Marla Ahlgrimm Shares Top Causes Of Allergies

Marla AhlgrimmAllergies can happen at any time during the year, says Marla Ahlgrimm. They are not exclusive to spring, although more people experience seasonal allergies than any other type. Today, we take a quick look at a few of the top causes of allergies.

An Overactive Immune System

Up to 40% of all children in the United States have some form of allergy. The immune system is usually to blame. An allergic reaction can happen when the body’s immune system sees a harmless substance, such as pollen or certain foods, as dangerous. It then jumps into overdrive trying to get rid of the offending intruder.

Pollen

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, pollen is a common allergen trigger. Pollen from weeds, grasses, and trees can trigger both seasonal allergies and hay fever. Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to keep these allergies at bay by staying inside on high pollen count days and utilizing an over-the-counter allergy medication.

Pets

While people are not allergic to animals themselves, their dander and saliva can be a big problem. Unfortunately, Marla Ahlgrimm says that animal dander/saliva allergies can take up to two years to show. This means a person can live with their pet with no signs of an allergic reaction and then, “suddenly” they may experience sniffling, sneezing, or even skin rashes.

Dust Mites

Whether you like it or not, Marla Ahlgrimm says that you sleep with dust mites each night. These are tiny bugs that eat skin cells, and they live on your mattress. If you’re allergic to dust mites, use a hypoallergenic mattress cover and keep stuffed animals off the bed.

Insect Stings

Nobody wants to be stung by a bee or wasp. However, Marla Ahlgrimm notes that some people can have a severe allergy to the venom in these flying fearmongers. Fortunately, allergies are usually mild. An unfortunate few may have a severe reaction that requires immediate treatment with epinephrine.

Mold

If your home is damp and musty, you may be living with mold. Unfortunately, in addition to causing otherwise healthy people respiratory issues, people allergic to mold may wind up with asthma or other significant issues when simply trying to breathe.

Food

Marla AhlgrimmMarla Ahlgrimm says that eggs, shellfish, and milk are among the top allergens in the culinary world. Peanut butter and strawberries are also common, so much so that some schools have banned these foods from being brought in at lunchtime. These types of reactions can become severe, and people with significant food allergies are typically prescribed an emergency epinephrine pen.

Latex/Plastic

Some people can experience mild to severe reactions when exposed to latex or certain types of plastics. Marla Ahlgrimm says these can range from runny nose and wheezing to anaphylaxis. People allergic to latex should wear a medical alert bracelet and never be more than arm’s reach from their epinephrine kit.

Cockroaches

Nobody wants to live with cockroaches, but some people can get sick because of it. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that fecal matter from cockroaches is a common trigger and recommends having an infested home routinely treated by a licensed pest control service.

Certain Medications

Some medicines, including aspirin and penicillin, can cause stuffiness, facial swelling, and hives in sensitive individuals. Marla Ahlgrimm says that most people can find alternative treatments, which can be prescribed by their doctor and are recommended by their pharmacist.

Allergies are no fun to live with, says Marla Ahlgrimm. However, over-the-counter antihistamines and avoidance can help. The retired pharmacist, author, and women’s health expert does suggest that people with severe allergies maintain an open line of communication with their healthcare provider and carry their emergency medications with them at all times.

Marla Ahlgrimm: Innocent Symptoms That Could Mean A Serious Problem

Marla AhlgrimmWe all experience a runny nose, aches and pains, and other mild symptoms from time to time. Marla Ahlgrimm says these rarely mean a significant issue with our health. However, it pays to pay attention to your body so that you can seek medical advice for small issues that linger.

Today, the retired women’s healthcare entrepreneur shares a few things to keep in mind if you experience symptoms that won’t go away.

Bloodshot eyes.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, bloodshot eyes can happen for many reasons, including a small infection, irritation, or as part of the common cold. However, if you look like you’ve been cutting onions for more than a week, especially if your red eyes are excessively watery or come with vision changes or pain, it’s time to head to your eye doctor to be checked for glaucoma or deep infection.

Skin rash.

Marla Ahlgrimm says that rashes are often caused by contact with an allergen. However, some connective tissue disorders, infections, or blood diseases may also present as a painful rash that doesn’t respond to OTC or conservative dermatologic remedies.

Dry mouth.

If you normally walk around with a dry mouth, you may have a condition called xerostomia. However, other diseases, such as Sjogren’s syndrome, are also a possibility. When drinking water doesn’t help, call your doctor.

Excessive sweating.

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that affects around three out of every 100 people. And while excessive sweating is usually little more than an embarrassment, Marla Ahlgrimm says that it may also be a symptom of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which may also come with weight loss, lymph node swelling, and night sweats.

