skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Fall Allergy Season Kicks into High Gear in Ohio

play audio
Play

Friday, September 2, 2011   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - It's not quite autumn yet, but fall allergy season already is in full swing in Ohio.

Ragweed is the biggest offender this year, experts say, causing itchy throats, watery eyes and runny noses. Even so, says Dr. Karen Calhoun, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Ohio State University Medical Center, there's no reason to suffer because plenty of treatment options are available - starting with an over-the-counter antihistamine such as Zyrtec, Claritin, or Allegra. If that doesn't work, she says, another option might be immunotherapy.

"The only thing that we have that comes close to being a cure for allergies. They make a permanent change in your immune system so you no longer react to the environmental proteins that someone who's allergic reacts to."

Immunotherapy for allergies is traditionally administered through shots by a doctor. But a new option is emerging, sublingual immunotherapy, which are drops that patients place under the tongue at home. The drops are under review by the Food and Drug Administration, and Calhoun, who is among the few who offer the therapy, expects approval for widespread use. The drops currently are not covered by insurance and cost an average of $13 per week.

The drops have been used in Europe for 30 years, Calhoun says. Patients who use them build a tolerance and become allergy-free in a few years.

"The drops are safer. They're done daily, and except for the very first dose, they're done at home. So, for someone who travels a lot, for someone who has a really insane work schedule, like many people do, this is a really good alternative."

Ohioans can expect allergy symptoms to continue until the first frost, Calhoun says, when the ground - not the just the air - drops below 32 degrees.

More information is online at get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021