THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 34
Gesundheit: Allergy season in full bloom
BY NICOLA ROWE
nrose@kansan.com
KANSAN STaff WRITE
- - - -
- - - member of the KU Color Guard, and said that she was outside practicing for at least two hours every day. On game days she was outside all day. Tilkens' allergies may keep her from walking to class some days as well. The days the lawns are mowed on campus are especially sneezy days.
Fifteen states and four countries later, Kansas is the worst place Hilary Tilkens, Edmond, Okla., sophomore, has lived when it comes to her allergies. Tilkens has moved around most of her life because her father is in the Air Force.
Tilkens said that she never had allergies on the coast or in England. When she moved to the Midwest, her allergies kept getting worse. Tilkens had a blood test that determined she was allergic to cats, fresh-cut grass, mold and ragweed. Tilkens said she suffers from congestion, headache, blood-shot and watering eyes and lots of sniffling. A few weeks ago Tilkens had a fever and went to Watkins Memorial Health Center.
"I was tested for everything, but I knew that it was just my allergies." Tilkkens said.
Tilkens was told that staying indoors would help with her allergies, but it was one thing she just couldn't do. Tilkens is a
"It's not preventing me from doing anything, but it does make it a little more difficult sometimes." Tilkens said.
Allergies affect between 40 million and 50 million Americans each year, according to the Asthma and Allergy Center Web site. At least 35.9 million people suffer from hay fever, which leads to eight million visits to office-based physicians each year.
Patricia Denning, physician at Watkins Health Center, estimated that one third of her patients' visits per day had to do with allergies. She has seen an increase in visits for allergies, but she said this happens every year during the ragweed season. The ragweed season in Kansas starts mid-August and runs through the end of October.
"We are located in the center
Avoid spending a lot of time outdoors.
FIGHTING HAY FEVER
- When indoors, stay in a smoke-free environment.
Drink lots of water.
Try an over-the-counter antihistamine first.
Try to be patient until October rolls around.
Source: Patricia Denning, physician at Watkins Memorial Health Center
of the ragweed belt of the United States, so it is true when people say they've never had allergies until they came to Kansas," Denning said.
The classic symptoms of allergies are red, watery, itchy eyes and a red, swollen, sneezey nose, Denning said. These symptoms can develop into sinus headache, ear ache and coughing. These can worsen to sinus and ear infections when thickened
mucus doesn't drain and creates a home for bacteria growth. Associated asthma is a problem during the allergy season and can lead to wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing.
The Watkins Pharmacy sells 20 tablets of Claritin for $22.77 and 12 tablets of an off-brand, Alaveri, for $11.85.
Treating allergies can start without a trip to the doctor. Chances of getting rid of allergy symptoms with over-the-counter medications are good, Denning said. Denning recommends Claritin Lotradine because it doesn't cause drowsiness and is effective in treating symptoms. The cost of some over-the-counter medications comes to an estimated dollar a day, but if you shop around and buy larger quantities, you can find better deals. Denning said.
If over-the-counter antihistamine are not working, the next step is to make an appointment with a doctor to make sure allergies are really the problem. The doctor may prescribe antihistamines, such as Allegra or Zyrtec, or a prescription nasal spray. Watkins does not give steroid
injections to battle allergies because adverse reactions to the steroid can last up to three months. Denning said.
"Allergy testing is expensive so you'll want to make sure your insurance will pay for it," Denning said.
If these treatments aren't working, you may want to be tested to see what you are allergic to.
An allergy test would consist of comprehensive history and patch testing. Patch testing is when skin is pricked with a small amount of the allergen. The skin reacts to shows a person's allergies. Based on the reaction, the doctor may recommend allergy shots. Wattkins does not test for allergies, but it does give prescribed allergy shots, Denning said.
There are three allergist doctors in Lawrence where allergy tests are administered: Warren Frick, John Martinez and Ronald Weiner, all located at 346 Maine St. The Allergy & Asthma Clinic, 1112 W. 6th St., also tests for allergies.
Edited by Jon Ralston
Senate receives proposal for shorter classes
BY LAURA FRANCOVIGLIA
lfrancoviglia@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Classes held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the University of Kansas may be a few minutes shorter come Spring 2006.
The 80-minute classes may be shortened to 75-minutes to allow a longer break between classes, after a survey administered by Don Steeples, Vice Provost for Scholarly Support. His survey found 63 percent of faculty members on the Lawrence campus supported the shortening.
Steeples presented a list of proposals to change class schedules at the full Student Senate meeting last night. He asked for
Senate's approval of the proposals by way of a resolution, which would state Senate's official stance on the proposals.
Another proposal would do away with 7.30 a.m. classes by pushing the start time to 8 a.m. According to Steeples' proposal research, students were more likely to enroll in later classes.
In full Senate legislation:
Student Senate voted to mandate that the Campus Safety Advisory Board fund JayWalk, the campus peer walking program. This came after a heated debate about where the funding for JayWalk would come from at last night's full-Senate meeting. Senate voted to amend the bill to fund JayWalk to $5,150 to pay for
both the fall and spring semesters.
