Gupta attends school in Maryland.
By Raif Karerat
An Indian American tween is one of 10 youngsters who progressed to the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge finals.
With her project for the competition, 12-year-old Iris Gupta, who attends sixth grade in Maryland, hopes to revolutionize how we alleviate allergy symptoms.
Typical allergy medicine such as Bendaryl or Claritin treats allergy symptoms after they occur by inhibiting histamines, which are released in response to allergens or injury.
Gupta wanted to ascertain whether there was a way to treat allergies before they started acting up.
According to Business Insider, she looked into gold nanoparticles that could block allergens from binding to the body’s Immunoglobulin E antibodies, a part of the blood responsible for fighting off allergens.
The relatively inexpensive nanoparticles could be injected or inhaled at the beginning of allergy season, and could alleviate the inflammation and discomfort much of the population suffers from as a result of allergies.
As the nascent prodigy explains in her project video, Gupta determined nanoparticles 20 nanometers across made the optimal allergy blockers.
According to WebMD, one in five people in the U.S. have either allergy or asthma symptoms, while 55 percent of the population is sensitive to one or more allergens.
The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is the “ultimate middle school science competition” for kids in Grades 5 to 8 across the U.S.According to Business Insider, this year’s finalists worked on projects ranging from new ways to keep people from driving while intoxicated to devices that measure car temperatures.
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Wow! So good to read such articles and feel that reassurance that
yes, we really can celebrate that we’re leaving this world in the hands
of young people who are not afraid of the unknown and understand that
courageous thinking is the way to improve life. Although I won’t be
around 25 years from now, I’d love to peek into the future and see some
of the things such young folks are conquering – what excitement!
Now, for anyone who thinks that an advancement like this in battling
allergies is really no big deal – think again. Every day average people
of all ages die from allergic reactions. Even those that don’t result in
fatalities consume a tremendous amount of revenue as allergy sufferers
seek relief and many need to alter their daily living habits just to
contend with the side effects of allergies. Here’s one that I don’t
imagine most people think about, but the animals in our lives –
livestock used for food, family pets who bring us comfort,
entertainment, simple joys or those 4-legged companions who extend and
enrich the lives of the disabled are often afflicted with life
disrupting allergies. I’m a disabled senior whose second service dog is
practically “allergic to the world” – okay, it’s not that bad, but this
poor, hard-working babe is horribly allergic to many foods and a large
number of environmental items, yet it’s because of her dedication and
willingness to place my well being above her own that I’m still able to
live independently and I love her with my whole heart. Part of her
“treatment” of me includes the opportunity to throw myself into research
and experimentation looking for the best and safest methods to reduce
her allergic suffering. I’ve learned so very much about canine nutrition
and meal preparation for dogs by looking to avoid allergens in her food
and still maintain the best nutrition possible.
Because my service dogs are with me 24/7, people tend to talk to me more often
about their dog’s problems. Really, how often do you walk up to a
stranger in the market and start talking about your pets? Well, people
often do that with me because I have a gorgeous, smiling and friendly
pit bull type dog beside me. I have been shocked to discover just how
many dogs are suffering from allergies – usually without getting even
the most basic and simple treatments that would give them a bit of
relief. When I first realized just how common allergies are among our
pets, that’s when I became determined to help others realize that there
is help and relief available for them, starting with your local
veterinarian. Sadly, it seems that many folks will take huge risks with
their pet’s lives just to save the cost of a trip to the vet. People are
downright determined that I’m able to help them determine just what
their dogs are allergic to and the best form of treatment for them, but I
don’t have a clue and neither do these owners. You have to start with
educating yourself and getting the dog into the best qualified vet you
can find. When I realized that Phoebe was suffering from allergic
reactions and having infected ears because of it, the local vet sold us
more treatment for her ears and when asked how long I should plan on
treating her with this solution, I was told, ” . . . for the rest of her
life. . . ” I was shocked and disgusted and went home and ordered
several good books about canine allergies online and then began looking
for the nearest canine dermatologist. I really don’t want to hear anyone
groaning about the cost of caring for a sick pet. Was this not what you
signed up for when you took in this little sweetie for your
entertainment, as a companion to you, your children and anything/one
else? If not, then you don’t deserve the benefits that come with owning a
pet. This was 2006 and I was living on just over $500/month, but I
still had some jewelry, art, and weapons from when I’d been able to work
and support my own family so those things were sold off one at a time. I
feel that it was a real benefit that I was willing and able to also
study the subject, in depth on my own and I believe that we were able to
find help for her more quickly because I was able to discard some paths
that were offered to us. Not only did we discover what her
environmental allergies were, but when we finally found a regular vet
who was almost as skilled as the several canine dermatologists we’d
seen, she was able to test her and determine what her food allergies
were so we had the entire story available to us as we started devising
her treatment plan. Before I had actual facts to work with, all sorts of
people assured me that she must be allergic to grains and that’s what
was causing her ear infections. So, I quickly discovered the many
grain-free canine foods that often included potatoes/potato protein
powder or peas/protein powder from peas and, of course anyone will tell
you that lamb is one of the best meats to feed to an allergic dog –
right? Imagine how I felt when I opened the report and discovered that
she was seriously allergic to any lamb/sheep products – from the meat to
the wool to the very, sweet animal that she loved to find and give
kisses to! On top of that, the only grain she was allergic to was corn,
but she was also very allergic to potatoes, but not sweet potatoes!
After having a good cry and cuddling a concerned, sweet dog and
apologizing to her over and over, I dried my tears, grabbed the report
and we headed to the grocery store for some serious, revised shopping. I
did what I’d been taught to do as a young teen – feed those you love
with fresh, whole foods and then feed them more and keep doing it – tee
hee hee!
Today, those of you who are looking for answers and
solutions for your allergic dog can skip several steps that were
mandatory for us to take. Start with “Canine Nutrigenomics – The New
Science of Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Health” by W. Jean Dodds, DVM
and Diana R. Laverdure. This book teaches using functional foods to
achieve ideal weight, conquer disease and create radiant health from the
inside out. Then go to Dr. Dodds’ website to discover how to have your
dog tested more easily and cheaply than we were able to: nutriscan.org
I cannot find enough praise to give to this book or Dr. Dodds – so much
that I had to struggle to learn on my own and so much more that gives a
complete picture of health! I bought my book from Amazon, but you can
also get it from dogwise.com
This book deals with much more than allergies so if you love your pet(s), you’ll love and praise this book
and your precious pets would to if they could! Another benefit of this
book was discovering that understanding the very best way to feed our
pets, is also helpful in feeding your 2-legged family and yourself.
Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. Hippocrates