http://www.whyamirich.com/ Articles at Free Website Content from Whyamirich.com en-us http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/foundations-signs-and-cures-of-poison-ivy.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/foundations-signs-and-cures-of-poison-ivy.html Tue, 13 Jul 2010 01:58:02 -0600
There is oil present in the plant and this oil will remain on your skin as soon as you make contact with it. The entire plant is poisonous, so the leaves, the flowers, the stems, the roots and the berries should be avoided. Once you've made contact with any part of the plant you will break out with a red and extremely itchy eruption on your skin.

Since the oil makes contact with your body through touch, any other items you touch, be it tools or gear or shoes, will be affected. If you burn the plant it is also dangerous as the oil is retained in the smoke and this can settle on your skin and cause the rash.

An eruption will appear within 48 hours after your skin has been in contact with the plant's oil, but there are instances when this takes a few days to show up. If you transfer the oil to other parts of your body through touching your skin, the rash may well become bigger and spread over a larger area of your body. The rash and the blisters are not infectious as the plant oil will already have been taken in to your skin or it will have been washed off the skin. Scratching the eruption may cause infection if there is any dirt under your fingernails and this will cause sores to form. The blisters will begin drying up within a few days and then the eruption should start to go away. This time period is dependent on the severity of the allergy.

If you are aware or think that you have touched poison ivy, you should immediately clean the region with cool water. Cold compresses and bathing in cool water will assist with relieving the symptoms. Any of your clothing or sports gear or equipment and tools should be cleaned as the oil is long lingering and may cause another bout of the itchy rash if you touch any of these items.

There are several over the counter ointments and other medications that can relieve the condition of the rash. Hydrocortisone lotions and creams are excellent. Calamine lotion will relieve the itching. Anti-histamine pills may also be prescribed. Try to relax in an oatmeal bath as this will also help with the treatment of the rash.

If your fever rises or if larger sections of the body become infected, you should go to your doctor for help. Sometimes the rash will extend to your genital area or into your mouth and neck. It may affect your eyelids and this will make it difficult to open your eyes.

If pus starts oozing from the blisters which were caused by the poison ivy rash, medical assistance should be sought immediately. You should also consider a visit to your doctor if the rash takes a very long time to disappear. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/food-allergy-safety-suggestions-for-children.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/food-allergy-safety-suggestions-for-children.html Sat, 10 Apr 2010 01:55:45 -0600
The main aspect of raising a youngster having a food allergy would be to provide for their safety. In your home, you are going to have to make alterations in several of your recipes to make sure that your child doesn't come into contact with his or her allergens. It's normal to feel frustrated and restricted at first, but after a little searching, you'll discover alternatives for almost all of your family's favorite foods.

You will discover a number of cookbooks, for example The Allergy Self-Help Cookbook, which offers in excess of 325 recipes containing none of the conventional allergens, including wheat, milk, eggs, sugar, yeast and corn. Then there are cookbooks that are more specific to certain allergies, for instance gluten, milk and eggs.

Sometimes children with food allergies begin to feel depressed or ostracized when other kids tease them for being unable to eat certain foods. It's important that you sit down with your child and talk about these feelings. A good way to get into a discussion is to read one of the books written about food allergies. Nicole Smith is the author of several helpful children's food allergy books, such as Allie the Allergic Elephant: A Children's Story of Peanut Allergies; Cody the Allergic Cow: A Children's Story of Milk Allergies; and Chad the Allergic Chipmunk: A Children's Story of Nut Allergies. For other wonderful books to go over with your child, please visit www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/books-child.html. By reading these books, children will learn how to avoid dangerous situations and stay safe just like their favorite characters in these memorable stories.

A good place to learn more about helping children with food allergies cope is www.allergicchild.com. This website is focused on helping kids who have food allergies to live the healthiest and most normal lives possible. Parents can sign up for free monthly newsletters with expert columns and may also read e-books; How to Send your Food Allergic Child to School; How to Help Your Child Succeed with Food Allergy and Behavior Manifestations: Giftedness, Autism & Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; How Do I Keep My Food Allergic Child Safe; and Traveling and Eating Out with Food Allergies. Allergy information is important in the early stages of your child's diagnosis, but it is through support networks that you will learn to endure. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/central-air-purifiers.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/central-air-purifiers.html Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:05:41 -0700
This is all right as far as it goes, but rooms are interconnected and the 'dirty' air soon comes in and mingles with your nice clean air. What you really need to do is clean all the air in the whole house, in every room simultaneously. This would be on the same principal as central air conditioning. In fact most central air conditioning systems incorporate an air purifying system. Admittedly, they are usually pretty basic on older conditioners, but they can be very sophisticated too, if you are willing to get a more expensive new conditioner.

