40 Causes of Allergy - a Checklist

50 Causes of Allergy - a Checklist

Dr Abe V Rotor 

 Living with Nature - School on Blog

Allergy to algae and bryophytes (moss and liverwort)

Let me present some cases of allergy often encountered. These were gathered from our radio listeners on Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid.

1. Smoking. Drivers, office workers, mechanics, farmers, writers, teachers, name it, and the habit is widespread. I know one whose only bisyo is paninigarillo. He didn’t live long.

2. “Canned entertainment” such as parties in fastfoods predisposes kids to various ailments and psychological trauma, and to certain kinds of allergy. It is devoid of the natural environment that builds resistance to allergy as the children grow up.

3. Some common allergens are flowers of kasoy, Bulacan wonder, kupkupyes, macopa, and tapilan. Lipang Kalabaw, a very itchy plant that grows into a tree.

4. Mushroom Allergy. There are spores of fungi like Auricularia or “tainga ng daga” and wild tree mushroom even when they have dried up.

5. Fowls and wild birds are common causes of allergy, from their feathers and parasites, to their droppings. The filthiest bird second to the vulture is the crow carries vermin from carcasses of animals and garbage. Allergy from reptiles – from skin casting to vermin attracted by their food and waste.

6. Don’t play with spiders. Spiders cause allergy with the hair coverings of their body, and web or silk of certain species. The Black Widow is one of the few poisonous species.

7. Allergic to trees like ipil-ipil (Leucaena glauca)? It’s due to “plant lice” like Psylla, a minute insect pest that wiped out ipil-ipil plantations in the seventies and eighties. They build dense colonies on a single tree, sapping its vitality until it dies.

8. Mealybugs and scale insects (Order Homoptera) produce waxy covering layer for protection and camouflage, as well as casing of their eggs and young. Cottony mealybug (Pseudococcos) on guava leaf; the insect without waxy covering.

9. Pesticide Residue in fruits. Fruits may carry pesticide residues of dangerous chemicals like Folidol, BHC and Malathion. Pesticide residues on vegetables, particularly on crucifers – cabbage, lettuce, pechay, cauliflower – register above allowable levels. Lack of monitoring may predispose consumers to the effects of pesticides.

11. Kapok or Cotton Tree (Ceiba pentandra L) releases seeds covered with lint from the mature pod The fiber is gathered mainly for pillow. It is cool and preferred over synthetic fills. Dehiscence period is towards the end of the year.

12. Fire Tree (Delonix regia) Both flowers and caterpillars attacking the tree may cause allergy. Higad or the hairy caterpillar of Tussock moth causes irritation of the skin which may last for days. A common remedy is to apply vinegar on the affected skin. If the sharp hairs are embedded, apply candle drops and allow to solidify. Then peel off with the encased hair. Mosses, algae, ferns and short growing annuals may cause allergy, including their substrates that undergo transformation by weathering.

13. Allergic to Termites? It may be the termite or the mushroom in farms in its chamber - or both - that cause the allergy. Termites work with lignin-breaking fungi that soften the wood. Inside their guts are protozoa that break up cellulose, aiding digestion – a classical case of symbiosis.

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Global Warming and Climate Change increase incidence of Asthma and Allergy cases around the world.
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14. Pesticide Residues. Poisonous hydrocarbon and phosphate compounds find their way through the food chain – in the case of frog from sprayed insects that serve as its prey. Pesticide residues accumulate in its tissues and transferred to the its predators, including man.

15. Are you allergic to native delicacies? Sinanglaw is a favorite Ilocano dish from internal organs of carabao or cattle cooked in slow fire and heavily spiced with hot pepper, paminta and ginger. Pinapaitan and kilawin prepared from goat’s meat are a native delicacy in many parts of the country. Other delicacies include kaldereta and soup “number 5.”

17. Tulingan or Tanggigi is a common cause of allergy to many people. It is a practice to drain the blood by cutting the tail, and carefully removing the entrails before the fish is cut and served raw or cooked. The danger worsens when the fish is no longer fresh. There are people who are also allergic to tuna.

18. Shellfish – tahong, talaba and halaan may harbor the red tide dinoflagellate is large quantity that may lead to Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) in man. PSP symptoms may first appear as allergy, and may be lethal if not treated immediately.

