Air Cleaners: IQAir, HealthPro Compact
Location: Michigan City, Indiana
Allergies are a common and hated factor for many people’s lives. Living with allergies can be devastating and a nuisance for those who suffer, especially if most of that suffering takes place in the comforts of home. Since the home should be a place of serenity and peacefulness without the dreaded symptoms of allergies, IQAir Air Cleaner developed their HealthPro Compact air cleaner for smaller rooms in the home. This air cleaner is able to remove most allergens, even those that are invisible to the naked eye because of their small size. With the help of this model, many people who suffer from respiratory conditions such as allergies are finally finding peace and comfort in their homes.
IQAir HealthPro compact air cleaner
The air cleaner proved to be a success and a great addition to the Haverford home in Michigan City, Indiana. The Haverfords live in a beautiful suburban home which they keep immaculately clean. However, the amount of cleaning and care taken in the home has nothing to do with the amount of airborne allergens that were infecting the indoor air and causing Mrs. Haverford to suffer side effects from her severe case of allergies. The Haverfords tried everything to make their home more allergy-friendly. They dusted twice a day and never brought pets or flowers into the home. None of these precautions seemed to prevent Mrs. Haverford from feeling the symptoms of her condition such as runny nose, itchy eyes and a sore throat. After a recommendation from the family doctor, the Haverfords purchased the HealthPro Compact to place in the room she was spent most of her time in the home’s small office. The air cleaner was recommended to them by the doctor because of its filtration system and small stature, making it great for a small office room. The small size of the air cleaner, however, has nothing to do with the power and ability to remove the smallest allergens.
The air cleaner contains an efficient HEPA filter, making it just as effective as a larger unit. Since the model focuses on removing mold spores, pollen spores, dust mites, pet dander and other types of indoor particles, it is perfect for making a room allergy-proof for sufferers of the condition. Mrs. Haverford works from home and can be found all day typing away at her computer in the small office room inside the house. Before the air cleaner was purchased, Mrs. Haverford could also be seen taking frequent breaks to take some allergy medication or to grab some tissues from the box she kept nearby.
Since purchasing the air cleaner, Mrs. Haverford no longer needs to even keep that tissue box by the computer. She is able to breathe easily throughout the whole day with the help of her air cleaner. The unit is so small in size that even though the home office is a small room, it is not even noticeable and does not take up a lot of much needed space. The HealthPro Compact is so effective at removing even the smallest particles from the air that Mrs. Haverford feels the air inside her office is completely refreshed and vibrant. Her annoying symptoms of allergic reactions to these airborne particles are no longer present while she is working in the home office thanks to the air cleaner.
Since the unit is able to clean a room that is 900 square feet in size with complete effectiveness, it is perfect for small areas such as the Haverfords’ home office. The family has found the air cleaner to be a must-have for the home office and everyone in the family has noticed a difference in the quality of the air, as well as the quality of Mrs. Haverford’s health.
Written by dpi on April 30th, 2007 with no comments.
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By Dr. Darshak Sanghavi
My son had his birthday party recently at an indoor play space, and a sign there got me thinking. Peanut-containing foods were prohibited ”due to the increased incidence of peanut allergies.”
Anxieties about peanut allergy are understandable — the condition can be deadly — and some concerned parents today support banning peanut-containing foods from public places.
But the medical research suggests that severe peanut allergies are not as common as people think and are surprisingly difficult to diagnose accurately. And although, as a parent, it may seem that peanut allergies have reached epidemic proportions, the evidence is surprisingly thin.
True allergies result when the immune system mistakes innocent substances — like dust, pet dander, and food proteins — for harmful invaders. Almost a century ago, the scientist Carl Prausnitz injected his skin with blood from a colleague allergic to fish and got hives at the injection sites upon eating fish. Later, scientists realized that blood from allergy sufferers contains an antibody called IgE, which erroneously attracts friendly fire from the immune system and can cause runny noses, red eyes, wheezing, hives, and, rarely, shock and death.
According to Anne Munoz-Furlong, a researcher and the founder of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, an advocacy group, today about 25 percent of parents believe that their children have food allergies, although only about 4 percent really do. A parent may suspect one after a few spit-ups or a screaming fit following a new food. Yet these are rarely true allergies. And even among children with true allergies caused by harmful IgE, only a tiny fraction will have life-threatening reactions, called anaphylaxis.
While food (and, particularly, peanut) allergies make headlines — like the Canadian teen who died last November after kissing her boyfriend who’d eaten a peanut butter sandwich — the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2004 reported that the average person’s chance of food-induced anaphylaxis is about 4 in 100,000 per year. Roughly the same number of Americans each year die from lightning strikes as from peanut allergies.