Ice cravings.

Many people obsess over ice nuggets (think Sonic’s distinct ice). However, if you find yourself constantly craving ice or other non-nutritional items, Marla Ahlgrimm says to pay attention to your body as you may have pica. This is a condition that might mean an iron deficiency.

Trouble breathing.

If you’ve been running, jumping, or playing, you may feel short of breath, even if you’re healthy. However, Marla Ahlgrimm says that you should never have trouble breathing when doing normal activities, such as walking down the hallway or bending over to pick something up. While shortness of breath may be linked to pneumonia, it could also mean COPD, especially if you’re a smoker.

Chest pain.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, chest pain actually doesn’t mean heart attack as often as you might think. Instead, it could be any number of issues from heartburn to melanoma.

Discoloration under your fingernails.

Marla Ahlgrimm explains that the area underneath your fingernails can become bruised because of impact trauma. However, acral lentiginous melanoma can also cause dark streaks under the fingernails, particularly in people of African-American and Asian heredity.

Fingernail separation.

Speaking of fingernails, Marla Ahlgrimm says that if your fingernails start to separate from the nail bed, you may have an overproducing thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism can also cause muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat, hair loss, and trembling.

Swelling fingers or toes.

Marla AhlgrimmSwelling may simply be the result of intaking too much salt, but it could also indicate congestive heart failure or kidney disease. If your fingers swell for no reason and don’t go down after a few hours, call your doctor for an appointment.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, any of these symptoms in and of themselves is nothing to fret about. However, they should be temporary inconveniences. Any change in your health that does not go away with over-the-counter treatment, lifestyle changes, or routine medical care should be reported to your doctor immediately.

Marla Ahlgrimm: These Hormones Affect Your Weight

Marla Ahlgrimm

We often think of our body weight as simply a matter of food in, energy out. While there is science to back this up, there are many other factors that contribute to our size. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, these include genetics and hormones.

Marla Ahlgrimm explains that there are four hormones/compounds that have a direct impact on how much food we want to intake. Ghrelin is the primary hormone of these. This hormone stimulates the hypothalamus and drives your brain’s desire for a snack. Motilin is produced in the intestines and signals hunger contractions during periods of fasting. Neuropeptide Y and Agouti-related protein also affect whether or not the body and brain feel hunger.

In addition to hormones that control hunger, there are several chemicals within the body that determine our satiety levels, says Marla Ahlgrimm. These include CCK, GLP-1, peptide YY, leptin, insulin, and obestatin. 

CCK affects the gallbladder and pancreas and allows the body to digest more efficiently. It’s produced in the small intestine and has a significant sway on the way the brain processes the feelings of fullness related to fat and protein. GLP-1 responds to nutrients during digestion and slows the stomach emptying process. The slower the stomach processes food, the longer it takes for the brain to get a hunger signal. 

Leptin is another significant hormone that plays a role in whether we are sated or continue to have a rumbling in our stomachs. Leptin inhibits other hormones to promote a fullness feeling. Most of us are familiar with insulin as it relates to diabetes; however, insulin also helps the brain know when it’s time to stop eating. Obestatin is a much lesser-known hormone which counteracts the hunger-inducing effects of ghrelin, and scientists aren’t 100% sure how.

Marla Ahlgrimm also points out that there are other hormones in the body that affect weight. Thyroid hormone is a great example. People with hyperthyroidism tend to be below average weight. People with hypothyroidism may be heavier. Cortisol is another hormone that can affect the numbers on the scales, and Marla Ahlgrimm says this one is directly related to stress. People with a proportionately larger gut than the rest of their body may have a cortisol overload since the stress hormone is known to trigger midsection expansion. 

Marla Ahlgrimm notes that hormone levels can change according to a person’s age, health status, weight, and other factors.

Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle

Women who are concerned that their hormones may be negatively impacting their body’s ability to regulate weight should first discuss their personal situation with their primary health care provider. Next, Marla Ahlgrimm recommends paying close attention to food intake and activity levels. While the volume and type of food we eat is the primary influencing factor on our body weight, staying active keeps our metabolism up, which can help us burn more calories and thus maintain our weight. The more a person moves, the better their body is at burning fat. The opposite is also true, and people who lead a sedentary lifestyle have more trouble losing weight. 

Marla AhlgrimmMarla Ahlgrimm further recommends getting enough sleep, reducing stress levels, and staying hydrated as ways that women (and men!) can keep themselves healthy and happy.

