Allergies A to Z: Practical Advice on Living With Allergies (Library of Health and Living)

Provides information on symptoms, treatments, therapies, inherited allergies, environmental allergies, asthma, food allergies, RAST testing, and research scientists.

Allergies to food, medications, plants, or other environmental agents are very common. Allergies A-Z, written by a physician-pharmacist and a nurse, will answer many questions posed at reference desks about these conditions and the function of the immune system. It is an excellent introduction to a complex subject.

The book begins with a brief chronology of the history of allergy and immunology, noting that the Egyptian pharaoh Menes died from an anaphylactic reaction to a wasp sting in 2640 B.C. The main body of the text is an alphabetical list of entries ranging in length from several lines to several pages. Topics include medical and biological terms (antibody, expectorant); conditions (grocer's itch, polymer fume fever); allergens (ragweed, citrus fruit); treatments and tests (postural drainage, challenge); drugs (diphenhydramine); and important contributors to the field. Major topics such as asthma are covered in a series of entries. Drugs are listed by their generic names with see references from their brand names. Other immunological diseases such as AIDS, diabetes, and lupus are also included. Numerous tables offer diverse information such as lists of trees and weeds that cause hay fever, drugs to avoid if one is sensitive to aspirin, measures for reducing exposure to cat allergens, and the incidence of asthma on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team. Several appendixes list pollens in the U.S. and Canada by region, available radioallergoabsorbant (RAST) allergy tests, professional and lay organizations, and guidelines for camps for children with asthma. A bibliography of medical and lay literature from the 1980s and 1990s and a detailed index complete the text.

Easy to use, reasonably priced, and current, Allergies A-Z is a fine introduction to allergy and immunology. It is a good ready-reference source as well as a starting point for research and will be a good addition to public and consumer-health library collections.