In my last post, I wrote about general sun safety and let everyone know that the Environmental Working Group had issued its 2012 guide to sunscreens.

Today, I am going to focus specifically on sun safety for children.

If your child is 6 months of age of younger they should stay out of the sun.  Their skin doesn’t yet have the melanin necessary to provide any protection.  That means when you take your baby outside, make sure they are covered up.  Put a hat on baby and make sure they are dressed in clothes made of tightly woven material.  To keep baby cool, make sure they are loose fitting.

If you don’t have shade make your own.  You can put the top up on the stoller or carry an umbrella for shade to keep baby protected.  It is not recommended that you put sunscreen on a child that is 6 months or younger.  Getting out in the fresh air is good for both Mom and baby.  But schedule those walks for early in the morning or late in the afternoon or early evening when the sun is not so strong.  This is also a great time to talk to your baby.  They are always learning and pointing out the names of the things you see is a great way to bond.

If you have an older child, outside playtime is important to physical health and development. Whether its playing ball, riding a bike or playing in the sandbox, kids need to be active outside.  But you want to protect them from the harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet light.  Sunscreen can provide valuable protection.  However, you don’t want to do more harm than good.  Read ingredient labels carefully.  Avoid products with ingredients that include paraben or have paraben in the name.  Also, stay away from Vitamin A or retinyl palmitate.  This has been shown in studies to actually accelerate tumor growth in the presence of sunlight.  Don’t let claims of “made for children” or “natural” ingredients fool you either.  In the recently released EWG’s SkinDeep 2012 Guide to SunScreens, Aveeno’s Active Naturals Hydrosport SPF30 rates a 7 or High Hazard.  So the word “natural” doesn’t make it safe.

Once again, Vanicream’s SunSport SPF35 made the list of Best Beach and Sport Sunscreens and was rated a 2 or Low Hazard.

Once you have selected a sunscreen, it is important that you test it first.  Place a small amount on the inside of your child’s arm.  Put it in a place where it won’t get washed away with frequent handwashing and let it stay for a day.  If a rash appears, toss the tube and try another brand.  Call your pediatrician’s office and see if they have any favorites.  If the sunscreen doesn’t cause a rash, then its safe to apply to the rest of the body.  Make sure you apply the sunscreen liberally and frequently.  This is especially important if your child sweats heavily or is playing in the water. 

If you are sending your child to daycare or a day camp, be sure to talk to the providers in advance.  Find out if they reapply sunscreen if the kids play outside for extended periods of time.  Also, it is very important to find out if you can provide your own sunscreen.  If not, find out what brands they are using and then check that brand for safety on the 2012 Guide to SunScreens.  The guide contains close to 2,000 products so chances are the one they are using will be listed and you want to make sure it is safe.  You also want to see if there is shade on the playground and find out what times of day they are scheduled to be outside. 

Active outdoor play is important, so slather on the sunscreen and get those kids out there!  They will thank you for it in 20 years.

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Memorial Day week-end is just around the corner.  That is the official start of the summer season.

Summer brings more daylight hours and more opportunities to be outside.  Picnics, bike rides, lounging at the beach or splashing in the pool or lake.  Its great to get outdoors and get the fresh air and sunshine, but its not so great to exposure your skin to the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays.

Before you reach for the sunscreen, reach for the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Annual Guide to sunscreens.

It was just released on May 18 and breaks down which sunscreens are effective and which contain harmful ingredients.  You can read the entire report here.

The great news is that once again, Vanicream Sunsport 35 made the list of Best Beach and Sport Sunscreens.

It earned a Low Hazard rating of 2 and a single dollar sign ($) for one of the cheapest.  This news doesn’t surprise us.  We’ve been recommending this product for several summers now.

Many of our customers use SunSport because their doctor recommended it to them.  Doctors love it because it doesn’t contain fragrance, masking fragrance, parabens, or formaldehyde.  The EWG likes it because it doesn’t contain a toxic mix of chemicals that can do more harm than good.  It also does not contain Vitamin A.  Because research has shown that Vitamin A can actually accelerate the growth of tumors when used in the presence of sunlight, you don’t every want Vitamin A in your sunscreen.

Speaking of sunscreens, did you know that the FDA has been working to eliminate the use of the term “sunblock” because nothing short of long sleeves and pants and completely block the sun’s rays.

For protecting your facial skin, SunSport 35 is great because it will not clog pores, but nothing beats a hat with a wide brim to shade your face.  Avoid the midday sun if possible and don’t forget those sunshades.  Your eyes need protection too.  Also, don’t forget to drink plenty of water.  Great skin begins on the inside with proper hydration.  Also, after you’ve been outside, don’t forget to moisturize when you come in. Follow the recommendation of most dermatologists and apply your moisturizer right when you come out of the bath or the shower.  Leave a little water on your skin and it will help the moisturizer to be absorbed.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  In case you haven’t noticed, this Mexican holiday has become more and more popular in the United States.  I have my suspicions that the bar and restaurant industries are behind it.  Sort of an excuse to sell margaritas and Mexican beer along with nachos and tacos.

Despite popular misconceptions, the 5th of May isn’t Mexican Independence Day.  That is September 16.  It also has nothing to do with Mexico and Spain.  It really isn’t a big deal in Mexico either.  I grew up in far South Texas, not too far from the Texas/Mexico border and Cinco de Mayo wasn’t anything except the day between Cuatro de Mayo and Seis de Mayo.

