CNN Health reports today on Procter & Gamble's recall of Vicks Sinex nasal spray in the United States, Britain, and Germany. The voluntary recall was announced after bacteria was found in some of the product made in Germany.

Although there haven't been any reports of illness from the contamination, the bacteria could potentially cause serious infections in people with lung conditions or weakened immune systems. There is not much risk to healthy individuals.

In the United States, the specific recalled product is Vicks Sinex Vapospray 12 Hour Decongestant Ultra Fine Mist with a lot number of 9239028831.

Nasal sprays are often used by individuals experiencing nasal symptoms due to allergies or colds. As an alternative to Vicks, try our natural sinus relief products, including Sinol Allergy and Sinus Relief Spray and Clear-Ease Natural Fruit Enzyme Lozenges.

For more information on sinus problems and possible treatments, read our article with Dr. Robert Ivker, "Love Your Nose" - A Holistic Approach to Sinusitis Treatment.

With the seasonal flu, the H1N1 flu, SARS, and even Avian flu still making news on a daily basis, people are trying to find any protection against becoming sick this fall. Most people cannot afford to miss time from work in our current economy. You can find hundreds and thousands of articles on the internet with all kinds of advice.

One measure that can help is wearing an allergy mask. For most people, there is still a stigma to wearing these very effective healthy masks. Somehow we need to help remove this stigma. I found this article from last month’s Baltimore Sun that addresses mask wearing and other flu prevention methods.

In the blog, “Would You Wear A Face Mask To Protect Yourself?” the author Kelly Brewington talks about the effects that wearing a mask had in China during the SARS outbreak of 2003. Over 75% of the population used a face mask during the outbreak and this helped reduce the spread of the illness.

With the constant reporting on H1N1 and vaccinations, we have noticed a steadily increasing volume of customer questions about allergy masks and what each mask will protect against. In response, this month we are updating all of our mask information on the website to help answer any questions that you might have.

Few pet-owner relationships are as heartwarming as those between a seeing eye dog and his master. Recently, the Today Show on NBC reported the same kind of dog-helping-human companionship for food allergic children.

Peanut-sniffing dogs are trained to sniff for peanuts and other food allergens in much the same way that bomb or drug-sniffing dogs search for those items. If they find the offending allergen, they signal their owners by a change in behavior like excessive sniffing or tail-wagging.

Peanut-sniffing dogs have the same privileges as seeing eye dogs, and may be taken into restaurants, malls, schools, and the like. For families of children who have life-threatening food allergies, these dogs offer a chance at a more normal life.

Sherry Mers founded the Angel Service Dog Network after a peanut-sniffing dog changed the life of her peanut allergic daughter. Riley, Ms. Mers’s daughter, says that with her dog she now feels safer and knows where she can and can’t go. The Angel Service Dog Network trains and places allergy-sniffing dogs with families. Four of the dogs which typically cost about $10,000 have been placed so far.

One of these dogs is Roxy, an Australian Labradoodle, who now helps Logan, a peanut allergic child know what is safe and what’s not. Logan is so allergic to peanuts that the smell of peanuts on a teacher’s breath once sent him to the emergency room. Residents in Logan’s small town raised $20,000 for his chance at a normal childhood. His parents say that Roxy makes the idea of a normal life not far-fetched.

Many families hope for the same for their children. There have been over 2,000 inquiries regarding these life-saving pets. Ms. Mers describes the process of obtaining one, including doctor’s proof of anaphylactic allergy and proof that having the animal will not cause additional health problems, such as allergies to pet dander or asthma.

The journey of making life with allergies as smooth as possible continues, and we’re happy to see that man’s best friend has joined the quest.

TRUSTe, the leading online privacy seal and trust assurance service, recently announced in a press release that AchooAllergy.com, one of the most visited websites for allergy relief products and allergy relief information, is using TRUSTe's newly-launched small business services to enhance online consumer trust and increase sales conversions.

We have seen a positive impact from our recent collaboration. As a result of displaying the TRUSTe Trustmark, we achieved a $10 increase in its average order value.

"The increase in consumer trust in our site and the increase in average order volume can be directly attributed to our adding the TRUSTe seal to the order section of our Web site," said Cade McDonald, CEO of AchooAllergy.com. "The company's online sales continue to grow and customers are confident that AchooAllergy.com will safeguard their personal and financial information."

