If you suffer from breathing difficulties or someone in your family does you might be shocked to learn just how many pollutants could be lurking in your home such as:

-Dust mites: These tiny microscopic creatures live in bed mattresses, fabric and carpets all around your home and they feed on human and pet skin, discarded food particles and any other organic products in your home. Dust mites then produce faeces which are inhaled and can be a major irritant for people who suffer from asthma and other breathing problems.

-Pet dander: This is basically pet dandruff which is produced much in the same way that human dandruff is produced. However as animals groom themselves they will get saliva onto their fur and skin and this contains protein which can produce allergic reactions in some people.

-Cockroach droppings: These can induce allergic reactions in certain people and as they mix with other irritants they can become even more potent.

-Mold: Mold thrives in damp, warm conditions and will grow at an alarming rate if left alone. Mold produces spores which are tiny and can float in the air which means they can easily be breathed in. Certain types of mold are actually poisonous so if you have a mold problem in your home you should get it treated as soon as possible to avoid any major problems.

-Tobacco smoke: Everyone knows how dangerous tobacco is and it makes sense not to allow people to smoke in your home as passive smoking can be deadly. If you smoke yourself make an effort to do it outside so that you do not pollute the air in your home for yourself and others.

-Radon: This is a naturally occurring gas which can be sucked into house through the basement and can lead to lung cancer. Get your home checked to see if there is any radon present.

-Carbon monoxide: This is a tasteless, odorless and colorless gas that is produced in appliances that use combustion such as air conditioners and heating. CO poisoning can kill so you should fit CO detectors in your home to alert you to any potential leaks.

-Pollen: This can get into your house and aggravate certain conditions such as hay fever and asthma. When the pollen levels are high in your area make sure that you keep doors and windows closed and if possible have your air conditioning on to eliminate the risk of pollen.

One of the best ways to combat pollutants such as dust mites, pet dander and cockroach droppings make sure that you clean all surfaces including upholstery regularly and change bed sheets each week. Use HEPA filters in your air conditioning system – this will eliminate 99.995% of all airborne particles from the air – keeping you healthy. Invest in a HEPA vacuum which will trap all particles caught in carpets and upholstery, you can then safely dispose of them in the trash.

Contact your local HVAC technician for advice on making your air conditioner pollutant proof and help you with any aspect of improving your air quality. HVAC technicians work with residential and commercial properties and will work with you to bring you a clean air solution that meets your needs.

Dust Mites

House-dust mites are tiny insects that live in the dust that builds up in carpets, bedding, soft furnishings and soft toys. Many asthmatics are sensitive to their droppings. Although they are an unseen trigger there are practical steps you can take to reduce their damaging affect.

Use hypoallergenic coverings on your mattress, duvet and pillows.

All carpets should be replaced with hard flooring, or tile. Your can have small, or area, carpets which you can wash periodically.

Vacuum often. Insure that your vacuum cleaner that has good suction and, most importantly, a filtered exhaust that goes into a hypoallergenic back and does not scatter the dust. Damp dust all surfaces or use an attachment on your vacuum cleaner.

All soft toys, stuffed animals, etc., should be put in the freezer for at least of six hours every other week so as to kill house-dust mites. To protect the fabric you can use zip lock bags or even cellophane.

Wash your sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases, in the hottest water possible, at least once a week. Some people are allergic to the feathers in pillows, however there is no conclusive evidence showing that synthetic hypo-allergenic pillows are better.

A dehumidifier, which dries the air, makes it difficult for the house-dust mites to live.

Furnishings and Carpets

Any furniture or flooring that is made from press board, a composite that is often used for shelving and furniture, contains a formaldehyde resin that gives off a pungent, colorless gas that can irritate the airways that can trigger asthma symptoms.

Carpets can also be a source of formaldehyde gas left over from the manufacturing process. If you are buying a new carpet you should ask the shop if they could unroll and air it before you bring it into your home or air it yourself as soon it is laid.

Keep in mind that pet allergens can linger for a long time on furniture and in carpets and are very difficult to remove without resorting to such a rigorous cleaning measure. Meaning that even if you own no pets the last owner of the home, especially if you just moved in, may have had pets. It may be worth steam cleaning the carpets before you move in.