20. Allergy is caused by insects Banana and mabolo (left) attacked by fruit fly (Dacus dorsalis/cucurbitae). It attacks dozens of popular fruits and vegetables, including mango, citrus, guava, macopa, cucumber, ampalaya.

22. The domesticated honeybee (Apis melifera) normally does not sting unless provoked, unlike the notorious African honeybee which threatens the US honeybee industry today. There are as many deaths due to bee sting as snake bites. People vary in reaction to bee sting, from swelling to difficulty in breathing.

23. Millipedes (Class Diplopods) exude Cyanide gas to stun their prey as well as repel their predators. Thus children should warned not to play with the “diken-diken,” playing possum by curling its body into a tight ring.

24. Avoid obnoxious and annoying insects - all kinds of bugs, plant lice, aggressive Insects such as wasp and hantik ant. Hemipterans- the bugs – exude an obnoxious odor which is caustic to the skin and eyes, a chemical offensive that wards off would-be predators attracted by their brilliant colors and attractive designs.

25. Perfectly camouflaged, these insects lie surreptitious to their prey and predator and people may be unwary of them. Lepidopterans – butterflies, moths and skippers – are covered with scales of of chitin, a very resistant cellulose-like compound. The practice of releasing butterflies in place of throwing rice on a newly married couples has been discouraged because of the danger the chitinous scales that cause irritation of the skin and eyes.

26. There are various allergic reactions to fowls and birds, not only for their feathers, but mites and lice belonging to two Orders Anoplura (suckling lice) and Mallophaga (chewing lice) - that reside in their bodies and nests.

27. Ngarusangis is a very small bivalve that occurs in colonies in estuaries. The shells are gathered for food and for ducks in raising balot. Allergy cases have been reported by eating this favorite soup of the Ilocanos. Below, increasing lead pollution has forced the shutdown of many salt beds in the country. Salt made near cities and industrial sites may pose danger to health.

28. Does radiation cause allergy? Radiation emitted by radio transmitters have been found to be the cause of a number of ailments from insomnia to sterility. It is also associated with cancer, abnormal blood levels and heart conditions which may be related to allergy or allergy symptoms.

30. Danger lurks in murky water – diseases, vermin, etc. Heavily polluted waterways such as the Pasig River contain high levels of Hydrogen Sulfide, Ammonia, Methane, other gases, and toxic metals.

31. Allergy to plastics and other synthetic materials. Stuffed toys may cause allergy, so with many things put into the mouth.

32. It might be aldelfa or yellow bell flower. The sap may cause paralysis of the pharynx leading to asphyxiation.

34. Aflatoxin in peanut, corn and others go unnoticed with the preserved food.

35. Believe it or not – bad spirits like the kapre lives in old balete tree. Naan-annongan is different from nakasagsagid , but the symptoms are quite similar - profuse sweating and feeling of general weakness.

36. Allergy from yeast and young wine.

37. Are you allergic to fireworks, and on New Year’s Eve?

38. Allergy to dust and dust mites in bedrooms and unkempt dwellings.

39. Milk is the number source of allergy in infants and young children. Peanut is the most common source of energy among legumes.

40. Genetically modified food may contain foreign genetic materials unsuspecting to be the cause of allergy, Example: gene from flounder spliced with tomato gene. Anti-freeze property of flounder makes tomato resistant to frost in the field.

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM, 8-9 evening class Monday to Friday

50 Kinds of Phobia - A Self-Analysis

Everyone of us suffers of certain phobias, a term that has become very common nowadays.

Dr Abe V Rotor
 Living with Nature School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School on Air) 
738 DZRB 8 to 9 evening class
with Ms Grace Velasco August 10, 2015

Lesson: Phobia.

Many of our fears are not actually phobias. Thus a phobia may be regarded as a psychological phenomenon, personality problem, or simply anxiety, shyness, distraught. It could be the result of discrimination, prejudice, after-effect of say, a horror movie, and inability to adjust to a new situation.

Actually there are 1001 cause-and-effect cases that are attributed to phobias, and many of them are just invented terms. There is no end to the list which in the first place are not supported by scientific evidences. If our world is full of phobias how come we still can manage to go on with life? And find it beautiful? Psychologists say we have the ability rise above uncertainties and fears associated with things and events unfamiliar and strange. Our rationality and high intelligence help us in facing and overcoming them - and even forget them afterwards. This is the wonder of human will and determination.

