I have to say, I always enjoy reading or hearing stories like the one a friend of mine passed me yesterday (thank you Cordelia!). A very similar story was part of the broadcast on NPR this morning as well. The focus of both was controlling asthma, but to me the more interesting part was how it was being done – environmental control.

_At AchooAllergy.com, we have been advocating environmental control, as a way to reduce allergic and asthmatic reactions, for over a decade. So, it is always heartening to see doctors, insurers and others recognizing the importance of this preventative style approach to asthma and allergies and actually creating programs to bring these ideas into the homes of people who need it the most.

_Environmental control is multifaceted, and something that is often done in stages. Because it can be time intensive and not the most inexpensive process in the world, we have always stressed that people start with the bedroom and work out towards the rest of the home. You spend more time in your bedroom than any other single room in your home, so if there is one place to be a sanctuary, a place where you can provide relief from allergens, it should be there.

_Both stories touched on things we have written about and advocated for years.

• Using a HEPA vacuum cleaner
• Installing allergy bedding covers on your mattress and pillow
• Avoiding harsh cleaners like bleach or ammonia based cleaning products as well as ‘deodorizers’ that pollute the indoor air even more
• And, removing carpet, to name a few

These measures all work to do one main thing – reduce allergens and improve the indoor environment. In addition to this, programs like the Community Asthma Initiative actually help people by going into the home, educating, coaching and providing the information and products to go about making these changes. Most importantly, they also measure their results, and in a time when budgets are being literally pushed to their breaking points, the ability to quantify the good that comes from these measures is critical in obtaining the funding to continue and expand this type of program.

_On a similar note, over the last year, we have had the benefit of working with a partner who has recognized the benefit of allergy bedding in helping to reduce dust and dust mites in the home. With them we have been able to provide mattress covers, pillow covers, pillows, and other dust mite bedding to hundreds of people who, without this program, would not likely be able to afford it. Sadly these partnerships remain more of a rarity than the norm, and one of the biggest problems remains education – education of those affected as well as education of those who can help and those who can provide funding for these types of programs. Too few people in both of these groups understand the long term benefit that environmental control can offer.

_The educational side is where other partners, like the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics, is critical. As a non-profit on the front lines of asthma education and advocacy, the AANMA works to not only help to educate those affected by allergies and asthma, but they also act as a voice to raise awareness on these issues at the state and national government levels.

_Allergy shots remain one of the closest things to a cure for allergies, and while medication can tamp down many of the reactions that those affected with asthma have, it's really only when the these things are combined with environmental control measures in the home that the most benefit is seen. It is my sincere hope that as research continues, partnerships, like the ones we have, and programs like the Community Asthma Initiative can continue to coalesce and provide health benefits to those who need it most.

_For the full article from Pediatrics Journal.
For more information about the Community Asthma Initiative program or to read/listen to the NPR story.

_Author: Kevin Gilmore