Fall is my favorite season. The weather gets a bit cooler, not saying much in South Florida, things just seem to settle down for a few months and football starts up again. Unfortunately for many, late August and September marks the beginning of ragweed allergy season.

Ragweed is the most common weeds and is number one cause of fall hay fever symptoms in the United States, and really flourishes in the Midwestern part of the country. It is usually found in areas such as fields and along roadside in rural areas, but think it is only found in the country, ragweed also grow in vacant lots in urban areas, or get blown in from other areas. Ragweed pollen can travel as far as 400 miles via the winds, so you may be affected by ragweed even though it does not grow nearby.

Ragweed normally peaks the first week in September and remains high through September. The good news is that ragweed season ends after the first frost in November, right before winter. (Read Complete Post )

Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com - Helping Customers Since 1989
800 771-2246

        

You have worked so hard to make your home is protected and your family has a safe-zone from allergies. However as the summer traveling season comes to an end and the holiday traveling season looms in the distant future, now is time to start thinking about the necessary precautions to dust mite proofing your vacation.

Hotels and Aunt Sally's home are not going to be as allergy free as your home. I know when our family travel we always take certain items, dust mite pillow covers and ADMS spray. We took care of Grandma's beds long ago by getting them covered so we know we can visit her and not have problems.

Amid your dreams of relaxation and family fun, don’t let memories be tainted by frustrating allergic reactions and trips to the drug store. (read complete article )

Live Healthy
Regina

AllergyStore.com
800 771-2246

        

Does having dust mites in your home mean you are a dirty person?

Not exactly. Dust mites are well adapted to most areas of the world and, according to the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, they are found on every continent but Antarctica. There is no sense in selling off your home and moving to the frozen tundra to prove you’re a clean person to your mother-in-law.

Just like biologically we cannot prevent dust mites form inhabiting our home. Mom cannot complain when she visits that you neglected to clean all the dust mites before her arrival. Now dust on the other hand is a completely different matter. To understand this, you must understand the difference between millions of dust mites living deep in your mattress and the dreaded forgotten“dust bunny” your mother finds under the couch. (Read complete article )

Having dust mites doesn’t mean you are a dirty person but they sure can make for a dirty, unhealthy home.

Live Healthy!

Regina

        

        

        

Studies by National Jewish Health and a study, published in American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, both suggest that Vitamin D plays a significant role in how sever asthma symptoms may be and how some people respond to medication. 

Low levels of vitamin D in people who have asthma show signs of reduce lung function and less response to medication.

In another recent study Dr. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, of Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo,  found vitamin D also appeared to suppress asthma attacks in children with a history of asthma. Two children taking vitamin D had asthma attacks during the study, compared to 12 children taking placebo. Urashima admitted to being a bit surprised by this finding and hopes to confirm it in a randomized trial targeting children with asthma.he results showed that people with higher vitamin D levels had better lung function measures than people with lower vitamin D levels. In particular, people with low vitamin D performed worse on tests of lung function and airway hyper-responsiveness, two hallmarks of asthma.

Researchers say vitamin D levels were directly related to the participants’ score on the breathing tests: the lower the vitamin D levels, the worse their performance.

How much vitamin D is needed? Current recommendations for vitamin D supplements for adults is 400 IU to 600 IU, depending on age, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Better yet, try getting it naturally.  Sunlight, fatty fish and fish oils are great sources of vitamin D.

As always, make sure you check with your doctor first.

Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com - Serving customers since 1989
800 771-2246
 

        

Allergies are the most widespread chronic condition in the world and 4 out of 5 people who are allergic to animals are allergic to cats. Some research shows about a third of those that suffer from cat allergies live with one.

Now cats are not the only animal that causes allergies. Many people can be allergic to dogs, rabbits, hamsters, mice, gerbils, monkeys, horses and pretty much any other animal. Some people even think they are allergic to their fish when in reality they are allergic to the algae growing in the fish tank.

For years the doctor’s first and best solution was to tell the patient to find their furry pet a new home. Today people will make that the last thing they will consider. After all it’s hard to get rid of a family member and our pets are part of the family. People are looking for another solution.

First of all let me say, even if you get rid of the cat you will still have cat allergens all over the house. Pet dander is very light and floats around sticking to everything it comes in contact with including the walls, carpet, furniture, drapes, blinds, light fixtures and ac systems. We have had customers move into homes that there had not been any pets in it for at least a year and they still had allergic reactions.

Keeping your cat can be done in most cases however for some people with sever allergies this is not an option. The most important thing you need to do is reduce and eliminate anything that collects the cat’s dander.  (Read Complete Article)

Wishing you the best of health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com
800 771-2246

        

Every year at this time parents are running around trying to get their children ready for college. It's even crazier when it is the first time for either the parent of child. I know when our daughter headed off to UCF that first year we were all a little worried. I'll be the first to admit it was hard walking out the door and leaving my little girl all by herself 3 1/2 hours away from home.

One of the things that concern may parents is how will their children deal with their allergies when they are no longer in the controlled environment they had created back home. Their bedrooms had been their safe zones, as free of allergens as you could make it. Now they will be living in place you will have very little if any control over.

Fear not ... You can do the obvious things like put dust mite covers on their beds in the dorm and trat the carpet with Xmite or ADMS  allergy spray. The other thing you reall should consider is putting an air purifier in the room. The Alen Air T100 desktop air purifier was what many of our parents got last year for their dorm room.

The Alen T100 is small enough to fit on a book shelf or on a shelf. Alen Air made the T100 powerful enough to trap dust, pollen, mold spores and other harmful allergens. This air purifier uses several stages of filtration and purification including HEPA and Ionization.  

The new Silver HEPA filter can reduce airborne viruses by up to 50% and that is super important since they will be passing colds back and forth all year.

The Alen Air T100 does not use much electricity, the filter will last 6 to 9 months and they are quiet and that's a good thing since you don't want to disturb their studying. Overall the Alen T100 is a great air purifier to send off to college this year.

We have put together a special Dorm Room package this year that includes the Alen T100 and our popular dust mite covers at a very affordable price. You can see our dorm room specials by following this link. Dorm Room Specials.

Wishing you the best of Health
Mike Krause
AllergyStore.com
800 771-2246

 

        

The American Lung Association in Ft. Lauderdale is having their annual run/walk on October 2, 2010 and we need your help. The Allergy Store is trying to raise at least $1,000.00 to help those that suffer from asthma, COPD, emphysema  and other breathing difficulties.