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Eczema Association Uk
Laminate & Wood Floors the Healthy Option
Leading allergists agree that wood floors are the perfect choice for a healthy home. According to the American Lung Association wood floors in your bedroom and other main living areas can drastically improve air quality. This is not surprising when a large American company that recycles old carpet has stated that most used carpeting it receives for processing contains at least 35% of its weight in household dirt.
A report by the Healthy Flooring Network draw's information from several reports and experiments carried out by leading health groups worldwide. It draws broad conclusions on the role fitted carpets play in determining the total allergen load in the home and the importance of this on the severity of allergic disease.
Detailed studies in the UK have found that 50-70% of asthma suffers are allergic to house dust mites. With up to 100,000 dust mites living in just one square metre of carpet and it being reported that 98% of UK homes have fitted carpets it is clear to understand why the UK has the highest prevalence of asthma symptoms in 13-14 year olds in the world at 19.8%, along with the second highest prevalence of eczema.
Carpets that are treated have themselves come in for huge criticisms. When tested 3 out of 4 carpets that were listed as being treated against dust mites contain chemicals of a hazardous nature. Theses chemicals included organotins, phthalates, permethrin, triclosan, brominated flame retardants and formaldehyde. The World Health Organisation has recommended that they are substituted with less hazardous alternatives.
One study showed that the mite allergen concentration in dust from carpets could be 6-14 times higher than that from wood & laminate flooring.
Pet Allergens
Pets are the second most important cause of domestic allergy and over 50% of asthmatic children are sensitised to allergens of cats and/or dogs. Once again the presence of fitted carpets is particularly strongly associated with high pet allergen levels. Even when a pet is removed from a house the allergen levels can remain significantly high.
Points to Note
Carpets can contain the largest reservoir in total amount of mite allergens in the house
The presence of carpets in a home can dramatically increase the total mite allergen load compared to having laminate or wood flooring.
Up to 100,000 mites may live in one square metre of carpet.
Carpets can harbour 6-14 times more dust mite allergens than laminate or wood flooring.
The presence of fitted carpets is particularly strongly associated with high pet allergen levels.
About the Author
Jason Ashby has over 25 years experiance in the flooring trade. To read the full report or for more information click on
Laminate-Wood-Flooring
Cradle Cap – Take Necessary Precautions
While it may be an ungainly sight, cradle cap is not that harmful. It typically affects babies of two years or younger. This begs the question – why are newborns constantly at risk? The exact cause of the disease is still a bit of a grey area. However, some theories have cropped up over time. Many attribute the cause to the lack of essential fatty acid, the failure of a human child’s skin to shed properly, hyperactivity of the sebaceous glands during the time of mother’s pregnancy et al. While a simpler theory suggests that it could just be a bad case of dandruff.
Symptoms vary. A dry scalp is just a mild case; a more severe case manifests in the form of a waxy crust. The latter can spread to neck, face, ears, armpits, chest, groin etc. Nowadays, there are several medically certified shampoos that can cater to this condition.
One thing to note is that cradle cap is not contagious; there is no allergy or infection associated with the condition. So, how do you rid your baby of this condition? The solution is quite simple. Put a little olive oil and rub it gently into the affected head. Leave it on for some time till the flakes go soft and then wash it off with a good anti-dandruff shampoo. This should work for a more extreme condition of cradle cap. For milder conditions, the solution can be as simple as using a brush with soft bristles and gently combing the scalp, which should be properly shampooed.
Should the condition still persist after home-made remedies have been tried out, there is always the option of availing the services of a medical doctor. He would palpably be in a much better position to suggest the appropriate cream or shampoo to be used for cradle cap.
About the Author
The Addam has extensive knowledge on dermatology, especially on cradle cap. His articles are informative and beneficent for those who are concerned with treatment of skin disease.
http://www.purebabyuk.com/
