THE ALLERGY BOOK

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1981

A fine all-round addition to the corpus of allergy guides, with special advice for parents of afflicted youngsters. Dehejia is an allergy specialist whose own family has experienced food allergies; for sufferers, the good news is that he considers allergy to be ""one disease which is reversible if well-managed."" The way to good management is to learn what causes reactions, to eliminate it as much as possible from the environment, and, with a doctor's help, to figure out what treatment works best. He explains how to do this for hay fever, chronic stuffy nose (sometimes caused by an allergy), sinusitis, bronchial asthma, skin allergies (to insects, too), and food allergies (additives included); in each case he stresses other methods of control besides medication. Of particular importance, he looks at drug allergies--since those with other allergies may react to serum, vaccines. and aspirin--and he attends to environmental control: how a home can be cleaned and furnished to reduce allergic reactions to fur, pollens, pollutants, and the like. What especially distinguishes his book, however, is ""raising an allergic family."" The topics dealt with range from planning vacations to the effect of allergies on a child's self-image. But only slightly less valuable is Dehejia's guide to visiting an allergy specialist. Comprehensive, attuned, and practical.

Pub Date: May 1, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Van Nostrand

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1981

Categories: NONFICTION