"No
more Cats!" said my husband, after Honeybun, my Sealpoint Siamese
cat, died this Spring. Two is MORE than enough. However, every good husband
knows when he is beat and will give in gracefully. "What would you
like for Christmas?" he foolishly asked the other day. "Meow"
said I. "That's if you want to make your wife REALLY happy!"
So allergies be darned, the wonderful
folks over at Siamese Rescue are trying now to find me one. These people rescue Siamese from shelters
because Siamese get miserable in a cage separated from human beings and
are put down exceptionally fast. They nurse them back to physical and
emotional health, and then put them up for adoption. Any cat lover should
go onto their site and look at the "Siamese cats available,"
they do an extraordinary job communicating what these cats are like. In
looking through the cats available, I am saddened to see how many of them
are there because their owners or children have allergies. For most (not
all) people with a little bit of effort, they can still keep their cats
and reduce their reaction to them. I have written about the basics in
issue #33, "Living with Cats Revisited."
I also have some advice in this issue
for cat allergy sufferers on how to visit cat owners during the holidays.
Do not forget we have a weekly raffle for an allergy product. Every week
we have a really neat prize. Your odds of winning are very good. Your
friends can enter if they sign up for this newsletter, so don't forget
to let them know.
Disclaimer: Product and solution information reflect information available at the time of publication, including prices, availability, and reviews. To get the latest information, contact us or join our newsletter.
It is the "Silly Season"
and our good-humored customer service department has a
large stash of left over Halloween candy in the middle
of their area to help them through the slew of increasingly
strange phone calls.
Here are just a couple of the stories
from last week. All I can say is... "No comment!"
Is it okay to smoke? Caller (sounds 20-something): "You guys
know about mold right?" Customer Service: "Yes, we do." Caller: "Is it okay to smoke it? Will it
harm you?" Customer Service, (astonished): "You mean
as in roll it up and smoke it mold?" Caller: "That is exactly what I mean." Customer Service, (slowly): "Well, we don't
recommend it. And if you have been doing it, we suggest
you see a doctor"... as an afterthought, added,
"do not snort it either!"
Military Intelligence? Caller: "I am calling from a military base
in the South. Do you sell large air cleaners?" Customer Service: "Yes we do". Caller: "How about 5 acres?" Customer service: "Inside or out?" Caller: "Outside". Customer Service: "Well, I think you might
have to leave that one to the big guy upstairs!"
Humidifiers
questions in my mailbox. Which is the best humidifier?
This week I have received a number
of emails asking me virtually the same thing. Which
are better, warm
or cool mist humidifiers? What is the difference
between cool and warm mist, or whether our cool mist
humidifiers disperse mineral dust? In addition, some
people just wish to know which is the BEST humidifier
and want to drill down deeper beyond the comparison
charts and our detailed product write ups. Others are
asking about combination humidifiers and air purifiers.
So here goes…this is what I would say if I were
on the phone to you.
Mineral Dust: That's an easy one. None
of our humidifiers, cool or warm disperse mineral dust.
What's the difference between warm and cool mist?
At the risk of being facetious, one humidifier gives out a warm
mist, the other humidifier gives out a cool mist. One is cool, the
other is warm. Need more explanation? Well, imagine being in a greenhouse
that is how a warm mist feels. People who like warm mists generally
live in colder parts of the USA or like to put a warm mist humidifier
into a baby's room.
Conversely, people who like cool mist
humidifiers live in warmer climates, because the last
thing they want is to warm the place up a few degrees.
If you live in a colder climate, the cool mist humidifier
could feel a trifle clammy if you over-humidify the
room. To avoid over-humidification we recommend a built-in
humidistat or a stand-alone
humidistat.
The BEST humidifier? There really is no
cookie cutter answer for you. Our humidifier
comparison chart does try and rank order them for
you, and we have currently completed annual edits to
this chart, but it all depends what features are most
important to you, apart from the geographical considerations
mentioned above.
Features: There are however certain
features which I consider important.
Ease
of Cleaning: Here the Hunter
Care Free cool mist humidifier line wins hands down
with their Permawick filters and patented system. No
changing of filters ever, and only cleaning once a season.
