Just thinking of these dust mites living in your pillow by the millions, eating your dead skin and hair is enough to make you sick (literally and figuratively). The are a major cause of asthma and allergies; especially in vulnerable individuals, such as children and the elderly.
According to the American College of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, approximately 10% of Americans exhibit allergic sensitivity to dust mites. The American Lung Associations tells us "Dust mites are not parasites; they don't bite, sting or burrow into our bodies. The harmful allergen they create comes from their fecal pellets and body fragments.
Dust mites are nearly everywhere; roughly four out of five homes in the United States have detectable levels of dust mite allergen in at least one bed." Don't you feel better now, know they don't bite or sting; and your allergic reaction is only due to burying your face in a pillow full of their feces? And you may feel better knowing, according to WebMD, that "Dust mites like to eat dead skin from pets and humans. You probably shed enough skin a day to feed a million dust mites."
How to Recognize the Symptoms of Allergies to Dust Mites:
The protein substances in the dust mite feces produces antibodies in humans who are allergic when these are inhaled or touch the skin. These antibodies cause the release of histamines which causes to nasal congestion, swelling and irritation of the upper respiratory passages. The Mayo Clinic, WebMD and NIH collectively provide this list of typical symptoms of an allergy to dust mites; You may experience all or just some of them:
Hay fever, watering eyes, runny nose, sneezing, asthma, difficulty in breathing,itchy, red or watery eyes. Nasal congestion, itchy nose, roof of mouth or throat, postnasal drip, cough, facial pressure and pain. Frequent awakening, swollen or blue-colored skin under your eyes.
So you might be thinking, EW! What can I do?? Here’s a list of some things you can do:
- Wash all linens weekly in hot water and dry in hot dryer
- Vaccum all carpets and upholstery with Hepa filters vacuum cleaners
- Wash all toys, stuffed animals, other fabric items, etc in hot water and hot dryer
- Freeze items that can’t be washed in plastic bags for 24 hours
Have carpets steamed cleaned regularly to kill dust mites!
No comments:
Post a Comment