New research from UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine reveals that daily consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) impairs learning and memory in rats. This finding has lead to a slew of headlines this past week with titles such as, “Sugar Makes You Stupid”. If accurate, this may come as a surprise to anyone Related posts: Fructose Confusion Antibiotics, Menopause and Corn Sugar Agave Danger! Yacon Syrup Corn Allergies, Mammograms and Smile Therapy

MIAMI (CBS4) – It’s an itchy debilitating rash that can break out when your skin touches a usually harmless substance. It can happen at any age, lead to infection and even scaring and blood poisoning. But this hidden allergy is often tough to figure out. “It all started in the 9th grade. We didn’t know what was going on,” Jennifer Schottenloher said. “We were going to the doctor and they were treating it for staph.” But the itching, painful red blotches all over her body didn’t have anything to do with a staph infection. She was treated improperly for a year until finally she went to another doctor who told Jennifer she had the ‘hidden allergy’, she’s allergic to nickel. The problem is a serious one. The symptoms are a rash, bumps, itching, redness, dry patches that feel like a burn, blisters and draining fluid. For Jennifer the primary culprit, but hardly the only one, was her jewelry. “My friend got me this ring and I’m not allowed to wear it. My finger turned green and it got really swollen,” said Jennifer. You can develop the allergy when you’re your young, middle age, or retirement age. It’s more common in women and the problem is everywhere. There’s nickel in watches, zippers, bra hooks, belt buckles, hairpins, eyeglass frames, coins, knives, forks, paper clips, pens, keys, tools, dental fillings, batteries even your cell phones and make up. “Even the door knobs at school are metal and my hands get really swollen. Sometimes it wouldn’t kick in til the day after or a couple days later,” said Jennifer. Allergy specialist Dr. Kathryn Eisermann said this is ‘hidden’ or so confusing because your symptoms may not show up for seven days and it doesn’t stop with what you wear. Foods like soy, legumes, oatmeal, chocolate, nuts, dried fruit and even tap water contain nickel. The first liter of tap water out of the faucet has the highest level. Overall, 15 percent of Americans will have an allergy to nickel, but likely will go months or years without knowing what’s causing their problem. Some country’s like Denmark have outlawed Nickel in products. It’s an offense punishable by prison time. In the U.S., however, you’re on your own; but the diagnosis may not be as difficult to make as you think. There is a test kit you can buy to see if there is nickel in a product. A doctor will do a more specific patch test on you to test you for all kinds of allergies. That’s how Jennifer’s nickel allergy was diagnosed. Knowing the problem is having power said the doctor. “You know what it is, go after it and avoid it,” said Dr. Eisermann. Jennifer says that’s fine with her. After going a year without the proper diagnosis she at least knows how to control her hidden allergy one clothing item and one bite of food at a time. “I had to throw away all the jewelry. The jewelry I love,” Jennifer said. Aside from staying away from items or foods with nickel, there is a way to treat the breakouts and blistering with antihistamines, oral steroids or oral cortisone just in case you come in contact with the wrong item.

Most of us are psyched for warmer weather, but allergy sufferers are cursing runny noses, congestion, red eyes, and itchy throats. You may not realize it, but here are the everyday things that can aggravate your symptoms. Exercising outside is a no-brainer when temps start going up, but not so for those allergic to pollen. If you can’t bear to skip outdoor workouts, try to exercise early in the morning when pollen counts are lowest. If you decide to exercise outside, be sure to wash your clothes to get rid of pollen and take a shower to rinse allergens out of your hair. If your allergies are really bad, invest in a gym membership or equipment for your home gym – exercising in the AC will make you breathe much easier. Opening the window to get some fresh air? Don’t you dare. Pollen and other allergens blow in where they come in contact with your eyes and nose. Keep the windows in your home, office, and car closed, and definitely don’t use a window fan. If you’re hot, turn up the air-conditioning. Keep reading to find out other common things you’re doing that can worsen allergies.

