If you are headed abroad this summer and suffer from allergies, be prepared!

European hotels commonly use down pillows and comforters.  You can contact the hotel in advance and see if anything else is available, but if it isn’t be prepared and bring your own AllerSoft cotton dust mite pillow cover. I recommend the cotton, because it is lightweight (won’t add bulk or weight to your suitcase) and some airline’s baggage fees cost almost as much as the ticket. Pretty soon it will just be cheaper to buy your suitcase the seat next to you!

Make sure you have plenty of your allergy medication with you.  Figure how much you take on the worst day and assume that every day will be the worst.  Its better to have too much than not enough. Make sure your medication is in your carry-on bag.  If you travel with prescription meds or an Epi-pen, make sure you have your prescription and a note from your doctor with you. It will help out during security screening and customs clearance.  If you need a nebulizer to take your medication, make sure to have a battery operated unit (rechargeable batteries of course) or that you have the proper adapter so you can use your machine with foreign voltage and plugs.  Its a shame to blow up your hair dryer, it is life threatening to blow up your nebulizer!  If you can find a model that runs off the car battery (like the Devilbiss Traveler), that is universal and you should take advantage of it.

Even if you don’t have allergies, it is important to stay hydrated on long flights.  Drink plenty of water.  Antihistamines are dehydrating and if taken when flying you will dehydrate even faster.  Let’s say it again, Drink Plenty of Water. If your trip is taking you to a higher altitude than that to which you are accustomed, be sure to drink plenty of water. It will help offset altitude sickness.

If you have particular food allergies, make sure you can communicate the name of that food in the language of every country you are visiting. If you aren’t comfortable with your language skills, then have it written on a card you can carry with you and show to every restaurant you visit “Hi! My name is  American Visitor and I am allergic to peanuts and the nuts from trees.  My food cannot have any nuts in it and it cannot be cooked in the oil of nuts or I will be very sick”  You can show this to any server or restaurant manager and they should be able to understand your need.  You will want to take your own food on the plane.  You can call the airline in advance and request special meals to accommodate your food allergies, but are you going to trust them to get it right?  Even if you do request special meals, its best to have a back up in your carry on.  Better safe than starving!

If you suffer from summer hayfever, you might find that you get a holiday from your allergies.  Because so many of the plants are different, your body won’t have been previously exposed (if you are visiting a new area) to these pollens and your symptoms might temporarily disappear.  But, don’t count on it.  Make sure you have plenty of medication.

If you are traveling to an area with heavy smog or air pollution, you need to take a mask. My mother told me that when she visited China everyone referred to the smog as “the mist”.  They would say things like “The mist is heavy today” or “The mist is very light today”.  She told me she was so astonished that in the beginning she tried to tell them “Hey, that’s pollution its not mist” but somehow they all just felt better calling it “the mist”.  You can call me “tuna fish sandwich” but it doesn’t make me turn into one and you can call it “mist” but it is still pollution and if you don’t want to breathe it take along some form of protection. Something like the N95 mask will provide protection against those really tiny lung damaging particles as well as protecting against bacteria and viruses.

If you are allergic or sensitive to soaps with fragrances, take along your own soap bar and just remember to carry it from place to place.  You don’t have to make a special purchase.  As the bar you have starts to get smaller, just let it dry out, put it in a plastic bag and it will be ready to leave on vacation when you are ready to leave on vacation.

There’s a great big world out there..  Go out and don’t let your allergies hold you back.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

The meteorological summer begins this evening at about 7 pm eastern time.  That makes it official…summer is here!

June 21 marks the summer solstice when for those of us in the northern hemisphere the sun is highest in the sky and our half of the earth points closest to the sun.  Oddly enough, this is also the time that we are actually the greatest distance from the sun.

If you live in the midwest or northeast, you probably thought summer arrived a few days ago with the crazy heat. If you have summer allergies and suffer from eczema, the heat can be particularly difficult.  Make sure that you dress in light colored, loose clothing.  Look for natural fibers, like cotton, to help your body’s sweat evaporate and keep you cool.  No one likes to talk about sweat, much less sweat evaporating, but it is nature’s way of keeping your body temperature down.  Some synthetic fibers are not water vapor transmissive and sweat can’t evaporate.  If it can’t evaporate, it can’t remove the heat and in addition you feel wet. Not good any time of year, especially in the summer. 