Ultimately, while we can’t always control our hormone levels and health concerns, Marla Ahlgrimm says we can all take steps to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Start by learning about the different hormones that affect weight, and then stay healthy by a combination of lifestyle changes that promote wellness each day.

Marla Ahlgrimm Shares Fun Facts About Women’s Bodies

Marla AhlgrimmWomen’s bodies are visibly different from their male counterparts. We have more curves, we have breasts, we don’t grow nearly as much hair, barring certain hormonal medical conditions. However, according to Marla Ahlgrimm, these differences go much further. Today, the retired author and women’s health care expert offers up seven facts about women’s bodies that you may not have known.

Women have stronger immune systems than men.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, it’s more than an old wives tale that women live longer than men. While some of this can be attributed to man’s inherent risk-taking nature, women may also have a genetic leg up where life length is concerned. Some researchers believe that women have a stronger inner defense mechanism thanks to the hormone estrogen. Further, evolution may have given women greater ability to fight off viruses and germs because the human body is designed to birth and care for the next generation.

Women have a better memory.

If your husband has ever asked you where he left his keys, and you knew just from a fleeting glance from the night before that they were up underneath the water bill on the left side of the kitchen island, then you already know you have a better memory. Women’s memorization skills go far beyond just knowing where things are. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that some studies indicate that women remember faces better and speculate that women simply study facial features unconsciously more than men.

Women may be able to survive injuries better.

Female sex hormones for the win again. Estrogen and others may be responsible for the fact that women, specifically those in the 13 to 64-year age group, tend to survive traumatic injuries much more than men, says Marla Ahlgrimm.

Women’s bodies go through remarkable changes throughout pregnancy.

Obviously, a woman’s stomach expands to accommodate a baby and then contracts after birth. But what many people don’t realize is that the uterus starts out about the size of a fist and grows larger than a watermelon. Another interesting fact that Marla Ahlgrimm thinks everyone should know: women’s bodies are built to accept pain better than men’s. Contractions are a great example; this process exerts nearly 400 pounds of pressure on the uterus.

Women are more flexible.

According to Marla Ahlgrimm, the muscles and tendons in a female’s body contain more elastin. This is a protein that gives us the ability to stretch and maintain flexibility. Women also have more flexible pelvic areas as our bodies have adapted to childbirth.

Women need more sleep.

If you’re a husband, you might want to tuck your wife in about 20 minutes earlier than you each night. Women’s and men’s internal clocks and circadian rhythm don’t necessarily sync up. Most women naturally wake up earlier than their male relatives, but we need more sleep.

Women’s muscles are built for endurance.

Marla AhlgrimmMarla Ahlgrimm acknowledges that men are naturally stronger than women of the same size. However, women can endure physical exercise around 75% longer than a man. Marla Ahlgrimm also suggests that estrogen is what makes us more resilient here, and also notes that our metabolism may be more efficient than men, who are traditionally larger pound for pound.

Marla Ahlgrimm says that men and women’s bodies have evolved for different reasons. Men are naturally the hunters and gatherers while women give birth and raise young. Although traditional, societal gender-based roles can change from generation to generation, biology takes thousands of years, and women’s bodies have become the perfect machines they are over the course of the last 200,000 years since the time of our Neanderthal ancestors.

Marla Ahlgrimm Explains Fall Allergies

Marla AhlgrimmIf you are one of the many millions of people that sneeze and sniffle as the cool breeze starts to set in for the year, you may have wondered what, exactly, triggers your seasonal allergies. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, there are many potential culprits. Fortunately, there are also a few ways that you can mitigate the effects of pollen throughout the late summer and into the fall.

What Causes Seasonal Allergies?

Seasonal allergies are usually caused by pollen released from maturing plants from August through November. Ragweed is one of the most predominant culprits throughout the United States. Marla Ahlgrimm says that burning bush, tumbleweed, mugwort, and sagebrush are also common seasonal allergy triggers. In addition to these, Marla Ahlgrimm says some people are allergic to grass and mold, each of which gets kicked around its time to mow.

Factors That Affect The Severity Of Allergies

For most of us, our allergies are little more than red, watery eyes, a stuffy nose, and sneezing. Some people, however, may have a stronger immune reaction to some irritants. Marla Ahlgrimm says that those in areas of high heat and humidity or that have periods of drought followed by high winds may experience stronger allergies than others.

