• Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria; hives that erupt without warning

    There are some people who break out in hives and in medical parlance is called urticaria. Some know that it is because they are allergic to something they have eaten or have been exposed to through contact. There is another group of people for whom the association of cause and effect is not as clear…

  • Sunday House Call, #503, September 21, 2014

    Sunday House Call, #503, September 21, 2014   Topics today include: An interview with Allergist and Immunologist Dr Gordon Sussman on Chronic urticaria (hives) and new treatment options, your calls about hives and skin reactions, muscles cramps in the jaw and neck, and developing itch skin on the abdomen when running.  

  • Lice on mice makes the immune system nice!

    Original broadcast date: June 7, 2009 It may not be for the squeamish but in our hygiene-centric universe, the thought of parasites contributing to human health seems foreign and for some, repulsive. Recent research presents interesting biological mechanisms within this host-parasite relationship that can regulate or influence our immune system. In the April 22, 2009…

  • Blood allergy testing overrestricts children's diets

    Original broadcast date: May 31, 2009 How sensitive and specific are blood tests for food allergies? Are children’s diets being overly restricted on the basis of these tests? A study abstract published in the February 2009 edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology sought to answer these questions. Dr. David Fleischer, M.D.,  Division…

  • Link between bacteria and Crohn's disease hypothesized

    The investigation and research into the pathophysiology of Crohn’s disease, an autoimmune condition wherein the body’s own immune system attacks the gastrointestinal tract, has produced some hypotheses with respect to a possible mechanism that triggers the disease. An article published in the journal Medical Hypotheses, looked at the link between a specific bacterial strain and…

  • How some bacteria protect themselves from our immune system

    Ever since Dr. Barry Marshall from the University of Western Australia ingested the bacterium H. Pylori to prove that they were the cause of gastric ulcers for which was awarded the Nobel prize for Medicine in 2005, it seems that not all these bacteria are created equal in terms of their cancer–causing potential. Researchers from…

  • Immune system changes foreshadow Huntington's disease by 16 years

    Researchers from University College London have gained a new understanding of how changes in the immune system can foreshadow the expression of Huntington’s disease by 16 years. The research on this fatal neurodegenerative disease was published online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine and shed some light on possible therapies that would target the immune…

  • Same exposure, different allergic reactions. Why?

    Original broadcast date: January 13, 2008 Why do some people suffer a severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis while others do not when both are exposed to the same allergen? From a clinical standpoint, anaphylaxis can be difficult to diagnose because it is highly variable in its presentation and its signs and symptoms overlap with life-threatening…

  • New allergy treatment guidelines proposed

    Last November, the story of Quebec teen, Christina Desforges, made headlines around the world when reports suggested that she had died after kissing her boyfriend who had eaten peanut butter earlier that day. Desforges, who was peanut allergic, was also asthmatic. Her friends were unaware of her food allergy and that she carried an EpiPen.…