Content about the American College

To help those with seasonal allergies cope this spring, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has put together a list of spring 
allergy facts:

As spring approaches, people with allergies can blame global warming for some of their suffering, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Weather conditions have a significant effect on the levels of pollen and mold in the air, which affects the severity of allergies.

That suggests mold allergens could be particularly prominent this spring given the extent of drought across the United States — dry and hot weather lifts molds from the soil to be carried by the air. In addition to tree pollen, springtime mold contributes to hay fever.

The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American College of Nurse Practitioners will merge the organizations effective in January. With approximately 40,000 members, the new organization, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, or AANP, will serve as the largest professional membership organization in the country for nurse practitioners of all specialties.

WASHINGTON — Minor, uncomplicated wounds, such as the typical cuts and scrapes of childhood, are less likely to become infected when kept clean and moist and treated with topical antibiotics, according to a literature review published online Friday in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, the peer-reviewed scientific journal for the American College of Emergency Physicians.

In contrast to the most recent cough-cold season, which was characterized by a relative lack of upper respiratory illnesses, pharmacy shoppers with itchy eyes, runny noses and audible sneezes have been back in force this spring in search of allergy relief. And those patients are gravitating toward the OTC aisle for their seasonal allergy needs now that the last of the second-generation antihistamines was made available without a prescription a year ago. 


ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — In preparation for spring, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology on Friday noted that avoiding certain fruits and vegetables, installing the proper air filters, closing the windows, filling any allergy prescriptions and consulting with an allergist can all prevent the delay of allergy symptom relief for more than 35 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergies.

Diet aids and meal replacement products aren’t the only categories subject to the whims of a supply-chain-busting weight-loss/dieting fad. The American College of Sports Medicine revealed the top trends in fitness and wellness for 2012 in its November/December issue of Health & Fitness Journal.


So relative to pharmacy retailing, following are some of the top fitness trends: 


NEW YORK — Drug maker Bristol-Myers Squibb will present 20 study abstracts at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, the company said Thursday.

Bristol said that of those, 18 contain new data from studies of Orencia (abatacept) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus nephritis.

MODESTO, Calif. — A recent scientific study showed that incorporating almonds into a person’s diet can help treat and possibly prevent Type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease, the Almond Board of California announced Wednesday.

The study, published in the June 2010 Journal of the American College of Nutrition illustrated that consuming a diet rich in almonds may help improve insulin sensitivity and decrease LDL-cholesterol levels in those with pre-diabetes.

MIAMI — The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology on Wednesday presented a new analysis of the effects of omega-3 essential fatty acids as potential treatment options for depression.

Two critical omega-3 essential fatty acids available from certain food or nutritional supplements but not manufactured by the body — eicosapentenoic acid and docosahexaenoic — play a role in optimal brain functioning and have antidepressant benefits that have not been fully recognized, the professional society stated during its annual meeting in Miami.