"TANCS" For Ladybug Steam Cleaners - News Brief!

By Mercia Tapping

Next month I will be devoting a major part of our newsletter to TANCS (Thermal Accelerated Nano Crystal Sanitation) which is a breakthrough technology in vapor steam cleaning. But just to whet your appetite, I am giving you a sneak advance peek.

The Ladybug Vapor Steam cleaner family has earned a well-deserved reputation as by far and away a superior machine to its rivals. It is a cleaning wizard that continues to amaze its users. With continuous fill technology, professional grade tools and an enviable reputation for reliability, you might ask how can the best get even better? The Ladybug steam cleaner family now offers a TANCS option to bring steam cleaning up to a level of germ and bacteria kill rate that is thousands of times more effective than liquid chemical disinfectants! A jaw dropping patented breakthrough using nano technology, and a EPA registered # for TANCS as the only available non chemical based disinfectant, and well documented research to back up its claims, the Ladybug now leapfrogs over its competitors into a different stratosphere.

Ladybug Vapor Steam cleaner

Top

VIOlight Toothbrush Sanitizer

by Mercia Tapping

My husband drives me crazy when we go on vacation and he absentmindedly, mostly because he is color blind, uses my toothbrush. He simply does not understand that when he uses my toothbrush when he has a roaring cold that he is ensuring I will catch his germs.

My dentist informed me recently that more bacteria are found in the mouth than any other part of the body! So now I can go back to him on our next visit with the perfect product to recommend to his patients. You can eliminate the risk of spreading unplanned bacteria between family members and self-recontamination when you are sick, through bacteria laden toothbrushes with a VIOlight Toothbrush Sterilizer. This nifty little gadget, which uses ultra violet to kill the bacteria, can accommodate up to four toothbrushes. It is nicely designed with safety in mind, UL tested, although like any other appliance, care must be taken when plugging in near a water source. The neat thing about this sterilizer is it can accommodate different types of toothbrushes and toothbrush heads from electric toothbrushes. Most importantly, it kills 99.9% of the bacteria hanging around your toothbrush.

VIOlight Toothbrush Sterilizer $49.95

The VIOlight Toothbrush Sterilizer makes a nice gift for Mother's or Father's Day at $49.95 but you need to order it now to make sure it arrives on time. My husband always wants gift suggestions from our store for his family, so this, together with the Sports Water Bottle with Filter ($34.95), make perfect affordable gifts.

Top

Maple Hardwood Bed, Nightstand And Dressers -
Review Of New Design

by Mercia Tapping

One of the unsung bargains in my opinion on our website, is our Maple Hardwood Bedroom Furniture which is hand rubbed solid maple with a non-toxic beeswax and tung oil finish. I have been doing a considerable amount of furniture shopping for our new summer home, and have become intimately aware of furniture pricing and what you get for the money. Most of what you get is not solid wood, well-made, or hardwood. In other words, it looks good till you make a closer inspection.

So I was somewhat surprised after exhaustive searching, to come full circle and choose our very own new Arts and Crafts bed with modified footboard in maple wood for a slat based mattress.

First of all the packaging for transport was done so that all items arrived without a scratch. The matching Arts and Crafts Maple Nightstands at $290 were satisfyingly substantive, and compared favorably to quality I have seen else where at three times the price. I bought two, one for each side of the bed, and am so delighted with them that I am considering additional ones for elsewhere in the house.

The new design for the bed is much more user friendly, as the lower modified footboard allows for easy and neat tuck in of comforter and other bedding. The acid test came when we unpacked the headboard and frame late one night in order to avoid sleeping on a mattress on the floor. My husband shall we say, is "handyman challenged", so unless any assembly directions are dummy proof, we are out of luck. In this case, it was ridiculously easy, and I stood greasing the screws with soap and offering encouragement, as my husband used an electric screwdriver to put the screws into predrilled holes. It took us a little over half and hour from start to finish.

