A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Dietary Intake of Adults Attending a Food Allergy Clinic, and Compare the Results Against the Final Diagnostic Outcome
How To Avoid Surprise Allergy Attacks
Out of nowhere -- a sneeze attack. Who knows what caused it? An assortment of indoor and outdoor allergens can launch a surprise assault. Pollen's a biggie; so is mold. Whatever you can do to tame those plagues will make your life sweeter.
Allergy attacks are the body's overreaction to an irritant. An allergen is normally a harmless substance in the environment, such as pollen, which causes the immune system to react as if the allergen is harmful.
Pollen, dust mites, mold, animal dander, and insect stings are common allergens -- triggering a range of symptoms, if you are sensitive to them. Mild reactions might be a rash, eye irritation, and congestion. With a moderate reaction, there's itchiness or difficulty breathing. A severe reaction, called anaphylaxis, is a rare but life-threatening emergency in which the whole body reacts.
It's a jungle out there. But here are tips to survive allergy triggers:
It's no secret that grasses, trees, and flowers produce pollen from spring to fall. Here's their tentative schedule: Grass pollen (March to October), ragweed pollen (July to November), tree pollen (January to June), and weed pollen (April to November). The timetable varies depending on where you live.
But did you know this: Mowing the yard stirs up grass pollens. Gardening puts you face-to-face with flowers, those wicked little pollen producers.
To avoid pollen:
Damp areas like basements, bathrooms, and laundry rooms are where you can find mold. Outside, there are plenty more havens for mold.
To avoid mold:
These tiny creatures live in house dust, as do animal dander, bacteria, mold, and other allergens. Bedding, stuffed animals, overstuffed furniture, rugs, and window blinds are popular hangouts for dust mites.
To control dust mites:If you've got pets, animal dander can seep into upholstered furniture, carpeting, drapes, and bedding -- just as dust mites can.
Your car can harbor animal dander too -- even if you don't have a pet. When you're exposed to other animals, like a neighbor's dog, your clothing attracts high levels of dander. Slide into your car seat, and you've deposited considerable amounts of this allergen.
To control pet dander:Bees, fire ants, yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps can cause allergic reactions when they bite or sting. Everyone who gets stung by an insect will have pain, swelling, and redness around the site. However, some people have a severe or even life-threatening reaction.
To avoid stings:How To Sweep Away The Dust Mites
by CLAIRE BATES, Mail online
We share our homes with millions of tiny critters which are invisible to the naked eye.
But while most of us live in harmony with dust mites, they cause the most common allergy in the UK and over 80 per cent of asthma sufferers react to them.
Here we take a closer look at the dust mite allergy and explore tips for treatment, with advice from Gail Sinfield, an allergy nurse from Allergy UK:
What causes the allergy?
There are between two to three million mites in the average mattress. Their droppings are laden with allergens. When inhaled, the allergens can provoke asthma, eczema and rhinitis.
"The house dust mite faeces are approximately the same size as a pollen grain," Gail Sinfield says.
"These are released into the atmosphere in dust several times a day, when vacuuming or sitting on a settee, or when in bed at night turning over."
Where do dust mites thrive?
Household mites thrive in warm and humid conditions where there is skin and dander to feed on. This is why mattresses are so popular with the microscopic creatures.
The mites, which are only 0.03mm long, need about 70 per cent humiditiy to survive. When humidity drops below 50 per cent the mites dry out and die.
They also thrive in warm environments, which is a particular problem in winter, when houses are sealed up to keep out the cold.
"They love the inside of our houses nowadays due to central heating, double-glazing and good insulation," Ms Sinfield said.
Am I allergic?
As with pet allergies, you can have a skin prick test at your GP's or a blood test at the local hospital, to try and work out the cause of your allergy.
What can I do to reduce dust mites?
It is possible to drastically reduce the amount of dust mites in your home, which should alleviate symptoms in time.
Reduce humidity
Firstly, reduce humidity inside rooms by opening windows to allow ventilation. You should also keep the kitchen door closed while you're cooking.
Fit extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens, and wipe away condensation from windows and sills each day.
Don't let the bed bugs bite
Your bed is the main dust mite exposure zone, so wash linen and bedding at 60 degrees. You can also buy special covers to encase mattresses, pillows and duvets to stop contact with allergens.
"Avoid drying clothes in your bedroom but make sure they are dried thoroughly before putting away," Ms Sinfield added.
Bust the dustRemove carpets if you can, as dust mites cannot survive on hardwood floors, and replace upholstered sofas for leather or vinyl. Use electrostatic dusters because they pick up the dust rather than spread it around. Also vacuum twice a week with a special Hepa filter, but wear a mask if you are the one who is allergic.
Don't bother with air filters
The dust mite allergen is relatively heavy and very little floats about in the air. Therefore an air filter is of little value for someone with this allergy.
My child is allergic to dust mites - what can I do?
Make sure bedrooms are clutter free and keep their soft toys in a wooden box to stop them getting dusty. Don't keep them in plastic containers because these retain moisture where dust mites can breed.
"Freeze favourite soft toys to kill the mites at least once a week, and then wash them to remove allergens. Most can be tumble dried," Ms Sinfield advised.
She added that only one toy should be kept near their bed, so buying two that are identical could help you to clean them regularly.