A well-publicized household telephone survey published last year in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggested that rates of peanut allergies among children had doubled from 0.4 percent of the total population to 0.8 percent between 1997 and 2002. But the data were not verified by allergy tests, and it’s not clear whether the numbers are meaningful. In the families surveyed in 2002, the rate of peanut allergies among children under 5 was essentially the same as the rate among 6- to 10-year-olds, indicating no sudden increase in allergic youngsters.
The only similar study of peanut allergy using clinical testing and not surveys occurred in Britain’s Isle of Wight and found an increase from 0.5 percent to 1 percent of all children from 1989 to 1996. However, the study was small, and the authors said the difference was not ‘’statistically significant”; in other words, the difference might be due only to chance.
Written by dpi on April 27th, 2007 with no comments.
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Allergies can be triggered by a wide variety of substances. Because the types of known allergens are so varied, most forms of allergy treatment focus on treating the symptoms rather than the causes.
Any treatment plan for an allergy will include avoidance – completely avoiding the allergen known to trigger an allergic reaction. However, avoiding an allergen is not always possible. The allergen may be airborne and constantly present (e.g., dust) or the individual may be highly sensitive so that even minute amounts will trigger a reaction. Therefore, a number of other strategies may be necessary to treat allergic conditions.
The majority of allergy treatments are designed to ease symptoms of an allergic reaction that has already occurred. There are some treatments, however, designed to prevent the onset of allergic reactions in people with known allergies, reduce the frequency of reactions or reduce the severity of symptoms if a reaction does occur.
Most allergy treatments for symptom relief are in the form of medications. Some medications target specific symptoms (e.g., itchiness, difficulty breathing). Others may target the relief of a variety of related symptoms, such as those associated with hay fever (e.g., runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes).
Medications may be effective in one of two ways: symptom relief or symptom prevention. Symptom relief medications are taken after the onset of symptoms to reduce allergy symptoms that are already present. These medications may seek to either:
* Interrupt the allergic cascade itself (e.g., antihistamines, leukotriene modifiers). These medications interfere with the histamines and leukotrienes released into the bloodstream during an allergic reaction. It is these chemical mediators that promote common allergy symptoms throughout the nose, throat, lungs, skin and gastrointestinal regions.
* Directly target symptoms caused by the allergic reactions (e.g., decongestants, bronchodilators). These medications often target the cellular swelling or blood vessel constriction that leads to symptoms such as runny noses, itching and redness. Other types of these medications help to relax and open airways and loosen mucus to improve a person’s breathing.
Symptom prevention medications are taken before the person comes into contact with an allergen to lessen the severity of an allergic reaction or prevent symptoms entirely. This usually requires the daily use of medication.
Allergy medications can be administered in a number of ways. These include:
* Pills. Solid form of medication that is swallowed. The medication dissolves and is absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining of the stomach and intestines.
* Inhalers. Aerosol devices that allow medications to be delivered directly to the interior of the lungs through inhalation.
Inhalers are portable devices that deliver medication to the lungs to treat breathing problems. Dry Powder Inhaler
* Nasal sprays. Sprays that distribute medicine – through the nose – directly to the nasal passages in the form of a fine mist.
* Eye drops. A sterile solution or medicine that is applied directly to the surface of the eye in the Nebulizerform of liquid drops.
* Nebulizers. Devices that use a compressor to convert liquid medication into a fine mist that can then be inhaled into the lungs.
* Topical creams. Medications in lotion or ointment form that can be spread directly onto the skin where it is absorbed into the body.
* Injections. Uses a needle and syringe to push liquid medication directly into body tissue.
Allergy medications are available over-the-counter (OTC), as well as by prescription. However, OTC allergy products are still medications, and should be treated as such.
All allergy medications have the potential to cause side effects, some of which could harm the patient. For instance, people with high blood pressure may be advised against taking decongestants because they can raise blood pressure. Patients should discuss OTC allergy medication with their physicians before using them.
In addition, patients experiencing any side effects from their allergy medication (prescription or OTC) should contact their physician. The physician may be able to prescribe another type of medication.
Patients should take allergy medications exactly as prescribed by their physician, because untreated allergy symptoms can lead to further complications. For instance, people who “ignore†their allergy symptoms and do not treat them can develop sinus and ear infections (otitis media). Overuse of allergy medication can also lead to problems. Those who use OTC decongestant nasal spray for more than three consecutive days can actually worsen their nasal symptoms (e.g., swelling, congestion).
Another form of allergy treatment focuses on desensitizing an individual to a specific allergen over time. This is accomplished through regular allergy shots, usually over a period of months or years. Each shot exposes the person to greater amounts of the targeted allergen. Eventually, the person’s immune system becomes tolerant to that allergen. Allergy shots can result in severe reactions in very sensitive individuals and some people fail to respond to the treatment at all. For these reasons this treatment is not always effective. They are also not an effective treatment for some types of allergies (e.g., food allergies).
Source : http://allergy.health.ivillage.com/asthmamanagement/allergytreatment2.cfm
Written by dpi on April 25th, 2007 with no comments.
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