The middle ground if you do not want to upgrade your central air conditioner or even if you do not want to air conditioning, is to fit a central or 'whole house' air purification system. This is most easily and most economically carried out if you already have ducting in your house for central heating or air conditioning. The central air purification unit is then simply put in line with your existing ducting.

The central air purifying apparatus is installed into a home's central HVAC (heat, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system, just upstream from the air handler (the furnace or the air conditioner), similar to a central humidifier. This type of central installation enables CAP (Central Air Purification) systems to continuously remove allergens, pollutants and other irritants from the air being supplied to the entire occupied living space of the home, rather than just one room. installing the CAP unit like also keeps it completely out of sight and out of the way.

CAP systems can be fitted into virtually any type and configuration of forced air HVAC system, regardless of age, and are a common sense add-on or upgrade. Many of these systems incorporate a powerful ultraviolet light for added purification. This is called photo catalytic oxidation.

Photo catalytic oxidation has been proved to be highly effective at clearing airborne biological and chemical contamination (206% more powerful than chlorine and 157% more powerful than hydrogen peroxide. The energy field in the photo-catalytic chamber is roughly 10,000 times more powerful than natural sunlight).

These modern whole house or central air purifiers are extremely efficient and can give a new lease of life to sufferers of airborne allergies such as pollen. The system is relatively inexpensive, if you already have ducting in place, otherwise that could cost you an extra $3,000 - 4,000. The actual air purification units themselves are a lot cheaper, costing between $300 and $1,000 and the installer can fit them in minutes with common tools. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/reward-yourself-with-the-luxury-of-time-traveling-and-getting-enough-sleep.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/reward-yourself-with-the-luxury-of-time-traveling-and-getting-enough-sleep.html Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:28:30 -0700
Some factors that gives you tension while on a vacation includes missing your stop, losing your way in a new location, endlessly waiting for delayed flights, misplacing your luggage, etc. Don't let having trouble sleeping be a part of it! This is something you can control! Follow these guidelines that could help you catch some forty winks.

1. Keep your nose obstruction. Flying can cause some level of sinus or ear discomfort if you frequently go through nasal congestion most likely because of colds and allergies which can as well make you stay up all night when these are inclined to cause obstruction on nasal breathing passageways. Use a lot of nasal saline which acts as a mild decongestant which you may want to prepare yourself or head out to the pharmacy to get nasal sprays or decongestant tablets to avoid ear or sinus disorders and open up these passageways.

2. Fight the urge to eat before hitting the sack. Although this may be seen as a typical habit even if you're on a vacation or only chilling at home, this could probably very well ruin what you have in mind to have a peaceful sleep. Apart from putting on more weight on you, when your stomach is full and you down, you would regurgitate some stomach acids or juices regurgitate into your throat and cause inflammation and irritation. This will disturb your nap and reduce the possibilities of nipping in undisturbed. It is best to eat your dinner 3-4 hours before bedtime.

3. Keep your hands away from alcohol before bedtime. Many people will instantly think that binge drinking would aid them to have a better sleep as it conks them out but actually, you don't get to nap early. It is important to know that it slackens throat muscles then when you sleep on your back, the collapse of your tongue would cast it backwards obscuring your airway passageways. This would deprive your brain of oxygen. Sometimes, when your body becomes too unstable to move a muscle, you can fall flat on your face and the air that comes in would be blocked and cause you to stop breathing. Won't that infuse enough fright in you? This definitely doesn't go out to keep you from having fun on an casual pub crawling; you can have a time for all things but see to it that know your limits.

4. Try to doze off early. It's not easy, yes. For self-confessed insomniacs, it's totally tough to fix your mind set first. But if you're just tempted to stay up late and make the most out of your time while on a vacation, fight that urge and make up a schedule of things to do then manage your time.But you must keep in mind that eating on time and going to bed before the break of dawn let you to have a normal sleeping time that your frail body needs. Do not extremely change and disconcert your body clock by going to bed late and waking up much later the next day. It will be tough to return to your usual sleeping habits especially when you shift through altering time zones around the globe. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/pink-eye-treatment-and-home-remedy.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/pink-eye-treatment-and-home-remedy.html Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:56:08 -0600
Pink eye can be caused by allergies, bacteria, or viruses. Since most cases of pink eye or caused by viral infection which has no medical treatment, pink eye treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms. People with pink eye should also be careful to avoid spreading the infection to others.

