D which are essential for the growth and development of children. It is well understood that if infants and children do not have enough milk they will have serious health problems. From the time a person is born they begin to consume either mother's milk or other forms of milk. Mother's milk and formula both are made to provide all the essential nutrients an infant needs to grow and develop normally. Sometimes it becomes evident very early in the life of an infant that they have a problem with the milk they are receiving and may even be allergic to milk. This condition will need quick intervention to make sure the baby is not adversely affected.

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Interventions For Milk Allergies In Infants

Baby Allergies

The best thing a baby can be fed is their mother's milk. Most of the time when they are nursed by their mother they will have less allergies. Some of the times what the mother is eating causes problems for the baby. If a baby seems to be allergic to their mother's milk the mother should first change her diet. She should avoid gas producing foods and foods which may be irritating to the infant. If this does not relieve the symptoms in the baby the mother should speak with the pediatrician and consider switching to formula.

Baby Allergies

There are two primary formulas for infants. There is cow milk based and soy based formula. Many infants who are allergic to cow's milk will do great on soy milk. Both these types of formulas have the necessary ingredients to promote good health in the infant. If these types of milk do not work for the infant, a physician will need to prescribe a formula that will be able to nourish the infant that has the milk allergy. Most infants will grow out of the milk allergy in time and will be able to eat a normal diet.

Children With Milk Allergies

Some babies do not overcome their allergy to milk and as the child grows it becomes a more complex issue. Children with milk allergies will have many foods to avoid as they grow up. Milk is an ingredient in many products and even small amounts can sometimes cause an allergic reaction. Parents will need to learn what food products to avoid and will in turn need to teach their child. Because the Food and Drug Administration requires all ingredients to be listed on produced food it is easier for a parent to figure out which foods may cause a problem.

Milk Allergies in Infants and Children

Baby Allergies