Newspaper Page Text
HARRIS BLACKWOOD
Community Editor
TV without a
prescription
G
I'm glad my
momma didn't
live long
enough to see
some of the pre
scription medi
cines they now
advertise on tele
vision.
They advertise stuff that just
should not be discussed in mixed
company.
My momma was in denial about
most serious illnesses. She was also
in denial about people’s consumption
of demon alcohol.
If somebody had cancer or heart
disease, momma would whisper it to
you. “They say he's got (starts whis
pering) cancer.”
Momma continued even into my
adult years, spelling things she didn’t
want to say. “I thought I smelled b
double-e-r on his breath." she would
say.
We didn't have a lot of different
medicine in the medicine cabinet.
Momma thought that most things
could be fixed with aspirin, some
Vicks Vapoßub. and that little bottle
in the back. It was a medicine bottle
that she kept filled with a bit of bour
bon.
The bourbon would only be used
to make this concoction of bourbon,
honey, and lemon juice. This was
supposed to either cure your cough
or make you forget about it. I think
any refills came from a widow
woman down the street w ho kept a
supply on hand for bad coughs and
snake bites. Snakes must have been
pretty bad at her place.
We also had a bottle of mer
curochrome, which I think was ban
ished years ago because it contained
mercury. I think my momma bought
up the remaining stock, because we
had some around until she died.
There was also a box of some old
bandages that were left over from
some war.
If mercurochrome didn’t fix it.
the Vicks salve would. Momma
would put it on my chest for a cold
and she was convinced it also had
some sort of healing power. She
would put a piece of cloth on top of
it. If that didn't work, she would put
a heating pad on top of that.
If your cold was accompanied by
a cough, she would get out a glass
and mix up the formula. My
momma, a teetotaler, would never
have made it as a bartender. There
was always a disproportionate share
of one of the ingredients.
There was two kinds of sick to
momma., sick and "bad" sick. If you
were “bad" sick, things didn't look
too rosy.
When my dad got cancer (which
my mother never said out loud), it
was really tough on her. The Vicks,
the cough potion, the aspirin, and the
mercurochrome didn't help.
About a dozen years later, she
called me and asked me to come
home. “I think I'm pretty bad sick,"
she said in a strong voice. This time
there was no denying it.
I think about her often. I think
about her when I open my bathroom
closet and see the assortment of
stomach, cold, allergy, and about a
dozen other medicines tucked away
in one of those plastic baskets. There
is no Vicks, plain aspirin, or mer
curochome.
I also think of her when I watch
TV and see those awful commer
cials. They advertise medicine for
people who cannot do what is sup
posed to come natural for married
folks (this is a family newspaper).
They also advertise various items
for women that 1 can't even type the
words about without blushing.
Down at one of the fancy super
markets, they now have a checkout
aisle with all of the magazines cov
ered up. I wish the television folks
would offer us a channel without all
that embarassing stuff.
If you suffer from any of these
unmentionable situations, I hope you
get help.
Maybe we'd all be better off with
just some Vicks salve, a shot of bour
bon, and some mercurochrome.
Harris Blackwood's column
appears Sundays in the Forsyth
County News. Send comments to
lifestyles@forsythnews. com.
Forsyth Life
The REASON for the SNEEZIN’
Allergy
season has
arrived
By Harris Blackwood
»-
Community Editor
On the calendar, yesterday marked
the first day of spring. For Dr. Jeevana
Krishna, there is no need to mark the
date.
For several weeks, patients have
been filling the waiting room of her
Cumming office complaining of sneez
ing, running noses and watery eyes.
The season of pollen and allergic reac
tion has come to town.
"1 think it is more pronounced this
year." said Krishna, "normally we have
not seen this many patients so early.
We’ve seen a lot more patients this
year.”
Her solution for her patients often
depends on insurance. According to
the physician, some managed care
medical plans will only pay for specific
medicines for allergy sufferers. For
some, the relief comes in pill form.
For others the course of treatment
may include an inhaled spray mist,
once again, it is dependent on insur
ance coverage.
Allergy sufferers cover the com
plete spectrum of ages,
'Today. I saw a baby who was just
four months old." said Krishna. "The
mother said that she took the baby out
and was just walking around outside
and this small child had symptoms."
According to statistics from the
American Academy of Allergy,
Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), at
least 35 million people in the United
States have seasonal allergic rhinitis
(hay fever). The increased absen
teeism and reduced productivity costs
U.S. companies more than $250 mil
lion. There are more than 18 million
office visits to primary care physicians
each year resulting in a diagnosis of
sinusitis.
Why?