Imagine yourself being surrounded by different kinds of mechandise like in this sari-sari store, and people milling around plus the typical irritating noise typical in a market . Is this a case of claustophobia? Or much more? And yet vendors get used to it - and even love their work and make it a lifetime livelihood. So what is phobia?

Is there a term for phobia to cats? Cats are second to the dog as man's best friend. It is ironical that these animals are the cause of phobias, something parents and our value system have to correct early with our children.

In the scientific aspect a phobia (from the Greek for fear or morbid fear) is an irrational, intense and persistent fear of certain situations, activities, things, animals, or people. The main symptom of this disorder is the excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared stimulus. Phobias are generally caused by an event recorded and labeled in the brain as deadly or dangerous. Thus whenever a specific situation is approached again (and again) the body reacts as if the event were happening repeatedly afterward. In which case there is need of medical, psychiatric, or spiritual advise.

Go over this list and mark those that are applicable to you, and rate them as mild or serious. In this way you will be able to assess your fears and overcome them, on your own effort, or with professional help. There are really many phobias beyond this list. No one knows really, and if alleged phobia is an accepted term and condition. This is the consequence of living in a postmodern world.

After finishing this exercise, proceed to the next post: Anxiety, Phobia and Depression

1. acrophobia – heights
2. agarophobia – open space
3. agyrophobia or dromophobia – crossing the street
4. amaxophobia – riding in a car
5. ambulophobia – walking
6. aviophobia – fear of flying
7. androphobia – men
8. gamophobia – marriage
9. ecclesiophobia – church
10. gerascophobia – growing old
11. thanatophobia – fear of death.
12. thermophobia – fear of heat.
13. tokophobia – fear of childbirth.
14. hagiophobia – saints and holy things
15. anthophobia - flowers
16. aviophobia, aviatophobia – fear of flying.
17. hydrophobia - water (a positive sign of a mad dog)Below are some examples:
18. chemophobia – prejudice against artificial substances in favour of "natural" substances.
19. ephebiphobia – fear or dislike of youth or adolescents.
20. homophobia – fear or dislike of homosexuals or homosexuality.
21. xenophobia – fear or dislike of strangers or the unknown.
22. agoraphobia – fear of places or events where escape is impossible
23. agraphobia – fear of sexual abuse.
24. algophobia – fear of pain.
25. agyrophobia – fear of crossing roads.
26. anthropophobia – fear of people or being in a company, a form of social phobia.
27. arachnophobia – fear of spiders.
28. atychiphobia – fear of failure
29. claustrophobia – fear of having no escape and being closed in.
30. dentophobia, odontophobia – fear of dentists and dental procedures
31. disposophobia, better known as "compulsive hoarding" – the fear of getting rid of or losing things.
32. dysmorphophobia, or body dysmorphic disorder – a phobic obsession with a real or imaginary body defect.
33. genophobia, coitophobia – fear of sexual intercourse.
34. gerascophobia – fear of growing old or aging.
35. gerontophobia – fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly
36. glossophobia – fear of speaking in public or of trying to speak.
37. gynophobia – fear of women.
38. hemophobia, haemophobia – fear of blood.
39. spectrophobia – fear of mirrors and one's own reflections.
40. nostophobia - fear of returning home
41. nyctophobia, achluophobia, lygophobia, scotophobia – fear of darkness.
42. paraskavedekatriaphobia, paraskevidekatriaphobia, friggatriskaidekaphobia – fear of Friday the 13th.
43. scolionophobia – fear of school.
44. phasmophobia – fear of ghosts, spectres or phantasms.
45. philophobia - fear of love
46. phobophobia – fear of having a phobia.
47. pyrophobia – fear of fire.
48. sociophobia – fear of people or social situations.

... and panphobia – fear of everything or constant fear of an unknown cause. ~
Wolsey picture NOTE: The terms mentioned here are not all recognized scientifically and found in the dictionary. Most of these are classified psychological. Other phobias are non-psychological, fictional, jocular, biological, or simply arising from our relationships with the environment, animals and the like. Pause and reflect. Make a list of the phobias you have identified from this list and from other sources. Resolve to overcome them and live a happier and healthier life. You can do it!

References: Time magazine, Wikipedia

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address - enduring model of an effective speech.

Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address - enduring model of an effective speech.  

