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Allergy Control: Reducing Airborne Allergens in Your Home
By: Jonathan Chase
Those who are plagued by allergies are always struggling to diminish those irritants that cause watery eyes, runny noses and rashes that sometimes translate into full-blown hives. These and other symptoms can be brought about by a number of contaminants that infiltrate the very air that people breathe within their own homes. If you’re among those who are constantly being attacked by airborne allergens, there are some positive steps that you can take in order to reduce or eliminate the elements that are the catalysts to allergy attacks. Dust mites are the cause of many allergic reactions, and must be eliminated from their most common breeding areas in order to find relief. Since they tend to live in warm and humid places, items such as beds, carpets and upholstered furniture are prime breeding grounds for those miniscule insects. Living on the skin cells that people and their pets shed, they deposit their waste in all of the areas that they gather, wreaking havoc with allergies. In order to control dust mites and eliminate the allergies that they trigger, wash bedclothes each week and dry on high heat; use anti-allergen casings for mattresses and bedclothes; clean furniture and carpets with a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner; dehumidify the air; filter the air with a HEPA air purifier; perform regular housecleaning at least once a week, using equipment that traps dust; and keep only hypo-allergenic toys in the house that can be washed in hot water, rather than the more commonly used stuffed animals. With over 35 million people who suffer from pollen-induced allergies, it’s critical that steps are taken to remove the allergens that can trigger adverse reactions, such as sneezing, wheezing, rashes and watery eyes or nose. Large quantities of pollen can enter your home by traveling in through open doors or windows, on clothing and hair – and on the family pet. As much as we seem to love dry, breezy days, those are the weather conditions that are just right for pollen to circulate. Avoid being outdoors when possible or, at least, be sure to exercise indoors, if you would normally do so outside. When driving, be sure to keep the windows raised and employ the air conditioning. In addition, you should also keep your windows at home closed and use air conditioning or window screens with filters; remember to remove shoes before entering the house; wash your hair each night; avoid hanging laundry outdoors; engage someone else to mow the lawn; and use HEPA filters on heating and air conditioning units. Those who own pets often have allergic reactions to their dander and need to take precautions in order to eliminate airborne allergens. Keep the pet outdoors as often as is reasonable and wipe down the surfaces of the home’s interior; vacuum frequently using a HEPA vacuum; wash your pet weekly with dander-reducing shampoo and use anti-dander spray; wash your hands after handling your pet; wear a dust mask while cleaning; and use vent filters on air conditioners and heaters. While it may seem like a great deal of work in order to eliminate these airborne allergens from your home, the amount of work will be significantly reduced if you perform these cleaning rituals regularly. Jonathan Chase (a lifelone allergy sufferer) is the creator of http://www.home-air-filter-edu.com, which provides free information to individuals interested in air purification and reducing their allergy symptoms. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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How to Benefit from the Mind-Body Connection
(excerpt)
You are about to gain insight into the
mind-body connection. The number of
people who truly understand these principles on our
planet are relatively few.
There is an undeniable connection between our minds and
bodies, you can learn
to use this fact to your benefit.
Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of "Love, Medicine and
Miracles" was once a
distraught cancer surgeon until he
began to understand the greater principles
of the mind-
body connection. He felt dragged down by the artificial
barriers
that existed between patient and doctor, and the
helplessness he often felt as
a result of his inability
to effectively serve those patients. Eventually, those
barriers
were disintegrated by Dr. Siegel's recognition
and growing understanding of the
mind-body connection and
how it could serve his patients and himself.
Dr. Siegel, or Bernie as he began to have his patients
refer to him, had some
startling realizations as a cancer surgeon. He found that
there were actually
quite a few people in the world that successfully beat
the statistics on cancer
survival. He began to recognize that a patient's ability
to defeat something as
serious as cancer had to do with the patient's mind and
attitude about their
disease.
If you would like to see the rest of
this article, please go here:
http://www.tobeinformed.com/repository/mind-body.html
copyright 2004 - David Snape
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