The company's original Web site launched in 2000. As part of a site rebranding and test program, AchooAllergy.com displayed the TRUSTe seal in the header of every page of its site and conducted an A/B test using TRUSTe's free trial program. TRUSTe's testing partner, Amadesa, measured the results. Amadesa's testing allows merchants to:

• Measure the dollar increase in sales and average order value from sites displaying the TRUSTe seal
• Confirm that increases in visitor purchasing are statistically relevant

"Our Trusted Site Services are showing incredible conversion rates for small business retailers," said Fran Maier, CEO of TRUSTe. "Over the past decade, consumers have come to know and trust the TRUSTe seal on large merchant Web sites, and this new data proves that small businesses are seeing the same success and enhanced consumer trust."

A new study has found that infants exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at greater risk for bronchiolitis, reports Science Daily.

Catherine Karr, M.D. PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and the study's lead author, points out, "There has been very little study of the consequences of early life exposure to air pollution." She goes on to explain, "This study is unique in that we were able to look at multiple sources including wood smoke in a region with relatively low concentrations of ambient air pollution overall."

Over 12,000 diagnoses of infant bronchiolitis were analyzed with respect to the subject's ambient pollution exposure. Levels of nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide were monitored, as well as particulate matter from monitoring stations within 10 km of the infants' homes. Land-regression maps were also used to ascertain concentrations of ambient pollution in relation to traffic and wood smoke.

The researchers accounted for variables such as sex, gestational age, maternal smoking habits, and breastfeeding, and found that bronchiolitis was indeed significantly linked to increased lifetime exposure to particular pollutants. For instance, infants living within 50 meters of a highway had an increased risk of six percent and those who experienced greater exposure to wood smoke had an eight percent higher risk of developing bronchiolitis.

Dr. Karr summarizes, "In general, we found that traffic-derived air pollutants were associated with infant bronchiolitis as well as wood smoke and industrial emissions."

Michael Brauer, professor at the School of Environmental Health at the University of British Colombia and another lead investigator in the study, adds, "This study adds to a growing body of research showing a link between neighborhood air pollution hotspots and pediatric respiratory disease. We were specifically interested in bronchiolitis, the main reason for children to be hospitalized in their first year, as it is an important and costly childhood illness." He concludes, "Reducing exposure to air pollution may be one approach to decrease bronchiolitis occurrence."

Parents should avoid the use of wood burning appliances and, if possible, live as far away from highways as possible. Care should also be taken that places where children spend a lot of time, such as daycares or schools, be a good distance from major highways.

In addition to steering clear of pollutants as much as possible, parents should take precaution against the pollution it's impossible to avoid, particularly if there are young infants in the home. Air purifiers suitable for those with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity filter volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air, trapping toxic gases and particles that a regular air purifier misses.

As allergy sufferers gear up for the winter, they must take extra thought regarding the fact that they will inevitably spend more time indoors. Since indoor air can be as much as 12 times more polluted than outdoor air, individuals with asthma and allergies need to guard against the harmful effects of breathing polluted indoor air.

One of the best ways to do this is to try to keep pollutants from entering the home environment in the first place. For instance, taking off shoes at the door can stop many toxins from coming in, as discussed in our article Major Source of Indoor Dust: Outdoors.

Additionally, sensitive individuals should avoid burning candles in the home, using home fragrances, and traditional cleaning products. Instead, whenever possible, natural items such as the AllerAir Tub O' Carbon Odor Buster or EcoDiscoveries Natural Cleaning Products should be used.

No matter how many precautions you take, however, there are still pollutants in your home's air. Off-gassing from furniture, paint, varnish, and dry-cleaned clothing, to name a few, all contribute to toxic elements in indoor air. To minimize exposure to these, the pollutants must be taken out of the air.

While air purifiers, especially those fitted with carbon filtration, like our Austin Air units, are the most reliable way to reduce both allergens and pollutants in the home, Science Daily reports on new research that points to houseplants' ability to help eliminate indoor air pollution.

Stanley J. Kays, of the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia, led a study in which ornamental household plants were tested for their ability to remove harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from indoor air. "The VOCs tested in this study can adversely affect indoor air quality and have a potential to seriously compromise the health of exposed individuals," Kays explained.

In the study, 28 common indoor plants were tested for their ability to remove VOCs from the air, called "phytoremediation." Plants were grown in shade houses and then placed in gas-tight glass jars and exposed to several VOCs. Based on their phytoremediation rates, they were classified as superior, intermediate, or poor in removing VOCs from the indoor environment.