Soaking in a bath with a one cap full of  RoBathol can bring relief for eczema if done on a regular basis.  Lots of people say they find relief within just a few days of following this RoBathol ritual.  We also have customers that apply RoBathol directly to their skin after a shower, but I find the Vanicream works better for this purpose.  Speaking of Vanicream, don’t forget to put your sunscreen on before you head outdoors..  Also, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, especially water.  By the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.  Same goes for keeping plenty of water available for your pets.  I know some dog owners who put ice cubes in the pet’s water bowl.  I haven’t tried it with my cats, they tend to be suspicious of anything different.

If you forget that sunscreen or forget to reapply and get a sunburn, relief is possible.  Last year, we started carrying IceBlock sunburn relieving gel.. This amazing product relieves the pain of burn and sunburn and speeds healing of the skin.  It does all of this without lanolin, formaldehyde, fragrance and masking fragrance.  I don’t sunburn, but I have been known to burn myself in the kitchen.  I burned the top of my hand on an oven rack when baking cookies for Christmas this past December.  I immediately applied ice to stop the burn.  Later, I went to the yard and cut some aloe vera and applied that.  Days went by and the burn continued to hurt, the skin was not healing, and as a matter of fact continued to get worse. I thought if the IceBlock works on sunburns, why not other burns? I applied a small amount and immediately the pain went away and instead there was a cooling sensation.  The itch went away also.  I applied a small dab twice a day and in just a few days it was completely healed.  Even more important, 6 months later you can’t tell where the burn happened.  That is important to me, because I scar extremely easily and usually the smallest nick, scrape or burn ends in a permanent scar.

If you are beating the heat by staying indoors, don’t forget to change your air conditioner filter frequently.  Nothing works better to keep your coils and blower motor clean than a high quality electrostatic filter that fits well.  But, if you don’t change your filter, it can clog up, restrict air flow, and even cause your coils to ice up so that your air conditioner runs and runs, but doesn’t cool.  Not a good look for your utility bill for sure!  Some time back, I gave tips and tricks on how to remember to change or clean your air filter.  I still think the one that works best is to set a monthly reminder on your smart phone or Google Calendar. If you can’t find a filter to fit your unit, just give us a call, we can custom make almost any size.

If you have dairy allergy or are lactose intolerant, that doesn’t mean you can’t have frozen treats this summer.  Wash grapes, dry thoroughly, spread them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer.  This will allow them to freeze separately.  If you skip this step, you will end up with just a giant clump of frozen grapes. Once the grapes are frozen, move them to a freezer storage bag.  When you want a frozen treat, just pop one or two in your mouth.  I won’t lie and tell you it beats ice cream, but it is refreshing and a totally different.  If you want a frozen treat that is creamy like ice cream, then follow the procedure outline above but use very ripe, peeled bananas.  Frozen bananas are also refreshing and can get this great crazy creamy texture if you wait until they are so ripe they are brown before you peel them and pop them in the freezer.  I have seen recipes where they put the banana on a stick and dip it in chocolate but that looks like alot of work. If you are avoiding dairy, you are also avoiding milk chocolate, which is commonly used as a coating for frozen treats.  Just keep those ‘nanners natural, they will be sweet enough as it is.

Happy Summer!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

With so many fabrics available, how do you know which dust mite cover is right for you?

The first question I ask is “Who will be using the bed?”  If the dust mite cover is going on the bed of a very young person, in addition to dust mite protection you are probably wanting something that gives waterproof protection to the mattress.  In that instance, you want a fabric that is laminated to a waterproof barrier.  That way if there are bed wetting incidents, the mattress itself is protected.  We recommend the use of the Linen fabric dust mite cover for this application.  It is a comfortable 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester that is fused to a 1 mil thick urethane backing.  The urethane membrane gives complete allergen protection as well as making the cover waterproof.  It is also a pretty sturdy fabric, so if the kids are jumping on the bed or engaged in horseplay that you have specifically prohibited (and they are doing anyway) the cover is going to hang tough!  The only time you have to be gentle with this fabric is when you launder it.  Because the membrane is fused to the fabric by the use of heat, if you subject the cover to very high heat the bond will be lost and the fabric and membrane will separate.  You really need to line dry or dry on the lowest setting of your dryer.  If the dust mite cover is going on the mattress of a woman that is nearing or has reached menopause, then one of the most important attributes (next to dust mite protection) is that it be cool.  In that instance, I recommend the AllerSoft 100% Cotton or the AllerSoft Organic Cotton.  Both of these fabrics will not worsen night sweats or hot flashes.  It won’t cure them, but it won’t make things worse.  Those two specific instances aside, really any of the dust mite cover fabrics will do the job.  The next thing to consider is comfort.

