The growing problem of peanut allergies
AVOID BACK AND NECK SURGERY
Get relief now for back pain at Spine and Disc Center
Back and neck pain make the
simplest tasks nearly impossible.
You may be unable to
walk, bend, work, or drive as
turning your head to see the
car behind you — a function
we barely even think about
under normal conditions —
is not possible. This kind of
debilitating pain impacts the
quality of life.
It may be that you’ve tried
to get help. You may have already
seen doctors for traditional
medical and chiropractic
care, without results.
Perhaps it appears the only
possibility is surgery.
But this is not your only
option.
Dr. James DiGiuseppi DC
of the Spine and Disc Center of
Brooklyn has been treating patients
with these conditions for
more than 35 years, reinstating
their quality of life through nonsurgical
treatment. No spinal
injections or drugs are involved.
Instead, he utilizes decompression
therapy, a leading non-surgical,
alternative treatment for
serious neck and low back pain.
“This gentle treatment
method has been shown to
greatly reduce or eliminate
back and neck pain,” says
Dr. DiGiuseppi. “It has helped
people who are at the end of their
rope.”
COURIER L 40 IFE, JUNE 7–13, 2019 PS
Decompression therapy effectively
treats disabling low
back, neck, and radiating leg
and arm pain by reducing the
pressure on spinal nerves,
discs and joints.
“It renders quick, effective,
and amazing pain relief that
enables most patients to return
to a more active lifestyle,”
says the doctor. “There is a
98% success rate — and those
are pretty good odds.”
Research to develop this
procedure was conducted
by prominent physicians,
engineers, and technicians
at major teaching hospitals,
says Dr. DiGiuseppi, who is
trained in these methods.
The certification course was
designed by the leading expert
in spinal decompression,
Dr. Jay Kennedy, D.C.,
who taught doctors worldwide
and treated thousands
of patients using a variety
of decompression systems.
To gain certification involves
more than 40 hours
of instruction, including
hands-on training sessions,
followed by certification examinations.
“We are pleased that we
can serve our patients and
others in the community
with advanced spinal decompression
therapy,” says
Dr. DiGiuseppi.
Decompression therapy
begins with a series of sessions
that typically run three
or four times per week. It’s all
done while the patient is fully
clothed, either face down, or
face up, on the table. During
each of these sessions, electrical
muscle stimulation,
ultrasound, or therapeutic
laser may be applied to help
relax muscles and promote
further healing of injured tissues,
says the doctor. In addition,
patients may be asked
to complete specific exercises
designed to help strengthen
muscles.
People with spinal stenosis,
bulging, herniated, and
degenerative discs, pinched
nerves, and sciatica have
found relief through this
method.
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Health
Parents tend to be quite
familiar with food allergies.
In an effort to protect
youngsters, schools have
begun to crack down more
regularly on foods that tend
to cause allergic reactions,
often placing restrictions on
what children can bring in for
lunches or snacks.
Parents and children who
grew up around peanut and
tree nut allergies are quite
familiar with what triggers
allergic reactions associated
with such foods, and the potential
side effects of consuming
these foods. But those who
are less experienced with food
allergies may not know what
to expect.
According to the Mayo
Clinic, being allergic to peanuts
is one of the more common
food allergies, especially
among children. Many people
who are allergic to peanuts —
although not all, as are peanuts
are legumes, not nuts —
are also allergic to tree nuts,
including walnuts, almonds,
and pecans.
As with any allergen, reactions
vary from person to
person. Some may experience
mild symptoms, such as light
rashes or swelling, while others
may have severe reactions,
including anaphylactic shock,
which is characterized by
shortness of breath, a severe
drop in blood pressure, constriction
of airways, and potential
heart failure. According
to Spire Health Partners,
more than 3 million people in
the United States have a peanut
allergy, and one-third of
them will suffer from a severe
symptom if they ingest peanuts.
A peanut allergy occurs
when your body mistakenly
identifi es peanut proteins as
something that can be harmful.
Just as your body might
fi ght a cold, it releases chemicals
from the immune system
to fi ght off the peanut invader.
The number of kids with peanut
allergies has been increasing
over the last 10 to 15 years,
doubling in the last half-decade
alone. It isn’t known why
some people are prone to peanut
allergies while others are
not. However, Dr. Michael
C. Young, Assistant Clinical
Professor of Pediatrics at
Harvard Medical School and
a practicing pediatrician at
Children’s Hospital, has a few
ideas. Nursing mothers and
very young children are eating
more peanuts, particularly
in the form of peanut
butter, than ever before, something
that Young feels could
be causing a higher incidence
rate of peanut allergies. Young
also theorizes that better hygiene
may play a role, suggesting
that because children
have fewer infections (due to
improved hygiene and routine
immunizations), their immune
systems are more likely
to target other things, such as
foods and environmental factors,
resulting in allergies.
Although peanut allergies
are prevalent and can be dangerous,
there is no reason to
act rashly. Young notes that
approximately 20 percent of
children will outgrow their
peanut allergies by the age
of 6, and he advises that it is
worth having a child retested
as he gets older to gauge if
there have been any changes
in the status of the peanut allergy.
When dealing with peanut
allergies, it is important to
separate myths from facts:
Direct contact is the most
common cause of a reaction.
This results from eating
peanuts or foods that contain
peanuts. Cross-contamination,
which occurs when peanuts
unintentionally come
into contact with other foods,
is another common cause.
Some people can have a
reaction by touching peanuts
with their skin. A rash
may occur, but a very dangerous
reaction will not result
unless the peanuts enter the
mouth or come into contact
with the nose or eyes.
An allergic reaction can
occur from inhalation of
peanut dust. Peanut fl our or
ground shells can be problematic.
Aerosol cooking sprays
that contain peanut oil also
can produce a reaction.
Peanut proteins can be
detected in some people’s
saliva after eating peanuts.
The study done by Mount Sinai
School of Medicine in New
York found that a kiss could
transfer some of the peanut allergens
to another person.
Sometimes an allergy is
not really an allergy, but
rather an intolerance to a
certain food. A food intolerance
does not involve the immune
system. A person with a
food intolerance can eat small
amounts of the food with only
mild symptoms, such as indigestion,
rather than a severe
reaction with a true allergy.
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