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Want Relief from Eye Allergies? Here’s What You Need to Know

2020-03-31T08:01:00

(BPT) – Spring is finally here, and while we say hello to lush green grass, flowers in bloom and leaves on trees, for many it means the start of seasonal allergies. With nearly 66 million (1 in 5) Americans suffering from eye allergies and struggling with how to get the right relief they need, it’s difficult to enjoy the warm and sunny weather when it can also mark the beginning of sneezing, coughing, runny noses and the dreaded itchy allergy eyes.[1-4]

If you are experiencing itchy allergy eyes this season, chances are they are reacting to pollen produced by grasses, weeds and trees.

The good news is there are things you can do, and things you should avoid, to reduce your itchy eyes due to allergies — according to nationally-recognized allergy expert, Dr. Tania Elliott.

DO wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses outdoors to protect your eyes from airborne pollen.

DO keep your contact lenses clean during allergy season. Cleaning contacts frequently or wearing daily contact lenses that you dispose of each day can allow you to wear contacts throughout the season.[5]

DO use an effective, FDA approved over-the-counter eye drop. Alcon’s Pataday® eye allergy itch relief drops provide long-lasting, prescription-strength relief for itchy allergy eyes. They contain the number one doctor prescribed active ingredient (olopatadine) and are now available without a prescription as Pataday® Once Daily Relief or Pataday® Twice Daily Relief.[6-7]

DO put allergy eye drops in BEFORE applying makeup. Using eye allergy drops beforehand provides itchy allergy eye relief at the beginning of your beauty routine. Avoid false eyelashes or glue, as well as sticky beauty products like hairspray and lotions, which may be more susceptible to trapping pollen.

DO keep windows shut during peak pollen hours, which are mid-morning and early evening.[8] Keeping your car windows closed while driving can also help.

DON’T hang laundry outside, especially bed linens, as they may collect pollen. Make sure to frequently wash bedding or linens in hot water, especially those that come in contact with your face and eyes — such as pillowcases and washcloths. Invest in good anti-allergy pillow covers and a mattress cover, and take a shower to wash the pollen out of your hair before bed.

DON’T rub your eyes, no matter how itchy they feel. You may end up scratching your cornea.[9] Instead, hold a clean cold washcloth on your eyes for several minutes to help soothe irritation.[10]

This allergy season you may be questioning whether what you are experiencing is an allergy or a virus, including COVID-19. The first step is to consult your doctor.

If you experience persistent eye allergy symptoms, talk to your doctor about taking an allergy test to learn about the allergens that you react to the most. Knowing these allergens can help you avoid them in your daily life — so you can make the most of your day!

[1] Gomes PJ. Trends in prevalence and treatment of ocular allergy. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014; 14: 451-456.

[2] Singh, K, Axelrod S, Bielory L. The epidemiology of ocular and nasal allergy in the United States, 1988-1994.

[3] US Population Census 2019. 6. Nielsen Household Panel Data Feb. 2019.

[4] Nielsen Latest 52 weeks 2/6/2019.

[5] Urgacz A, Mrukwa E, Gawlik R. Adverse events in allergy sufferers wearing contact lenses. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2015;32(3):204-9. doi:10.5114/pdia.2015.48071

[6] PATADAY® [package insert]. Fort Worth, TX: Alcon.; 2010.

[7] Alcon. Data on file. 2019.

[8] Eye Allergy Diagnosis and Treatment. American Academy of Ophthalmology. aao.org/eye-health/diseases/allergies-diagnosis. Accessed February 2020.

[9] 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Rub Your Eyes. Cleveland Clinic. health.clevelandclinic.org/3-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-rub-your-eyes/. Accessed February 2020.

[10] Tips to Help You Tackle Eye Allergies. WebMD. webmd.com/eye-health/ss/slideshow-eye-allergies.



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Coughing Shouldn’t Be Routine: Knowing When to Talk to Your Doctor

2020-03-31T08:31:00

(BPT) – While personal health and wellness are important, it’s not always easy to find time to make it a priority. Even during busy days, pausing for just a moment to reflect on how you are feeling can be helpful, especially for those living with a chronic lung condition.

If you have previously been diagnosed with a lung condition – such as bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or asthma – respiratory symptoms, including a persistent cough, shortness of breath and/or fatigue, may begin to feel routine and expected. However, Dr. Deborah Levine, Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Medical Director of lung transplantation at UT Health San Antonio, explains that these symptoms could point to another underlying lung condition. If you are being treated for a respiratory disease and your symptoms haven’t been resolved, or are worsening, this could be a sign of a chronic and progressive lung infection called Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease. MAC lung disease can be a serious condition and occur by itself or along with other chronic lung diseases.

