Host: Are there any allergies that are more prevalent during the holidays? Mona Khanna: Well, during the holiday season, we're often in environments that we can't control or environments that are unusual because we go to parties and other events and so it's important in many ways to be able to control what you're exposing yourself to and where you're going and it's important for someone as a host to remember this also. So let's say you're having a party, you're inviting folks, who don't know whether someone has an allergy, what you need to do is prepare and the first thing you should do on your menu is ask the people you're inviting, do they have allergies? In case you do need to make any menu modifications. Keep any kind of seafood preparation away from preparation of other foods. This goes for nuts as well because that's another common allergy. When you clean you want to make sure that you dust and that you vacuum because folks can be allergic to something as simple as animal dander or dust mites, you want to make sure the area is clean so they don't have reactions to that. You want to make sure you keep up with your maintenance as well. Replace the air filters so that you're absolutely sure that the air that has been circulated is properly being filtered, again to filter out some of those allergens that could be triggers to reaction.Prepare for your guests. Wash guestroom sheets in hot water to rid off any possible allergens or proteins that people could be allergic to. Isolate pets; just in case folks have pet allergens. The last thing is of course avoid doing things that could possibly trigger attacks. Avoid burning wood in the fireplace because smell is actually a potent allergen for Asthma attack. Avoid using candles or potpourri or certain plants and perfumes, that again may trigger asthma attacks or attacks of other allergies and that hopefully will lead to a happy Thanksgiving or Charismas holiday.Host: How many people suffer from allergies? We think that about one in six Americans have allergies which is a very-very high number and their allergies could lead to consequences like a running nose or swelling, something very simple all the way to life-threatening reactions that lead to asthmatic attacks that prevent them from being able to breathe properly. So it's very important to be aware of whether or not you have the allergies and/or asthma, so then you know that you can avoid certain triggers. It's a common source of confusion. An allergy is actually a body reaction that is abnormal to a certain trigger, whatever that trigger is. The body will think of that trigger is something foreign and wants to attack it in someway but what it does is it actually releases chemicals inside the body itself that are harmful, so that's an actual allergy and intolerance on the other hand is a condition where your body can't properly break down a substance. The most common intolerance to give as an example would be the lactose in milk. Some people are actually lactose intolerant, so that they when they drink milk with lactose in it, they get cramping and diarrhea and bloating and that's because their body just can't properly break down that substance. Very different from say Asthma which is a reaction to some kind of trigger that releases chemicals inside your body that make it really difficult for you to breathe. Host: What are the signs and symptoms of allergies? The signs and symptoms of an allergy could be something very simple from hives on your skin, just the minor swelling of your skin and to itchiness all the way to having chest pain, having shortness of breathes and that shortness the breathe can lead to releasing of substances within your lungs that could be come up full-fledged asthma attack which could actually completely prevent you from breathing, so you need to be aware of what you're allergic to, what the triggers are and how your body will react to be able to respond and be able to respond appropriately. Host: What are signs and symptoms of an intolerance? The signs and symptoms of an intolerance on the other hand are a little bit different. You can have heartburn, just something that your body can't manage correctly, you can be nauseous, you could some diarrhea, cramping, bloating stomach pain, vomiting, you can even develop a headache. In general though those conditions are not life-threatening, like you might have with an allergic reaction. Host: How can an allergic reaction be treated? The treatment for an allergy or an allergy attack including Asthma, could be something like an EpiPen which is a pen a little bit thicker than this that has the substance inside called Epinephrine. When that Epinephrine is injected inside your body, it actually counteracts the reaction that your body has to be substance that you are allergic to, so it combats that and it kind of calms your body down. So many people with allergies do carry an EpiPen around wherever they go, just in case they have an allergic attack, even food allergies, you should never hesitate though to call 911, if you have an allergic attack or if you see someone having an allergic attack. Particularly if you're not sure how far it's going to go because the danger, as we early mentioned is, if that allergic attack becomes a full-blown exacerbation and leads to the life-threatening problems with breathing.