Definitely, the humidifier of choice for people on the
run or who hate extra cleaning chores. The most tedious
of our humidifiers to clean is the Slant
Fin warm mist, but if you want a good warm mist
humidifier, it is really the only choice worth talking
about. The Hamilton
Beach humidifier line is somewhere in between, as
you can wash it in the dishwasher, and filters need
changing every three months.
Built-in Humidistat.
I think this is a great feature to have on a humidifier.
Why? Because the tendency is to over-humidify a room
and then cause mold and dust mite problems. I used the
Hamilton
Beach humidifier all last season, and was amazed
when I set my humidity level at 35%-45%, well below
mold or dust mite causing levels, how often the machine
turned itself off, and the water tank lasted anywhere
from 2 to 3 times as long as my previous machine. In
fact, the water lasted about 6 days in our very dry
condo. We tested the accuracy of the Hamilton Beach
humidifier's humidistat. Impressive, within two degrees
of accuracy at all times.
Noise level.
This is a matter of personal choice, but everyone dislikes
very noisy appliances. Be very clear about one thing,
all appliances of this kind have SOME degree of noise
attached to them. Some people are very noise sensitive.
For those people I recommend a Slant
Fin warm mist humidifier. The least noisy of the
cool mists are the Hamilton
Beach humidifiers. My noise sensitive husband has
a hard time hearing this one and has not complained
about noise. Hunter have made huge improvements to the
noise level of their line, and their humidifiers are
much less noisy this year, but I am leery of recommending
them to people who say that any noise whatsoever at
night in their bedroom is a problem for them.
Automatic Shut Off.
when empty or humidity level reached. I think this is
an important feature but some people who are noise sensitive
do not like any sound of an appliance going on or off.
Those noise sensitive people who just want to set a
continuous humidity level and never have the machine
turn on and off might like the Bemis
humidifier models. The top of the line Hunter
humidifier models have an automatic shut off when the
unit is empty which appeals to me from a safety perspective.
Bacteria Free?
Except for the Hunter
models, you really do have to wash out humidifiers at
a very minimum on a weekly basis, or every time you refill
the water tank. This is why I only use them when I have
to, which is in winter when my sinuses are killing me.
Combination Air Cleaner
and Humidifiers: Generally speaking, this is
when you get the worst of both worlds, and yes we have
tried out all the new combo models. Most are over priced,
and poor quality. I could froth at the mouth about this
trend. I have seen NO appliance of this type I want
to rave about. However, if you twist my arm, the Bemis
Two-in-One humidifier and air purifier is not over
priced, the filter is not a true HEPA, but we tested
it at 92% efficiency. Only good for a small room but
a nice buy. At least with this machine, I do not feel
the consumer is being taken for a ride. In my opinion,
avoid anything that talks about "air washing".
There are several of them out there. I could give you
chapter and verse as to why I do not like them, but
try and keep my most scathing comments about particular
appliances to a private format for legal liability reasons.
Some people in our office with both sinus
and allergy problems use the Bemis
Two in One humidifier in their office cubes to both
purify and humidify the immediate area. It is also a
good baby nursery humidifier.
Whole
House Humidifiers.
We have been leery of the ones you build into the furnace.
Too many potential mold problems can occur if you forget,
and do not clean them religiously. I would rather you
bought a larger area humidifier and used an auxiliary
digital
humidistat to monitor your home's humidity. We now
have some reasonably priced whole house central humidifiers
from the Bemis
line. They do not have much in the way of bells and
whistles, but they can humidify a large space.
President's Pick. So what is my designated
humidifier winner for this season?
Personally, my first choice would buy one of this season's brand
new Hunter
humidifiers. There is a separate lengthier review
of their machines in our next newsletter issue. Hunter
has completely revamped their line up, cleaned up their
act after a product recall last winter, and I now feel
comfortable giving them a top rating again.
Here is my reasoning. I am too busy to
clean these darn things. It is not because I am lazy,
I just work an incredible number of hours per week and
I have very little time left for other things. In addition,
I am firmly in favor of built-in digital adjustable
humidistats. The new Hunter
humidifier line has both these important features. However,
in our alternate night test in our bedroom between the
two brands, my husband was back to maligning the Hunter
(which we used to use) as more noise than he wants to
sleep with. So in our house, we are sticking with the
Hamilton
Beach. However, if noise is not a critical issue,
I predict that Hunter have come out with a winner, now
combining ease of cleaning with ease of regulating the
humidity.