MAC lung disease is the most common form of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease, a serious condition, that is caused by bacteria that are common in the environment. The bacteria are aerosolized, which means that they exist in water and soil particles that are in the air and breathed in. Although everyone comes into contact with MAC bacteria during their daily lives, most people do not develop MAC lung disease because their lungs are healthy enough to clear the bacteria. However, those with underlying lung conditions like bronchiectasis, COPD, and asthma are at greater risk.

Dr. Levine encourages you to be an advocate for your health asking your doctor whether you should be tested for MAC lung disease, based on your symptoms and/or progression of your respiratory condition. To guide these discussions, Dr. Levine provides tips to help navigate conversations with your doctor throughout the diagnosis and treatment journey.

Talk to Your Doctor About Symptoms that Won’t Go Away

Dr. Levine notes that some people, like those with a history of lung conditions, are at an increased risk for MAC lung disease because the damage from these conditions can make it easier for MAC to infect their lungs. Therefore, it is critical to be open with your doctor about your symptoms, the impact they are having on your life, and your medical history.

If your doctor suspects you may have MAC lung disease, ask if you should be tested or referred to a specialist (such as a pulmonologist or infectious disease specialist) for testing, as not all types of doctors have experience treating this type of infection. Testing for MAC lung disease typically includes a physical exam, a review of your medical history, collecting a sputum (mucus) culture and doing chest imaging (i.e., CT scan).

Maintain an Open Dialogue if Diagnosed

If you or a loved one is diagnosed with MAC lung disease, your doctor will work with you to determine the best care path forward. Treatment will be determined based on your current health status, medical history, and the strain of bacteria you contracted, among other factors.

The treatment of MAC lung disease involves the consideration of both antibiotic regimens as well as lifestyle changes, such as airway clearance techniques, diet changes and ways to reduce your exposure to MAC bacteria. If an antibiotic therapy is recommended, you will likely be prescribed a guideline-recommended multidrug therapy. This means that you will take more than one medication at the same time. These medicines work together to attack the MAC bacteria in different ways.

According to Dr. Levine, ongoing conversations with your doctor should include discussions about symptom changes, to help determine if the treatment is working.

If your doctor determines that you are not responding to the multidrug therapy, meaning you are still testing positive for MAC, the doctor may consider adding ARIKAYCE® (amikacin liposome inhalation suspension) to your current antibiotic regimen.

ARIKAYCE is the first and only FDA-approved treatment designed specifically to treat MAC lung disease as part of a combination antibacterial drug treatment plan in adult patients who did not respond to a previous combination antibacterial drug treatment alone.

This product was approved by FDA using the Limited Population pathway. This means FDA has approved this drug for a limited and specific patient population.

ARIKAYCE is an inhaled antibiotic you take with a nebulizer. It is different from other inhaled antibiotics because the amikacin is contained inside tiny particles called liposomes. When you inhale ARIKAYCE, the liposomes containing the medicine travel into your lungs. Once inside the lungs, they release the medicine to fight the infection.

Speak with your doctor about MAC lung disease and potential treatment options. For more information on ARIKAYCE visit ARIKAYCE.com.

Stay on Top of Your Health

Keep the above in mind as you set aside time each day to check in with your body. Staying in tune with how you’re feeling, especially if diagnosed with a chronic lung condition like MAC lung disease, can help you be an advocate for your health. And don’t forget to talk to your doctor about how you’re feeling so you can work together to identify a care path that is right for you.

ARIKAYCE can cause serious side effects, including:

  • allergic inflammation of the lungs. These respiratory problems may be symptoms of allergic inflammation of the lungs and often come with fever, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and fast breathing
  • coughing up of blood (hemoptysis). Coughing up blood is a serious and common side effect of ARIKAYCE
  • severe breathing problems. Severe breathing problems can be symptoms of bronchospasm. Bronchospasm is a serious and common side effect of ARIKAYCE. Bronchospasm symptoms include shortness of breath, difficult or labored breathing, wheezing, and coughing or chest tightness
  • worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is a serious and common side effect of ARIKAYCE

While using ARIKAYCE, these side effects may become serious enough that treatment in a hospital is needed. Call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you have any of these serious side effects while taking ARIKAYCE. Your healthcare provider may ask you to stop using ARIKAYCE for a short period of time or completely stop using ARIKAYCE.

Do not use ARIKAYCE if you are allergic to any aminoglycoside, or any of the ingredients in ARIKAYCE.

