Allergies – on the increase

These days there appear to be more people than ever who have allergic reactions. And an ever increasing list of irritants that cause flare ups, discomfort and seriously debilitating reactions. Food has been covered in our other articles so what else causes problems and what can we do to protect ourselves?
Skin
Our skin is our largest organ and arguably the most sensitive. It is exposed daily to contact with the clothing we wear, the sheets we sleep in and what we have washed them in, to soaps and shower products, to other toiletries and cosmetics, to hot dry air, to wind and to rain, and more. Not surprisingly give the chemicals that are used to grow and process cotton, dye and weave fabrics, many of us experience itchy skin. The solution: to buy organic unbleached cotton clothing and bedding, and to seek out products that have been made using natural dyes wherever possible. This is particularly important when selecting garments and bedding for babies and young children and for anyone prone to eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis. We should also look to minimise use of detergents, soaps and other cleaning products – many of which are not at all essential and can be substituted with natural products like soap pods.
It is said that the average woman applies something of the order of 5lbs (2.3 kg) of chemicals to her body every year simply via daily use of moisturisers and make up. Important then that we take care to check exactly what is included in these products and opt for formulations containing entirely natural ingredients rather than the chemical nasties. Conjunctivitis, itchy eyes, rhinitis can all be caused by irritants in eye make up and cleansers as well as cosmetics that have exceeded their safe “use by” date. If in doubt throw old products out. When bathing it makes sense to use a natural shower gel or a completely pure vegetable or oil based soap so as to avoid wallowing in a chemical bath and stripping the skin of its natural oils... Remember too that many of the products formulated for babies and children are just as bad as those marketed for adult use. Tread warily to avoid damaging young skin and causing rashes.
Breathing
Our lungs are in constant use. Taking in air that, these days, contains an alarming number of heavy metals, toxins and impurities – and that is without the self inflicted (avoidable) in take of cigarette smoke. We daily come into contact with chemical vapours from paint, varnish, cleaning products, aerosols, perfumes, refrigerators, farm chemical sprayers, exhaust fumes, bonfire and barbeque smoke and more. Then there are the dust mites which are attributed with triggering a very high percentage of all asthma attacks in susceptible children and adults. They are also linked with outbreaks rhinitis.
It makes sense then if cycling in heavy traffic to wear a mask and to keep young children out of busy, polluted areas where there is heavy traffic flow. We cannot all have the luxury of breathing clean pure air but we can minimise the impact it has by using an air purifier in the rooms that children or serious asthma sufferers sleep in and by maintaining the moisture content in the area. We can also use cloths moistened with plain water to wipe away and remove dust from furniture, skirting boards, books on a daily basis. Where we can we should remove carpets which are major dust harbourers and replace them with wipeable surfaces or expose the plain floorboards. We can stop using unnecessary products like aerosol and plug in air fresheners, spray polish and harsh cleaning solutions and opt instead to use safe dilutions of lemon juice, vinegar or disinfectant depending on what we are cleaning.
Many lives can be made miserable by dust mites and one of the surefire ways to reduce their numbers is to invest in new beds and fit them with special covers. The same applies to pillows. Throw out old feather and fibre pillows and opt instead for those made from natural latex (rubber). Consider too using one of the fairly new devices that prevents dust mites from breeding and multiplying. They work by emitting a sound that is inaudible to the human ear but which dust mites loathe. The less mites, the less faeces and it is the faeces that cause the problems…