Heating, Bathrooms and the Kitchen

Dampness, especially from bathrooms and laundry areas, has been linked with asthma and research has also shown that asthmatic have more problems when in homes without central heating.

Heating a home without using “fresh” air, that is just re-circulating the air, may be just moving the airborne dust mites from one area of the house to another. Many doctors have seen patients whose asthma symptoms, due to this re-cycled air, are much worse.

Houses that have gas fireplaces, stoves or ovens have higher levels of nitrogen dioxide. In some people with asthma nitrogen dioxide may cause other triggers to have slightly more effect on their symptoms.

Without adequate flues fireplaces can cause worsening of breathing problems, compared with central heating.

Fumes from Cleaning and Decorating

Many cleaning products and solvents are used around the house release chemicals that can cause breathing difficulties in people with asthma. These chemicals are known as volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). The majority of household such as cleaning fluids, varnishes, glues and paints contain VOC’s.

When cleaning, dusting, painting or working with any solvents, make sure that you are in a well ventilated area with the nearby windows open.

Furniture polish, air fresheners, carpet cleaners and dry-cleaned clothes can all trigger asthma because they contain VOC’s.

Use solid or liquid alternatives rather than sprays if possible.

Wet paint causes problems as it’s fumes may trigger asthma symptoms. New low-odor, water-based gloss paints are now available that may be slightly better for some people with asthma.

Stripping wallpaper often unsettles the dust that has accumulated over the years,so wash down wallpaper before starting as this may help to dampen down the dust, preventing it from becoming airborne. Ensure there is plenty of ventilation while working.

Consider wearing a mask during during everyday cleaning and housework.

Building work and repairs

It is important to ensure that housing problems such as damp, poor ventilation and inadequate heating are resolved as quickly as possible.

There is a link between poor housing conditions and asthma.

However care should be taken as major renovation or structural repair can cause a lot of dust and other irritant triggers.

If you are contemplating any building work within your home it is worth seeing your doctor or nurse to check if a temporary increase in medicine is needed.

While some people may have the time to set a schedule for their newborns so that they can get them cleaned every time the baby produces waste, for many this simply isn’t feasible. A new generation that rejects unnatural products both for the environment and for their children are choosing to use cloth diapers instead of disposables for catching the bodily waste that newborns produce. Let’s take a look at the benefits in health and in terms of our eco footprint, that choosing cloth diapers for your newborn can mean.

Less diaper rash. Cloth diapers simply can’t hold the same amount of waste, either solid or liquid, that a disposable diaper can. While at first blush this may seem convenient, the fact is that the healthy choices for our children are never convenient. The amount of waste that can build up in a disposable diaper can cause newborns, infants and toddlers significant pain and discomfort in the form of a rash. Using a cloth diaper mitigates this occurrence.

Renewable. The biggest benefit as far as the environment with cloth diapers as that by being washable, they are far less likely to be thrown out than disposables. Most disposable diapers contain quite a lot of plastic and other materials which will not break down for hundreds of years; a quick look at just how many disposables the average newborn goes through in a day is enough to make anyone’s spine creep when the eco impact is considered. The fact that you can use cloth diapers again and again, also means there is less impact on your bank account!

Less chance of an allergic reaction. As allergies are becoming more and more severe, many new mothers are finding that the synthetic materials used in disposable diapers cause their newborns to have a reaction. Not a very great way to start out life! Choosing cloth diapers made of non-allergenic material will greatly reduce the chance of a reaction from your baby.

As with so many are finding today, the old ways of doing things are proving to be the smartest for a new generation. Cloth diapers are a flash from the past, but perhaps they are a part of taking care of a newborn that should never have been left behind.

1. Pressure Points

Our bodies are actually filled with a lot of pressure points which can hurt or get sore when we are not able to distribute the weight of our body evenly and accordingly to all the pressure points. Having too much weight on certain pressure points may actually cause that part of the body to end up being sore thus making your sleep stressful or even painful.

Adjustable beds are great since these beds will be able to correct that. It can also help eliminate other health problems that concern a lot of people today. Available in standard sizes the adjustable beds are able to take on the shape of the adjustments that you make it go through which provides people with comfort and support that they need in order to have a stress-free sleep.