Depending on severity, allergies can range from annoying to deadly. Millions of Americans are familiar with the sneezing, itching and coughing that come along with spring allergies to toxins, while others suffer hives or even airway blockage if they eat the wrong food. And we know that food allergies are on the rise , partly because of awareness but experts say something else may be going on. It’s a mystery why industrial countries see more and more children having reactions to common foods such as peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, eggs, milk, wheat or soy. But there’s a deeper question to ask here: Why do humans have allergies at all? One view is that the immune response seen in allergies is the same sort of defense your body uses against parasitic worms. It’s thought that what we know as “allergy” evolved against those worms, but has become mistargeted in some people, so that common substances such as pollen and dust set them off, too. However, common environmental and food allergens have little in common with parasitic worms. There’s an explanation for why the immune system would respond to something that's not microbial, says Ruslan Medzhitov, professor of immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine. In a perspective article in the journal Nature, Medzhitov and colleagues probe the question: Is there another explanation for allergies? They argue that, in fact, allergies are meant to remove harmful substances from the body. For the case of seasonal allergies to tree or grass pollen, symptoms typically include runny nose, teary eyes and extra mucus production in the respiratory system. All of these things have the effect of trying to expel something from your body that you don’t want there. Similarly, when you have itchy skin in contact allergies, the impulse is to scratch, which has the effect of removing offending particles in the skin. But sometimes it becomes extreme: Uncontrollable itching that’s chronic, which is no longer serve the purpose of taking offending substances off the skin. Food allergy symptoms often include vomiting and diarrhea, which also expel unwanted substances. Anaphylactic shock, the most severe and deadly reaction, involves swelling of the mouth or throat and even breathing problems. Medzhitov explains this as an extreme form of the normal allergic reaction; it has gone out of control and may cause death in and of itself, the way that septic shock is an extreme form of natural inflammation. Experimental treatment may help food allergies “There are things that are meant to perform some beneficial rational function; if they get disregulated, it can cause problem,” Medzhitov said. The unpleasant experiences also make you stop eating the food that caused the reaction, and avoid that food in the future. But wait: Plenty of people eat peanuts and other common food allergens without incident. Why do some people have extreme reactions and others enjoy these foods in peace? Medzhitov points out that there are certain components of the foods we eat everyday whose effects on the body we still don’t exactly know. There may be certain chemicals in some foods that have noxious effects on our cells that are slightly toxic. He hypothesizes that some people are better at detoxifying those substances than others. And those who are deficient in those detoxifying mechanisms have instead allergies to defend themselves. And then there’s allergies to pollutants in the air. The production of mucus in allergic people, theoretically, gives them increased protection from the particulate pollutants in the air, since they will inhale less of them. That would mean that if those pollutants are carcinogenic, the allergic person would have increased protection against certain forms of cancer over time. Or you might avoid that environment altogether, thereby also taking you out of a toxic situation. The hypothesis that allergies protect against particular cancers does have some evidence backing it up. In fact, a 2011 study suggested  that allergies may stave off gliomas, which are the most common form of brain tumor. But more research needs to be carried out to back up this idea. So what are we to make of all of this? Even if true, we can't use this knowledge to help people with allergies – yet.  But maybe one day, says Dr. Robert Wood, Director of Allergy/Immunology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, who was not involved in this study. "“This is a fascinating paper that sheds new light on why some people develop allergies and others do not. It also suggests reasons why the prevalence of allergic disease, including food allergy, asthma, and hay fever, have all increased over the past 20-30 years," Wood said. "Hopefully the theories presented here could eventually be used to design prevention strategies for allergy, but at the present time they remain just theories that will not lead to any immediate approaches to treat or prevent allergy.” Filed under: Allergies , Food Safety Tagged: Elizabeth Landau – CNN.com Health Writer/Producer

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What’s McDonald’s doing in 26 of our nation’s hospitals? – Mind Body Green Get your nosh: two dozen snacks, all under 200 calories – Real Simple Not a passing fad, hula-hooping is a fun way to tone your belly – Health Learn the forbidden foods that actually work to keep you slim – Self Why kicking back and relaxing is essential to good health – HuffPost Healthy Living Cruise into Spring on two wheels with these stylish bikes – Olivia Palermo Try this booty-busting treadmill routine. Hint: it’s intervals – Peanut Butter Fingers Avoid these six surprising foods that make your seasonal allergies worse – Prevention

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We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. Nothing puts a crimp on a Spring run like sneezing, snot, and watery eyes. And since seasonal allergies can worsen over time, early intervention can be the difference between enjoying the outdoors and being stuck inside with a box of tissues. To help you avoid that unfortunate fate, we pulled together this list of the best natural ways to keep your allergy symptoms under wraps. View Slideshow ›

New report ranks the health of 3,000 US counties – HuffPost Healthy Living The top 7 excuses for not working out and how to squash them – Prevention Rain or allergies? The best outdoor workouts for these (and more) complaints – Shape How to not let back pain ruin your fitness regimen – Fit Bottomed Girls Everything you need to know about the new low-carb “milk” drinks – Daily Spark Build muscle and burn fat with this at-home workout – Peanut Butter Fingers Get your protein levels up with these sweet and spicy chickpeas – Mind Body Green

Have you ever woken up with your eyes feeling heavy and are shocked to discover they’re twice their normal size? Allergies, too much salt or alcohol, lack of sleep, crying, and even makeup can attribute to swollen, puffy, and red eyes. While it may take hours or even a few days for them to return back to normal, take these 10 steps to help shrink the swell. Remember, even though it’s tempting, don’t rub your eyes! It will only make the irritation and redness worse. Don’t underestimate water. Splash your face with cold water as you wake up to help calm puffiness, then drink a few glasses to hydrate yourself. Remove any and all eye makeup using cotton swabs and eye makeup remover. Makeup caught in the tear ducts and waterlines will continue to cause inflammation and potentially infection unless you remove it. Dip a cold rag or cotton balls into an ice bath. Apply to the face for five-10 minutes. If you can think ahead, keep an ice pack or gel face mask in the freezer. Place on your eyes for 10 minutes. Chilled chamomile, mint, ginseng, or black teabags sooth and tighten up the skin around the eyes. Set them over the eyes until the teabags are at room temperature. Click here to read more.