Good speeches are becoming rare, and the Good Speaker is an endangered kind - in spite of modern tools of communication.  

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

Rare photograph: Lincoln seated without hat left of center, taken during the dedication of the Gettysburg Cemetery where 20,000 soldiers were killed on both sides - the Union representing the government, and the Confederates (secessionists)

Of the five known copies of the "Gettysburg Address" in Abraham Lincoln's handwriting (all a little different), this version named after Col. Alexander Bliss has been the most often produced in the 150 years since Lincoln signed and dated it, according to abrahamlincolnonline.org.

Here is the full text:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

-- Abraham Lincoln
Nov. 19, 1863

 

Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's Handwriting

 

Edward Everett delivered a two-hour oration before Lincoln's two-minute Gettysburg address. 
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Speech is oral communication delivered before a large gathering - on stage or broadcast. Speech is an important medium of presenting information in meetings, political or business gatherings. To be effective a speech should have the following qualities.

1. Definiteness of Message

2. Clarity
3. Interesting

4. Conciseness5. Speaking Slowly6. Use of Body Language
7. Free from Emotions

8. Informal Touch
9. Considering the Audience
10. Ensuring Participation of Audience

Qualities of the best speakers
1. Begin the speech, after passing for a few seconds, looking over the audience. Open the speech with a striking, catchy introduction looking into the eyes of the audience. Establish eye contact with the audience.
2. Do not read your speech. Don't rely too much of technology, such as PowerPoint) 
3. Wear clothes that befit the occasion.
4. Have a good posture and appearance. Do not hold onto the mike or to the podium for support.
5. Modulate your voice. Speak at moderate speed. Do not rush. Have a conversational tone. Have enough voice projection. 6. Be confident, relaxed and energetic. Avoid mannerisms.
 
7. Convey sincerity, conviction and enthusiasm for the subject.
8. Manage time. 
9. Use gestures to emphasize and clarify your points.
10. Pause before and after important ideas. Stop while the audience is still eager to hear more. Close the speech with a striking, impressive, concluding remark.

Acknowledgement: Cerwin-Vega Official Site
The Loud Speaker Company. Pro Audio & Home Audio Speakers.

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School on Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

The Mysterious Human Figures at UP Diliman QC

Dr Abe V Rotor
Photos by Anna Christina R Rotor And Leo Carlo R Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School on Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

These unfinished life size human figures occupy the “less trodden” front yard of the UP College of Fine Arts in Diliman, QC. The artists may have in mind the portrayal of man more as a Homo faber - man the worker or maker rather than his attribute as the reasoning man (Homo sapiens) - and much less the playing man - Homo ludens. Here the figures appear to be workers of the land. In fact one resembles the Man with a Hoe by Markham. Another appears to be carrying an imaginary heavy load.

What is puzzling however, is the representation of peaceful death. While the living struggle, the dead lies in true rest, cradled by the earth. Which then changes the scenario if all the figures were to be directed to a solemn and sorrowful occasion of burying a departed member in thin ceremonious atmosphere. It now expresses the highest attribute of man - Homo spiritus - the praying man who places completely his fate to a Higher Being. The viewer now turns his thoughts to grief and compassion, and the scene is no longer the farm but a sacred ground. The imagined heavy load is a burden of the heart, the figures are bent not by the burden of work but by the loss of a loved one.

Art is like that. It is like poetry, the meaning is hidden "between the lines." Like impressions in Impressionism; points in Pointillism. Or masked symbols in Pablo Picasso's plaza mural - Guernica. Unfinished works of masters often become their masterpieces like the Unfinished Symphony of Beethoven, and Mozart's Requiem, his last composition commissioned by a mysterious person. Mozart died before finishing it, and Requiem became his own. Auguste Renoir repeatedly painted his favorite Nymphaea Waterlilies until darkness took over his failing sight. The last version is Renoir's signature.

Venus de Milo is more beautiful with her arms missing. And for this, the best artists in the world gave up their attempt to supply her arms.

The mystery of the human figures of UP Diliman emanates from the anonymity of their theme that stands at the crossroad of human imagination searching for the meaning of life, exacerbated by their unfinished, and apparent abandoned state.

So what have you discovered about yourself by going back to those unfinished works? Share with us your experience. Remember those things you abandoned could be your greatest treasures, and who knows - people some day will remember you because of them. ~