Allergy Management

Although many of us think that we just have to stay inside throughout the season, this isn’t true. Marla Ahlgrimm says there are a few ways that we can lessen the negative effects of allergies, especially in our homes. These include:

  • Listen to the radio or watch the news each morning so that you know your local pollen and mold counts along with what’s blooming.
  • Drive with the windows shut. It’s very tempting to roll the windows down, open the sunroof, or take the top off of your Jeep or convertible, that now is not the time unless you’d like to drive down the road sneezing and wiping the tears off your cheeks.
  • Avoid the outdoors when pollen is high. During the spring and summer, pollen is highest in the evening. During the fall, especially during ragweed season, mornings are the hardest on those with allergies.
  • Wear a mask when mowing the lawn. Marla Ahlgrimm says that an N-95 mask works wonders at keeping tiny pollen particles from entering your respiratory system when mowing the lawn or doing other outdoor chores.
  • Shower often. A quick shower can help take pollen off of you so that it’s no longer an irritant indoors. This is especially important for women with long hair, as dust, pollen, and other debris can get caught only to be shaken out later.
  • Look for unusual allergens. Some people are allergic to certain insect bites, chlorine, pine trees, and even smoke from campfires and bonfires. If you notice your allergies are worse around these, avoid them.
  • Take over-the-counter antihistamines. One of the most important things you can do to lower the effects of allergies is talk to your pharmacist about antihistamines. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that these affect people differently, and what works for one person may not work for the other. You also want to ask your pharmacist about which ones cause drowsiness and which are less likely to affect you during your work day.Marla Ahlgrimm

Marla Ahlgrimm says that there’s no way to completely prevent seasonal allergies. However, by knowing what you’re allergic to and taking steps to reduce the severity, you can get through the fall to enjoy your pumpkin spice without sneezing until the first snowfall.

Top Reasons Your Feet Feel Funky | Marla Ahlgrimm

Marla AhlgrimmFoot pain is a major concern among women who tend to wear less-than-comfortable shoes more often than not. According to Marla Ahlgrimm, however, there may be more to foot pain than high heels.

Marla Ahlgrimm explains that there are many reasons that a woman’s feet may be achy and painful. 

Fallen Arches

One is a fallen arch. This happens when the tendon between the inside of the foot and the calf muscle is damaged from overuse. A fallen arch can radiate pain up into the ankle. Orthotic shoes (or an orthopedic insert) can help, although Marla Ahlgrimm recommends visiting a podiatrist for a consultation.

Cuboid Syndrome

Cuboid syndrome is another condition, which can also be attributed to a fallen arch. When an arch collapses, it puts pressure throughout the entire foot. Sometimes, it can pinch joints together and trigger pain in the cuboid bone. The cuboid is the bone that sticks out just a bit to the bottom of your pinky toe. Cuboid syndrome is often mistaken for plantar fasciitis and, like fallen arches, may be corrected with orthopedic inserts.

Arthritis

Women who are approaching “a certain age” may also experience pain due to arthritis. This is most common in former athletes that experienced multiple foot injuries. Marla Ahlgrimm says this is caused by overuse and inflammation. Arthritis can also trigger a condition known as turf toe, a term coined by its most common cause: cleats getting caught in turf on the football field. Turf toe can also develop in women who wear heels that are higher than three inches.

Calluses

Calluses are a much more common cause of foot pain, but many women don’t think of them as a problem. Calluses, says Marla Ahlgrimm, are typically not harmful. But, if they become cracked or the skin underneath becomes exposed, a woman’s feet may feel sore and tender.

Bunions

Another extremely common cause of foot pain is the normally overlooked bunion. Although Marla Ahlgrimm says these are often attributed to the types of shoes we wear, the truth is that shoes can aggravate but not cause bunions. Bunions, which are essentially red and painful bumps at the base of the big or pinky toe, can happen when we overpronate or have flat feet.

Strains And Sprains

We like to think that we would know when we’ve sprained an ankle, the truth is that these can happen without us even realizing it. Stretching your ligaments and tendons can happen slowly, but so does the healing process. Marla Ahlgrimm explains that the best cure for a strain or sprain is simply the RICE method: rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons of the foot, and Marla Ahlgrimm says it’s sometimes caused by normal usage gone wrong. Other times, tendonitis is triggered when you use your feet and a new way, such as if you start running or practicing yoga. Tendonitis is typified by slight swelling and a dull ache immediately following a move you should not have made.

Marla AhlgrimmAccording to Marla Ahlgrimm, the best way to take care of your feet is to wear properly fitting shoes. Women should also take their nail polish off often and clean under the toenails. The feet should be moisturized, and Marla Ahlgrimm also recommends leaving the flip-flops at home unless you’re heading to the beach. Shoes should be well-fitted and support the foot’s natural arch.

If you are experiencing foot pain, Marla Ahlgrimm says it’s best to consult with a podiatrist, which is a healthcare provider trained specifically in issues of the feet and ankles.

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