Before using ARIKAYCE, tell your healthcare provider about all medical conditions, including if you:

  • have asthma, COPD, shortness of breath, or wheezing (bronchospasm)
  • have been told you have poor lung function
  • have hearing problems, such as ringing in your ears or hearing loss
  • have dizziness or a sense of the room spinning
  • have kidney problems
  • have neuromuscular disease, such as myasthenia gravis
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if ARIKAYCE can harm your unborn baby. ARIKAYCE is in a class of medicines that may be connected with complete deafness in babies at birth. The deafness affects both ears and cannot be changed
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if the medicine in ARIKAYCE passes into your breast milk and if it can harm your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment with ARIKAYCE

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription medicines and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

ARIKAYCE may cause serious side effects, including:

  • hearing loss or ringing in the ears (ototoxicity). Ototoxicity is a serious and common side effect of ARIKAYCE. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have hearing loss or you hear noises in your ears, such as ringing or hissing. Tell your healthcare provider if you start having problems with balance or dizziness (vertigo)
  • worsening kidney problems (nephrotoxicity). ARIKAYCE is in a class of medicines which may cause worsening kidney problems. Your healthcare provider may do a blood test to check how well your kidneys are working during your treatment with ARIKAYCE
  • worsening muscle weakness (neuromuscular blockade). ARIKAYCE is in a class of medicines which can cause muscle weakness to get worse in people who already have problems with muscle weakness (myasthenia gravis)

The most common side effects of ARIKAYCE include: changes in voice and hoarseness (dysphonia), sore throat, diarrhea, muscle pain, nausea, tiredness (fatigue), fever, vomiting, headache, decreased weight, increased sputum, rash, chest discomfort, or cough during or after a dose of ARIKAYCE, especially in the first month after starting treatment.

These are not all of the possible side effects of ARIKAYCE. Call your doctor or pharmacist for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

What is ARIKAYCE?

ARIKAYCE is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with refractory (difficult to treat) Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease as part of a combination antibacterial drug treatment plan (regimen).

It is not known if ARIKAYCE is safe and effective in children younger than 18 years of age.

This product was approved by FDA using the Limited Population pathway. This means FDA has approved this drug for a limited and specific patient population, and studies on the drug may have only answered focused questions about its safety and effectiveness.

Please see full Prescribing Information at ARIKAYCE.com.

For important questions to ask your doctor about ARIKAYCE, and tips on how to make the most of your next appointment, see here for a discussion guide. You can also find the study results at ARIKAYCE.com.

Sponsored by Insmed Incorporated.


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Eggs Beyond Breakfast? Yup. Here’s How!

2020-03-31T13:01:01

(BPT) – Eggs are a classic breakfast food — and for good reason! They are loaded with high-quality vitamins and good fats, making them one of the most nutritious foods in the world. But eggs aren’t just for breakfast. You can add their superfood nutrition to just about any recipe, any time of day.

Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner shares five ways to add more eggs to your life, beyond breakfast.

“The first and most important thing to do is to buy the highest quality ingredients. Not all eggs are created equal. Eggland’s Best eggs contain superior nutrition compared to ordinary eggs. With 25% less saturated fat, 10 times more vitamin E, six times more vitamin D, and double the omega-3s, adding Eggland’s Best to your grocery list is a simple way to boost nutrition any time of day,” says Blatner.

Here are five ways we can all add more eggs to our life:

1. Lunch kit — Make a quick and balanced lunch for adults or kids by whipping up a simple egg salad and pairing with whole grain crackers, grapes and cucumber slices in a container. Swap in different crackers, fruits and veggies to keep things interesting.

2. Midday snack — When afternoon hunger hits, eggs are a nutrient-packed snack that can keep you feeling fuller longer, keeping your nutrition goals on track. For a convenient, on-the-go snack, try Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs from Eggland’s Best, which offer essential vitamins and nutrients without the hassle of boiling and peeling eggs at home.

3. Sheet pan supper — In need of a quick, fool-proof dinner that’ll please the whole family? Try baking a large batch of scrambled eggs on a sheet pan. Add all your family’s favorite mix-ins like veggies or cheese and you’ll have a meal in minutes. Serve with chicken sausage links, whole grain toast and fresh fruit for a lighter take on breakfast for dinner.

4. Party food — Eggs make a great addition to a party menu, from mini quiche to deviled eggs. When making classic deviled eggs, swap in mashed avocado for the mayo to get extra nutrition.

5. Fuel for fitness — Eggs are a perfect pre- or post-workout snack. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium for strong bones, while omega-3s soothe muscles during recovery. Eggland’s Best eggs contain six times more vitamin D and more than double the omega-3s, making them the best egg to incorporate into your healthy snack.