I had never seen the slat base for a platform type of mattress before, and admired the ingenuity of the design as the slats were all strung together with a rope/canvas type of arrangement. My husband's spontaneous comment as he put this bed together was how hard the wood was and how well made the bed was. The Eastern King size is $825 and the Queen size is $725.

The Solid Maple Arts & Crafts Bed Frame

What I did not buy first time out is the Under Bed Slide-Out Storage Drawers but on reviewing the bedroom, I am going to buy those soon just to help store out of season bedding and sheets that go with that particular bed. For small bedrooms, that does provide some really great places for even putting items like sweaters. At $130 per drawer that seems very reasonable to me.

The new Maple 6-Drawer Dresser with graduated drawer heights, arrived at my home this last week. We chose the large 6-drawer chest at $1250 with which we are thrilled. l was less excited at the effort it took to get it upstairs. I had advised my husband when it arrived to spread a little money around the neighborhood, and tip the roofers to move it who were working in our condo development. My husband was so eager to get all his clothes into their new home, he insisted on the DIY option at 11 p.m. that very night.

Maple Dressers

After sweating buckets, cursing and damaging the hallway wallpaper, we heaved this substantial [5 1/2 feet width] piece of furniture upstairs, and I was reminded yet again that solid maple is not a trivial, lightweight wood. However, I have to say our efforts were well rewarded. My husband is a very happy camper and once again I am very impressed with the quality of this maple hardwood furniture.

Top

Sebo C2.1 Vacuum Cleaner - Review

by Mercia Tapping

We have reviewed the Sebo C2.1 canister vacuum cleaner with turbo brush in-depth on our website but I am moved to give you another update.

I recently unpacked a new Sebo C2.1 vacuum cleaner with S-Filtration (meets Hepa standards) that I ordered and took it out for its inaugural run at my new summer home. It was very simple to snap together and I certainly did not need a manual to figure out how to do it. The vacuum maneuvers easily, tools came off and went back on very smoothly, telescopic wand worked like it should, it has nice rubber bumpers and I found the suction to be excellent. When I had finished vacuuming, it parked itself very nicely in the closet, no complaints here. I also could see that the vacuum bags are a pretty good size, so that it will take a while for it to fill up with dirt.

I have two critiques to make. Firstly, the 21-foot cord (nice length) did not come out of the vacuum smoothly beyond about 12 feet and I had to reach down and pull it out. In addition, I am super obsessed with my new shiny wood floors, and while the floor brush is very good quality and sucked up the dirt, I thought of that lovely soft Miele floor brush sitting in our showroom. So for a little over $50 extra in price, even though a smaller size, the Miele Solaris Turbo vacuum cleaner is a serious contender for someone such as myself who has mainly bare floors and a few scatter rugs. Truthfully it is hard to pick between them. Sebo C2.1 Turbo priced at $589 and the Miele Solaris Turbo $649.

Top

New Model Air Purifiers For Very Small Rooms

Blueair 201 Air Purifier

At 200 cfm, the new Blueair 201 air purifier is made for smaller sized bedrooms or offices. But if you can forgive that size limitation, Blueair has come out with a completely new and tight design, which we predict will become their new standard design over the years to come. Interestingly enough, the efficiency rating in our testing for this new 201 increased significantly over past Blueair models to over 90%, which we see as first class result. The new Hepa filter is however, on the thin side compared to other Blueair models but Blueair claims it is made out of a superior Hepa like paper. The filter will definitely need changing every 6 to 9 months although can be vacuumed to prolong filter life.