A popular adjustable bed nowadays in the Naturaflex adjustable bed that is a wonderful sleep system because it can be used as a free-standing unit that has optional legs as well as center supports. This adjustable bed is considered to be a complete relaxation system that can be inserted into an existing standard bed frame or even a bedstead so that people who do not want to change their entire bed will still be able to enjoy the many comforts and benefits that can be brought about by these adjustable beds. This Naturaflex adjustable bed’s unique functions and options enable people to not have to totally re-design or reconstruct their rooms around their new adjustable bed unlike those other adjustable beds which does not carry this great and highly practical feature.

The Naturaflex adjustable bed:

- Glides to provide adjustable support for the head as well as the neck
- Comforts the shoulders, the lower back and leg regions
- Has a flexible slat suspension that actually conforms to the body’s shape and position without applying any pressure.
- Has a headrest that actually elevates to correct ergonomic positioning for his or her body at just a touch of a button
- Is extremely quiet
- Lets you fall asleep easily

The mattress of this adjustable bed is a real beauty and is made out of all organic materials (absolutely no chemicals or pesticides are used for growing the fibers in the mattress). The core of this adjustable bed’s mattress is organic, with pure latex and upholstered with layers of organic wool that is also covered with organic cotton.

These adjustable beds are highly known for being able to help people with their sleeping problems, from insomnia to other stress related sleeping problems. They can really help soothe a tired body with its many functions. Adjustable beds can actually also give a person a good massage that can help in dilating blood vessels, improving the circulation of blood throughout a person’s body.

One of the concerns of all parents with baby beds (and all beds) are they;re made from petroleum products called polyurethane foam or “foam” which is the internal filling. This foam, containing hazardous ingredients will break down over time into small dust like particles that become easily airborne.

The mattresses will also off gas or emit highly toxic gases which your baby will breathe daily. One of the gases is VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) that have caused health problems as irritations of the lung, eye, nose, causes headaches, coughing, asthma & allergic reactions, dizziness, weakness, fatigue, blurred vision, cancer and many other health problems. One of these compounds, organotin, messes with the hormone, reproductive and immune systems and causes long term effects on brain development.

Also, the foams used in baby mattresses are petroleum products and is highly flammable and causes much danger. Ignited, the foam will burn rapidly, releasing great heat, many gasses and consuming the oxygen. The lack of oxygen to the baby for breathing leads to smoke and toxic gas inhalation which causes suffocation to anyone in the room. One of the deadliest gases emitted is carbon monoxide; this gas will kill you before the flames ever reach you.

If what’s already in your baby mattress is not bad enough, add some more chemicals to the pot. The chance of a baby mattress going up in flames is possible, however, the gases your baby will have to breathe daily need to be a concern of yours also. Thus to reduce the flammability of the mattress, various industrial strength chemicals are added to the foam to reduce this tendency of fire.

What are these toxic chemicals and what are they doing to our children? What can we as parents do to reduce the exposure to these toxic chemicals and yet protect our children? There are options available to you as a parent that will help protect your child. Going organic is the best way to eliminate your child’s exposure to these harmful chemicals.

1. A new paint job is great; just make sure that if you are pregnant not to paint the room. Also, make sure the paint is low or no VOC’s and do it at least a month prior to bringing baby home to allow time for evaporation.

2. Avoid new carpeting as they are very high in VOC’s which emits toxins for years. Leave the old carpet there and if you want a new floor consider linoleum, bamboo or other non toxic alternatives.

3. Your new crib, it is beautiful, however is it pure? Have you chosen a real wood crib with non toxic finishes? Walnut, oak, ash or cherry are beautiful woods. The mattress and linens must be organic since your baby will be spending most of her time there.

4. Fresh clean air is essential. Make sure there is good ventilation into the room; however try to make sure the quality is the best. Use a HEPA filter purifier to clean the room air.

5. Once you have a nontoxic nursery keep it clean with green cleaning products. Green products are Non-toxic & biodegradable, contain no chlorine or petroleum-based solvents, no glycol ethers, no strong acids thus are non caustic and contain plant based products and essential oils.

6. When shopping, make sure the label says organic and non toxic as much as possible. This will limit your baby’s contact with many harmful chemicals and reduce many health problems from occurring. If you can smell it, your baby is also breathing it and chances are it is unhealthy.

Making your nursery healthy is easy, and it really should be the “greenest” room in the house. A nursery is “any place where something is nourished and fostered, your baby.

