YzFit

People who exercise outdoors could have impaired lung function due to pollution. A report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine stated that even young, healthy non-smokers that exercise outdoors are at risk for poor lung functioning. Impaired lung function can occur even when ozone pollution is at levels that are considered safe according to the clean-air laws. There are many kinds of pollutants: ozone, particulates, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and lead. Dr. Dennis Ownby, chief of allergy-immunology at the Medical College of Georgia says that it’s difficult to separate how each of these pollutants negatively impact the human body, because they all cause lung damage, heart attacks, cardiovascular disease and kill protective cells in the body. Constant exposure to pollutants eventually wears the body down and it loses its ability to fight back and protect the body. People who already have heart or lung problems are especially susceptible to polluted air. The cities that were the most polluted with ozone were:
• Washington, D.C.
• Richmond, VA
• Chattanooga, TN
• Charlotte, NC
Don’t use this as an excuse not to exercise, though. Ozone levels peak between 2 and 7 p.m., so schedule your outdoor activities, including exercise at the beginning and end of the day.
photo credit: bogenfreund

Cockroaches—Be sure to keep your kitchen clean with no crumbs for cockroaches to feast on. Keep food sealed and put away. Seal all the entry points around pipes and doors with caulk. If need be, call an exterminator.
Mold in your vacuum cleaner—Spray your vacuum’s bristles every 3 months with white distilled vinegar. This keeps mold out of the fibers. Buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter.

Pollen on your pet—Shampoo you pet weekly. If your pet goes outside wipe them down with a wet cloth before they come back inside.
Dust mites—Wash your cushion covers and slip covers weekly on the hottest cycle you can use with them. Wash or dry clean your curtains every few months. This should help with cutting down on the amount of dust mites in your home.

Cleaning—Use some of the many newly available “green” non-toxic cleaners available at any store. Whenever you use chemicals in your home be sure to open the windows so the area is properly ventilated.

Detectors—Make sure that you not only have smoke detectors in your home, but also carbon monoxide detectors as well. Carbon monoxide is odorless, so you won’t be able to tell if it is present. Remember to check the batteries every 3 months!
photo credit: Jeremy Levine Design

The best rule of thumb is to change your sheets weekly. Every time you sleep you shed dead skin cells, hair and bodily fluids. This can cause bad odors, stickiness and a fertile breeding ground for bed bugs, fleas, dust mites and other parasites. Dust mites can cause allergies, so it’s best to keep your sheets clean. If you have severe allergies, it may be advisable to change your sheets even more than once a week. Wash your sheets in hot water to make sure that all the dead skin cells and dust mites are gone. Some people use their bed to eat in. Crumbs left in the bed may attract ants and cockroaches. If you spill food in your bed, change your sheets. People who have night sweats or wet the bed, should have their sheets changed daily. Children who are teething should also have their sheets changed daily to prevent the dried saliva from causing skin irritation. If you are sick, the sheets should be changed twice a week and the pillowcase daily. Blankets and comforters should be washed every few weeks, as well.
photo credit: chadawg24

If you are sensitive to Ragweed, artichokes may provoke an allergic reaction due to cross-reacting antigens that respond to both allergens. photo credit: *clairity* photo credit: NoiseCollusion

When was the last time you purchased a new pillow? If you had to think about it, then it’s time! Apart from your drool stains, you’ll find bacteria, mites thrive in that warm humid environment. When you get your new pillow, it might be a good idea to invest in good pillow protectors, that way your brand new pillow will last longer. Do you have a favorite pillow? Tell us about it!

photocredit:bedzine

I am a lazy guy, if there’s something that can help me to clean less, I’m all ears. I have owned 4 roomba since 2002. The first 3 were killed by my dogs fur, the only survivor is my 2 year old Roomba 500 series. If you have pets, don’t get anything lower than a 500 series, the older generation were not designed to handle fur.

One of the down side of being allergic to dust is that I must clean often, especially we have carpet. Let me tell you this, the Roomba WILL NOT replace regular vacuuming, you will still need to use your upright. However, the Roomba will reduce your vacuuming frequency. With 2 dogs in the house, I run the Roomba once a day, it learned my 2300 sqft home terrain and not miss a spot. Very impressive. I get a full bucket load EVERY DAY. Clean up is not bad either. With the addition of the Roomba, my house is able to cut down to Vacuuming only once a week with our Dyson. Not bad at all.

Here’s a video of my Roomba in action, also my dogs are featured.

If you have allergies, make sure you change your AC filter monthly, especially if you have pets at home. Years ago when I was bachelor, AC filter was the last thing on my list, it’s amazing how marriage can change a guy :) Never use the el cheapo blue wire filter, its cheap and nasty, invest in a good one like the 3M Filtrete. With 2 dogs in my house and living in Florida, the AC runs constantly and a good quality filter is needed. Every month when I change out the filter and compare it to last months? I can tell the difference by the color. Do yourself a favor, change that filter, if you don’t? It’s going into your lungs.

Couple of years ago I had 2 anaphylactic shock, the first one was not so bad, my throat swelled up so much that I had to go to the ER for an epi cocktail shot to open up the airway. The second shock was severe, my face swelled up so bad that I was not able to see, I was barely breathing.

So ever since then, my home have changed quite a bit to accommodate my life threatening allergic reaction. One of the biggest change was laundry detergent. Thanks to my wife, she did her research and was able to find a detergent that will not trigger an attack for me. This detergent have no smell, it’s gentle for the skin and does not aggravate my skin. Thumbs up!