Dehumidifiers for Allergies

If mold, mildew, or dust mite allergies are making you miserable, a home dehumidifier may help.

Mold and mildew grow in moist areas, such as your damp basement or the cabinet under your kitchen sink. Molds produce tiny spores to reproduce. These spores float through the air. If you are sensitive to molds, exposure to their airborne spores can cause symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation.

Recommended Related to Allergies

Dust mites -- the most common trigger of allergy and asthma symptoms -- thrive in high humidity. They can live in your bedding, curtains, rugs, and the air of your home, aggravating allergy and asthma symptoms.

Removing excessive moisture with dehumidifiers can help control dust mites and limit the growth of mold and mildew.

How Dehumidifiers Work

Dehumidifiers remove excessive moisture from the air by drawing air over coils and condensing out its moisture and then passing the air over warm coils and back into the room. The condensed water drips into a container in the unit. The container has to be emptied; however, the water can be routed through a hose directly to a drain.

Home dehumidifiers remove 10 to 50 pints of water from the air each day, depending on the relative humidity. A unit's capacity is measured by the number of pints of water it can remove from the air in a 24-hour period if the relative humidity is 60% and the air temperature is 80 degrees F.

Health Benefits of Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers are important for families with a history of allergies or asthma who are living in a humid climate or have signs of moisture in their homes, such as:

·         Wet stains on walls and ceilings

·         Stuffy feeling in a room

·         Rotting wood

·         Condensation on windows

·         Musty smells

Cost of Dehumidifiers

Dehumidifiers can range widely in cost, depending on size, capacity, and whether they are portable or built into your home's ventilation system.

A small portable dehumidifier, appropriate for a bathroom, can be found for well under $200. A built-in home ventilating dehumidifier may cost in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. If your family suffers from coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, and otherallergy symptoms because of molds and mites that thrive in humidity, you may find a dehumidifier well worth the cost.

Understanding Hay Fever -- Diagnosis and Treatment

How Do I Know if I Have Hay Fever?

Your doctor may be able to diagnose hay fever based on a physical exam and observation of your symptoms. Skin tests may be recommended to determine which pollens cause the most sensitivity.

The doctor (usually an allergist) applies drops containing a small amount of possibleallergy-causing substances to your arm or back using small plastic toothpicks. The procedure is painless and draws no blood. If your skin becomes red, raised, anditchy after 20 minutes, the test has pinpointed the offending allergens. A radioallergosorbent test, or RAST, may be used to check your blood for elevated levels of the IgE antibodies produced by your immune system attempting to guard against specific allergens.

What Are the Treatments for Hay Fever?

For hay fever, the best approach is avoidance of known allergens and other triggers (such as smoke and dust).

Mild cases of hay fever can usually be controlled with an over-the-counter (OTC) non-sedating antihistamine, such as loratadine (Claritin brand or generic) or or cetirizine (Zyrtec), taken once a day during the allergy season. The older (first generation) OTC antihistamines, such as chlorpheniramine (dozens of brand names) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl brand or generic) are much more likely than "second-generation" antihistamines such as desloratadine (Clarinex) to cause drowsiness at effective daily doses.

This drowsiness can increase the risk of accidents when driving or operating other vehicles or tools. Antihistamines are much more effective when taken every day during your allergy season than when taken only when you feel allergy symptoms. Once histamine is released into your nasal passages, an antihistamine pill can't treat the damage done by the histamine release, only prevent further histamine release. Phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine are decongestants that help unblock nasal passages -- also in many over-the-counter products. If you're taking medication for a heart condition, the antibiotic erythromycin, or the antifungal drug ketoconazole, be sure to check with your doctor before taking a decongestant or antihistamine to avoid drug interactions. For severe cases, your doctor may also suggest OTC fexofenadine (Allegra) or prescribe desloratadine (Clarinex), "second-generation" antihistamines which are more effective than loratadine for some patients with allergic rhinitis.

The FDA has approved the antihistamine nasal spray Patanase to relieve the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis. It may be used in patients age 12 and older.

Some over-the-counter nasal sprays may contain both a decongestant and an antihistamine. These sprays help with pain and itching by opening clogged nasal passages and reducing inflammation. These nasal sprays should not be used for more than three days in a row as they can have a rebound effect and cause more severe nasal congestion.