New! Blueair 201 air purifier

The intake of the air is on the rear side of the machine and is a new design which initially surprised us. However, we were reassured by the manufacturer that as long as the machine is a few inches from the wall, that it will work very effectively. We thought that the Blueair had missed an opportunity to install a prefilter at their rear intake grill area, but realized that if they had done so, it would have increased production costs and reduced air flow. We also initially queried the positioning of an ionizer post Hepa filter. We reasoned that if an ionizer was placed before a Hepa filter as in prior models, it would increase the stickiness of the particulates to the filter and substantiate the assertion that while ionization is used, Blueair does not produce ozone as a by product of ionization. Interestingly enough, our assumptions were not borne out in practice since the Blueair 201 is a highly efficient design and moreover our ozone-testing device detected no ozone coming out of the machine.

This is what Blueair's design engineer had to say to us on the subject.

"The Blueair 201 air purifier has the ionizer after the filter and fan because it will give a more compact unit, as there is no volume needed for the ion chamber. The ionizer after the fan on the outlet side will give a less strong charge compared to the other units, and the filtration efficiency would have been lower but we have compensated this by choosing a higher class filter media."

Changing filters is a breeze with any Blueair air purifier and this one is no exception. Blueair have certainly figured out how to make their air purifiers user friendly. Priced at $299, we think this is the near perfect machine for small bedrooms. Quiet, good looking and easy to manage filter replacements with good filtration efficiency make the Blueair 201 a winner in the Blueair lineup. The new units will be shipping the week of May 2nd but you can reserve yours now!

Tiger Air Purifier

Tiger Hepa air purifier

Tiger is a very well known brand in Japan, and when this new entrant into the air cleaner market arrived at our office, the younger generation were heard to say that it was the coolest air cleaner they had ever seen. So the svelte Tiger Hepa air purifier at a maximum 68 cfm wins for style points hands down. The Japanese typically designs appliances for small spaces and the Tiger is no exception, but with the Japanese reputation for manufacturing excellence and reliability, together with state of the art controls and features, we think the Tiger air cleaner will leap into the US marketplace.

Our testing team were impressed with its performance, and they are a conservative, picky bunch who are hard to impress. The Tiger came in at 92% efficiency and an intriguing device that detects odors and ramps itself up when needed. It is also very quiet on low speed but we would only recommend that setting when you are sure that the room is clean since it then only has enough power to clean a powder room.

If I had any criticisms to make, it is that the Tiger air purifier is not breaking any quietness barriers and is as noisy as the next guy on high speed. It also has this intriguing remote control which has buttons for pollen and odors but all it seems to do in effect is kick the machine into high speed. Clearly, I must be missing something in the equation. However at $279.95 with an efficient and easy to maintain and manage machine, as well as being the good looker of the bunch, we think the Tiger air cleaner is to be reckoned with for a small square footage area of up to 110 sq. ft.

TrueAir Air Purifiers by Hamilton Beach

Trueair Air Purifiers by Hamilton Beach are an old favorite. The only complaint we have ever heard about these machines is they are not as quiet as some would like, although for those of you who find white noise soothing, this would not present a problem. The current sale price of $119.95 for the 200 sq. ft model makes this very clearly the "Best Deal" on our site. It is providing a lot of air purifier for the money and a good grade of Hepa filter in a tight design resulting in an efficiency rating of over 92%.The filters can be changed in a matter of seconds without screwdrivers for which they get brownie points.

TrueAir Air Purifiers

Austin Air Healthmate Junior Air Purifier

The Austin Air Jr design has been around for many years without any major changes so it does not sport some of the whistles and bells of some of the newer air purifiers. However, it does have what is most important, it provides customers with good air filtration at very fair prices. What is highly unusual for a air purifier at this price point is that it contains 6.5 lbs of carbon so can handily deal with odor and gas problems in small spaces.

Austin Air Healthmate Jr.

While the manufacturer claims this machine at 200cfm will clean up to 750 square feet, we think that this is an exaggerated claim and a small 10 x 12 foot bedroom is far more realistic, especially for allergy sufferers. The Austin Air efficiency tests we have conducted at various times, puts this machine at 80-90% which is very acceptable but not extraordinary. The Hepa filter is well made and substantive, so you are getting a long lasting filter which should last from 3 to 5 years.