Using money from Campus Safety Advisory Board may cripple expansion of JayWalk, said Chris Janish, Campus Safety Advisory Board chairman, Janish, Wichita junior, said JayWalk may not have enough money to start satellite sites at residence halls.
The Campus Safety Advisory Board will fund JayWalk because its purpose is to make campus a safer place, said Kristan Seibel, Junior/Senior CLAS senator. Student Senate reconsidered the following tabled legislation from the full Senate meeting two weeks ago:
A bill to allot general funding of $200 to the Korean Student Association passed. Senate tabled the bill because the
group did not have any English translation at meetings or on the group's Web site. In Senate's rules and regulations, all groups funded by Student Senate must be accesible to students.
sible to an students:
Student Senate will give $200 for general funding to the following groups:
KU Association for Spiritual Diversity in Social Work.
The Swing Society.
■ KU United Nations Children's Fund.
Up 'Til Dawn, a group that raises money for children's cancer and other illness treatment.
The Brazilian Student Association
awareness group In other legislation:
In other legislation:
ABLE Hawks, a disability- Edited by Neil Mulka
Senate will give the Architecture Student Council $4,000 for its lecture series.
The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students will receive $1,100 for its national conference.
Senate passed a bill to allocate $1,405 to Jayhawk Communications for its national conference.
A bill to fund Public Relations Student Society of America's Lee Denim Days failed because the legislation did not come through in time to fund the event.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Psychic: BTK 'nice ordinary'
WICHITA — A British psychic who came to Wichita with a film crew to look into the BTK serial killer case, says the killer is an "ordinary" person.
"He is an ordinary, ordinary person. He would be just an ordinary, nice guy. At least he's a nice guy 95 percent of the time."
"I felt he's either a maintenance man or a plumber, that kind of profession," said Dennis McKenzie, a clairvoyant from Cambridge, England. "And I'm almost certain that he works for himself."
In a series of letters signed BTR — which stands for "bind, torture, kill" — the killer has claimed responsibility for eight deaths in Wichita between 1974 and 1986. The communications had stopped for more than two decades before resuming this year.
McKenzie, 50, and the film crew toured a couple crime scenes, hoping to gain insight into the identity of the BTK Killer. Bernie Drowatzky, the former lead investigator in the BTK slayings and now the police chief in Kaw City, Okla., drove to Wichita to accompany McKenzie.
The camera was rolling as Drowatzky and McKenzie walked up to a small green house, where Anna Williams nearly became BTK's eight victim on April 28, 1979. The killer broke into her home but left after grown tired of waiting for her.
Mark Soldinger, a producer and director for Firecracker Films, said the one-hour program probably would air early next year in England as part of a series about extraordinary people.
McKenzie and the film crew spent several days in Wichita. Their stops included the home where four members of the Joseph Otero family were killed on Jan. 15, 1974.
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS SEPTEMBER 30,2004 PRESENTED BY SENATE
EVERY 2 SECONDS SOMEONE NEEDS BLOOD
Monday, Sept. 27
Corbin: 1-7pm
McCollum: 1-7pm
Tuesday, Sept. 28
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
McCollum: 1-7pm
Wednesday, Sept. 29
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
Thursday, Sept. 30
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
Friday, Oct. 1
Union Ballroom: 11am-5pm
Allen Fieldhouse: 11am-5pm
FREE KU T-SHIRT & GOODY BAG TO EVERYONE WHO COMES TO DONATE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO WWW.KUBLOODDRIVE.COM
To ensure a successful donation, please be sure to eat foods high in iron and drink plenty of water 24 hours prior to donating.
Sponsored by:
IFC
Panhellenic
AURH
KUAC
NROTC
JAYwalk
Dedicated to providing a safe environment for any student, faculty or staff member who walkson campus late at night. A team of one male and one female will escort any student, faculty or staff member to his/her car, any campus residence or building, fraternity or sorority house or will wait with them for SafeRide, Night Campus Express or a ride from a friend.
MON-FRI 864-3222
9PM-1AM
The Leadership Conference for the established leader...
SURVIVING THE BOARDROOM: LESSONS ON LEADERSHIP THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE Premieres Saturday, October 23, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Registration Forms due Friday, October 1
www.ku.edu/~olctr/sli.html
Muslim Student Association of KU invites you to learn the view of a native Sudanese witness to
The Humanitarian Situation in Darfur, Sudan
Thurs., Sept. 30, 7:30pm
Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali, Native Sudanese A member of the American Muslim Peace Mission to Sudan World renowned speaker
KU Vietnamese Student Association
Are you interested in learning about
the Vietnamese culture?
Do you want to make new friends?
Do you enjoy eating free food and
having a good time?
Meeting: Oct. 12 at 6pm
Burge Union, 2nd Floor in the Relay Room
KU Vietnamese Student Association
Contact us: vsa@ku.edu