Regular use of the nasal spray NasalCrom -- available over-the-counter -- prevents the lining of the nasal passages from reacting to the allergen affecting you. More severe cases may benefit from a nasal sprays containing steroids, which are strong anti-inflammatories and help with many allergy symptoms. Nasal steroid sprays are effective maintenance therapy for allergic rhinitis and cause few side effects at the recommended doses. Available drugs include include beclomethasone (Beconase), flunisolide (Nasalide), budesonide (Rhinocort), fluticasone (generic or Flonase), mometasone (Nasonex), ciclesonide (Omnaris), and others, and require a prescription.

Another class of medicine used for allergic rhinitis are the leukotriene receptor  antagonists, such as  montelukast (Singulair). They are taken orally as a tablet and have few side effects and require a prescription.  

Another avenue to try is allergy shots, or immunotherapy. This treatment involves a series of injections of increasingly larger amounts of the allergen until your system becomes desensitized to it and no longer overreacts in response to it. Immunotherapy has shown positive results in up to 75% of sufferers with extreme cases of hay fever. Standard treatment lasts from one to three years.

Antihistamines for Allergies

Allergies bring more than the misery of a stuffy nose, watery eyes, and sneezing. If you don't treat allergies, they can aggravate or lead to other conditions such as asthma and sinusitis.

Treatment for allergies can involve several different medications, including steroids and allergy shots, but usually the first line of attack is with antihistamines.

How Do Antihistamines Treat Allergies?

Antihistamines work by targeting the immune system response that leads to allergy symptoms such as itching and a runny nose. When your body comes into contact with whatever your allergic trigger may be (whether it is pollen, ragweed, or another substance), mast cells of the immune system produce substances called histamines, which act on receptors in your nose and throat. That's what causes the tissue in your nose to swell (producing a stuffy nose), your nose and eyes to run, and your eyes to itch. Sometimes thisallergic reaction also triggers an itchy rash on your skin, called hives. Antihistamines reduce or block the action of histamines by preventing them from attaching to their receptors.

Antihistamines are effective at reducing symptoms of different types of allergies, including seasonal allergies (hay fever) andfood allergies, but they can't relieve every symptom. To help treat nasal congestion, your doctor may recommend adding a decongestant (some drugs combine an antihistamine and decongestant).

What Types of Antihistamines Are Available?

Antihistamines come in different forms, including tablets, capsules, liquids, nasal sprays, and eyedrops. Some antihistamines are only available by prescription; others you can buy over the counter (OTC) at your local pharmacy or supermarket.

Examples of prescription antihistamines include:

·         desloratadine (Clarinex)

·         levocetirizine (Xyzal)

·         carbinoxamine (Palgic)

·         cyproheptadine (generic only)

·         hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)

·         azelastine (Astelin, Astepro nasal sprays)

·         emadastine (Emadine eyedrops)

·         azelastine (Optivar eyedrops)

·         levocabastine (Livostin eyedrops)

Examples of OTC antihistamines:

·         diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

·         fexofenadine (Allegra)

·         loratadine (Claritin, Alavert)

·         chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton)

·         brompheniramine (Dimetane)

·         certirizine (Zyrtec)

·         clemastine (Tavist)

Allergy eyedrops such as Emadine and Livostin can help specifically with symptoms of eye allergies, including itchy, watery eyes. Some medications contain a combination of an antihistamine and a decongestant to relieve congestion. An example is Claritin-D, which combines the antihistamine Claritin with the decongestant Sudafed.

Side Effects of Antihistamines

Like just about all drugs, antihistamines can cause side effects, and some antihistamines cause more side effects than others. Drugs such as Chlor-Trimeton, Tavist, and Benadryl belong to an older group of antihistamines known as "first-generation" antihistamines. They tend to cause more side effects, particularly drowsiness.

Newer-generation prescription antihistamines such as Clarinex, Zyrtec, and Allegra have fewer side effects, so they may be a better choice for some people.

Some of the main side effects of antihistamines include:

·         dry mouth

·         drowsiness

·         dizziness

·         nausea and vomiting

·         restlessness or moodiness (in some children)

·         difficulty urinating or inability to urinate

·         blurred vision

·         confusion

When using antihistamines, follow these precautions:

·         If you're taking an antihistamine that causes drowsiness, try to take it before bedtime. Avoid using during the day when driving or operating heavy machinery.