Cat
Allergy Q & A How to visit relatives
when they have cats and you have cat allergies
Q. Mercia -- I am allergic
to cats. I do not own a cat, but my sister and several
of my friends do. When I go over there, I have about 30
minutes to and hour before I start feeling symptomatic.
I have a hard time breathing and my chest becomes congested.
My nose itches I sneeze, and a terrible flavor comes from
my chest when I cough. I do not expect them to go to these
extremes just for my benefit. So I ask you, is there anything
I can take that will alleviate these symptoms? Is there
a type of allergy medicine or anything like that I could
take to prevent this? It makes me feel awful for days
afterward. Thanks! If you can respond as soon as possible,
that would be great!
-Ken
Ken,
For cat allergies, there is prescription medication available from
your Allergist - Claritin and Allegra are the big ones.Your pharmacist will know how soon before
a visit you would start to need taking it.
If you invest in a powerful but small
air cleaner - say the Hamilton
Beach on site (largest size) and put it on high
for 2 hours before you came into the room, you would
find that there should be a massive diminution of cat
allergy symptoms (I have done this with my own guests-
not perfect, but huge improvement). These two approaches
together should get you through!
I hope your friends could bring
themselves to thoroughly vacuum and keep the cats out
of the room while you visit to help lessen your cat
allergy symptoms. That is the least they can do. Good
luck!
President's
Pick for Holiday Gifts
My staff is asking me for suggestions
on this topic. What they should give their parents or
how to treat himself or herself? They all know that I
know our product line backwards and forwards and what
really offers the best value. We do have a Gifts
Ideas page with lots of suggestions but here are some
of my favorites.
2. Sheets the all around favorite gift
this year: In our office, Heather would recommend the
silk
sheets; I personally think the DIVA
400 TC sheets are wonderful. I am giving DIVA sheets
to my sister and Father. My husband is giving DIVA sheets
to his family too. My husband, who has feet and hands
like ice-blocks, is also a fan of our Luxor
jersey sheets as they feel warmer to the touch when
you slide into bed here up North. Special Offer. From
$79.95
3. Shower
filters. I had great success with my husband with
this massage
shower-head filter. It also has a huge amount of
high quality filtration media in it. Shower filters
make a good guy gift. $49.95 and up.
4.
Those on my staff who have been craving a Miele
vacuum cleaner are choosing the Aluminium
at $899.95. Miele's best value right now in top of the
line vacuum cleaners. The value conscious folks are
going for the EIO
family vacuum because they know how well it is made
and what a deal it is for the price at $499.95.
6. The DirtTamer
HEPA cordless vacuum. My husband rushes to clean
up with it every time I grumble about the crumbs he
leaves behind or autumn leaves he is trampling in from
outside. Because of arthritis in my hands, I personally
find it a little too heavy, but this vacuum is selling
well among my staff for presents. My husband has this
one to give to a family member on his list. Great for
the car as well and comes with some useful attachments.
From $49.95.
7. What do I want myself? (besides
my new cat) I have ordered an Arts
and Crafts bed from $575.00 to complement my existing
Royal
Pedic mattress, from $1,200.00. After it comes, I will
give you a full review. An Eiderdown comforter, $8999.95,
would be simply divine, but the Siberian Down Venus Comforter
at $1,299.95 would be a heck of a great and luxurious
comforter. Need to order early here.
Bed
Linens for California King Size Beds Sateen sheets, cotton sheets,
jersey sheets, and more
I sleep in a california king size Royal-Pedic
bed, and for some reason unbeknownst to me, manufacturers do not like
to make bed linens for that size. So after hunting around, I am pleased
to report we have THREE great alternatives for california king bed owners.
One is our Luxor
jersey sheet line, and the other our Diva
400 cotton thread count sateen sheets line. The DIVA king size fits
both regular and california king both in sheets and duvet covers. The
DREAMFIT
line weighing in at 310 thread count is also a popular choice. It is especially
designed for people with extra deep california king size mattresses. The
cotton sateen sheet finish has a slightly fuzzy feel to it after washing.
