BT Calgary Blogs

I have bad news for the 25 to 30 percent of the population that suffers from seasonal allergies…. this season is gearing up to be one of the worst in years!

I spoke with Allergist Dr. Joel Doctor and he says this winter has been relatively warm and dry and if this weather pattern continues, it will be a rough ride for hayfever sufferers. Dr. Doctor explains that plants pollenate more if it’s dry, warm and windy. And that has pretty much been the case here in Calgary. Tree allergy season starts right now and runs through May, grass season runs through June and July. Dr. Doctor suggests it’s good to know when your allergies are the worst and to start taking your antihistamines before your symptoms get really bad in order to get the best protection.

Dr. Doctor suggests the second generation over the counter antihistamines like Reactine, Allegra or Claritin work great and have an excellent safety and side effect profile. Now, if these medications don’t work, you can talk to your family doctor about a prescription for a nasal spray or eye drops to help with your symptoms. And if nothing works, it’s worth talking to a specialist about your eligibility for allergy shots. These shots are labour intensive but they do provide a permanent form of protection. However, this treatment method requires numerous injections over a three year period and they do carry a small risk of triggering an allergic reaction. SO, shots are really the last line of defence.

The other thing to do is reduce your exposure to your allergy. Dr. Doctor says a good thing to do is go to the Weather Network website and check the pollen count for the day to see if it’s going to be a rough one. Or simply look out the window: if it’s dry, warm and windy it’s a better day go to a movie rather than go for a hike.

Bottomline here is there is no need to suffer with seasonal allergies. They can be well controlled with the right treatment option for you.

To check pollen counts visit:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/pollenfx/POCSW/caab0049?ref=topnav_weather_pollenfx

CALGARY WEATHER
TODAY: 9, Rain (10-20mm) – Wind North 20/km
TONIGHT: 2, Rain/Snow Mix
FRIDAY: 7, Showers, with a Rain/Snow Mix at times
>Well, we knew it was coming, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. A change for the cooler and wetter straight through until Saturday.
-Look for heavy snow in the mountain parks (up to 15cm possible).

Imagine waking up and not being able to move. It’s a terrifying experience and a real phenomenon called Sleep Paralysis. It’s relatively common too … almost half of us will experience this at least once in our lifetime.

Sleep paralysis is characterized by feeling that you’re awake, but you’re unable to move your body. It’s associated most commonly with people who suffer from narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by extreme sleepiness, and those who are extremely sleep deprived. I spoke with Sleep Specialist Dr. Adam Moscovitz about this. He says he’s seeing more and more people who suffer from sleep paralysis because our population has never been more sleep deprived.

SP has to do with passing through the stages of sleep. There are 4 stages and in the final stage, the REM stage or the dream stage, we lose muscle tone so we don’t act out our dreams. Dr. Moscovitz explains sleep is not an inactive state. We’re doing a lot while we sleep! In fact, for some people who suffer sleep paralysis not only are they unable to move, they often hallucinate, or feel a buzz go through their body.

Sleep paralysis has been around for centuries and has a huge mythology surrounding it. In the history books or even portrayed in art you’ll see people possessed by “demons” or “incubi” … beings that sit of the chests of people sleeping. Sleep paralysis is also associated with the “old hag.” Some scientists even think sleep paralysis may be what people are experiencing when they describe being visited by aliens.

The good news though… if you suffer from this, there is help. You can talk to your family doctor about a referral to a sleep specialist. This doctor can help determine if you suffer from narcolepsy and treat you for that, or if you’re very sleep deprived they can help you to get better quality and length of sleep.

CALGARY WEATHER
TODAY: 16, Partly Cloudy
TONIGHT: +4, Partly Cloudy (Average low: -2)
THURSDAY: 10, Scattered Showers
>A warm Wednesday for us….enjoy it – a cold front packing Pacific moisture moves in on Thursday….slightly cooler than average through Saturday – more warm temps by Sunday.
-Meteorologist Andrew Schultz ( twitter: @AndrewSchultzWX )

Mac owners have long bragged about the fact that they don’t need to have antivirus software installed to keep them safe from viruses and malware. That is starting to change.

Late last week the Flashback virus made its way across the globe affecting nearly 600,000 Mac computers, most of them in the US. So how can you tell if you’re infected?

In the early stages the only way to find out was to manually enter commands into the Terminal which can be intimidating for some. Thankfully there is an easier way.

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CALGARY WEATHER
TODAY: 14, Sunny (WIND: SE 30-50)
TONIGHT: +1, Clear (WIND: SE 30-50)
WEDNESDAY: 17, Partly Cloudy
>Warm & Breezy over the next couple of days…..we’ll see teen temperatures today and tomorrow, with Wednesday’s high of 17 degrees being the warmest of the next 7-Days.
-Meteorologist Andrew Schultz ( twitter: @AndrewSchultzWX )

CALGARY WEATHER
TODAY: 10, Sunny (Wind SE 20)
TONIGHT: -3, Clear
TUESDAY: 13, Partly Cloudy
>A great start to the new week – double digits and/or teen temperatures through Thursday – look for chance showers by Friday.
-Meteorologist Andrew Schultz ( twitter: @AndrewSchultzWX )

CALGARY LONG WEEKEND WEATHER
TODAY: 5, Partly Cloudy (Wind: NW 20)
TONIGHT: -2, Chance Eve. Flurries – Clearing Overnight
FRIDAY: 5, Partly Cloudy
SATURDAY: 6, Sunny
SUNDAY: 9, Sunny
>Great looking weekend ahead, with the highlight being Easter Sunday – perfect weather for the Easter Egg Hunt!
-Meteorologist Andrew Schultz ( twitter: @AndrewSchultzWX )

Cadbury Creme Eggs are one of those things you either love or hate. Personally, I love them! Forget the chocolate, it’s the creme yolk filling that I find simply delicious! I love Cadbury Creme Eggs on ice cream, but there are many other recipes out there. Here are a couple bizarre ones I tried on the show this week.

The first is a new twist on a classic recipe. Eggs Benedict! I know sounds disgusting but it’s actually not that bad.

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This is a fun little story I got from Dr. Nancy Snyderman who files regularly for The Today Show. She says there are some funny bodily quirks we all have from time to time that are usually harmless, but there are some that could be symptoms of a bigger problem that should be investigated further.

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