"Our immunity has come down and
our tolerance has come down," said
Krishna. "Whatever you are allergic to
will settle on the mucous membrane.
Then your body begins to release all
the chemicals to fight that allergic par
ticle. That fight is what causes all the
secretions. With the medications, the
histamines block that."
In recent years, drugs such as
Claritin, have become available with
out a prescription. The physician cau
tions that attempting to self-medicate
without a physician can have certain
risks.
"Most of these medicines are
cleared by the liver." she said. “You
have to monitor liver function tests."
She said that medications that con
tain the decongestant, pseudophedrine.
can also result in an increase in blood
pressure, which can be dangerous from
persons who suffer from hypertension.
In cases of severe allergies, the
physician said that tests are conducted
to determine the patient's specific aller
gies.
“If you are allergic to any foods,
pet hair or pet dander, for example, you
can avoid those things. But if you are
allergic to something that is in the
envrironment and you have severe
reactions that do not respond to med
ication. we can administer allergy
shots which control the symptoms."
The other season problem is asth
ma. Asthma affects more than 17 mil
lion people in the United States. While
asthma has been known to affect peo
ple year round, spring can be particu
larly troublesome for the 10 million
Americans who suffer from allergic
asthma, according to the AAAAI.
Warmer temperatures mean higher
pollen and mold spore counts, causing
trouble for the allergic asthma sufferer.
"Allergic asthma occurs when a
sensitized patient is exposed to aller
gens to which their immune system is
sensitive, causing the production of the
allergy antibody called IgE," said
Gailen D. Marshall, Jr.. MD. PhD,
FAAAAI. “Inhaling pollens, dust mite
proteins, molds, animal dander or other
allergens cause the airways of sensitive
individuals to constrict because of IgE
armed mast cell activation as well as
increased mucus production and entry
of inflammatory cells into the airway,
all combining to cause a potentially
Forsyth County News—Sunday, March 21,2004
' 11 TT X7l
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serious asthma attack."
Symptoms of asthma include
coughing, shortness of breath, rapid
breathing, wheezing and chest tight
ness. While the symptoms of allergic
and non-allergic asthma are similar, the
triggers vary, depending on the type of
allergen to which the individual patient
is sensitive:
Non-allergic asthma triggers:
* Air Pollution
* Fumes
* Perfumes
* Household cleaning agents
* Insecticides
* Fresh paint
* Tobacco smoke
* Infection
Allergic asthma triggers:
* Pollens
* House dust mites
* Animal dander
* Mold spores (indoor and outdoor)
* Cockroaches
Among the recommendation for
severe allergy and asthma sufferers
* Minimize outdoor activities when
pollen counts are high. Peak pollen
times are usually between 10 a.m.-4
p.m.
* Keep your car windows closed
when traveling.
* Try to stay indoors when humidi
ty is reported to be high, and on windy
days when dust and pollen are blown
about.
* Take a shower after spending
time outside—pollen can collect on
your skin and hair.
Allergy Statistics
• Estimates from a skin test survey suggest that allergies affect
as many as 40 to 50 million people in the United States.
• Allergic diseases affect more than 20 percent of the U.S. pop
ulation.
• Allergic diseases are the sixth leading cause of chronic dis
ease in the United States.
• At least 35.9 million people in the United States have season
al allergic rhinitis (hay fever).
• Approximately 16.7 million office visits to health care providers
each year are attributed to allergic rhinitis.
• Immunotherapy is ultimately successful in up to 90 percent of
patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis and in 70 to 80 percent
with perennial allergic rhinitis.
• The estimated overall costs of allergic rhinitis in the United
States in 1996 totaled $6 billion.
• It is estimated that In 1998, increased absenteeism and
reduced productivity due to allergies cost U.S. companies more
than $250 million.
• Sinusitis develops in approximately 31 million Americans each
year.
• Chronic sinusitis affects nearly 35 million people in the United
States.
• People suffering from sinusitis miss an average of four days of
work each year.
• There are more than 18 million office visits to primary care
physicians resulting in a diagnosis of sinusitis annually.
• In 1996, overall health care expenditures attributable to sinusi
tis in the United States were estimated to be over $5.8 billion.
• There is an association between sinusitis and asthma. The
incidence of sinusitis in asthmatic subjects ranges from 40 to 75
percent.
Source: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and
Immunology
B
Blooming flowers,
above, are .just one
signal of the begin
ning of allergy sea
son. Dr. Jeevana
Krishna, left, is pic
tured with samples of
some of the prescrip
tion drugs available to
allergy suffers. The
choice is often dictat
ed by the policy of
managed medical
care plans.
Top Photo/Audra Perry
Left Photo/David McGregor