The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-08-26, Page 22Feature
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1987—PAGE 23
It's hayfever season in the ra
Finding Relief from
the Ragweed Sneeze
It begins with a few sneezes. Then your nostrils become
leaky pipes or completely blocked. You feel a tingling, it-
chy sensation spread from your nose, to your eyes and
your throat. If only you could turn yourself inside out and
scratch! Your eyes water and turn red. You ache and your
temper flares. Even the simplest of tasks becomes an in-
surmountable feat. .
These symptoms are only too familiar to the estimated
1.8 million Canadians who suffer from hay fever. And up
to 85 per cent of hay fever sufferers are allergic to
ragweed, which blossoms in mid-August and continues to
pollinate until the first good frost.
Those allergic to ragweed have a number of options, in-
cluding: avoid all contact with ragweed pollen - which in
some cases may mean a move to Arizona; visit a doctor
for a series of injections to help the body build up a
resistance to the allergy; or take medications, the most
common being antihistamines, to relieve the symptoms.
Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in the
newer "non -sedating" or "without drowsiness" an-
tihistamines. According to Hugh MacGregor, Product
Manager at SmithKline Consumer Products, makers of
Contac Allergy Formula, "Some people may not unders-
tand all the possible side effects and factors. involved in
taking these new medications, as well as the so-called
"traditional" medications which have been available for
a much longer period of time."
The three most commonly used, over-the-counter an-
tihistamines in Canada are chlorpheniramine maleate,.
terfenadine and astemizole. These are the' names of .the
actual antihistamines, not the brand names.
Contac Allergy Formula and Chlor-tripolon contain
chlorpheniramine ma leate. Seldane contains terfenadine
and Hismanal contains astemizole.
DROWSINESS
A common misconception about chlorpheniramine is
that it makes everyone drowsy. But clinical studies, un
average, show that drowsiness is reported by only 10 to 20
per cent of thosewho take chlorpheniramine maleate. It is
also reported that some of these people will experience
less and less drowsiness after they've taken chlor-
pheniramine for two to three days.
As far as the new nonsedating antihistamines are con-
cerned, clinical studies actually report that from five to 10
per cent of the people who take terfenadine or astemizole
will experience drowsiness. However, because the same
number of people also reported drowsiness after taking a
placebo i sometimes a sugar pill), these antihistamines
have been determined to be non-seda,ting.
CLEARING UP A RUNNY NOSE
Some of the most common symptoms of, hay fever are a
runny nose, watery eyes and an increase in saliva.
Clinical studies show that of the three most commonly us-
ed antihistamines, chlorpheniramine maleate is the most
effective in treating these so-called "wet symptoms." As
a result of this drying effect, some people may find they
have a dry mouth.
If you're one of those people who experiences these wet
symptoms, you should know that clinical studies indicate
twieenadine is less effective in arresting these symptoms
than a placebo. Astemizole has also been found to have lit-
tle or no effect on the reduction,of salivary flow. •
CLEARING A STUFFED -UP NOSE
One of the most common misconceptions about an-,
tihistamines is that they will clear nasal congestion. An-
tihistamines alone, are not particularly effective in clear-
ing nasal congestion. Hay fever sufferers who experience
a stuffy nose may be advised to take a medication that
contains both an antihistamine and a nasal decongestant.
INSTANT RELIEF
• Astemizole takes much longer than chlorpheniramine
weed capital
or terfenadine to provide maximum relief from hay tever
symptoms. Astemizole can take from •two to three days
while studies indicate terfenadine takes from two to four
hours and chlorpherrirarrrine maleate takes from six to
eight hours.
WEIGHT GAIN
Clinical studies also indicate that people who take
astemizole may notice an increase in their appetite, which
can lead to weight gain. An increase in appetite is not
reported as a possible side effect for chlorpheniramine
maleate or terfenadine.
You can take chlorpheniramine maleate or terfenadine
at .any time of day. Those people who experience
drowsiness with chlorpheniramine maleate, may wish to
reduce the dosage or take the medication at bedtime. But
you should take astemizole on • n em ty stomach - one
hour before, or two hours after°k3eal
Some hay fever sufferers may not understand that if
they wait until their symptoms are severe, antihistamines
are not as effective. Many doctors will tell you that the
best time to take a quick -acting antihistamine, is when
hay fever symptoms first appear. It's also important to
understand that everyone reacts differently to an-
tihistamines. A dosage that's too weak for one person,
may be too strong for another. You should consult your
doctor or allergist to determine the dosage that's best for
you.