And that is why the second question I usually ask people is, “Tell me about the sheets you use”.  That is because you can tell alot about the “feel” a person will find comfortable based on the the sheets you select. For example, if you sleep on jersey or satin sheets, you like really smooth and silky feeling fabrics.  Cotton fibers might not be the best choice for you.  You will want the Pristine Luxury or the Bed Bug cover fabrics.  Both of these are all polyester and have a slick finish.  The Pristine Luxury is a microweave. That means it is the weave of the fabric that gives you allergen protection.  The Bed Bug fabric is a polyester stretch knit that is fused to a 1 mil thick membrane (just like the Linen fabric).  If you sleep on high thread count sheets, then you are an all cotton type of person.  In that instance I recommend the Allersoft 100% Cotton or the AllerSoft Organic Cotton.  Both of these all cotton microweaves will give you allergen protection and at the same time give you the soft cotton feel that you find in your sheets.  If you like to sleep on percale woven sheets, then you want the AllerSoft Blend fabric. Like many percale fabrics, this is a blend of cotton and polyester.  Like standard percale woven fabrics, it is medium weight and smooth but not glossy or slick and has a heavier hand (or feel) than all cotton or all polyester fabrics.

Another consideration is “How durable do you need it to be?”  Now, this might seem like a strange question.  You would think “Well of course I want it to be durable”, but what is really at the heart of the matter is how frequently you are going to take the dust mite mattress cover on and off the bed and how often you plan on washing the cover.  Under normal circumstances, you should be washing your sheets and other bed linens that are on top of the dust mite bed cover once a week.  In that case, barring any “accidents” like the cat throwing up, or someone spilling liquid on the bed the dust mite cover on the mattress is only going to be washed once or twice a year.  Under those normal circumstances any of the fabrics we sell are going to stand up for years.  However, if you anticipate washing the cover frequently, or you are putting it on a futon or folding mattress or a sofabed that is going to be folded and unfolded over and over again then you want a sturdy fabric.  In those instances you would pick the AllerSoft Blend or the Pristine Luxury.  Because polyester is such a strong fiber, it is perfect for these applications.

So you see, picking a dust mite cover fabric is a little like picking ice cream. Its just a matter of what is best for you.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

You asked for it and you got it!  We’ve got a great video on how to put your dust mite cover on your bed. 

A dust mite cover is an essential part of your allergen reduction action plan.  Its a simple thing to zip your mattress up in a mite proof cover but that dust mite cover doesn’t do any good if you don’t put it on your bed!

People have always had questions on the best way to put a dust mite cover on their bed. If you haven’t gone it before, it can seem like a really big job.  But once you know what you are going and you put into action some simple high school physics principles it really isn’t that hard.

That being said, many hands always make light work so grab a friend and ask them to help you put the dust mite cover on your bed.

First, make sure that you remove all bed linens.  Strip the bed of all sheets and blankets.  If you use a mattress pad, it might be a good idea to cover the pad and mattress together.

Next, pull the mattress forward from the foot of the bed about 4  inches or so.  Archimedes said that if he had a place to stand and a strong enough lever, he could move the world.  Well you don’t need to move the earth, but by using the box springs as a lever you can stand your mattress up quite easily.

Once the mattress is standing, put the zippered cover across the top (head) side of the mattress (the head will be closest to the ceiling and then pull it down part of the way.  Drop the mattress back down and zip the mattress up.  It is always better for your dust mite cover to fit loosely than tightly. 

After the cover is zipped up, push the mattress back towards the head of the bed so that it rests squarely on the box spring.  You can now make up the bed with clean sheets, blankets, and pillow covers.  You will have a barrier between you and common household allergens, like dust mites, dust mite feces, molds, pollens, and cat and dog dander.

Til Next Time

Cheryl
The Allergy Store