Our chief reservation about this machine is the carbon filter is combined with the hepa filter and while the carbon will only last about 18 months, the hepa filter will last for several more years so in the last couple of years of usage of the filter, the carbon will be doing nothing for you. Our second reservation is the use of screwdrivers to change a pre-filter, which for some reason Austin does not seem to recommend doing more frequently than every two years, when 3 to 9 months is the industry standard. But when you look at the cost of replacement filters, this company does not drain your wallet, and is one of the reasons why this machine stays on our recommended list . Starting at $299 for the Austin Air Healthmate Junior.

AirFree Air Sterilizer

Airfree Air Sterilizer

The Airfree Air Sterilizer (see email customer review below) would be my choice for a musty room in your basement, since it takes care of odors due to organic matter in its incinerator. It looks like a little paintpot, and is the loser in style points, but its claims for effectiveness are backed up by an enormous amount of documented research. Also the Airfree has two big advantages. The Airfree Air Sterilizer (see email customer review below) would be my choice for a musty room in your basement, since it takes care of odors due to organic matter in its incinerator.

It is totally silent and needs no maintenance or replacement filters. The manufacturer gives a warranty of 2 years so for $299.00 this is a pretty good bet in a small space and one we can heartily recommend. We think that it will cover about 250 square feet, and while it suffers from the lack of a fan, in areas where there is not so much air movement like the lower level in my new summer home, it will be invaluable in keeping mold and mildew at bay.

Top

Airfree Sterilizer- Customer Email

Editor's note: Some emails from customers are unusual and this was one of them, and I have left it entirely unedited. It did however remind me that I needed an Airfree for the lower level of my new summer home. It smells musty down there. I will let you know how it works out.

Sirs,
I purchased 8 AirFree units and placed them in the Big House of Houmas House Plantation and Gardens. They were placed in each of the 4 main rooms on the first floor and one in each of the bedrooms on the second floor of the Mansion.

I placed them there, because my dogs Princess Grace and King Sam were having odors because of swimming in the ponds. When you walked in the Mansion, you could smell dog hair odor. After placing the AirFree units in each of the rooms, the odors disappeared. We actually have guests who come to Houmas House and say that they are surprised that an old house like this has no odor. Some have actually said that they find it hard to believe that dogs live in the house, because of the lack of odors. I suggest that they buy the AirFree.

The Houmas House Mansion was built in 1805, is known as the Sugar Palace, and is the Crown Jewel of the Great River Road. Our collection of antiques and artwork is protected from mold damage and odors by the AirFree.

It is hard to believe that a small silent machine can make such a difference in living in an historic residence.

Kevin K.
Houmas House Mansion and Gardens

More information on the AirFree air sterilizer...

Top

Hydro-Pulse - Customer Email

Editor's Note. It must be pollen season my sinuses are beginning to ache. Thought you might like to read this letter. To whom it may concern: I have never written this kind of letter to a manufacturer before, but I feel that I must share my experience with the Grossan Hydro-Pulse Irrigator System. I live in the Atlanta area - legendary for its high pollen counts and thousands of allergy sufferers in April. Atlanta has thousands of residents who never had allergy problems before moving to the area, but who now suffer greatly.

Back in January, I happened across an ad for the Grossan Hydro-Pulse system in a catalog. It seemed expensive, and frankly I didn't expect much given my history, but I figured anything was worth a try. When the tree pollen began to increase here in mid-March, I began using the system once a day, and about a week later increased it to twice daily.

This is like a miracle drug! I still have some allergic symptoms (burning eyes and sneezing, for example), but I can breathe, I'm not experiencing ANY coughing at all, and I'm alert and productive at work. I even spent some time enjoyng a nice spring day outdoors yesterday, and the pollen count here was over 2000! I'm not taking ANY medication of any kind! Had I known what the results would be like, I would gladly have paid five times the price for the machine!

