Regular readers will know that my eldest daughter has eczema. Her eczema seems to be triggered by dust. My youngest daughter had an allergy to latex as a baby but thankfully she seems to be out growing this. I myself have multiple allergies, bees, grass, certain pollens and caffeine. As this week is allergy awareness week, I wanted to share a few facts about allergies
The latest NHS statistics reveal hospital admissions in England for allergic reactions are soaring to more than 20,000 each year, over 60% (12,560) of these are emergencies. I worry greatly about what would happen to me if I had an allergic reaction which turned into an emergency. According to Allergy UK I am not alone
- Over two thirds (68%) of UK adults have no idea what to do if they saw someone suffering an allergic reaction
- Almost half (44%) of allergy sufferers are living in daily fear of a reaction
- Yet 66% of people don’t how to use an adrenaline pen which could help save lives
My daughter and I recently attended an event with ao.com to learn more about allergies. I felt it was very important for her because as a child I was very aware that I was the kid with the allergies. I wanted her to learn more about allergies and for her to understand that other children have allergies too.
Ao.com had put on lots of activities for the children to do, and each one helped them to understand a little more about allergies. We were also shown Hotpoint range of washing machines and tumble dryers. They can remove 99.9% of major allergens during the wash cycle. This is thanks to a combination of high temperature technologies and extra rinses. The tumble dryers also feature an anti-allergy drying cycle. Hotpoint is a name which I trust and these anti allergy technologies are certainly a feature which would persuade me to purchase a washing machine from Hotpoint.
After the event I began to look at other ways in which we could help to reduce dust mites in our home The Healthy house provided me with a leaflet on dust mites and gave me some great ideas. I use a mattress protector on my daughters bed, but I did not realise that in order to fully protect against dust mites it needs to fully encase the mattress. We also use a pillow protector which helps to reduce the itching my daughter feels on her head.
I have also started using a product called HomeCleanse. We are currently saving to replace the carpet in my daughters bedroom with wooden floors. Replacing the flooring will help to reduce the dust mites and reduce my daughters eczema. HomeCleanse I can spray onto the carpet and it helps to kill dust mites. It is a great solution until we can replace the carpet in her room.
FabriCleanse is similar to HomeCleanse only it is placed into the washing machine. Using both HomeCleanse and FabriCleanse I have certainly noticed a difference in my daughters skin, with her itching much less. The products smell like eucalyptus which is also quite pleasant and refreshing.
As we approach prime hay fever season I would also love to know your tips for keeping allergies under control.
