What are hives? Hives are red, itchy welts or swellings on the skin that often come in clusters. They sometimes have a light red or pale center surrounded by a darker red area around the borders -- a marking resembling tiny bull's eyes -- but may simply look like large red circles. In doctor speak, hives are known as "urticaria." Hives can appear anywhere on the body, cropping up either in one sm...

• Sarah Henry
• |
• March 11, 2013
• |
• Full Page
• • Allergies: Misc. Emergencies / First Aid

Allergies are a highly individualized form of misery. Some people turn into an itchy, drippy wreck whenever they're around cats, while others can't get within 100 yards of ragweed in the spring. Still others have allergies to food so severe that a peanut or other substance can send them to the emergency room with a life-threatening reaction. Meanwhile, some people barely notice their allergies and...

• Chris Woolston, M.S.
• |
• March 11, 2013
• |
• Full Page
• • Allergies: Food Allergies: Misc. Allergies: Nasal Doctors

What are food allergies? Some bodies -- especially young ones -- react to certain foods as they would to dangerous intruders. Their immune systems unleash a barrage of chemicals against proteins in these foods, causing the misery known as an allergic reaction. If you or your spouse has ever suffered from a food allergy, there's a good chance your child will too. About 5 percent of children under...

• Chris Woolston, M.S.
• |
• March 11, 2013
• |
• Full Page
• • Allergies: Food Allergies: Misc. Kids' Ailments Kids: Misc.

Your head feels like someone stuffed it full of old socks. Your eyes are so red and itchy you're afraid to leave the house without eye drops. The ache in your cheeks lets you know that your sinuses are involved, too. But you hang on for yet another week without calling your doctor, thinking that hay fever season couldn't possibly last much longer. First, the bad news: For many people, allergy se...

• Melanie Haiken
• |
• March 11, 2013
• |
• Full Page
• • Allergies: Misc.

Mold. It grows on bathroom walls, it makes basements smell bad, and it ruins perfectly good loaves of bread. And if you're allergic to it, there's a good chance that mold will add to your misery. The spores from common molds function much like the pollen from ragweed. If you inhale the spores, you could get a case of allergic rhinitis, otherwise known as hay fever -- an unpleasant combination of ...

• Chris Woolston, M.S.
• |
• March 11, 2013
• |
• Full Page
• • Allergies: Misc. Asthma

Allergies are a highly individualized form of misery. Some people turn into an itchy, drippy wreck whenever they're around cats, while others can't get within 100 yards of ragweed in the spring. Still others have allergies to food so severe that a peanut or other substance can send them to the emergency room with a life-threatening reaction. Meanwhile, some people barely notice their allergies and...

• Chris Woolston, M.S.
• |
• March 11, 2013
• |
• Full Page
• • Allergies: Misc. Asthma