The DIVA
line is for those who like a plain but very silky and
smooth high thread count sheet; the Luxor
line is for those in the Northern climates who like to
get into bed at night and feel sheets that are fine but warm
to the touch.
Air Cleaners
Comparison - Our Two Best
IQAir and Clarifier
Air Cleaner By David Barnaby. AllergyBuyersClub.com
Staff
Editor's note. David is one of our
air cleaner experts and often gets asked this question.
This is what he wrote last week to one of our customers.
As you can see he tries to be very fair although he
does have a bias in the IQAir direction.
Both the IQAir
and the Clarifier are excellent air cleaners. Both units are
for serious allergies and rate the two highest on our
websites. There are some differences however, that will
explain why it may appear the Clarifier at first glance
is a more efficient, valuable machine but on closer
inspection, it is a tougher call to make between them.
The IQAir does not have as many air changes
as the Clarifier air cleaner, but it makes up for it
based on the fact that the machine efficiency is at
least 99.99% down to 0.3 of a micron and larger and
99.5% efficient on the remaining particulates including
particulates as small as 0.01 of a micron. Therefore,
the IQAir HealthPro Plus air cleaners should in reality
clean as much air in a 600 to 900 square foot area as
the Clarifier air cleaners.
Regarding the gas filters, the Clarifer's
filter consists of fifteen pounds of carbon. That is
one of its chief strengths. However, the life of a gas
filter is directly proportional to how much it is exposed
to particulates. The pre-filter on the Clarifier will
filter out particulates 5 to 10 microns and larger which
means a large number of smaller particulates will fill
the pores of the carbon in the gas filter. Once the
pores of the carbon become clogged they are not able
to adsorb any gases and odors. Contrary to this, the
V-5 gas filter in the IQAir should be able to perform
as long as the Clarifer because of the fact its pre-filter
will remove 90% of all the particulates entering the
air cleaner. However we have not done any specific comparative
testing of this difference, this is just my opinion.
(Editor's note: Our experience in our office is the
Clarifier is outlasting the IQAir in duration)
The Clarifier air cleaner has the UV light
which will continually bathe the viruses, germs, bacteria,
mold and any micro-organisms trapped in the HEPA filter
and on the surface level of the hepa filter they will
be sterilized. Also, the particulates that make it through
the HEPA filter will be exposed to the UV light so their
DNA and RNA will be broken down so they can't reproduce.
The IQAir air cleaner does not have this feature.
Many of our customers are concerned with
mold right now, which is why we particularly like the
Clarifier air cleaners for areas such as moldy and musty
basements. However, the IQAir makes up for this shortcoming
by removing almost everything on first pass, that goes
into the unit from the air (known as its "Efficiency").
This near 100% efficiency should in theory, attain approximately
the same result as the Clarifier by not allowing the particulates
from circulating in the air to be inhaled. In addition,
in the case of mold, whether it is dead or alive, is
not as important as removing it from the air, because
it is the inhalation of particulates that provokes the
allergic reaction.
In conclusion, I want you to understand
that both units are excellent air cleaners and achieve
very good results through the use of differing but similar
technologies. In my opinion, the IQAir has by far the
superior pre-filter of any air cleaner in the industry
and is among the easiest when it comes to changing filters.
The efficiency of its filter system in my personal testing
of all the machines is second to none. The Clarifier
is however a very powerful unit with a substantial amount
of carbon fill, and because it does not have the extra
heavy duty pre-filter of the IQAir, covers more square
footage.
Editor's note: We debate the pros
and cons of these two machines here in the office constantly.
Both are very effective as per our ratings on our site.
Personally, I like the Clarifier unit for strong odors,
smoke and musty smells. I prefer the IQAir as an all
around unit because of design and ease of use features.
The major advantage of our best
quality steam cleaning machines
line have over their competition, is their continuous
fill feature. This means that when you run out of water
to produce the steam, you do not have to wait for the
pressure and temperature to decrease sufficiently to
allow you to remove the filling cap, nor do you have
to reheat an entire boiler full of water. With the continuous
fill line you remove the filler cap, pour in water,
replace the cap, and continue your work. With practice
this can be done in less than 30 seconds.
