Let's Talk Allergies

Allerpet for Dogs Too!

I love catching up with old friends. Sometimes you can go weeks and even months without seeing one of these valued friends and then “pop” there they are you and pick up like you never left off.

I had a great lunch a few days ago with a couple of those special friends. While we were chatting, one friend asked me about the blog post where I discussed the Allerpet for Cats. I assured her that I had not done the Photoshop treatment for the picture of my cat. Yes, the cat really was my cat and yes it really was that shiny. She wanted to know if they made Allerpet for dogs.

Seems that her beloved beagle causes her to be uncomfortable from time to time. She noticed that when the dog is freshly washed, she has no reaction. But, if the dog goes long without a bath, then the itchy, watery eyes and discomfort return. Knowing what I know about pet allergens, that makes perfect sense.

See, the protein that causes the allergic reaction is found in the saliva and urine of the dog. Every time the dog licks or urinates, a bit of this sticks to the skin and fur. It then dries up and can either flake off on its own and become airborne or it is shed with that piece of skin or fur, which then becomes airborne.

Once it is in the air, it is inhaled and triggers the reaction. When the dog is first washed, all loose skin and fur are removed and the dried saliva is washed away. However, it builds up quickly.

So yes, they do make Allerpet for dogs. It is called Allerpet/D for dogs. Not only will it gently denature that allergen, but it will make the dog as soft and shiny as my cat.

She is going to stop by The Allergy Store to pick up a bottle. I’ll ask her to take a beagle pic and post that one too.

Stay tuned!

Cheryl

AllergyStore.Com

Undiagnosed Allergies?

Got a great note from a customer today. She purchased our zippered bed bug covers for her vacation home. The real estate agent that handles her rentals suggested that the beds be protected against bed bugs “just in case”.

We hear a lot of that lately. And the real estate agent is correct. In the long run, it is cheaper to zip up the beds and protect them against bed bugs than throw the mattress and box spring out later when they are so infested with bed bugs that they can’t be salvaged.

But that wasn’t the point of her note. She wrote to let us know that she just returned from spending a week at her vacation home and noticed that while she was there she did not wake up with a stuffy nose or a headache.

Seems she has been waking up to a stuffy nose for so long that she didn’t notice it until it was gone! Sounds like undiagnosed allergies doesn’t it?

The first night back in her year around the home and the stuffy nose and headache returned.

She has never been diagnosed with an allergy to dust mites and has been waking up stuffy for so many years that it had become a “normal” part of how she felt every day. It was only when she slept in the beds that had the zippered dust mite and bed bug-proof covers did she realize that she didn’t need to suffer. Her undiagnosed allergies were undiagnosed no more.

She discovered relief.

Needless to say, she will be purchasing dust mite-proof covers for the beds at her year-round home and sleeping soundly and waking without a headache or stuffy nose. Now she knows she doesn’t have to feel that way.

We hear time and again from people that buy dust mite-proof mattresses or pillow covers because someone in the house is diagnosed with allergies and they discover that even the “allergy-free” household members feel better.

If you stop to think about all the dust mites and dust mite feces that collect in your mattress and pillow, you know that it can’t be a good thing to breathe those particles while you sleep. Even people that have never been diagnosed with dust mite allergy deserve a good night’s rest and they often find it by accident when they purchase our zippered mattress covers.

Cheryl

The Allergy Store

Suprising News about Buckwheat Pillows

I have been hearing quite a bit about buckwheat pillows lately. I talk to people with allergies that swear by them as an alternative to a feather pillow. I thought I would investigate to see if this is an item that we should carry. What I found amazed me.

While this information is not new, it is sure new to me. Turns out that buckwheat pillows are about the last thing you want to sleep on if you have dust mite allergies.

Several studies have been done, but the one that just knocked the dust mite cover off my pillow was the one done in Korea in 2004.

Buckwheat pillows are very popular in Korea. Researchers from Korea and New Zealand decided to see if these buckwheat pillows were better for people with allergies.

Thirteen pairs of pillows (one synthetic and one buckwheat) were given to thirteen volunteers. Both pillows went on the bed with the volunteer. Dust samples were taken from the beds before the pillows were put on the bed.

Endotoxin, a pro-inflammatory compound from cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria, was found to be present in slightly higher levels in the new buckwheat pillows. After three months, the pillows were tested.

The levels of endotoxins were significantly higher in the buckwheat pillows. Since endotoxin has been linked to asthma, this does not bode well for the chances of buckwheat pillows finding their way into The Allergy Store. You can read the study for yourself at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2816881/

The bottom line is that if you have allergies, you should not have a buckwheat pillow. If you want a soft pillow, I suggest the Luxury Down Alternative Pillow. This pillow is a synthetic gel fiber. If you are convinced that you must sleep with an endotoxin-laden buckwheat pillow, then cover it with a Dust Mite Proof Pillow Cover.