The Mexican state of Puebla celebrates the date.  They have something to celebrate.  The day is remembered for the battle of Puebla that occurred on May 5, 1862.  The Mexicans conquered the French.  It was really all about money. 

After fighting too many wars, Mexico was broke. (Sound familiar?)  They defaulted on their debts. Spain, Britain and France didn’t take kindly to this because they were all owed large sums of money.  All three countries sent their naval forces to Veracruz, but only Napoleon saw it as a chance to expand the French empire to Latin America.  He had big ideas for a little guy.

The Battle of Puebla was a source of Mexican pride because their smaller forces that were not as well equipped were able to beat back the French, if only temporarily.  France eventually regained control of the land and established their guy, Maximillian, as emperor.  The French maintained control until the United States ended their own Civil War and took a look south to see what was happening to their neighbor. Combined forces ejected the French.  And that was the end of European invasions into Mexico.

So how’s that for some trivia to share with your friends while you sip Margaritas and eat tacos.  Probably beats telling them about the thousands of dust mites, dust mite body parts, and dust mite feces that are lurking in their pillows and mattresses at home.  Who wants to think about that while they celebrate the holiday that really isn’t?

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

We had a customer with an interesting inquiry earlier this week.

She wanted to know why she couldn’t cover her mattress and box spring in the same zippered cover.  She had measured her box spring and mattress together and realized that combined, they were under 18″ deep and she thought they would fit in an AllerSoft Blend mattress cover that was extra extra deep.

We spoke for awhile about how she intended to get the cover on both pieces at the same time.  She was thinking that she would just lift up one edge of the mattress and box spring and slide the cover over everything at once. In her defense, she had never really thought through how the cover would actually go on or considered the actual weight of the mattress and box spring.  Things were further complicated when I discovered that she had a king mattress with split box springs. Now we were talking about how to get three pieces in one dust mite proof mattress cover!

After spending quite a bit of time attempting to dissuade her based on the weight of a king mattress and boxspring set and the physical difficulty of accomplishing what she intended we finally got down to the heart of the matter..  She was on a limited budget and needed to get maximum relief with minimum financial investment.

Now once we got the the real issue, a solution was not difficult and not expensive.  After reviewing all the types of fabric available, we agreed that the Linen fabric that is a cotton/polyester blend would suit her needs just fine.  She also learned that she didn’t need to put the same more expensive fabric covers on the box springs that she wanted for the mattress. We carry both vinyl and SMS as budget-friendly alternatives for the box springs. 

The end result was that for just about $6 more than that extra extra deep cover she was thinking about, she was able to get the proper size zippered dust mite cover for her mattress and box springs and they would be easy to install.

If you need to get zippered covers for your mattress, box springs, duvet or pillows and are on a tight budget, be sure to let us know. We have so many fabrics available and are so familiar with each that we can help you maximize your budget.  In addition to utilizing vinyl or SMS for the box spring, we can also direct you to less expensive covers for the pillows that you don’t rest your head upon.  We can also help you decide what to cover immediately and what can wait if you need to work in stages..

If you just let us know, we can help.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store

Coughing is a natural function of a healthy body.  It is your body’s way of clearing secretions and particles that you might have inhaled.  By clearing the lungs and respiratory system, the cough is intended to help your boy fight off infection by evil invaders.

But what if you get a cough and it doesn’t go away?  A cough will generally be considered “chronic” after 8 weeks of coughing with no relief.  The most common causes of a cough are post nasal drip and allergic asthma.  Less common causes can be acid reflux, chronic bronchitis, and the use of ACE inhibitors.

If you have a cough that doesn’t seem to go away, track your symptoms and you will be more prepared to discuss it with your doctor.  For instance, does the cough come on at night?  Is it only when you are lying down at night and doesn’t occur if you sit up in bed?  These are the kinds of things that can help your doctor determine if the cause is allergic asthma (such as from dust mites) or acid reflux.  Also, note the foods you are consuming.  Be sure to tell your doctor about any medications you are taking.  My brother is one of the approximately 20% of people that develop a chronic cough as a result of ACE inhibitors prescribed to control high blood pressure.  His doctor changed his medication and the cough disappeared!

If a cold lingers, the post nasal drip can lead to a chronic cough.  The constant secretions can irritate the throat and cause a cough. However, this can also mask a cough due to asthma, as it can be triggered by a respiratory infection such as a cold.  Cough due to asthma may or may not be in conjunction with wheezing.

If you have allergic asthma or environmental allergies and your cough re-appears, it might be a good time to see if there have been any changes in the home environment.  Aside from the obvious, such as the addition of a new pet, did you change pillows, blankets or comforters?  Many people are under the impression that if their bedding is new it can’t harbor allergens. Please don’t be in the ranks of the uninformed.  Any pillow, duvet, or mattress that you buy new can already contain allergens.  That is why it is important to cover your mattress, boxspring, pillow, etc with dust mite proof covers from day one.

So, if you have a cough that lingers, begin to pay attention and take notes.  If you need to see your doctor, your careful notes will help your doctor make good use of their diagnostic time.

Til Next Time!

Cheryl
The Allergy Store