Thank you for making this product available. I know it sounds a little melodramatic, but this simple device has significantly improved the quality of my life.

Best regards,

Reece R.

More information on the Hydro-Pulse Irrigator...

Top

Spring Is In The Air - Seasonal Allergy Relief

Murray Grossan, M.D.
www.grossan.com

Spring is in the air and so is pollen.

This year we have had lots of rain and so the deserts are blooming and there is more pollen everywhere. The pharmaceutical companies are all expecting big boost in sales of medication! For sure, allergy sufferers can expect a miserable season. But there is hope. Lots of my patients do well, even during the worst of allergy seasons. Here is what you can do:

• Read The Pollen Calendar and the pollen count usually reported in your newspaper or at www.weather.com.

• Nasocrom.
  If you know which plant is your pollen allergy, you can start over the counter Nasocrom 4-6 weeks before the pollen gets high and this will often prevent symptoms. Nasocrom is a 2% solution of Cromolyn Sodium, a natural allergy blocker. It blocks the release of chemicals from mast cells that cause sneezing and wheezing. It is available OTC in the nasal solution.

• Nasocrom Instructions
  For nasal use, spray each nostril 4x a day. There are almost no side effects and it can be used with an antihistamine. The downside is that it must be started 4 - 6 weeks before the pollen season and continued during the pollen season. If you are using Nasocrom and Hydro-Pulse irrigation, irrigate first, then wait an hour to use the Nasocrom. That way you get better contact where you need it.

• Hydro-Pulse Irrigation For Allergy
  Regarding Hydro-Pulse irrigation for allergy relief: Used daily or twice a day, Hydro-Pulse Irrigation can be beneficial during the pollen season. This irrigation removes pollen from the nose, removes the IgE that is on the nose and combines with the pollen to make symptoms, and most importantly restores the "lazy" nasal cilia so they can defend you against infection. Even though the irrigation feels good, it is best not to use the HydroPulse irrigation more than twice a day.

• In Allergy Reactions , Arithmetic Counts
  Allergy is "arithmetical". That is, pollen plus dust, plus fatigue, plus iced drinks, plus perfumes add up to "ten" with symptoms.
  
  For example, when your particular pollen count is LOW, you can use perfume and drink iced drinks and eat spicy foods.
  
  As the pollen count increases, now iced drinks give you symptoms, but you can still eat spicy foods.
  
  As the count goes higher, now you have symptoms - a ten - even when you take all the precautions. Fortunately the pollen count isn't a "ten" all the time.
   
• Rules For Reducing Allergy Symptoms
• On high pollen count days, try to stay at home.
• When you drive keep windows closed and air conditioning on. Have the air recirculate. Do not drive with windows open.
• Avoid spicy food, hot peppers, etc. No iced drinks.
• Use unscented lipstick. Avoid odorous lotions and perfumes.
• The moth flakes in your bedroom closet can add to make a "ten" so keep those closet doors air tight. Room deoderizers add to the allergy symptoms.
• Let someone else do your gardening.
• Drink hot tea BEFORE getting out of bed in the morning. Yes, breakfast in bed.
• Don't drive behind a diesel truck or bus.
• Avoid smoke.
• Anything with an odor is like tiny spikes that rub your nose when it is swollen due to allergy. Any odor can make the allergy worse.
• Even though your allergy may be only to a flower pollen, and even though your skin test was negative to dust, dust can add to your "pollen level" and make a ten. You need to pay attention to dust proofing.
• You do need to change your clothes when you come in from out of doors. You can bring a Huge amount of pollen in just on your clothes and shoes. Don't forget, pollen is in the air and in your hair.
   
• Pets
  During pollen season it's you or the cat. The cat easily adds a "five" to make an early "ten." Cat dander and allergy triggers from cats stay around for months even after the cat is away and the house is scrubbed. Pehaps you don't have symptoms with the cat ordinarily, but when the pollen comes, BAM!

