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  • 1.  #TBT: the origins of seasonal allergy relief

    Posted 04-13-2023 04:51:00 PM

    Just a quick shout-out to Swiss/Italian pharmacologist Daniel Bovet, who discovered the first antihistamine in 1937, for which he was later awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

    Diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, was discovered in 1940 by George Rieveschl, a chemical engineer at the University of Cincinnati. (Fun fact: diphenhydramine is banned in Zambia in over-the counter products so don't pack it if you plan to travel there).

    If you live in Wichita, Kansas, please accept our sympathies. Wichita has just been named the most challenging place to live with seasonal allergies, based on: worse-than-average scores for all pollen, allergy medicine use, and availability of allergy specialists.



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    Nicole Buckley
    Communications Strategist
    Association of American Medical Colleges
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  • 2.  RE: #TBT: the origins of seasonal allergy relief

    Posted 04-14-2023 09:44:00 AM

    reads post through blurred, scratchy eyes 

    Thanks for sharing this, Nicole -- so interesting and I similarly share my sympathies with anyone in Wichita!

    I was recently faced with the question "Do I just have allergies, or is this a cold? or COVID?" and then yesterday I saw this video from The Weather Channel on IG with tips from experts on ways to tell the difference: https://weather.com/health/allergy/video/is-it-allergies-a-cold-or-covid 



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    Stephanie Weiner
    Director, Digital Strategy & Engagement
    Association of American Medical Colleges
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