Ijistamine cause of itchy snozz
Summer brings irritating allergies
' By LAURA SHEMICK
f . Collegian Staff Writer
(This is the time of year when' most
people head outside to get a tan.
For millions of hay fever victims, it’s
time to head to the drugstore to buy
a|lergy medicines to get rid of that
sljuffy, sneezing feeling creeping up on
them.
{Allergies, which occur when a per
son’s body overreacts to normally
harmless substances, affect at least 20
njillion Americans, according to the
Allergy Foundation of America. About
13 million people suffer from hay fever,
caused by.pollen from all sorts of plants,
•The symptoms are very similar to
cold symptoms. There are sneezing
shells, itchy eyes, a runny nose and there
can be an upset stomach, irritability and
headaches too. There is one basic
cfiemical which causes all the misery
histamine.
J j Histamine is formed when the affected
j person creates ; antibodies against the
i irritating substance, the allergen. It
| causes swelling (hives) and the other
y irritations connected with allergic
] reactions.
i] J But sufferers needs not live with their
j symptoms today. Allergists (specialists
) in allergy treatment) can do several
' things to help the victim when a par
''tjcular allergen comes along.
, |He can treat the symptoms with an
i tjhistamines, which counter the effects
v o* the irritating histamine,
j- '’He can tell the victim to avoid the
- ailergen stay away from horses, if
j that’s the problem.
| «.Or he can systematically immunize
HOAGIES,
HOAGIES,
HOAGIES,
HOAGIES!
AT
The
Cattle Car
/&V next to
TEE TRAIN STATION
A Railroading Eatery
Junction of
College & Garner
open -11 a.m. -2a
(til 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday)
the victim against that particular ’ But the first step is to isolate the
irritant through shots, a method called allergen. Allergists can do this by
desensitization or hyposensitization. eliminating various foods from a per-
f'j
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d a
son’s diet, or by doing a scratch test, or
by using a new, experimental method
called RAST.
RAST uses the blood of an affected
person to determine which antibodies he
has. The test can discover any allergy,
according to State College dermatologist
Dr. Charles H. Wingert, Jr.
The scratch test, familiar to many
allergy sufferers, tests for reactions to
common allergens by scratching the
skin and putting a bit of the suspect
substance on the scratch. If the skin
becomes inflamed or a swelling occurs,
it means the person is allergic to the
suspected allergen.
Dr. Wingert favors hyposensitization.
“Hyposensitization is the best way to
treat allergies,” he said. “A good thing
about the RAST test is that it can be used
to measure the new levels of antibodies
after a course of hyposensitization to see
how the patient is doing. ”
The most common allergies in this
locale are to ragweed pollen, tree pollen
and grass pollen, Wingert said.
The list of allergens is seemingly
endless. People can be allergic to all
sorts of food, plants, various animals,
many drugs and any of the thousands of
common pollens.
The Allergy Foundation of America
said in its book “Allergy Its
Mysterious Causes and Modern
Treatment ” that hay fever, if left un
treated, can develop into asthma, a
disease which makes breathing difficult
and even painful.
The Foundation stresses that it is
important for all allergy sufferers to
obtain and continue treatment to
prevent possible troubles in later years.
Minority art journal
released nationally
The first issue of Minority Voices, a
journal studying the art and
literature of minorities, has been
released nationally this week by the
Paul Robeson Cultural Center.
The journal, which is geared
toward academic circles, includes
articles examining the art and
literature of Afro-Americans,
Chicanos, Native Americans, and
Puerto Ricans.
The semi-annual publication plans
to focus on ten major areas
literature, painting, sculpture, ar
chitecture, photography, music,
dance, theater, cinema and
television.
According to editor Elaine D.
Woodall, “Minority Voices” evolved
because “there was a tremendous
need for a journal that would address
itself to literature and art in these
four minority groups. ’ ’
Woodall, a graduate student of art
The Women’s Resource Center needs WDFM radio is looking for people to
people to write press releases, design work at the station on the air. Interested
flyers, write pamphlets and do general students should attend a meeting 7:30
publicity work a few hours each week, tonight in 121 Sparks
Contact the center at 108 W. Beaver
Ave.,or 234-5222
Anyone interested in quitting smoking
is invited to a meeting 7:30 tonight in 121 Meet, foreign students and help them
Noll Lab, sponsored by the Human speak English through the Free U
Performance Lab. Conversant Program. An introductory
The Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop •»
119 S. Allen St.
will begin its 8 week summer session on June 13
Classes offered for Children and Adults in
Ballet, Modem Dance, Jazz, Tap, Mime
for information call 237-2784
11a.m.-2 p.m. 8 p.m.-10 p.m.
H: , ;
A RAILROADING EATERY
junction of 6. college ave. & the train station
garner st. state college,pa.
The Daily Collegian Monday, June 13,-1977 —i
Collegian notes
/'/n'
history, said there were not enough
avenues for scholars to publish what
they were working on in the field of
minority studies.
Although the journal concentrates
exclusively on scholarly articles and
reviews, Ms. Woodall noted that the
publication should also be a valuable
resource for students. (However, at
this writing, copies were not
available from Pattee Library.)
Scholars from several universities
serve on the magazine’s editorial
board including seven from Penn
State.-
Thomas A. Hale, assistant pro
fessor of French and comparative
literature, is a featured contributor
this issue, while Daniel Walden,
professor of American studies, is the
book review editor. The magazine’s
managing editor is Elmore M.
Browne, director of the Paul Robeson
Cultural Center.
Centre Crest orientation will be held 7
tonight in 323 HUB.
meeting will be held 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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