Childhood Asthma - Getting Your Child Off Allergy Medications

A child with asthma and allergies may not know that asthma and allergies is the number #1 chronic childhood disease.

He also may not know that asthma claims more lives every year even though more treatments are available. It is a fact that there are over 3 million more Americans with asthma than there were 10 years ago.
Why the rise in asthma and allergies?

With todays busier society, our house-cleaning standard have plummeted. We also have become a generation of ‘couch potatoes’…spending over 95% of our time indoors. Our homes are tightly insulated and limit ventilation of household irritants such as mold, smoke and chemicals.

This all results in increased exposure to allergens. And
allergens are the number one cause of allergy and asthma attacks. Allergy medications are being used on a daily basis as a way to control allergies & asthma. With children prevention of allergies is far better than taking allergy medications.

There are five simple things that can be done to reduce allergy symptoms and possibly reduce the use of allergy medications.

1) Never allow smoking in the home. Smoke will remain in an indoor environment for up to 10 years, even though you can no longer see or smell it.

2) Shoes should be taken off at the door to prevent allergens from being brought in on the shoes.

3) Use non-toxic cleaning products instead of store bought chemical brands. All cleaning products are eventually inhaled or absorbed into the skin. Do you really want to clean with even a ‘little bit’ of poison?

4) Do not let pets into the bedrooms. All pets have dander and it can be an allergen. Children spend around 8 hours in the bedroom at night. Keep it as allergy free as possible.

5) Make sure humidity levels in the home don’t go over 45%. Humidifiers attached to the furnace are more reliable than freestanding ones. Humidifiers with damp filters in them can be a mold breeding area.

It is important to try to create a clean healthy environment for your child so he can breathe easy and not have to rely on allergy medications which can have negative side effects.

Deborah Mumm has been in the Indoor Air industry since 1996. She has written various articles on asthma, allergies

and indoor air pollution plus gives talks to teachers and small groups on the effects of indoor air pollution.
Her web site offers products for a healthy home ~ http://www.healthy-environments.com
She offers an e-book on tips to avoid allergy medications on her site.

Tags: allergy medications, allergies, asthma, mold, smoke, chemicals

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How often you drink milk? Do you feel something strange after you had your milk? Probably you don’t think that milk can cause you allergy since this liquid is good for your health. It contains very rich nutrition and it’s good for everybody. But what if you are allergic to milk?

What a question. Well, milk allergy is one of a number of types of food allergy. As the same with others, milk allergy results from a hypersensitivity of the body’s immune system. In this case, to the proteins comprised in cow’s milk. Indeed, cow’s milk is one of the most frequent food allergens.

Food allergens? Yes, allergens are particular substances that can cause allergy reactions in the body. Milk is one of the most common foods responsible for food allergy beside egg, peanut, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat.

A person with milk allergy will show specific symptoms, which can occur within minutes or hours after consuming the milk. These symptoms can be obvious in the skin, the digestive system, and or the respiratory system.

What Reaction Occur when You Allergic to Milk?

The reactions of milk allergy in the skin may include swelling of lips, tongue, mouth, face or throat, as well as an itchy red rash. In the meantime, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea are some of the reactions found in the digestive system. If you see running nose, sneezing, watery eyes, or shortness of breath, this means the reactions also occur in the respiratory system.

Again, there are still no medications to cure allergy. The only key to prevent symptoms of any allergy is to avoid the allergens. In the case of milk allergy, a person with this allergy of course should stay away from foods containing cow’s milk protein because even a very small quantity of milk protein may trigger symptoms. This will surely make a very uncomfortable condition.

If a person with milk allergy is worried about not getting sufficient nutrition for the body, there’s always a way to solve it. The important thing is to consume an adequate amount of calcium as milk’s substitute. Seafood, green vegetables (spinach, broccoli), and fish (salmon, sardines) are great sources of calcium.

You can find products related to milk allergy and those that support the absorption of calcium on the Internet. This is certainly a perfect way to compare many products.

Tags: allergy

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The spring season brings about a 2-3 month trouble to millions of Americans and people all across globe, including myself. Being a strong believer of curing things naturally without swallowing the chemical based tablets unless one really have to.

Below are the most recommended ways to fight allergies naturally. Natural remedies are easily available, but it is always recommended to consult a doctor before to taking up any medicine or natural remedy for allergies.

1. Eat natural Anti-histamine foods: Onions, garlic and Citrus fruits like lemon and oranges contain natural antihistamines. You should definitely consider increasing these foods in your diet.

2. Air Purifiers : This is the MOST effective anti-allergy device for many people. Especially when at home in the evenings and night, helps to get you a good night sleep. Some filters have an additional ‘ionic’ feature which many people like me prefer not to use. These HEPA compatible filters take out most of the pollen from air around you. Dehumidifiers can be used to lessen mold which is another cause of allergies.

3. Local honey : It’s recommended that you start eating about 1-2 teaspoons of locally grown natural honey before the allergy season starts. The reason being that honey is known to have some low levels of pollen, and taking it before the season helps your body to get use to some pollen level in advance before the full blown season strikes.

4. Nasal Rinse : Again, a very effective way to rinse of all the pollen struck and some bacteria in the nasal passages. There are quite a few available with PH balancing salt to mix with filtered/boiled home water so there is no water irritation while doing the rinse.

5. Pollen free home: Please clean your carpets, bed sheets, floors and curtains, say at least once in a week. Get a Hepa certified vacuum cleaner so the air coming out from your vacuum cleaner does not dump the pollen back in the air of your home.

6. Hot liquids: are helpful to get relief from congestion; Green tea works well and also has antioxidants. Please be careful while handling the hot liquids. Marshmallow Root is also a good decongestant.

7. Avoiding foods: Avoid any foods you know that you are allergic to and may trigger allergies.

8. Avoid outdoors when pollen level is high. go to websites like pollen.com which have a very up-to date information on pollen levels of today and coming days, that site is also very good to find good allergy information and equipment. If you have to work in garden or cut grass then use a pollen mask.

9. Evening Shower: When you come home in the evening, take a warm shower and wash your hair. Hair’s can hold lot of pollen while you were out.

10. Window filter: Keep doors and windows closed most of the time (or little open); consider buying anti pollen window filter screen. Basically a screen you can put on the window which allows the air to pass through but keeps the pollen out.

Quite a few people prefer taking anti-allergic medicines and flu shots, not always by choice but sometimes natural approaches are not enough.

By Swati A,
http://www.grandlay.com

Visit http://www.grandlay.com/Health_Articles/index.php for more informative articles on health topics

Tags: Allergy, natural cures, pollen, spring season

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