Am I really allergic to my sunscreen or is it the sun???

Over past couple of decades we have seen increasing danger from our powerful sun and its UV rays to cause sunburns and skin cancer.  That is why it is so very important to have maximum protection that includes selecting a sunscreen that is effective and safe. 

“Suspicion of allergy to sun blocks are not uncommon concerns of patients”, according to David E. Cohen MD, MPH Director of Allergic, Occupational, and Environmental Dermatology at New York University School of Medicine. If you have a sunscreen reaction it can occur anywhere the lotion is applied.  Rarely, you may even have an allergy to the sun itself!

So, who is most likely to be allergic to their sunscreen?

First, those exposed to sun on a regular basis, allergic persons (i.e eczema), people who work outdoors, as well as women as they are more likely exposed to cosmetics that contain sunscreen.  Sunscreen allergy is estimated to be about 1% of all skin allergies. Some of the more common triggers may be from the fragrance and/or preservatives in a sunscreen lotion. 

There are 2 types of sunscreens; one is a “chemical absorber” that acts as a sponge to block UV radiation from affecting skin. Whatever product you ultimately choose, a simple allergy patch test can identify if you are allergic or will react to the agent chosen.  “Patch testing would be helpful in distinguishing the specific item that may be causing the allergic reaction”, according to Dr. Cohen, “when a chemical sun block allergy is suspected, physical sun blocks that contain titanium or zinc may be helpful”. 

Dr. Clifford W. Bassett is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Long Island College Hospital and on the faculty of NYU School of Medicine.  He is the current vice chair for public education committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.  No information in this blog is intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

The release of the “Sex and the City: The Movie” has a Trekkie aspect to it — something like the reverence with which fans of “Star Trek” greet each new installment.
As many as 70 percent of women who say they will be seeing the movie will also be attending social gatherings inspired by the release, at which they can debate the series’ best and worst moments, shake their heads at the brashness of the characters and don the fashions made famous by “City” designers, ie. Manolo Blahnik shoes.
The fans will be, by and large, women who have never traveled the orbits of the characters — the storied streets of Manhattan made that much more alluring by the bold sexuality of Carrie and Company.  

 They don’t swap war stories about one-night stands or joke with one another over dinner about male anatomy or talk openly about what they find most erotic.  In fact, the dialogue in the series is so “out-of –this-world” that nearly every woman I’ve asked has admitted she would be appalled if a close friend of hers spoke or acted like she were a “Sex and the City” character. 

“I’d have her hospitalized,” one joked.

Sex turns out not to be the reality that drew so many American women to HBO and will draw them to movie screens; just as the fight against Klingon warriors isn’t the core drama of “Star Trek.”  Confronting the unknown with courage and principle was the fuel for journeys to galaxies far, far away.  And the search for love, not sexual escapades, is the fuel that powered “Sex and the City” to the stratosphere. 

The fact that Manhattan, as portrayed in the series, is an alternate universe makes it the perfect backdrop.  It isn’t too threatening because it isn’t so close to the homes most Americans know.  The fact that the sexual banter is outrageously overboard makes it “unreal” and thus, something to laugh about, rather than be offended or frustrated by.

What’s “real” about “Sex and the City” hits much closer to home:
- Many millions of American women (and men) who have never sipped Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity are indeed searching for true intimacy in their marriages — and in their friendships

- It’s the fact that finding your heart and sharing it takes courage and can take half a lifetime (or longer)

- Real human adventure is the journey toward understanding one another and oneself, while empathizing with our friends and finding the sustaining connections that allow us to build ‘families’ with one another. 
As fun as the trip to a fantasy Manhattan can be on the Starship Carrie, the underlying hopes and worries and possibilities that the series speak to are quite real. 

And inspiration for the worthy search for love and understanding will be what many viewers take home with them.

Dr. Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel. He is the New York Times best-selling author of Living the Truth: Transform Your Life Through the Power of Insight and Honesty. Visit his Web site at www.livingthetruth.com.

James O’Neal compares himself to John Hurt’s character in the 1980 film “The Elephant Man.”

A genetic disease known as neurofibromatosis has left O’Neal’s face horribly disfigured, but several surgeries may be able to reconstruct his facial features; it is being reported by KOMONews.com.

O’Neal, of Kirkland, Wash., said he knows his deformity is shocking – but he refuses to hide like other people with his disorder.

“I just tell people this is who I am, it’s the way I am,” O’Neal told KOMO. “If you don’t like me, you don’t like me.”