·         Before taking antihistamines, go over all of your medications with your doctor or pharmacist. Antihistamines may interact with other medications you are taking.

·         Talk to your doctor before using antihistamines if you have an enlarged prostate,heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, kidney or liver disease, a bladder obstruction, or glaucoma or other conditions that cause a rise in eye pressure. Also check with your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing.

FOODS THAT CURE

      There are many different foods that heal and cure, here are three of them. The first is chili peppers, the compound that makes chili peppers spicy -- can kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells, with no side effects, according to a new study by researchers at Nottingham University in the UK. The study, led by Dr. Timothy Bates, found that capsaicin killed laboratory-grown lung and pancreatic cancer cells by attacking tumor cells' source of energy and triggering cell-suicide. The second is extra virgin olive oil. Men who consume a moderate amount of olive oil can significantly reduce systolic blood pressure levels, according to a new study appearing in the January volume of the Journal of Nutrition. The third food is cranberries. 

Research has shown that cranberries are rich in antioxidants, which can protect cells from free radicals -- unstable molecules that damage the cells of animals as they age. Now, new research is being funded by the National Institutes of Health in order to discover cranberries' effects on yeasAccording to researcher Amy Howell of the Rutgers University’s Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Research, the cranberry is one of the top foods proven to have health benefits. These are three foods that can boost your health greatly. 

 

diseases effecting jews

Genetic Disorders 
It is estimated that everybody carries 6-8 disease-producing genes. If both the mother and father carry the same disease-producing gene, their child may be affected by an autosomalrecessive genetic disorders. In autosomal dominant disorders, one gene from one parent is enough to make the disease manifest. Many racial and ethnic groups, especially those that encourage marrying within the group, have genetic disorders which occur more frequently in the group. 
Jewish Genetic Disorders 
Jewish Genetic Disorders are a group of conditions which are unusually common among Ashkenazi Jews -- Jews who have ancestors from Eastern and Central Europe. These same diseases can affect Sephardi Jews and non-Jews, but they afflict Ashkenazi Jews more often - as much as 20 to 100 times more frequently. 

• Bloom Syndrome
• Canavan Disease
• Crohn's Disease
• Factor XI Deficiency
• Familial Dysautonomia (Riley-Day syndrome)
• Fanconi Anemia
• Gaucher Disease
• Mucolipidosis IV
• Niemann-Pick Disease
• Non-Classical Adrenal Hyperplasia
• Nonsyndromic Hearing Loss
• Tay-Sachs Disease
• Torsion Dystonia
1. Disease Predisposition Genes are disorders which result from the combination of specific genes
• Breast Cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2)
• Familial Colon Cancer

diseases effecting jews

Description:Gaucher disease Type 1 is the most prevalent Jewish genetic disease, occurring in one in every 1,000 Ashkenazi Jews. Gaucher Type 1 disease is an inherited disorder in which the body cannot break down a lipid called glucocerebroside.
Symptoms:Symptoms range from mild to severe and can appear at any time, from infancy to old age. Gaucher symptons may include anemia, fatigue, easy bruising and a tendency to bleed. An enlarged spleen and liver may also occur in Gaucher disease as well as bone pain, degeneration and fractures. Bone disease may lead to neurologic problems such as compression of the spinal cord. Brown spots at the edges of the cornea (the front surface of the eye) are also a feature of type 1 Gaucher disease.
Cause:
Gaucher Type 1 disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means two copies of the gene must be altered for a person to be affected by the disorder. Mutation of the GBA gene leads to deficiency of an enzyme, glucocerebrosidase, which is needed to break down a lipid called glucocerebroside. This fatty substance then accumulates in "Gaucher cells" which are found particularly in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Damage in these organs cause the symptoms of the disease.

diseases effecting jews

Description:Niemann-Pick Type A disease is a severe neurodegenerative disorder of infancy. By six months of age, affected babies experience feeding difficulty, recurrent vomiting and enlargement of the spleen and liver. which causes the abdomen to appear distended. Some children with the disease have a "cherry-red spot" in the retina of the eye. Death usually occurs between ages 2-4. One in 75 Ashkenazi Jews are carriers of Neimann-Pick Type A disease.