To upgrade a classic quiche to enjoy any time of day, try this Spinach Quiche with Turkey Bacon & Goat Cheese from Eggland’s Best:

Spinach Quiche with Turkey Bacon & Goat Cheese

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 40 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust
1 cup fresh baby spinach, washed and chopped
5 Eggland’s Best eggs (large)
3 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup fat-free half & half

Preparation

Prepare pie crust according to package instructions, using a 9″ deep-dish pie pan.
When finished pre-cooking crust according to package instructions, remove from oven and cool slightly.
While crust is cooking, prepare quiche ingredients.
Cook turkey bacon until crispy. Drain, cool and chop into small pieces.
Thoroughly wash baby spinach leaves and pat completely dry. Chop and mix with bacon pieces.
Crumble goat cheese and set aside.
Mix eggs, salt, pepper, milk and half & half together in a small bowl.
Add spinach, bacon and goat cheese. Blend well.
Add egg mixture to pie crust and return to oven for 35-40 minutes or until eggs are completely set.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing & serving.

For more recipe inspiration, visit EgglandsBest.com.


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Colic, diaper rash, allergies and more: Why infant gut health is key to a healthier baby

2020-03-31T14:01:00

(BPT) – When you become a parent, there are many things you expect and some you just can’t anticipate. You’ll probably be overwhelmed with how much you can love a tiny human, you’ll realize new levels of exhaustion as you wake up all night long for feedings and changing diapers and you’ll have a new favorite subject that you’ve never discussed before: poop.

This is for good reason, as the color, the consistency and the texture of poop can be good indicators of your child’s health. Your baby’s poop can actually serve as a window into what’s happening in their gut, the balance of good and bad bacteria that are present and serve as an early indicator of potential health issues down the road. If baby is pooping too little or too much and its appearance is outside the norm, it’s important for parents to understand why this is happening and how healthy their baby’s gut really is.

Infant gut health is changing

Everybody has good and bad bacteria in their digestive tract. In fact, you might take a probiotic supplement yourself to support the growth of good bacteria. Historically, newborns received much of this good bacteria from their mothers during the birthing process. However, due to the significant rise of c-sections and the use of antibiotics, many new moms are unable to directly transfer a key strain of good bacteria to their baby called B. infantis.

B. infantis is a specific type of good bacteria that’s beneficial to babies because it supports digestion and proper immune development, while also crowding out the bad bacteria in their gut. Studies show that more than 90% of newborns are no longer acquiring B infantis naturally, and without it, bad bacteria will thrive in their gut. These bad bacteria create higher risk for both short-term issues like colic, eczema, and diaper rash along with long-term conditions such as allergies, diabetes, and more.

Proactive steps for parents

If you notice a change in your baby’s poop, it’s important to talk with your pediatrician about your concerns. Wellness visits are an ideal time to discuss issues as well, but if you don’t have one in the near future, reach out to your pediatrician to schedule a time to discuss.

While speaking with your doctor or another member of the health care team, bring up concerns about baby’s digestive health and ask about the role of the gut microbiome. For instance, data now show that when bad bacteria thrive in the infant gut, baby may experience more frequent loose watery stools, show signs of colic, or develop diaper rash. Since bad bacteria in baby’s gut can cause the pH of their stool to increase, it’s important to ask your doctor about getting a fecal pH test for your child as a simple indicator of their gut microbiome. Recently, an updated reference range for healthy infant stool pH has been established, given the emerging data on this topic.

Baby probiotics can help

Probiotics are living microorganisms, the good bacteria that live mostly in your gut. There are many types of probiotics that are marketed for babies, but Evivo is the only one that contains B. infantis EVC001, which is clinically proven to reduce bad gut bacteria by 80%. B. infantis is the key beneficial bacteria that babies require in their gut for proper gut health.

By ensuring B. infantis is present in your baby’s gut, it helps your baby to fully digest the nutrients he or she is receiving, lowers the pH of baby’s gut to limit the growth of bad bacteria and protects your baby from developing colic, diaper rash and other health conditions later in life.

Be proactive and talk to your child’s pediatrician or health care team today. Consider the benefits of probiotics and B. infantis, in particular. To learn more, please visit www.evivo.com.


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Three Ways AI and Smart Tech Can Help Us Work More Efficiently at Home

2020-03-31T15:09:00

(BPT) – Common Dilemmas of Working from Home and How AI Can Help

As more people work from home in lieu of commuting to crowded corporate offices, people are in their homes in greater numbers than ever before balancing both job-related tasks and home responsibilities. From sticking to a set work schedule to allocating a certain area of the house as a home office, people are thinking of interesting and useful ways to better their experience when working from home.