• If you still want to keep the cat, at least keep him out of the bedroom.
• Rugs accumulate animal dander and must be washed.
• Keep an air purifier in the room your pet is usually in. Especially use an air cleaner in your bedroom. Most HEPA filters take out the animal dander.
   
• Ionizers
  Consumers union, American Academy of Allergy, and most pulmonologists feel that "ionized air" makes the symptoms worse. The ozone generators can be highly irritating to the allergic person. In Bottom Line, one author recommended using an ionizer that doesn't make ozone. I have no idea how you could make that selection properly.
   
• Dust Mites are everywhere. It helps to wash things in the bedroom with very hot water about every week. Hepa air purifiers help, but if you are producing dust mites they can only do so much. Dust mite encasings on your mattress and bedding are also recommended.
   
• Plants Polinate at 5 AM and 5 PM.
   
• So you must have windows closed at 5 AM and must not drive in an open car at 5 PM.
• During heavy pollen season, change air conditioning filters and vents frequently.
• In most areas there is less pollen in the air when night falls so do your shopping in the evening.
   
• The Crooked Thermostat
  
  When you have allergy, you don't accommodate to temperature changes well. Instead of the body warming as needed, you sneeze and hack. This does warm the body, but it starts the cascade of sneezing and it is difficult to stop.

• So, hot tea before you get out of bed.
• The allergy person MUST carry a jacket or scarf with them. Going into an air conditioned store will start the symptoms unless you put on the jacket. Movie theaters can be deadly when you sit in a draft.
   
• Windows Closed
  The faster you drive the more pollen hits your windshield. Therefore you MUST drive with the windows closed. You MUST NOT drive behind a diesel truck. That can easily cause allergy symptoms when the pollen is high.
   
• Cold Or Allergy Or Sinusitis?
  How can you tell an allergy from a cold? Both have cough, congestion, headache, watery eyes, sneezing and dripping. But a cold only lasts a week, if you are sneezing after 5-7 days, its no longer a cold. Probably allergy, but could also be a sinus infection. If its sinus, you will have more local pain, fever and feeling sick. Drainage is colored green or yellow.
  
  With allergy, the nasal membranes are pale and boggy. Drainage is watery and clear.
   
• What About Mold?
  Mold is everywhere and usually is not a factor, unless there is an overwhelming exposure. Instead of calling a mold remediator, call a plumber and a roofer to fix any leaks. If the closet is still "moldy", keep a light on in the area that looks suspicious. Worst source of mold is the sprinkler system that waters at the house or under the house. Fix the sprinklers.
   
• Breakfast In Bed
  During allergy season you MUST have breakfast in bed! Again, your body thermostat is "crooked," and when your warm body hits the cold floor, you warm up "incorrectly", by sneezing and hacking and will continue to do so. But if you have hot tea before getting out of bed, you can avoid this.
   
• Should I Move?
  Although moving from one location to another MIGHT be beneficial, often what happens is that you change allergens and become allergic to the local pollen. For example, persons fled New York and moved to Miami. They soon became allergic to the local pollen. As a rule, moving is not the answer.
   
• Will Daily Use Of Hydro-Pulse Cure My Allergy?
  No. Although use of the Hydro-Pulse Nasal Sinus irrigator during pollen season is beneficial, it is not a cure. What happens is that with Hydro Pulse irrigation you do remove the pollen from the nose and you also remove your nasal local IgE that is the allergy factor- less pollen, less IgE, less symptoms. But, no matter how much benefit you get you still have the allergy. Dr Subiza reported that not only did pulsatile irrigation lower the nasal IgE, it also lowered the blood IgE. Less IgE, less symptoms. Dr Ramadan reported recently that simple irrigation won't remove bacteria with Biofilm. Pulsatile irrigation helps remove these.
   