People with pink eye should try to prevent the spread of pink eye by frequently washing their hands. People with pink eye should try to avoid rubbing her eyes or if they do so, they should immediately wash their hands afterwards. Medicated eye drops for pink eye are often not prescribe because they can become easily contaminated.

During pink eye, people should not wear contact lenses. Pink eye will usually clear on its own within three to five days even without medical treatment. Home treatment for pink eye can help reduce the severity of the symptoms and make the person feel more comfortable.

Warm or cold compresses may be reused depending on which one provides the most relief for the individual. People should always use clean compress is for each eye and for each application of compresses.

The eyes affected by pink eye should be washed frequently. With a tissue, wet washcloth, or moistened cotton ball, the eyes should be wiped from the inside corner close to the nose towards the outside. Tissues and cotton balls should be thrown away immediately to avoid the spread of pink eye.

Any washcloth that are used as compresses or to wipe the eyes should be placed in the laundry immediately after use. Wash cloths should not be used for both eyes or for more than one use without being washed first.

A home remedy for pink eye is to heat a tea bag of green tea in hot water for one minute before using it as a warm compress. Then after the tea bag goes cold, it should be squeezed to allow a little bit of the green tea onto the closed eyelid over the eyelashes so that some may go into the eye. If both eyes are infected, two tea bags should be used. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/allergies-and-their-restrictions.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/allergies-and-their-restrictions.html Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:06:12 -0600
Despite the fact that all food that we buy is labelled with the details of its contents, it can still be difficult to avoid certain food ingredients. There are some intolerances that are fairly common such as gluten and dairy and so foods that dont contain them are relatively easily found and the only time its a real problem is when youre eating out. The main problem here is that most of the time, chefs do not understand the full extent of the effects of a particular ingredient on someone who suffers from food intolerances.

It is quite common for a chef to add a little flour to a sauce to thicken it up, believing that the intolerant person will not notice or be affected by such a small amount. And if the sufferer doesnt explode there and then (and usually they dont) then the chef believes that he got away with it and that the person indeed is not suffering from that little amount. What they dont realise however is that the intolerance usually comes into effect as the food is being digested an hour or two later and the effects can then last for days.

This makes it very difficult for people suffering food intolerances as eating out can quickly become a huge gamble. The more foods you are intolerant to, the bigger the gamble and the greater the likelihood that you will accidentally eat something that will upset you. It is not always easy to provide a chef with a list of foods to avoid. The reason for this is that it is hard work to find good food that avoids many common foods, so many people will soon tire of trying to accommodate you. Dont be surprised if your invitations drop in quantity.

Foods that your body has an intolerance to make very hard work for your body to digest, so you should avoid foods that trigger your intolerances at all costs so that your body doesnt have to be put though the trauma of struggling with something. However if you only then eat a few foods that you know are safe, there is a chance that you will develop intolerances to them as well.

This can and does happen so its important to keep track of what you eat and try to eat as many different foods as possible. Most of the time that thought doesnt appeal to people with intolerances because the wider range of foods they eat, the more likely they are to eat something that upsets them, however if you choose a few foods that you are ok with, and stick to them, you could end up intolerant to them as well, so maintaining a wide diet is important. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/discover-more-about-milk-allergy-and-its-symptoms.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/discover-more-about-milk-allergy-and-its-symptoms.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 05:11:02 -0600
Having milk allergy can be very troublesome. A person who is allergic to milk has to be extremely aware of every ingredient in the food product she or he buys to avoid the allergen. This can be very difficult as milk is used almost in every food items in market today.

As mentioned before, having milk allergy can be very troublesome and it will likely limit your range of meals where milk is needed as part of the ingredients. There are many indeed and you might feel frustrated about this. However, you will have to endure this as reactions when you encounter milk in your body will be more frustrating; diarrhea, skin rashes, frequent vomiting, watery eyes, and even other infections.

If you ignore checking your ingredients before buying or eating them, knowing fully that you are allergic to milk, you will be doing your body a bad favor. You will make your condition worse and might lead to chronic health problem. It will be harder for you and your body then.

You may notice that the symptoms related to milk allergy are related to digestive problems and skin issues. This is due to the consumed milk contents being absorbed in the digestive track and the skin. It could be very unfortunate for those who are allergic to milk for not being able to take advantage of the benefits that milk have as milk has a lot of nutrients that can be very helpful in keeping the body healthy and therefore it promotes overall health.

The good news is that, you don't have to go through the same frustration all the time, there are certain alternatives that you can make use of to substitute you need for drinking milk. Since milk is one of the best sources of protein, the best alternative for this is soy milk.