"Whichever medication you use," says MacGregor,
-it's very important to follow the instructions for useand
to read any cautions or warnings listed on. the package. If
you have any questions, ask your pharmacist or doctor."
Finally, if you're a hay fever sufferer looking for com-
plete relief, ,MacGregor says antihistamines alone, may
not do the job. "A hay fever sufferer should check with his
or her family doctor or allergist, who may be able to
recommend other treatments which can help them find as
much relief as possible."
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Blake - Kirkland
Suzanne Arlene Kirkland and Douglas
James Blake exchanged wedding vows on
May 9, 1987 in the •Lucknow Presbyterian
Church, with Reverend Allison J. Ramsay
officiating. The parents of the bride and
groom are Mr. and Mrs. David Kirkland of
R. No. 2, Lucknow and Mr. and Mrs.
Howard Blake, R. No. 2, Goderich.
Suzanne's matron of honor was her
sister, Annette Hendriks of R..7, Lucknow.
Bridesmaids were her sister-in-law, Carla
Blake of Burlington and a friend, Audrey
Phillips of R. No. 7, Lucknow.
Henry Hendriks, R. No. 7 Lucknow, the
groom's brother-in-law, acted as
groomsman.
A brother of the groom, Bev Blake of
Burlington and friend, Bob Philips of Kit-
chener were ushers.
A reception was held at the Lucknow
District Community Centre following the
wedding. Suzanne and Doug honeymooned
in the Dominican Republic and now are
residing in Kitchener.
(Photo by Harvey McDowell)
New regulations
enhance working
conditions
Ontario Labor Minister William Wrye an-
nounced recently that new regulations -to
enhance • ,basic working conditions for
domestics.
All of Ontario's full time domestics and
nannies will be entitled to standard over-
time pay 'starting October 1, according to'
the new regulations.
Under existing legislation, only domestics
living outside the household qualify for ex •
-
tra compensation for hours worked in ex •
-
cess of 44 hours a. week: Live-in domestics
are now excluded from the. overtime provi-
sions of the Employment Standards Act.
The new regulations extend the right to
overtime pay to all full-time domestics
(those employed more than 24 hours a
' week) as well as to nannies with special
training in child care.
The measures also eliminate daily, week-
ly and monthly wage minimums for
domestics. Starting in October, only the pro-
vincial hourly minimum wage will apply.
And for the° first time, part time domestics
will qualify for the minimum hourly wage.
Other provisions require employers to
keep records of hours worked by domestic
workers. They must also provide employees
with written particulars of employment, set-
ting out hours of work and the hourly rate of
pay.
In announcing the regulations; the labor
minister pointed out that the special nature
of domestic ,employment makes it difficult
to apply standard job regulations to this seg-
ment of the work force, especially where
child care is involved.
"At the same time, domestic workers
have as much right as anyone else to free
time, to adequate wages, and to extra com-
pensation far extra effort," Mr. Wrye said,
"It is our intention in framing this regula-
tion to ensure that theybe afforded this
right to the fullest possible extent."
The regulations also change the status of
sitters - that is, those caring for children in
the household but who lack the specialized
training of nannies. Such employees are
currently exempt from substantive protec-
tion under the Employment Standards Act.
Starting in October, however, full time
live-in sitters will be entitled to overtime
pay, the minimum wage and all other rights
of live-in domestics. The change is designed
to end situations in which ordinary
domestics are classified as sitters by
employers wishing to avoid paying overtime
and other benefits.
The labor minister noted that private
organizations have .been urging that hours
of work of domestics be made subject to the
maximums set out in the Employment Stan-
dards Act ( eight hours per day and 48 hours
per week). On the other hand, he said, it is
argued that the measure would not be prac-
tical when applied to live-in domestics, and
that any attempt to enforce maximum hours
could lead to tensions in some domestic and
child-care situations.
"We therefore feel that a resolution of this
question should await the outcome of the
Task Force on Hours of Work and Overtime.
The final report respecting domestics is ex-
perted in September. In the meantime, the
new overtime pay provisions should' make it
less likely that employers will place ex-
cessive demands on employees," he said.
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