A baffling phenomenon known as sudden infant death syndrome is one of the leading causes of death for children under 1. Now, British researchers say they may have found a contributing factor: bacteria.

They found potentially dangerous bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli in nearly half of all babies who died suddenly and without explanation over a decade at a London hospital. Their findings are in Friday’s Lancet medical journal.

“This may be another piece to the puzzle,” said Marian Willinger, a SIDS expert at the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development who was not connected to the British study.

A woman in a northern Australian city gave birth to a healthy baby girl after a rare full-term ectopic pregnancy, a hospital official said Friday.

Meera Thangarajah, 34, had no symptoms or complications during her pregnancy, so doctors performing a routine Caesarean section Thursday were shocked to find that the baby had developed in the ovary rather than the uterus.

An ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg develops outside of the uterus, usually miscarries or is terminated by doctors because of the threat it can cause to the mother.

Baby Durga weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and both she and her mother are healthy, said Robyn Cahill, general manager of the Darwin Private Hospital.

“We’re calling it a miracle,” Cahill told The Associated Press.

A 9-year-old girl is battling an array of illnesses while her parents are fighting the family’s deportation, worried that the child wouldn’t receive good medical care outside the United States.

Lil Mejia was born in 1998 in the Dominican Republic following a difficult pregnancy. She stopped breathing shortly after birth, and seizures and pneumonia followed. She weighed less than 15 pounds on her first birthday.

Six years later, after many medical complications, her parents obtained temporary visas and brought Lil to Grand Rapids, where doctors at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital stabilized her condition: a rare combination of severe asthma, allergies, chronic lung disease and hormone deficiencies.

Now that their visas have expired, deportation proceedings could force the Mejia family to leave the country. They were relieved when a hearing set for this month in Detroit was postponed, giving them more time to build their case.

“I don’t have words to say how much my daughter means to me,” Giselle Mejia, 33, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Wednesday. “We gave up everything for her.”

Doctors in Manhattan have given a 15-year-old girl born with a tumorous birth defect a normal life. After performing 18 procedures on Cody Hall of England, surgeons have made her one-time facial deformity virtually non-existent.

Q:  I’m confused about the difference between whole wheat and whole grain? I thought that whole grain was supposed to be better. But, recently I bought some whole wheat rolls that had 5g of fiber, and the whole grain rolls had only 3g of fiber per serving. Isn’t more fiber better? What gives?

A:  Having “whole grains” is one of the most popular marketing claims and the most confusing.  Lately it seems that you can find “made with whole grains” on almost all products, including sugary breakfast cereal. But don’t confuse “whole grain” with “whole wheat.”  The impression may be that “whole grain” is a good source of fiber.  In reality, refined white flour (no fiber) — with just a touch of whole wheat flour added back in — can be listed as “whole grain.”  That’s why many items that say “made with whole grains” have virtually no fiber.

Instead, look for products made from 100 percent whole wheat. If “whole wheat flour” is not the first ingredient, skip it. It’s the whole wheat flour that contains fiber. Fiber is essential for weight management (it keeps you feeling full on few calories) and for reducing the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, adult onset diabetes, breast and colon cancer.

Q:  How safe are organically grown foods? Aren’t some of the chemicals we use for our protection? On both crops and on livestock?

A:  Organically grown foods are just as safe as non-organic foods found in your local markets. What makes a food organic is that is was produced without using conventional pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients, or radiation. The USDA had developed strict labeling rules to help consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy. Look for the USDA Organic seal on produce and food containers.

Food that isn’t organic does not pose a danger to your health. The USDA spends billions of dollars on testing to make sure that the chemicals and fertilizers used to grow produce and to feed to livestock do not pose any health threats to the public. Whether you buy organic or not is a personal decision. Just keep in mind that the healthiest diets are based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low fat dairy items. Eating organic potato chips is not going to help you lose weight!

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com. 

A roadside toilet stop ended in pain, embarrassment and almost death for a tourist when a highly venomous snake bit the end of his private parts.

The deadly brown snake slithered between the unnamed victim’s legs and lunged at his groin area as he crouched on a roadside near Laura, Australia, which is 186 miles northwest of Cairns. (Continue)

Matthew Blackwell’s heart is being held together by the tissues of a pig and a cow.

In the three years Matthew has been alive, he has been through two open heart surgeries, one of them the Norwood/Rastelli procedure, which has only been performed a few times in the world; it is being reported by stuff.co.nz.

Soon after his birth, Matthew’s parents were told he had a congenital heart defect, but doctors wanted to try the risky, eight-hour surgery. (Continue)