Thankfully, the tech industry’s leading players have been hard at work finding new and inventive ways to make home life more convenient. Laptops and webcams aren’t the only devices you need; from voice-control to personalized performance, the latest AI tech and smart solutions are making it possible to get more accomplished with a lot less effort, and without ever setting foot outside the front door.

Here are a few solutions that may help us be more effective when home also happens to be our office:

1. Finding it hard to focus at home? Use AI speakers as your personal assistant!

Shifting from a bustling office to the peace and quiet of your own home (when the kids aren’t around) can be a relaxing and refreshing change, but it can also make it difficult to stay focused. Research shows that changing out of pajamas and into smart-casual clothing and setting up a dedicated, well-lit workstation can help keep you on-task and productive. One of the most effective solutions is to allocate a certain area of the house as your home office — and it doesn’t have to be simply isolating yourself in a room for less distractions. Get creative and change the atmosphere around you using today’s tech to the fullest.

If you find yourself struggling, why not ask your AI speaker — like the LG XBOOM AIThinQ — to play some white noise, café sounds, or whatever type of music helps you to concentrate. Take advantage of services like Spotify to set up playlists and stations that create the right soundtrack for your working day, and for when you’re off the clock. Noise-cancelling headphones can also prove to be useful for those who prefer to work in silence, while smart lighting systems can help maintain a sense of work-life balance by switching to bright during office hours, and to dim for the all-important coffee break and after-work movie.

Voice-controllable AI speakers like the LG XBOOM AIThinQ especially come in handy when you have your hands full — both figuratively and literally. When you’re busy grabbing a snack or writing up a report, just ask your AI speaker: “Can you turn on the air conditioner for me?” or “How long do I have until the conference call?” Even without being asked, your AI speaker can remind you of important deadlines or meetings to keep you on top of everything even from home.

2. What about the kids? Keep them busy with AI-recommended programs and features!

Working at home with children can be difficult. Focusing on a pressing report can be a struggle while trying to attend to your children, not to mention the laundry, dishes and dust all vying for your urgent attention. Before the stress becomes too much, consider this more peaceful scenario:

You’re making great progress on your work as your smart appliances deal with the dishes, laundry and dusty floors. You take a quick peek in the living room and there are the kids, sitting quietly in front of the TV, enjoying fun, age-appropriate entertainment that you didn’t even have to search for. AI-infused TVs like the LG OLED ThinQ AI TV can deliver tailored recommendations based on viewers’ age and their previous viewing choices. What’s more, you won’t even have to worry about the remote getting lost or broken, since voice control and LG’s platform-wide search function make finding great content easy for everyone.

Your children may have responsibilities of their own, which can be difficult for them to do when there’s a TV in the room. Helping your kids focus on homework or reading, the latest smart TVs can transform into a virtual gallery displaying a restful landscape, beautiful artwork or roaring fireplace, which adds a new dimension to your living room and elevates the ambience to help you and your children be more productive.

3. Scrambling to keep tidy and get your work done? Connect your AI-powered appliances for ultimate smart control!

Working at the office isn’t easy with project deadlines, client meetings and constant phone calls. But working at home isn’t all fun and games either, dealing with all this and household chores that keep piling on. It’s easy to feel like you have to be a multitasking machine to stay on top of everything, but when you can control your appliances with the single click of a button or a simple voice command, multitasking really isn’t all that hard.

Today’s smart technology can connect everything in the home, from your lights and TVs to the thermostat and robot vacuum. Virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant let you control them all with just your voice, as do convenient smartphone apps. For instance, with the LG ThinQ app, you can remotely control, schedule and monitor a whole range of LG appliances — such as the washer, dryer, robotic vacuum and air conditioner — with a touch of a finger or simple voice command.

Simply check how long is left on your wash cycle with your phone and receive alerts when the cycle is complete. The LG ThinQ app even informs you when it’s time to empty your robot vacuum and lets you set its daily cleaning schedule, and lets you adjust and monitor the temperature of every room with your LG smart air conditioner.

This level of control enables you to quickly take care of several chores on your to-do list and still have time to spare before that conference call begins. And for added peace of mind, LG smart appliances can also tell you when it’s time to clean filters, order more detergent and even if you left your refrigerator door open.

Keep calm and stay smart

Working from home can be difficult to manage, but with tech companies introducing a range of innovative solutions to make life indoors more efficient, there’s plenty of room in the home for both productivity and relaxation.

With the latest smart home technologies at your disposal, that report is as good as done.

To learn how AI can help you work smarter at home, visit https://www.lg.com/us/lg-thinq.

Please follow your state and local government directions to stay at home and practice smart social distancing.