Purple waffle plants, English ivy, the variegated wax plant, and Asparagus ferns had the highest removal rates for all the VOCs introduced. Purple heart plants were rated superior for its ability to remove four of the VOCs tested for.

The study concluded that "simply introducing common ornamental plants into indoor spaces has the potential to significantly improve the quality of indoor air."

The source of dust was the subject of a recent study by Arizona scientists. Surprisingly, Science Daily reports that most of our indoor dust comes from outdoors.

Household dust is made up of a conglomeration of dead skin cells and fibers from carpets and upholstery (inside sources) as well as tracked in soil and airborne particles blown in from outdoors (outdoor sources). In fact, using a computer model that tracks distribution of outdoor contaminants into residences, the scientists found that over 60 percent of house dust originates outdoors.

What's most disconcerting is that much of the particulate matter brought into the home from outside is dangerous, including lead, arsenic, and other substances that make their way inside from outdoor air and soil. This is especially concerning if there are young children in the home, who may ingest these substances by putting dust-contaminated toys in their mouths.

University of Sheffield researchers have been helped by tropical zebrafish in the discovery of new anti-inflammatory drugs to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, according to Medical News Today.

The research team discovered significant parallels between inflammation in the tiny fish larvae and in humans. Thus, zebrafish can be used to screen anti-inflammatory drugs.

Published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, the reaearch focuses on the behavior of a certain cell that's key in the inflammatory response: neutrophil. Scientists are able to use zebrafish larvae to visualize neutrophils during inflammation, making drugscreens possible. By showing that anti-inflammatory drugs work in zebrafish, the researchers have established that the fish may be used to identify future medications for humans.

Dr. Stephen Renshaw, a lead researcher in the study, says, "I'm very excited by the potential of zebrafish to find new drugs for the human inflammatory diseases as we are always looking for better ways to treat the large numbers of patients with respiratory diseases...This success is only the first of a range of zebrafish drug screens, which I am hopeful will provide real benefits to health in the coming years."

Once again, the engineers at Miele have gone back to the drawing board and created a new line of canister vacuums for these tough economic times. If you want the same top level performance and cleaning capabilities but at a slightly more consumer friendly price, then the Miele S2 series offers the perfect vacuums for you.

Currently, there are three new canister vacuums in the Miele S2 series: the Miele Olympus, the Miele Delphi, and the Miele Titan. The S2 series is known for its lightweight construction, 7 year warranty on the body casing, its auto cord rewind, and its larger capacity G/N dustbags.

However, each of these vacuums has its individual strengths:

• The Miele S2 Olympus is the most economical of this series. It is recommended for hardwood flooring, tile, area rugs, and some low pile carpeting. This is a straight suction vacuum with Miele’s classic combination carpet and smooth floor vacuum attachment.



• The Miele S2 Delphi is the same white lotus color as the Olympus, but it comes with the more powerful SEB 217-3 electric floor brush and the deluxe handle assembly. This vacuum is great for low to medium pile carpeting.



• The Miele S2 Titan combines the cleaning abilities of the other two vacuums with the added benefit of a HEPA filter for allergy sufferers. The Titan arrives with the SEB 217-3 and with a separate Parquet Floor Brush to clean smooth flooring. (See picture above.)

Compare all Miele S2 vacuum cleaners.

A recent column in the Washington Post highlights food allergic adults of which there are an estimated 12 million in the United States, alone.

With so much (deserved) attention focused on the dangers facing food allergic children, it's easy to forget about adults who face the same types of dangers. In fact, only a quarter of the total population of food allergic individuals are children.

There are a few basic differences between common food allergies in children and those in adults including:

• The most common food allergies in children tend to be milk, eggs, soy, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts.
• The most common food allergy in adults is shellfish.
• Unlike children, adults are unlikely to outgrow their allergies.

Another frightening aspect of adult allergies to shellfish is that they can strike out of the blue in individuals who had never experienced food allergies. Often, these reactions are among the most severe. Typical allergic reactions to shellfish allergy resemble other food allergy reactions: swelling throat, blurred vision, numb tongue, hives, and trouble breathing.

To those who experience a first-time allergy reaction to food, Scott H. Sicherer, an associate professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai's School of Medicine and medical advisor to the Food Allergy Initiative, advises, "Don't just go home and take a bath because it might get worse. If your reaction is severe, call 911 or get to the emergency room.

He also recommends a visit to an allergist to confirm a suspected allergy and receive guidance about avoiding the offending food. Food avoidance is a "big, life-changing" task that isn't always as simple as it might seem.