• Antihistamines?
  Antihistamines attach themselves to histamine receptors on cell surfaces. This competitive inhibition prevents histamine molecules from attaching to the receptors consequently inhibiting activation of the cell and interrupting the sequence of the allergic reaction. Histamine is a messenger substance released by the mast cell. Mast cells are the lynch pin cell in the type of allergic reaction called immediate hypersensitivity. This is the type of allergic reaction that characterizes hay fever, asthma, hives, and anaphylaxis.
  
  Mast cells release histamine and other substances that control local blood flow and attract other cell types of the immune system to the area. Mast cells can be activated by a variety of mechanisms. IgE antibodies are a special class of antibody that attaches itself to receptors on the mast cell. If a foreign substance (an antigen) attaches itself to the bound IgE antibody, the mast cell becomes activated leading to histamine release and initiation of an allergic reaction. Everyone makes some IgE antibodies but allergic persons make much larger amounts of them. They make them to many different but otherwise innocuous substances in our environment. Antihistamines do not prevent the development of IgE antibodies or even the activation of mast cells. They block the action of histamine, a primary effector substance released by the mast cell. Since mast cells release many other active chemicals, antihistamines cannot completely block an allergic reaction; they simply diminish it.
  
  Fortunately today there are excellent antihistamines available over the counter including Chlortrimeton and Claritin. For most persons Claritin has fewer side effects. But by the same token, it might not work for you.
  
  Chlortimeton is an old one that has been used for decades. It usually works, but may leave you with a dry mouth and some drowsiness. Benedryl is NOT to be taken by seniors. It has a major side effect of drowsiness. It is the main ingredient in Nyquil. Sometimes I deliberately recommend it for nighttime use to help my patient sleep.
  
  On prescription antihistamines, there is a new one out almost every day. The newer ones by prescription include :
  • Clarinex
  • Zyrtec
  • Allegra
  
  They all work and have few side effects but individual patients vary as to how these work for them. Essentially you have to try them and see if you like them. People try to avoid them because of the dryness, drowsiness, and their side effects.
  
  Caution
  If you have glaucoma you must not take antihistamines. If you have prostate problems, speak to your doctor before taking these. Men with enlarged prostate gland should not take antihistamines .
  
  Cortisone Nasal Sprays
  Even I get confused by the names: Flonase, Nasacort, Nasarel, etc. These are available by prescription. Which one is best? Each manufacturer can show you a dozen studies that show that theirs is best. In a recent article, the researcher showed that they all can work and you should prescribe whichever one is cheaper. Occasionally my patient has tried several and insists that brand X works best. That is certainly reasonable.
  
  However many "failures" of cortisone sprays has to do with not following instructions, including head position.
  
  If there is thick mucus in the nose, the spray may not penetrate. Simply rinsing out the thick mucus with saline can make a huge difference.
  
  When you spray, aim straight up between the eyes. Then lean far forward to prevent the solution from going down the throat. Check the spray instructions that come with the package.
   
• Non-steroidal sprays
  Afrin will open your nose nicely. However it is easy to get a rebound, and now the nose is more plugged than before. During bad allergy, using it just at night to sleep may work. Many of my patients have responded nicely to Astelin nasal spray. Astelin is essentially an antihistamine in spray form. It is non steroidal and if it works for you, has the advantage of reducing the amount of steroid you use. The first time you use it, it has an unpleasant taste, but most persons get accustomed to that and continue to use it. Saline sprays that contain preservatives such as benzalkonium will add to your symptoms. ( Breathe.ease XL for spray does not contain benzalkonium)

Chronic Fatigue. Is It Sinus?

The CDC in Atlanta gives a figure of 32 million people in the U.S. that suffer from sinusitis; fatigue is a common symptom. For people who do not respond to medications as a treatment for their sinusitis, 80% remain fatigued, and out of these cases, fatigue is severe in over 20%. Because of persisting symptoms approximately 200,000 sinus surgeries are performed each year.

