TUESDAY,APRIL 29,2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 5A
Allergies accompany spring season
By Nikki Overfelt
overfelt@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Springtime means the blooming of flowers and trees, but for University of Kansas students who suffer from seasonal allergies that also means pollen.
In the spring, pollen from buds and trees is the allergen that bother people with allergies the most, said Patricia Denning, staff physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
Suffering from seasonal allergies doesn't stop Ann Foltz from enjoying springtime, however.
"I hate winter so much that I'll take it," the Abilene senior said.
Foltz's symptoms normally include runny nose, itchy eyes and sinus pressure, she said. She used to take Claritin for her symptoms, but now just takes Benadryl on the days she's especially suffering, she said.
"Mine are so sporadic." Foltz said. "Some days they'll be really bad and some days not."
The spring allergy season normally lasts for about six to eight weeks from late March to June, Denning said.
In June grasses begin to bother those with allergies. In August through October ragweed is the problem allergen, she said.
Typical allergy symptoms include itching of eyes, nose, ears and throat, Denning said. Sneezing and drippy eyes and nose are also good indicators of seasonal allergies.
Students who suffer from allergies will not have fevers, unlike colds, she said.
For relief from symptoms, Denning recommends students talk to a pharmacist about which over-the-counter medication would be best for their symptoms, she said.
tion that often goes untapped," she said.
"They're a wealth of informa-
Some common over-the-counter medications are Claritin, Alavert, Benadryl and Chlortrimeton, Denning said.
If the symptoms are not controlled by over-the-counter medications, Denning said, students should see a doctor who can prescribe a prescription antihistamine or nasal steroid spray.
Watkins also has an allergy clinic where student can get prescribed allergy shots, Denning said.
Watkins does not have its own allergist and does not test for allergies, she said.
Although Denning said it's hard to predict the intensity of an allergy season, allergy indexes try to forecast pollen and grass counts for the day.
Charles Barnes, director of allergy and immunology research at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., sends allergen
counts to the National Allergy Bureau, who then generates a forecast of a projected pollen count for the day.
The forecast is probably less precise than the weather forecast, but is still fairly accurate. Barnes said.
The forecast uses data that is collected from previous days and on that day from past several years, Barnes said.
"It's used to make people aware of the pollen that's out there," he said.
Because of the late start of spring, many of the tree seasons have overlapped causing those with allergies to suffer, Barnes said.
"It's been a pretty bad season," he said. "We've had some pretty good peaks."
Right now, mulberry and oak pollen are high in this area, Barnes said. With the recent rain, grass season will start soon, he said.
Edited by Michelle Burhenn
Laura Jennings, Leawood sophomore. (right) receives organ donation information from Public Relations Student Society of America member Payal Kapur, Overland Park junior. The association hosted Operation Awareness yesterday on Wescoe Beach as part of the National Organ Donation Awareness Competition.
Association encourages organ donation
Andy Samuelson/Kansan
By Kevin Wiggs
kwiggs@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
More than 80,000 people are currently awaiting life-saving transplants, and an average of 17 people die every day waiting.
The University of Kansas chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America tried to do its part to help when it hosted "Operation Awareness" yesterday on Wesco Beach. They had two Operation games and free information set up for passers-by.
"We wanted to raise awareness for the need for donors," said Christa Lobaugh, Wichita senior and president of the association. "We want to get people talking about donating."
April is National Donate Life Month, and the group is participating in the National Organ Donation Awareness Competition, sponsored by Rowan University.
Rowan University invites all association chapters to participate. After its event, participating chapters must submit a package detailing their program. Competition staff and Rowan University's association faculty advisors select a first, second and third
prize winner and one honorable mention. The chapter that produces the best plan receives $400.
"I think we have a pretty good shot at winning, as good as anyone," Lobaugh said. "We've put a lot of hard work in all semester."
Lobaugh said the event went well, considering participation was hurt by cold and rainy weather early in the morning.
Organs and tissue that can be donated include: heart, bone, kidneys, liver, lungs, skin, tendons, and intestines.
In 1992, Rowan University's association founder and advisor, Anthony J. Fulginii, received a life-saving kidney transplant from his sister. His students began Organ Donor Awareness Day the following spring. They created
the national competition in 1996 to influence more than just those in their own backyard.
"Rowan students wanted to do more than educate their community," said Melissa Juhas, president of Rowans University's association. "They wanted to educate communities across the country."
Edited by Melissa Hermreck
Court won't hear abortion files case
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused yesterday to consider whether states should have extensive power to catalog the medical records of women seeking abortions without a guarantee that their identities would remain private.
The court turned away a challenge to a requirement that South Carolina abortion providers allow the medical records of abortion patients to be copied and removed from clinics.
An abortion clinic and a doctor challenged the regulation as an unconstitutional violation of privacy, and argued it would put women in danger.
"Confidentiality is vital to women seeking abortions because they may face harassment and violence from their partners or others for having decided to undergo an abortion," lawyers for the clinic wrote in a court filing.
The requirement has been on hold while the clinic appealed. The high court's action, taken without comment, probably means the provision soon will take effect.
South Carolina wants abortion clinics to open all files, including patient medical records, if state investigators ask to see them.
The clinic claims there is no guarantee the information will remain confidential once it is in the state's hands, and no penalty to the state or its employees if the information is leaked.
The clinic claims the regulation would allow public release of patient records, apparently including names and addresses, when a clinic or its staff is under investigation by state licensing authorities.
"Those proceedings are open to the press and any other interested persons, including those who participate in activism against abortion patients and providers," lawyers for the clinic wrote.
"If you put this information out there antichoice activists are going to get hold of that information and use it. It poses a very great danger to women."
Lawyers for the state argued
Bonnie Scott Jones
Lawyer with the Center for
Reproductive Rights
the requirement is part of ordinary government record keeping and there is no reason for the high court to get involved.
The case arose from the state legislature's move in 1995 to change the way abortion clinics are regulated.
A Greenville, S.C., abortion clinic and a doctor challenged the additional medical and safety rules as unconstitutional and medically pointless. The changes were really intended to undermine abortion rights, the clinic claimed.
South Carolina legislators said the new regulations would make abortion clinics safer and would protect patients' health.
The Supreme Court declined to review an earlier appeal in the case, and most of the new regulations took effect in 2001.
A federal appeals court panel rejected the clinic's objections to the medical information regulations last year.
The full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals first agreed to give the case a second look, but then declined to do so. The clinic appealed to the Supreme Court earlier this year.
"If you put this information out there, antichoice activists are going to get hold of that information and use it," said Bonnie Scott Jones, a lawyer with the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing the clinic. "It poses a very great danger to women."
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