Oral Allergy Syndrome

Are you allergic to certain foods?  My wife is. She is allergic to most fruits and vegetables. Sounds crazy doesn’t it. People who suffer from allergies to foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, and who have their allergic reactions largely in the mouth may be suffering from something called Oral Allergy Syndrome.  The term Oral Allergy Syndrome was first used in 1987 and, at that time, referred to people who had pollen sensitivity as well.  Now the term can be used to describe anyone with food allergies, who have symptoms in the mouth, regardless of pollen sensitivity.  Patients with this type of allergy will generally have a feeling of burning or itching in the oral cavity or throat as well as, possibly, the ear canal.  Diagnosis is often made though taking a thorough history, and then reintroducing the foods one at a time after they have been eliminated from the diet to see if, in fact, they cause a reaction.  Come to find out my wife isn't as wierd as I thought. The diagnosis is actually quite common among food-related allergies.

Prescriptions online?

We can buy so many things online these days.  A handbag, a pair of running shoes, a new watch and the list goes on.  So what about prescription drugs, can they be bought online as well?  The answer is yes, they can.  It can be done legally, and with the expectation that what will be delivered will be the correct product.  Now, having said all that, it is also true that prescription drugs can be sold or bought online illegally.  So how do you know what’s legal and what’s not?  The FDA provides some guidelines to help you as you try to decipher if the website your considering buying from is legitimate or not.  These include: buy in the U.S. only, don’t buy if they don’t require a prescription, and look for understandable privacy and security policies to name a few.  The bottom line is, before making a purchase you should carefully research who you are buying your prescriptions from.

Tecfidera—a new pill for MS

On Wednesday (3/27/13) Biogen announced the FDA approval of its new oral medication for multiple sclerosis (MS), which it will call Tecfidera^TM.  Its chemical name is dimethyl fumarate, and it was formerly called BG-12.  Tecfidera^TM is an oral medication, unlike Biogen’s current offerings of Avonex^TM and Tysabri^TM, which are both injections.  It is, however, not the first oral MS medication.  Novartis has Gilenya^TM and Sanofi produces Aubagio^TM.  One of the things that have set this medication apart is that its most common side effects were only flushing and certain GI events like diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain.  It’s conceivable that this medication will become the new main pill on the market.  Allowing MS suffers an easier and safer way to manage their disease.