When exactly did peanut allergies become such a big deal? I can't recall anyone freaking out about giving me a peanut butter sandwich when I was a little kid, but friends with children assure me that has all changed. Peanut Paranoia is in full effect across the nation, thanks to stern warnings from doctors about the potential for deadly allergic reactions in young children. more ›

As we noted in the Morning Roundup, Ward 8 D.C. Council member Marion Barry was just released from the hospital on Monday evening after being treated for dehydration and a mild blood infection. But now D.C. Wire is reporting that the "Mayor for Life" actually went right back to Howard University Hospital late last night, thanks to an allergic reaction he had to some shrimp.

Barry and a group of friends decided to celebrate his release by going to dinner. Barry ordered the shrimp. A short time later, he says, his throat began to swell closed, his vision went blurry and his tongue went numb.

The pollen depicted by christaki is better seen than felt. Ugh, if only. Apparently this allergen looms so large in D.C. this spring that you can find and photograph big piles of it. This image might actually be a closeup of my eye or nostril. more ›

At last, another list compiled by a giant industry with an agenda for us to argue over. Today the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America unveiled its 2008 Fall Allergy Capitals list, which is sponsored by the makers of allergy medicine Zyrtec. The list ranks the 100 worst American cities to live in for people (like me) with upper respiratory allergies during the fall. Greensboro, NC tops the list, with other Southern and Midwestern cities rounding out the top ten. This is apparently because there's a ton of ragweed floating around in these places, and ragweed is the thing most people with seasonal allergies are allergic to. more ›