Monday, July 25, 2011

All About Allergy - Self-Administered Test (True or False), 25 items

Dr Abe V Rotor
The answers are found at the end of the test.

1. The so-called silent epidemic is allergy.

2. Comparing West Germany, which was then very progressive, and East Germany, which was underdeveloped, a study showed that there were more allergy cases in East Germany.

3. Breast fed babies are less likely to have allergies. In addition, a mother who avoids cow’s milk, eggs, and peanuts while breastfeeding can prevent related allergy conditions, including eczema in some children.

4. In general, allergy occurs when the body reacts to substances it cannot tolerate.

5. If both parents have allergies, a child stands a 75 percent chance of developing allergies.

6. If neither parent is allergic, the risk to develop allergy is almost zero.

7. The Hygiene Hypothesis can be explained simply this way. The immune system should be exposed early in life to viruses, bacteria, and fungi, to allow it to develop normally. In a society with very high standards of hygiene like W Germany and the US, the immune system isn’t challenged in the same way. Instead of developing to target real threats such as bacteria, the immune system may dysfunction and begins to trigger allergies.

8. The key to prevention of allergic rhinitis is avoidance of the allergen, like pollen.

9. People feel better and more zestful when near mountain streams and beside the sea, because of the presence of excess positively charged ions in these places.

10. It is a good idea to supplement your environment with negatively charge ions with ionizers.


11. House plants help allergy-proof our home because they increase the Oxygen level in the air.

12. Cosmetic products used on skin when exposed to sunlight trigger allergy.

13. Genetically Modified Food (Frankenfood) such as Bt Corn, GM Potato and GM Soybean trigger allergies, especially those that carry two or more “engineered genes.”

14. Good Life spawns obesity and overweight conditions. Obese and overweight people are more prone to allergies.

15. Indirectly, the microchip is a major cause in the increase of allergy cases in our modern world.

16. Sixty (60) percent of the population of the world can’t afford a doctor, more so hospitalization; the promotion of health should be in keeping a health-friendly environment.

17. In the old days “you had the itch, nowadays you have allergy.”

18. This is a scenario in “Silent Spring” a book written by Rachel Carson. "Spring came but the birds failed to arrive. The was something heavy in the air. People were coughing..." Undoubtedly, what is being described is a case of mass allergy.

19. Knock on wood. Wood causes less allergy than say, carpet, lawanit, vinyl, plastics, and synthetic construction.

20. Pollen, dust, feathers, dander, insects and mites are among the most common causes of allergy found in our surroundings.

21. Ninety (90) percent of adults who suffered of acute allergy (anaphylaxis) never told their doctors about their experience, according to a survey.

22. The most common food, and ingredient of food preparations, that causes allergy is cow’s milk.

23. People in marginal communities have more allergies than in affluent communities because of the dirty conditions of their environment.

24. The first Filipino allergist is Dr. Arturo B. Rotor, former executive secretary of Presidents Quezon and OsmeƱa, also a botanist, writer and musician.

25. Modern medicine has not succeeded in meeting the need to prevent or suppress allergy among the masses.

ANSWERS: 1(T, millions all over the world suffer from various forms and causes allergy); 2(F, the more developed a society is, the more cases of allergy are observed); 3(T); 4(T); 5(T); 6(F, 25% chance); 7(T); 8(T); 9(F, negatively charged ions are more plentiful, believed to be anti-oxidants); 10(T, seek doctor's advice; avoid overexposure); 11(F, plants respire, thus give off CO2 at night; they also increase relative humidity); 12(T, photosensitivity phenomenon); 13(T, cases of GMO-related allergies are increasing, now a major research area in medical science); 14(T); 15(T, people - especially the young - spend countless hours before the TV and computer; they miss outdoor life which is important in acquiring resistance to allergy); 16(T, environmental medicine is the primordial defense against diseases); 17(T, matter of semantics); 18(T, it's not only due to the poison but allergic reactions to pesticides); 19(T); 20(T); 21(T); 22(T, that's why breastfeeding and early weaning is highly recommended); 23(F, marginal conditions build natural immunity); 24(T, the Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, holds the Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Lecture, in his honor, every biennial convention of the society); 25(T, it's for two reasons - the complexity of allergy as a disease and its complications, and the business aspect of the medical industry. ).

(SCORE: 24-25 Outstanding, 20-23 Very Good, 16-19 Good, 12-15 Fair, below12 - listen more closely to Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, DZRB 738 KHz AM 8 to 9 o'clock in the evening, Monday to Friday)


No comments: