Help I Am Allergic To Dust Mites

If you are allergic to dust mites then you suffer from Allergies Type 1, also called Contact Allergies. Proteins found in the waste dropping cause allergic reactions. Each dust mite can create up to 20 dropping each day. Dust mites are not parasites they are microscope bugs that live of dead skin cells shed from humans and pets.

Dust mites prefer warm, moist areas such as a mattress, pillow, and chairs to live in. In other words just about anyplace you like to spend time. Do you spend up to one third of your life in a bed? That is called New York City to a dust mite. Do you sit in a favorite chair when you watch T.V? That is Las Vegas. Do you use the same pillow night after night? Welcome to Miami.

The typical human body will shed about 1/5 of an ounce of dead skin each week. Have you ever looked at a beam of light coming into the room and saw dust flakes floating in the light? About 80 percent of the material you see is actually dead skin fakes. That is manta from heaven for dust mites.

Depending on the environment nearly 100,000 dust mites can live in one square yard of carpet. Up to 500,000 can live in your pillow and up to 10 million can live in mattress. The life cycle of the dust mite is from one to four months. The adult females can lay up to 80 eggs in this time period and it takes about one month from the egg hatching for the dust mite to reach adulthood.

For most people dust mites are not harmful but if you are allergic to dust mites then symptoms like itchy watery eyes, hive, shortness of breath, bronchial spasms and other symptoms. There is no cure for dust mite allergy, only prevention.

There are several ways to control the dust mite population. Using chemicals to control the dust mite population is not recommended. The humidity of the environment plays a major role in keeping the dust mite population under control. The higher the humidity the higher the population, the lower the humidity, less than 50 percent, the lower the population. In vesting in a good quality dehumidifier will be your first line of defense.

Air cleaners can make a really big difference in the severity and frequency of allergy attacks. The central heating system should have an electrostatic air filter to distribute clean air through out the house. These electrostatic air filters trap microscopic allergens. Consider investing in a HEPA room air cleaner for all bedrooms and in the family room.

After you have vacuumed your carpets get down on your hands and knees, in a well-lit room and slap the carpet with your hand. If you see dust rising into the air then you need a better vacuum cleaner. Most vacuums will blow the smaller particles of dust back into the air through the exhaust. You will need to get a vacuum that has some type of HEPA filter that traps microscopic particles of dust from being blown back into the air.

Cover the mattress and pillows with a plastic or other dust mite impervious cover. Many synthetic products are available to help control dust mite are available on the internet.

Wash the sheets and blankets every two week in very hot water, at least 130 degrees F. If the fabrics cannot be washed in how water then put them into the freezer for one to two days to kill the dust mites.

Common Vitamins and over the counter products can help with Allergies such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Pantothenic Acid, Glucosamine, Antioxidants, Allergy Aid, and Quercitin.

Vitamin A is a known antioxidant and can assist the human body in the healing process. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and fat cells of the human body and can reach toxic levels. DO NOT take more than the recommended dosage of Vitamin A.

Up to one-third of older people can no longer absorb Vitamin B from their food. Vitamin B is needed to form red blood cells and keep nerves healthy.

Vitamin C is nature’s protective nutrient, essential for defending the body against pollution and infection and enhances the bodies immune system.

Beta Carotene protects the mucus membranes of the mouth, nose, throat and lungs. It also helps protect Vitamin C from oxidation, which enables it to perform at optimum efficiency.

Vitamin E protects the lung tissue from inhaled pollutants and aids in the functioning of the immune system.

Many find Pantothenic Acid to be very helpful against allergy symptoms. It is another form of nontoxic B vitamins. Pantothenic Acid is critical in the metabolism and synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Glucosamine is an anti-inflammatory and may give some relief from allergy symptoms.

Substances called antioxidants can neutralize free radical by pairing up or binding with the free radical elections thus inhibiting them from damaging cells in the human body.

Allergy Aid supplies 9 beneficial Herb’s to help provide temporary relief of respiratory allergies. The natural action of these specific Herb’s help to open bronchial tubes and ease breathing.

Quercitin is a well known flavonoid. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants and can reduce inflammation boost the immune system and strengthen blood vessels and improve circulation. Quercitin is also known for its ability to block the release of histamines, thus reducing or preventing allergy symptoms.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.

David Cowley has created over 50 articles about the relationship between diseases and vitamins. For other articles on Allergies click on Articles on Allergies and for other articles click onOther Articles
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The Secret to Living With Allergies Part 7 : for Allergy Relief, Learn How Dust Mites Cause Allergy Symptoms

If you have indoor allergies, your allergy symptoms are likely caused by dust mite allergens, mold allergens and pet dander.  While it may be easy to understand how molds and pets contribute to allergy symptoms, dust and dust mite allergens may be more difficult. Although there are many components in house dust to which people may be allergic, the biggest culprit is the dust mite.  Dust mites are microscopic and because they cannot be seen, you may not know how to combat this virtually ‘invisible’ allergen source.  Many allergic people have dust mite allergies, and to find allergy relief, it is important to learn how dust mites cause allergy symptoms.  With this edition of the Allergy Control Products series on “The Secret to Living with Allergies”, you’ll find basic facts about dust mites in order to understand how they are affecting your health.

What are Dust Mites?

Dust mites are eight-legged arachnids and are relatives of spiders and ticks.  The dust mite is microscopic and, unlike bed bugs, cannot be seen by the human eye.  S  `ince dust mites cannot be seen, it may be startling to learn that over one million dust mites can live in a single bed.  Adult dust mites live for two to three months, during which time the female can lay 25 to 50 eggs every three weeks.  Each dust mite produces approximately 20 waste particles a day, and more than 100,000 of these waste particles can be present in only a gram of dust.

To see a video of dust mites under microscope, visit the Allergy Learning Center at www.allergycontrol.com.  Here, you have a rare opportunity to see these tiny allergy-causing mites up close.

What is Dust Mite Allergen?

Allergies are not caused by the dust mite being inhaled, but instead, allergy symptoms stem from a combination of waste particles from dust mites as well as their dead body fragments.  These particles are called dust mite allergens, as they are the parts of the dust mite that actually cause allergy symptoms.  To compound the allergy-causing ability of the dust mite, waste particles and dead body fragments remain allergenic even after the mite that produced them has died.

Where do Dust Mites Live in the Home?

Dust mites can live in even the cleanest homes and are present in nearly all homes in areas where the relative humidity is greater than 50% for some portion of the year. Dust mites are photophobic, which means that they thrive in dark, warm and humid environments.  The largest source of dust mite allergen exposure comes from the bed, as it provides the perfect conditions for dust mite growth as well as their greatest food source, the shed scales of human skin.  Large numbers of dust mites can live in your pillow, mattress, box spring, comforter and blanket.  The second largest source of dust mites and dust mite allergens comes from the carpet, as the carpet provides another good living environment and dust mite allergens can build up over time.  Other areas of the home that are prone to dust mite allergens are upholstered furniture, drapes, throw pillows and other areas with soft materials.

What is the First Area to Address for Dust Mite Allergy Relief?

While it is impossible to eliminate dust mites altogether, you can minimize your exposure to dust mite allergens and find allergy relief.  Your allergy relief steps should be focused on the bedroom, as it is the room where you spend the most time in the day and have the highest exposure to dust mite allergens.  Dust mite allergens are dispersed as we sleep in bed at night, fluff pillows or make the bed, walk or sit on the carpet, sit on stuffed furniture and come in contact with any soft, stuffed materials.

What Allergy Relief Steps Should Be Taken?

Don’t despair over not being able to completely eliminate dust mites, as scientific studies have shown that taking allergen avoidance steps to minimize dust mite allergen exposure in the bedroom leads to a decrease in allergic symptoms and a decrease in medication requirements for people with dust mite allergies.

Important dust mite allergy relief steps include:

Use allergy encasings to create a barrier between you and the allergens in the bed.

Wash linens, blankets and any un-encased bedding every week in hot water.

Remove or treat the carpet to eliminate a large allergen source.

If carpets cannot be removed, vacuum thoroughly with a HEPA vacuum cleaner or apply a carpet treatment to denature allergens.

Keep humidity levels below 50% and ideally between 35-40%, as dust mites thrive in  high humidity.

Use HEPA filtration to capture allergens.  HEPA filtration vacuum cleaners and air cleaners capture 99.97% of allergens down to 0.3 microns that pass through the filter.

Use central furnace filters to capture allergens in your vent system.

Allergy Control Products has been recommended by thousands of physicians as the most trusted allergy company for revolutionary products.  Whether you’re looking for the highest quality air purifier, air cleaner, hypoallergenic bedding or more, you can rely on the over 500 allergy products that have helped hundreds of thousands of allergy sufferers combat allergies and allergy relief.
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