And while you may have to fill more frequently
than other models, the convenience of not having to
stop your work for about 15 minutes might have you using
them more frequently.
The TidyVap
steam cleaning machine at $799.95 starts the line.
It would be fine for a home of about 1000 -1500 square
feet, and being used for an hour or so each week. It
features a stainless steel boiler and produces both
a "dry" mist and a sufficiently hot temperature
for excellent cleaning. It does have some minuses, however.
The boiler is the smallest of the line and needs more
frequent filling; there is no pressure gauge to let
you know that you are running out of steam so that you
might stop spraying for about a minute to let the pressure
rebuild; and it lacks both the triangular brush and
the window squeegee; but both of which can be ordered
separately. All of the tools for the TidyVap are the
same excellent quality as their more expensive siblings.
The LadyBug
steam cleaning machine at $1049.95 is our bestseller
and is ideal for most households. It would be a good
choice for a home between 1000 and 2500 square feet
and for use of about 2 to 3 hours a few times a week.
It has a complete selection of excellent quality tools
and a pressure gauge that allows you to be aware of
any pressure drop and adjust your use. It's heavier
wiring and larger boiler would give it a longer useful
life than the TidyVap.
Next in our line of steam cleaners at $1449.95 is
the LadyBug
XL steam cleaning machine that is sufficiently well made to
be rated for light commercial use. It would also be the choice for
homes over 2000 square feet or for use around 3 - 4 hours every
day. It is slightly larger than the regular LadyBug and has an on-board
tool caddy to allow you to keep all of the tools with you. And while
it is convenient to have all of the tools on board, it does add
to the weight and also to the width. The boiler temperature is about
10 degrees more than the LadyBug and will produce steam for a longer
time period. The main feature of this machine is its ability to
protect the wiring joints from overheating, which allows the XL
to be used continuously for much longer periods of time.
Our premium machine is the Vapor
Jet 2400 steam cleaner (with a cart) at $2094.00 and would be
an excellent choice for very large areas or for commercial or industrial
use. It's larger boiler and internal design allows it to be used
for long periods of time without the temperature or pressure dropping
too much. A possible minus to this unit would be the steam volume
controls are on the body and not on the handle, were it not for
the fact that once you set the control, you rarely have to change
it. On low steam this unit will function for up to 4 hours making
it ideal for areas where a water source is not conveniently available.
An ideal use for this cleaning machine would be for commercial residential
cleaning, restaurants, hospitals, used car dealerships, and situations
needing a long steaming time.
Q
& A: How to kill eggs and fleas with Steam Cleaning
Q. How long should I steam things
to be sure they're sanitized? Say you're wanting to clean
counter tops or kill dust mites & flea eggs, are there
different times the steam should be held in one spot to be
sure it's killing germs, mites, & eggs? Just curious.
I read all the FAQ's & didn't see anything addressing this question. Thanks!
-Matt M
A. With a quality
vapor
steam cleaner such as the units we carry, the temperature
that can be maintained with a brush at the end of the wand
will be about 180 - 210 degrees. And by wrapping the end of
the larger brush with a towel to trap the steam before it
loses heat, the temperature will be about 210 - 240 degrees.
The effective temperatures for killing dust
mites is 135 degrees, flea eggs at about 140 degrees, and
many bacteria (such as e-coli) at 165 degrees; all of these
temperatures are well under the high operating temperatures
of these units.
My suggestion would be to move the brush on
solid surfaces at a rate of about 1 inch per second, and with
surfaces such as mattresses and upholstery about ½
inch per second.
Remember to use as little steam as possible
when you are cleaning. When you use too much steam, the excess
moisture created dissipates much of the heat before it can
be used for cleaning.
Problems
While Flying And How to Avoid Them By Murray Grossan MD, Hydromedonline.com
A recent Journal of AMA examined
the difference in catching the common cold among passengers.
They concluded that there wasn't much difference between
the recirculated and the unfiltered fresh air. But they
did find a high incidence of common cold between both
sets of passengers. The poor allergic passenger today
must deal with enormous problems while flying, in addition
to the peanut sensitivity.
The planes are DRY. As the planes lower
their cabin pressure, less moisture is contained in
the air. Dryness means that thick mucus just sits there
to allow bacteria to multiply. The antihistamine that
the allergic person takes may add to the nasal dryness.
