POSTED BY:
Jordan Smallwood, MD

Honey bees. Wasps. Fire ants. Yellow jackets and hornets. Few people are big fans of these bugs, but for those who have a stinging insect allergy, there’s more at stake than the pain of a simple sting. Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening reaction that occurs in people who are allergic to the venom of stinging insects. It happens when a person’s immune system overreacts to the proteins in an insect’s venom, and the effects are immediate and very dangerous. While most people develop pain, swelling and redness at the site of an insect sting, it’s important to watch out for symptoms of an allergy. These signs include: Hives Tightening of the throat Wheezing and/or difficulty breathing Stomachache Vomiting or diarrhea Itchiness Lightheadedness or loss of consciousness Itchy, watery or swollen eyes If your child starts having serious allergic symptoms, like swelling of the mouth or throat or difficulty breathing, give an epinephrine auto-injector […]

For generations, parents and families have relied on home cures for everything from colds to tummy aches and sleepless nights. Chicken soup, popsicles and warm milk have proven themselves over decades of use, and now they have company — grape juice. At least, that’s what the internet says. In recent months, tales of grape juice curing stomach flu have cropped up on parenting blogs all over the web. Here’s the idea: If you find yourself (or one of your family members) exposed to the stomach flu, but haven’t experienced symptoms yet, downing three glasses of grape juice will ward off the illness. Multiple sites claim that the grape juice can change the pH in the stomach, making it uninhabitable to stomach viruses. They also claim that the skins of the grapes have anti-viral properties. Is it true? Can grape juice really stop puke in its tracks? Is this the fix […]