Editorial
Welcome to the first homepage edition of i2P for 2012.
In many ways it has been a slow start to the New Year because of having to deal with the “leftovers” from 2011.
One of those items for i2P was that a third-party provider to the site did not advise of a code change to the security section in our subscribe panel, creating a range of frustrated subscribers not able to get on board.
We apologise to all those potential subscribers who were unable to register with us in the second half of 2011, but if you try once more you should have no problem.
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Volume 2012 Number 1
Health Politics
Neil Johnston: Friends of Science in Medicine
Peter Sayers: Confessions of a Frustrated Pharmacist
James Ellerson: $75.5 million in 5CPA lying idle. Why is it so?EPublications
Allergies, Asthma and Alternative Medicine
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PDF version | Loretta Marron BSc |
From a Skeptics Perspective: Loretta Marron, a science graduate with a business background, was Australian Skeptic of the Year for 2007 and in 2011. | |
Can’t do the housework because it makes you sneeze? Do you sometimes get a bit of gastro? Perhaps your skin is itchy or you occasionally have trouble breathing. If so, your symptoms may be caused by things commonly found in your home or garden. Then again you could be one of the 5-10% of the population who suffers from food intolerance, or maybe it’s all in your head.
Allergens are linked to respiratory disorders such as asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and conjunctivitis, but it’s a challenge to identify them and to effectively manage their symptoms. It is also difficult to identify food intolerances.
Talk to your Pharmacist or Doctor about your symptoms and depending on the severity of them you may end up seeing a specialist. If it’s a common allergen then a simple skin prick test will identify it and your first approach to management would be to simply avoid it. If this is difficult to do then you might need an appropriate stockpile of sprays, puffers, pills and creams ready at hand to relieve your symptoms. When all other measures fail then Subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT) may be the way to go. This treatment consists of a long course of medically supervised subcutaneous injections that are designed to slowly build up your immunity to the identified allergens. Once identified, avoiding these foods is the only proven form of treatment.
Being stressed may even cause you to forget to avoid your allergen or to take your medication. Asthmatics can hyperventilate when acutely stressed and this may lead to wheezing. Behavioural issues are even more important with food intolerances – people who are stressed eat, drink & behave differently which can have a major impact.
There can also be a range of psychological aspects to allergy diagnosis, such as somatic symptoms that may be contributing to your condition. Doctors need to be “aware that other comorbid mental disorders could present the need for professional treatment. To diagnose exactly means to examine the patient entirely - body and mind”.
With no known cure for these problems, some people are putting their health at risk by turning to unproven treatments from alternative practitioners.
Chiropractor’s adjust cervical vertebrae (C2) to “remove nerve impingement”. Kinesiologist’s test muscle strength and naturopath treatments include checking meridians for life force energy blockages or using TGA approved electro-acupuncture diagnostic devices to identify variations in patient auras. There is no evidence that chiropractic works nor that kinesiology can help and “electrodermal testing cannot diagnose anything” (including, amongst other things, allergies and intolerances) and especially it cannot diagnose food problems.
Other unproven tests offered include bioresonance, cytotoxic testing (Bryans' test), iridology, oral provocation and neutralisation, radionics (psionic medicine, dowsing), pulse testing, hair analysis, urine diagnosis, tests for ‘dysbiosis’ ALCAT tests, food allergy profiles and food-specific IgG. However, “many defy rational and scientific mechanisms, and none demonstrate reliability over conventional methods”.
Your local ‘nutritionist’, regardless of your complaint, may suggest an unorthodox dietary modification which will inevitably see you avoiding some foods or food groups. This could be ‘Wheat/dairy free’ diet, the ‘Anti-Candida’ diet, the ‘Liver Cleansing’ diet or diets based on your blood group. These are not based on sound science and can lead to unnecessary dietary restrictions.
Even though many of these tests and treatments are unproven, shutting down the alternative practitioners who promote them remains a challenge. In 2009, the ACCC sought an injunction against the operators on a chain of allergy clinics for false and/or misleading conduct. Their naturopaths falsely claimed “to be able to treat allergy-related conditions such as hay fever, asthma and eczema as well as GI symptoms, migraines and fatigue”. Stating that they offered a drug free therapy, their treatment involved “gentle stimulation down your back while you are exposed to suspected allergens through allergy testing vials”. The company has merely changed its name and continues to operate.
Promoting the use of expensive and useless alternative therapies can delay proven treatments, which can reduce your quality of life while putting your health at risk and “should be recognized as a considerable cost burden for society and the individual patient”. Sadly, that hasn’t stopped the TGA from listing many of these devices nor some pharmacies from using them on some of their vulnerable patients.
Research Reports
Dr Andrew Byrne & Associates: Tranquillizer use rife amongst OTP subjects world-wide, most legally prescribedPractice Development
Neil Retallick: Are the discounters impacting community pharmacy beyond margin erosion? | open full screen
Kay Dunkley - BPharm, Grad Dip Hosp Pharm, Grad Dip Health Admin, MPS, MSHPA: Support services for pharmacists and doctors in the United Kingdom – Part 3 Royal Medical Benevolent Fund | open full screen
Staff Writer: Catch the early wave in 2012 and secure your valuable CPD Credits at the Guild Pharmacy Academy – NSW Convention | open full screen
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Submitted by Loretta Marron on Mon, 13/09/2010 - 22:29.
Thankyou Peter, Of course you are correct. I have had the 3 year course and the injections were indeed subcutaneous.
Loretta
Submitted by Peter Hughes on Mon, 06/09/2010 - 13:49.
"When all other measures fail the allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy may be the way to go. This treatment consists of a long course of medically supervised subcutaneous injections that are designed to slowly build up your immunity to the identified allergens."
Perhaps, this error does a disservice to the remainder of the article, which is generally, objective. Sublingual and subcutaneous injection are two quite different means of administration.
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