To add to the insult, the cortisone nasal sprays also
dry the nose. The preservatives in some of the nasal
moisturizers may irritate the poor nose. This is even
worse if you have had recent nasal surgery! No wonder
allergic persons are worried about flying!
However, there are a few simple steps
that can make the trip less of a problem for the allergic
individual. Indeed, if the air is fresh, there is little
or no pollen at 30,00 feet. This can be an advantage,
as long as we don't allow the nose to dry out.
Steps to take:
* Avoid ice drinks. These may slow the
nasal cilia and therefore promote infection.
* Avoid alcohol and coffee. Any caffeine
can dry you out.
* Use a nasal moisturizer spray without
preservative. One such is Breathe. ease XL Or, you can
make it yourself. About every two hours is often the
best plan.
* Carry your own tea bags, preferably
a mint type, decaffeinated. You can always get hot water,
but getting tea can be difficult. Besides, you need
to drink lots of it to keep the nose moist, so having
your own tea bags with you makes that easy.
* You can use Breath.ease XL Nasal Moisturizing
Gel. This has the advantage of covering the nasal tissue
to help prevent the virus from entering. The cold virus
needs to contact the ICAM 1 on the nose, which is the
portal of entry. If the ICAM 1 of the nose is covered
and protected by the gel, this makes it hard for the
virus to enter the body. Breathe. ease gel moisturizes
at two levels: the nasal level and the cell level. The
cell level being moisturized allows natural body defense
elements to get to the invading organisms. The gel should
be applied before boarding and about every four hours
during flight. I usually recommend using it twice a
day for two days after arrival. More information on
this nasal gel is at Hydromedonline.com. This gel is also useful for nosebleed due to dryness.
* Carry Kleenex with you. When the
guy next to you starts coughing and sneezing, hand it
to him so he can cover up.
* Once you arrive, after your flight,
you can resume your prior allergy medications.
* There is an added benefit to drinking
huge amounts of hot tea. The exercise you get when you
need to go to the bathroom is helpful to prevent blood
clots from sitting cramped and inactive. Read more about avoiding blood clots while flying.
Asthmatics must, must, must carry their
medications with them at all times. The more you need
the medication, the more probable that you may lose
it if it is in your luggage. Especially if you are going
overseas, it's a good idea to have the medications in
prescription containers. (my son had all his medication
taken away because it was in miscellaneous doctor sample
containers).
Speaking of overseas, I generally give
my allergic patients two 3 cc disposable syringes to
take with them. You can get most medications any place
you travel, but the syringes may be boiled and reused.
Having your own disposable syringes could be lifesaving.
Airlines try to follow diet restrictions
but if your food allergy is severe, bring your own food
with you as a backup after you have checked your special
tray. Also you can't always expect the servers to know
what a gluten free diet is. Check out what the kosher
meal is like; usually that is plain and simple without
mystery sauces.
References:
Aircraft Cabin Air Recirculation and Symptoms of the
Common Cold
Jessica Nutik Zitter; Peter D. Mazonson; Dave P. Miller;
Stephen B. Hulley; John R. Balmes
Journal American Medical Association. 2002;288:483-486
Three
Methods for Nasal Saline Irrigation compared.
Interest to Sinusitis sufferers.
David E. L. Olson, MD; Barry M. Rasgon,
MD; Raymond L. Hilsinger Jr., MD
From the Department
of Head and Neck Surgery, Kaiser Permanente Medical
Center, Oakland, California, U.S.A.
Objective: To compare intranasal
distribution of saline solution delivered by three popular
methods for nasal saline irrigation.
Study Design: Prospective, controlled
comparison.
Methods: Eight healthy adult volunteers
received nasal irrigation with 40 mL of isotonic, nonionic
contrast material immediately before having coronal
computed tomography to visualize distribution of solution
in the paranasal sinuses. For each study subject, three
methods of irrigation were used: irrigation using positive-pressure
irrigation, irrigation using negative-pressure irrigation,
and irrigation using a nebulizer. For each subject,
three-dimensional computer reconstructions of the irrigated
paranasal sinus airspaces were used to compare contrast
solution volume and distribution achieved by the three
methods.