What are the health benefits to sleeping on memory foam? Memory foam can help individuals by providing benefits such as pressure point relief and helping individuals suffering from sleep apnea. The secret of memory foam lies within its capability to conform to the person’s body using NASA technology released to the public only in the last decade.

First, the major component of memory foam is its ability to conform to the sleeper’s body. This is caused by the temperature sensitive material the mattress is made of which adjusts to your body in reference to body heat and weight. The memory foam material actually softens as it warms up creating a wonderful sleeping position. This sleeping position allows a person to achieve a better night’s sleep without as much pain or soreness as those areas tend to get more fevered than others, plus the memory foam material will displace the pressure through the rest of the person’s body. The sleep position this contouring also provides is an ideal position to assist with proper spinal alignment when lying down. When your back is properly aligned when sleeping, the results are less soreness and assisted prevention of any possible future back soreness.

Another great quality of memory foam is not just with the mattress itself but with memory foam pillows. Memory foam pillows have been associated with helping individuals with sleep apnea issues from the proper elevation that memory foam pillows can help provide in order to allow proper breathing when sleeping. If you or another individual currently use a device such as a CPAP device to allow proper airflow during a night’s sleep, many individuals using the device have said that memory foam pillows are a great addition as you can cut a ‘cove’ into the pillow in order to allow a place for the mask and tube to fall to the floor.

Memory foam can help provide much needed allergy relief. This is because memory foam is not made of organic fibers, but a polyurethane foam. This provides a terrible environment for dust mites to live in as there is no food for them to live on inside a memory foam mattress. Dust mites not only feed off of organic fibers such as cotton, but they also feed off of dead skin as well, which can be easily remedied through washing the sheets. But, when they are living inside of your mattress, there is a much more limited solution available as opposed to simply washing bed sheets.

Considering all things mentioned in this articles it is obvious that memory foam is the way to go in regards to your own sleep system. There are, however, many more benefits to memory foam such as those for individuals suffering from fibromyalgia and chronic pain from the temperature sensitive material and those can be discovered in more detail at our website. But, all in all, memory foam mattresses and sleep systems can provide you, the sleeper, with an all around better night’s sleep for many years to come.

An allergy in your child can come from a variety of sources. The most common culprits are food, inhalants, and contact irritants. These three categories are known to cover a variety of symptoms and causes.

Food Allergies

Children and adult allergies follow different patterns. A food allergy in your child is most likely to come from milk, eggs and peanuts. Children will often outgrow these allergies, but in the meantime, children and adults are more likely to react to foods they eat the most often.

A food allergy in your child may be prevented by avoiding high-risk foods. Breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of life has also been shown to be effective in avoiding allergies. If supplementing is necessary, use a hypoallergenic formula. Experts also say to avoid giving dairy products to your child before he is 12 months old, eggs until he’s 2 years old and nuts and fish until he is 3 years old.

Inhalant Allergies

Many things in an indoor environment can cause an allergy in your child. Cats, dogs and dust mites are common culprits, and the allergy to pets actually comes from a reaction to their dander. There are ways to minimize pet dander brushing and bathing the animal and vacuuming regularly with a HEPA filter can help.

A dust mite allergy in your child can be reduced by covering pillows, mattresses and box springs in special slip covers. This will deprive the dust mites of the dead skins cells they need to survive. Reducing the amount of carpeting in the home can also give dust mites less places to live.

Contact Allergies

An allergy in your child can be caused by contact with insects or irritating substances to the skin. An allergy to a stinging insect can be alarming, and a child with this problem must be educated about his allergy at an early age. A person or child with a stinging insect allergy must carry epinephrine with him at all times. One sting can cause anaphylaxis shock, which can be life-threatening.

Certain substances can be the culprit behind a skin allergy in your child. Many fragrance chemicals are made up of volatile organic compounds, which can be respiratory irritants. Skins reactions to fragrances in laundry detergents can show up as hives, rashes, dermatitis and eczema. The most common causes of skin irritation, or allergic contact dermatitis, are caused by nickel, gold, thimersol, neomycin sulfate, formaldehyde and bacitracin.

There are several more causes of an allergy in your child, but food, inhalant and contact irritants are the most common. While the symptoms might be frightening, most childhood allergies can be managed with proper medical care.