Soy products can be one of the best alternatives when it comes to substituting dairy products which can provide you the same protein nutrients you can find from milk, but would not be causing any allergic reactions to your body. Like for instance if you want to eat cheese, you can then look for tofu products which could be the best substitute for that. This time around you can enjoy eating the foods you want without having to compromise your health.

There is no known treatment for milk allergy like most allergies. The only effective way to prevent it is to avoid it. If you don't avoid milk, you will not be able to alleviate this problem. However, you do not have to see it as the end of the world, there is always soy. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/just-what-does-a-hepa-do.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/just-what-does-a-hepa-do.html Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:32:18 -0600
The dirty little secret is that the primary cause of allergic reactions is dust mite poop. Sorry to be so blunt but those itchy eyes, runny nose, and congestion are revved up by indoor contaminants that most people don't want to admit exist much less understand.

Though the HEPA filter wonderfully helps there is a peculiar thing to consider when buying one. There are two types on the market. One is the real thing and the other is an imposter. Well, maybe not an imposter, just a less effective filter that has the same name. The real one has to be certified.

To be certified as a true HEPA filter is must be tested rigorously to ensure that it snares particulates down to .3 microns 99.97 percent of the time.

Here is where it gets a little confusing so bear with me. The other "sort of" is called a HEPA Type filter. No need to certify this one because it is not absolute or true. That one only needs to capture those huge 1 micron particles 85 to 90 percent of the time. Those are those dust mite droppings we were discussing earlier.

But the "true" HEPA filters and the uncertified ones look alike so examine them to ensure you are getting the real McCoy. There's a couple ways to tell the difference. Price - true ones cost more. Certification number - guess which one has it. And it will say right on the filter that it captures down to .3 microns 99/97 percent of the time.

If you have got allergies and you want a clean house that doesnt make them flare up then consider the absolute or true HEPA. Your runny eyes, runny nose and coughing chest will thank you for it. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/spore-mold-how-to-identify-and-get-rid-of-mold-and-mildew-odor.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/spore-mold-how-to-identify-and-get-rid-of-mold-and-mildew-odor.html Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:32:27 -0600
Never forget that different mold types may have differing smells or odors. Many times the odor may depend upon the different conditions under which the mold is developed (temperature, moisture, lighting, materials on which it resides, etc.). Again some may be not only odorless but hard to see as well.

When mold is found most likely whatever problem causing the mold has caused other hazards which may be giving off their own odors in addition to the smells produced by the mold--sometimes masking the smell of mold. A few examples could be the rotting corpse of a dead animal, sewage leaks, dangerous pesticides leaking, and deadly gases leaking from AC or Heating units (etc.).

Remember the smell produced by mold in no way tells us how big the problem is or whether the problem is poisonous.

When trying to pinpoint potential mold problems it can be key to know the buildings past. For instance if you know the roof leaked previously, may want to begin there when searching for problems.

When it comes to odor sensitivity everyone is different. Chances are that one person may become aware of an odor much more rapidly than others.

As a final note, remember that odor perception may be thrown off if you are ill or undergoing specific medical treatments. In either case you may be prevented from noticing smells or on the other hand you may find yourself imagining smells. ]]> http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/discussing-the-importance-of-air-purifiers.html http://www.whyamirich.com/health-and-fitness/allergies/discussing-the-importance-of-air-purifiers.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:35:44 -0600
Some people may be skeptical about buying an air purifier, even if they know that it is going to provide them with healthier and cleaner air around the house. The reason for this is most of them are expensive for many people to afford.

The truth is that air purifiers can be pricey to purchase, but you need to remember one thing. They result in clean air, which is healthier to breathe. Now how can you go and put a price on something like that?

Now if you are sold on that fact that they make your home air cleaner, you need to do some more research on what kind of air purifier you should get. You must remember there are certain types designed for certain tasks of purifying the air.

When you are searching for an air purifier, you will want to know if it uses a filter or not to trap the air pollutants. Some will be cheap but the price of the air filter will be expensive and will need to be replaced often.

So make sure that you are aware of how much the replacement filter is and how often it is recommended that it be changed. If you do not like the idea of replacing a filter, there are other ones out there that use grids to trap the crap in the air you do not want to be breathing in.

Know what you want the air purifier for is important also, as someone might want to purchase one for the purpose of getting rid of the cigarette smoke smell. While others might have pets, and do not want their homes smelling like dog.

So this is why you must read the description in detail if you are getting one that you think will solve your specific needs. As most air purifiers out there are not designed to remove cigarette smoke or pet dander. ]]>