You should also keep an allergic child off the bottom bunk bed because mites are released from above during the night.
NEXT WEEK: WASP AND BEE STINGS
For more information on allergies visit the Allergy UK website.
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by ROSALIND RYAN, femail.Co.Uk
If your child has developed an allergy, it does not necessarily mean they will spend their life suffering.
There are many thing parents can do to help manage their child's eczema, asthma or other allergies.
From buying special bedding to keeping pets off the sofa, there are steps for every household and household budget to put into practice.
The British Allergy Foundation says house dust mites are one of the three most common triggers for allergies. The other two are mould and pets.
To be more specific, allergies are usually triggered by the house dust mite droppings, tiny mould spores and pet allergens. Here we show you how to deal with each trigger in your home.
TRIGGER ONE: house dust mites
Up to 85 per cent of people with asthma are affected by the droppings of house dust mites. Those with the most common form of eczema - atopic eczema which is inherited eczema closely linked to asthma - are also affected by the tiny mites.
The house dust mites - just 0.03mm long -
thrive in warm moist environments and especially love mattresses, pillows and sofa cushions. There are between two to three million mites in the average mattress and their droppings are laden with allergens that trigger asthma, eczema and rhinitis - a form of hay fever.When you are asleep at night, you shed dead skin cells. When the cells are trapped in your mattress or pillows, moisture from your body and the atmosphere breeds a certain type of fungus on the skin cells that is particularly appealing to the mites.
After eating this fungus the mites leave microscopic droppings which then dry out and become airborne. If you inhale the allergen-laden droppings, the symptoms of your asthma or eczema could start to develop.
So, reducing the amount of house dust mites in your home will reduce the number of allergy triggers lurking in your carpets, bedding, sofas and curtains. Here are some suggestions to cut the number of mites living in your home.
Buy special bedding
To prevent the house mite droppings from becoming airborne, there is a range of special bedding you can buy to fit over mattresses and pillows.
These are called 'barrier covers' and can either cover the whole mattress, or just the part where your child's head will lie. These could be made of plastic, which are cheap but may be uncomfortable, or 'breathable' fabric which are more expensive but more comfortable.
One new brand of bedding has just received a seal of approval from the British Allergy Foundation for helping to reduce allergies. This is a fibre called Amicor Pure, which is woven into bedding such as pillows, mattresses and covers, sheets, pillowcases and quilts.
Hospital trials have shown that 96 per cent of volunteers found an improvement in their symptoms after using the new bedding over 13 weeks. Some asthma sufferers even felt well enough to stop using their inhalers on a daily basis.
The fibre works by producing a chemical agent that stops the fungus forming on the dead skin cells which is so attractive to house dust mites. The agent is skin-friendly and will not adversely humans.
Amicor Pure products are currently available in Mothercare, Next and La Redoute. The Amicor Pure fibres can also be found in products by Fogarty, Fila and Quicksilver. Call 01274 571 151 for more information and to find stockists in your area.
Hot washing or steaming
If you cannot afford to buy a full set of allergy-proof bedding, the BAF also advises parents to 'hot wash' bedding.
Washing bed linen at 40 degrees Celsius or less may get rid of the allergens in your child¿s bedding, but it will not kill all the house dust mites.
To make sure you are reducing the number of house dust mites, you need to wash sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases at 60 degrees Celsius at least once a week.
You can also hire experts who will put all your child's bedding and soft furnishings - such as cushions - into an inflatable tent. The tent is then heated with steam to 100 degrees Celsius - a higher temperature than washing machines can reach - which kills all the dust mites. Call Servicemaster on 0116 236 4646 for more information.
Freeze toys
As well as bedding, house dust mites can thrive in your child's soft toys, so try not to let them build up a huge collection of cuddly animals.
You should hot-wash soft toys every couple
of weeks to kill the mites or you could try an even more effective method - putting them in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight! When you take them out of the freezer, experts recommend that you then put them in the washing machine to wash away the dead mites and their droppings.
Replace carpets
House dust mites live in house dust and your carpets are one of the largest dust-laden areas in your home.
Experts say homes with bare floors have up to 90 per cent less dust in them than homes with carpets. Think about replacing your carpets with wooden floors or lino to cut the risk of your child having an allergic reaction to the mites.
If you are not replacing your carpets, you must keep them clean. The National Asthma Campaign recommends using a vacuum cleaner with good suction and a filtered exhaust that does not scatter dust to adequately remove allergens.
Practise damp dusting
Keeping your home clean means you will also be dusting, but conventional dusting can stir up dust, circulating more allergens around your home.
To stop this from happening, try dusting with a damp cloth. As well as trapping dust, you will be collecting the microscopic allergens and holding onto them so they are not redistributed somewhere else in your home.
Keep rooms well aired
House mites love warm moist environments and thanks to central heating and the British climate, this is exactly the environment most of us have in our homes.
The ideal temperature for house dust mites is between 18 to 24 degrees Celsius, so the BAF advises parents to keep the temperature in your children's bedrooms between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius to deter the mites.
You should also keep the house well ventilated. Open windows when you are cooking, having a bath or shower or drying damp clothes as this will stop steam from entering the living areas and making them damp.
Now find out how to deal with mould, pets and bathtime triggers.
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