Do you really have a penicillin allergy?

Many of us can empathise with that feeling of keeping stuff for years and years. We might keep treasured objects with real sentimental value, or we might have items for a long time - and yet we can't really explain why. For those of us who don’t like getting rid of our belongings ...  Show more

For some communities in South Africa coming-of-age initiations are a hugely significant moment, but there have been rising concerns over the safety of the circumcisions at the heart of this ritual. Forty-eight young men died last year and the government are now introducing measur ...  Show more

Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? And how about all the other things we think we’r ...

There’s been a lot of talk about allergy symptoms becoming more severe over the last few years. What is contributing to this change? And more importantly, what can we do to control our environments and help support our bodies’ immune systems? Our guest today is double-board certi ...  Show more

There are many urban myths which circulate in the world of allergy. In this podcast, Dr Toni Hazell and Professor Adam Fox attempt to put the record straight regarding some of them. We will cover vaccination and egg allergy, progression of allergic reactions, the use of adrenalin ...  Show more

Contributor: Geoff Hogan MD

Educational Pearls:

Penicillin allergies are relatively uncommon despite their frequent reports