Results: Of the three methods used, two
methods, positive-pressure and negative-pressure irrigation,
distributed contrast solution widely to ethmoid and
maxillary sinuses, but distribution of contrast solution
was more uniform using positive-pressure irrigation
than using negative-pressure irrigation. The nebulization
method distributed contrast solution poorly and resulted
in a significantly lower volume of retained contrast
solution (P <.05).
Conclusion: Judged solely on the basis
of solution distribution in the nasal sinuses, nasal
irrigation is effective when either positive-pressure
or negative-pressure irrigation is used but is ineffective
when a nebulizer is used.
Laryngoscope 2002 August;112(8):1394-1398
Copyright (c) 2002 The American Laryngological, Rhinological
and Otological Society, Inc.
All rights reserved Published by Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins . Republished with permission.
Cat study. Early exposure to cats may help prevent
allergies in later life
Authors: Dennis R. Ownby, MD; Christine
Cole Johnson, PhD; Edward L. Peterson, PhD
Exposure to Dogs and Cats in the First
Year of Life and Risk of Allergic Sensitization at 6 to 7
Years of Age.
Abstract Contributed by Murray Grossan M.D. at Hydromedonline.com
Context: Childhood asthma is strongly associated
with allergic sensitization. Studies have suggested that animal
exposure during infancy reduces Subsequent allergic sensitization.
Objective: To evaluate the relationship
between dog and cat exposure in the first year of life and
allergic sensitization at 6 to 7 years of age.
Design, Setting, and Subjects Prospective birth
cohort study of healthy, full-term infants enrolled in a health
maintenance organization in suburban Detroit, Mich, who were
born between April 15, 1987, and August 31, 1989,and followed
up yearly to a mean age of 6.7 years. Of 835 children initially
in the study at birth, 474 (57%) completed follow-up evaluations
at age 6 to 7 years.
Main Outcome Measures: Atopy, defined as any
skin prick test positivity to 6 common aeroallergens (dust
mites (Dermatophagoides farinae, D pteronyssinus),dog, cat,
short ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), and blue grass (Poa
pratensis)); seroatopy, defined as any positive allergen-specific
IgE test result for the same 6 allergens or for Alternaria
species.
Results The prevalence of any skin prick test
positivity (atopy) at age 6 to 7 years was 33.6% with no dog
or cat exposure in the first year of life, 34.3% with exposure
to 1 dog or cat, and 15.4% with exposure to 2 or more dogs
or cats (P = .005). The prevalence of any positive allergen-specific
IgE test result (seroatopy) was 38.5% with no dog or cat exposure,
41.2% with exposure to 1 dog or cat, and 17.9% with exposure
to 2 or more dogs or cats (P = .003). After adjustment for
cord serum IgE concentration, sex, older siblings, parental
smoking, parental asthma, bedroom dust mite allergen levels
at 2 years, and current dog and cat ownership, exposure to
2 or more dogs or cats in the first year of life was associated
with a significantly lower risk of atopy (adjusted odds ratio,
0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.60) and seroatopy (adjusted
odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval, >0.13-0.83).
Conclusion Exposure to 2 or more dogs or cats
in the first year of life may reduce subsequent risk of allergic
sensitization to multiple allergens during childhood.
Author/Article Information
Author Affiliations: Section of Allergy and Immunology, Department
of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta (Dr Ownby);
Department of Biostatistics and Research Epidemiology, Henry
Ford Health System, Detroit, Mich (Drs Johnson and Peterson);
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center
in Molecular and Cellular Toxicology with Human Applications,
Wayne State University, Detroit (Drs Johnson and Peterson).
Corresponding Author and Reprints: Dennis R.
Ownby, MD, Section of Allergy and Immunology, Department of
Pediatrics, BG-1019, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta,
GA 30912-3790 (e-mail: downby@mail.mcg.edu).
"No
more Cats!" said my husband, after Honeybun, my Sealpoint Siamese
cat, died this Spring. Two is MORE than enough. However, every good husband
knows when he is beat and will give in gracefully. "What would you
like for Christmas?" he foolishly asked the other day. "Meow"
said I. "That's if you want to make your wife REALLY happy!"