At the seventh International conference on Chronic Fatigue, Dr Alexander Chester presented his study of chronic fatigue related to chronic sinusitis. In his research, nearly every published study of sinus surgery showed a decrease in chronic fatigue after sinus surgery. In my practice, I regularly see patients who have been diagnosed Chronic Fatigue and are being "treated" by chronic fatigue specialists. The ones who have chronic sinusitis are cleared of their fatigue when the source - the sinus infection - is cleared up. Any person with a chronic fatigue problem should include a sinus infection evaluation as part of their workup, as well as a dental evaluation for dental infection.

Up to now, we have recognized fatigue as a part of a chronic sinus condition. After Dr Chester's presentation we will be more aware of fatigue as a primary symptom.

Allergy Does Not Cause Sinusitis

In Acute Allergy, the nose runs and drips and the nasal cilia move rapidly - hence there is no infection. However in the late or what I call the exhaustion stage of allergy, then the cilia slow down, mucus thickens and may turn yellow. In this stage, infection can occur. But it can be prevented by attention to restoring cilia function - lots of hot tea, warm compresses to the sinus area, and pulsatile irrigation as with the Hydro Pulse.

If Nothing Works?

A common question I get is: " I took prednisone, singular, cortisone spray, etc and still my allergy symptoms are incapacitating. What should I do?"

Before we had cortisone, prednisone, singular, etc we learned that if we put a patient to bed rest, both physical and mental, they often got well. So when nothing works, total bed rest often does.

Patients Ask:

My Asthma Is Worse. What Should I Do?

This is a common and tragic complaint we hear almost every day. "I have been doing fine and today I am wheezing badly and the medications aren't working."

Things to rule out are:

• New infection - dental, sinus, chest
• Extreme fatigue - not sleeping, overexercising.
• Emotional upset - stress and depression may be a factor
• Not enough liquid intake
• New food allergy
• You have become allergic to the cat
• There is mold in the air ducts
• You are using an Ionizer

Of course a complete MD evaluation is best; these are just some ideas to consider. For example, if your nasal irrigation has been clear and now is yellow or green, probably there is a sinus infection present. But if asthma is worse, see your doctor.

More information on the Hydro-Pulse Irrigator...

Top

About Flonase And Nasal Irrigation Q And A

by Dr Murray Grossan

Question: I use Flonase and it works OK for me. Do I still need to use the Hydro Pulse Nasal/Sinus irrigator?

Answer: No, if you are getting along fine with your medication, the Hydro Pulse irrigation won't add to your relief. But if your Flonase or other spray isn't working as well as it did before, this may be due to the mucus being too thick, so that the medication can't reach the nasal tissue. Irrigate first with the Hydro Pulse, wait an hour and then use the spray. This will aid the effectiveness of the Flonase by allowing for better contact of the medication to the nasal membranes.

Question: I saw an ENT for something else - plugged ear from wax, and he noted I had written chronic fatigue on my history. After examining me with a telescope and getting CT scans he insists that I have chronic sinus disease and that this is the probable cause of my fatigue. He recommends surgery. What do you think?

Answer: Recent publications do show a high incidence of chronic fatigue patients with a "hidden" disease/infection. Might be sinusitis or gingivitis. Whatever the source of infection it is definitely important to clear that source and often that may be the "cure" of the chronic fatigue. One of the signs of sinusitis is fatigue, but it can be long lasting until the sinus is cleared. Incidentally the tooth disease may be from the sinus as well.

Question: During high pollen days I use Hydro-Pulse irrigation twice a day. Washing out the pollen and the IgE seems to help, but not 100%. Why not irrigate 3-4x a day?

Answer: There is still good stuff in your nose/sinuses and irrigating more than 2x a day might remove the good stuff and lower your resistance to infection. Stick to 2x a day. Hydro Pulse irrigation during the pollen season is not a ‘cure" and you still may need eye drops or other medications.

I hope this information will help my readers stay well despite the high pollen count.

Top