Adults with food allergies should always carry an EpiPen in case of exposure. EpiPens buy valuable time before medical attention is received. Food allergy cards are also useful in communicating food allergies especially when dining out.

Scientists are at work determining what causes adult-onset food allergies. One clue, according to Robert Wood, author of Food Allergies for Dummies and chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, is that many individuals who are allergic to shellfish are also allergic to dust mites or cockroaches. These three allergens share a common protein, tropomyosin.

As researchers forge ahead in studies that may eventually yield food allergy vaccines, food allergic individuals must continue to take every precaution to keep themselves safe. For more information, visit our Learning Center and our Food Allergy/Anaphylaxis Solution Guide.

It's fairly obvious that parents with food allergic children must be vigilant during Halloween festivities. Treats must be carefully monitored so that anything containing nuts, dairy, or other allergy triggers may be removed before allergic children eat them.

But what's less apparent, as Medical News Today reports, is the possible dangers asthmatic children face during Halloween. Clifford W. Bassett, MD, Chair of the Public Education Committee of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) says, "If your child suffers from asthma and/or allergies, be aware and prepared for potential triggers to ensure a safe and fun time for all during the holidays."

The AAAAI offers the following tips to keep children with asthma and allergies safe and out of emergency rooms during the holiday:

• Beware of costumes. Mold, dust, and latex products can trigger asthma. Don't use costumes stored in the attic or basement, and be sure to wash new costumes before they're worn. Masks can trap dust and mold, so get a costume without one.
• Don't enter homes. Keep your child on the doorstep of homes during trick-or-treating. This will keep them away from indoor asthma triggers such as cigarette smoke or pet dander.
• Monitor weather changes. Both cold air and humidity can make breathing difficult for asthmatic individuals. Make sure your child is warm enough.
• Keep sick children at home. Cold and flu symptoms can severely aggravate asthma conditions, so if your child isn't feeling well, have him or her rest and recover rather than make matters worse by going out and trick-or-treating.
  
• Read labels carefully to avoid allergy-inducing foods before your child eats his or her treats. Homemade treats should be avoided entirely.
• Always be prepared. Carry your child's Epi-pen in case of any food allergy emergencies, and make sure a rescue inhaler is carried along.

When you are traveling, do you wake up with a scratchy throat and itchy eyes? Your problems may be caused by dry air from hotel heating systems. The Air-O-Swiss travel humidifier is a unique, new product that we are offering for people on the move.

One of the few truly portable small humidifiers, the 7146 Travel is a lightweight solution to dry air wherever you go. This compact, travel humidifier will fit in a travel bag, a purse, or a briefcase. There are no tanks to fill. Instead, you insert into the unit a 16-20 oz. water bottle that you can purchase nearly anywhere. Then, you plug in the Air-O-Swiss 7146 and enjoy moist, healthy air.

While at work, visiting family, traveling, this Air-O-Swiss unit is the perfect solution for dry air wherever you go. When you are finished, wipe the unit down before storing. Most bottled water is distilled or purified, but if sediment or mineral buildup is a concern EZCal Cleaner will work just as well with the 7146 as with any Air-O-Swiss humidifier.

The Air-O-Swiss 7146 features include:

• Light-weight design to take it everywhere you go
• Travel bag included for your convenience
• Auto Shut-off and empty indicator
• Mist output control
• Transcontinental AC adaptor and exchangeable plugs
• Ultra quiet operation
• Ideal for use at home, in the office, or while traveling

A recent New York Times column investigates the claim that hot water should be used instead of cold water to wash your hands.

Many take it for granted that washing with soap and warm water is the best way to prevent the spread of germs, but does the temperature of the water really make a difference?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) points out that hot water that is still comfortable to wash your hands in is not hot enough to kill bacteria. Interestingly, however, the FDA reports that hot water does remove oils that can harbor bacteria from the hands.

On the other hand, a report in a 2005 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine points out that in studies in which subjects had contaminated hands and then were instructed to wash with water ranging in temperature from 40 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperatures had "no effect on transient or resident bacterial reduction."

In fact, allergy sufferers have a reason to wash their hands in cooler water. The same report notes that the "irritant capacity" of some soaps is increased when hot water is used. This could cause contact dermatitis.

Hot water or not, many allergic individuals react to the preservatives, dyes, fragrances, and other chemicals that are in many personal care products. Browse our personal care products for allergy friendly soaps, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and more.