New Allergy Armor
Say hello to your new favorite pillow! Allergy Armor
The Allergy Sufferer’s Survival Guide is here! Order Your Free Copy Now
Because customer education is a top priority at achooallergy.com, we decided to move away from the traditional catalog format this year and focus on teaching people how to survive allergies: by avoiding allergens with scientifically proven environmental control methods. The…
Sharper Image Settles Air Purifier Lawsuit, Files Bankruptcy
Last year, Sharper Image settled a class-action lawsuit which alleged that the company misled customers about the effectiveness of their Ionic Breeze air purifiers. Sharper Image agreed to offer $19 merchandise credits to each of their 3.2 million customers who’ve…
Elite Athletes Rely On Honeycomb Mask to Filter Beijing Air Pollution
As the August Olympic games in Beijing draw near, many world class athletes and trainers are discovering the benefits of the I Can Breathe!
Laser Technology Detects Asthma in Human Breath
According to Reuters, the journal Optics Express reported today that a new laser ananylzer may be able to detect cancer, asthma, and other diseases through samples of a patient's breath. The technique is called cavity-enhanced direct optical frequency comb spectroscopy.…
Headache Triggers at the Office
CNN Health reports on some ‘surprising things that give you headaches.’ Listed first is perfume. Some people are so sensitive to fragrances that even a whiff of a candle can set off a headache. These individuals have senses of smell…
The Benefits of White Noise at Night
Did you know that unfamiliar noise at night can disturb your sleep pattern and suppress your immune system, even if you don't wake up? ‘White noise’ helps block out disturbing noises and allows for a more restful sleep. Air purifiers…
CA Now Requires Staph Infection Reports
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that California now requires hospitals to report specific kinds of staph infections to local health authorities. Cases that require reporting are those that infect otherwise healthy people, who are outside of hospitals or nursing homes,…
Can Microwave Popcorn Damage Your Lungs?
The butter flavor in microwave popcorn contains the chemical diacetyl, which has been linked to lung damage, according to CBS News. In the past, factory workers have successfully sued popcorn manufacturers after getting ‘popcorn lung’ from inhaling diacetyl fumes all…
Hurricane Victims Face Formaldehyde Fumes
Newsweek reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has deemed Gulf Coast trailers unsafe after finding toxic levels of formaldehyde fumes in them. The trailers were supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to Gulf Coast…
Synthetic Fragrances Cause Skin Allergies and Asthma, Among Other Things
A Fox News Health video reports on how fragrances can cause skin allergies – and worse. Senior Editor of Body + Soul magazine, Hillary Geronemus, describes how there are 3,000 or more ingredients used to make fragrances, most of which…
Household Chemicals Found in Humans
An article in this month's Newsweek entitled The Chemicals Within discusses how the potentially harmful chemicals in many common household prodcuts are actually being discovered in people's bodies. Two of the chemcials in question are used in plastic: BPA hardens…
Top 10 Dirtiest Hotels in the U.S.
TripAdvisor has released their list of the Top 10 Dirtiest Hotel in the United States: Hotel Carter – New York, NY Ramada Niagara Falls – Niagara Falls, NY (now closed) Days Inn Vanderbilt / Music Row – Nashville, TN Red…
Air Purifiers that Pollute the Air?
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal, entitled Air Purifiers Draw Scrutiny, discusses the mounting concern over ozone-releasing air purifiers that actually pollute the air while claiming to clean it. Although as a component of the upper atmosphere, ozone…
Steamboy Steam Floor Mop Featured in NY Times
The New York Times recently featured one of our cleaning products, the Steamboy Steam Floor Mop: ‘Safely cleans all the floors in the house – stone, ceramic or sealed hardwood – without chemicals, according to its manufacturer, Reliable. It begins…
Milk & Egg Allergies Now Harder to Outgrow
The JHU Gazette reports that milk and egg allergies, once considered temporary childhood conditions, are now more persistent and harder to outgrow. New research suggests that milk allergy and egg allergy cases typically continue well into school years and beyond.…
Child Given Zyprexa Instead of Zyrtec
According to msnbc.com,the U.S. Pharmacopeia report shows that the rate of drug name mix-ups has more than doubled since 2004, primarily because of new drugs with similar names to pre-existing drugs. One child was given the schizophrenia drug Zyprexa instead…
Dr. Oz: The Value of Sleep
Dr. Mehmet Oz, frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, recently spoke with Dr. Rubin Naiman, a clinical psychologist and sleep specialist who says that most sleep problems could – and should – be treated without medications. On Oprah &…
AllergyKids.com Mother Exposes ‘Big Food’ Industry in NY Times
The New York Times recently interviewed Robyn O'Brien on her view that the alarming increase in childhood food allergies stems from a profit-driven global conspiracy. (O'Brien has also been interviewed by CNN, CBS, and our own Allergy Consumer Report.) O'Brien…
Achoo! Annual Allergy Relief Bedding Sale
Don't miss the fantastic savings during our annual allergy relief bedding sale, which is going on throughout February. Allergy Armor ADVANCED, one of our most popular fabrics, is now available at a discount of 20-40% on pillow covers, mattress encasings,…
Family: Teen Daughter Died from Allergic Reaction to Toothpaste
Daily Mail reports that Francesca Sanna, 19, died after having what appears to have been an extreme allergic reaction to her toothpaste – read more. The toothpaste was Aquafresh Mild & Minty, according to her family. The coroner concluded that…
Boy with Rare Allergy Can Only Eat Deer Meat
The only protein 6-year-old Timmy Armstrong can eat is venison, Fox News reported this week. Young Timmy can also stomach small amounts of natural oats, salt, and sugar. He also receives an amino acid-based formula through a feeding tube. Timmy…
Sensors Test for Environmental Triggers of Asthma Attacks
Science Daily reported this week that researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a sensor system that monitors the air around asthma-prone invidivuals. The sensor, which is worn inside the pockets of a vest, may help researchers…
Exercise-Induced Hives & Food Allergies
Mary Pickett, associate professor of medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, gives advice on dealing with exercised induced-hives at timesdaily.com: Exercised-Induced Anaphylaxis ‘If exercise causes large hives (usually a centimeter or more in diameter) along with throat swelling or…
Saline Rinse: Effective Treatment for Colds in Children
In the wake of the FDA's warning against giving young children cold medicines (see FDA Warns Parents Against OTC Cold Meds for Young Children), many parents may wonder how to treat cold symptoms in their young children. The ABC News…
Latex Banned from Johns Hopkins Hospital
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has announced that it has banned latex products. ‘Latex hospital gloves were invented here, so it's only fitting that Johns Hopkins takes the initiative to promoting alternatives,’ says anesthesiologist Robert H. Brown, who chairs the…
Air Pollution Raises Risk of Preterm Birth
A recent study suggests that women who live in areas with high fine particle or carbon monoxide levels, such as that caused by heavy traffic, are up to 25% more likely to give birth to their babies before 37 weeks…
FDA Warns Parents Against OTC Cold Meds for Young Children
Today the FDA will issue a public health advisory to warn parents not to give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children ‘because serious and potentiall life-threatening side effects can occur.’ Last October, a similar warning was issued, which said…
The Difference Between a Cold and Allergies
According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), many symptoms of the common cold could actually be signs of allergies. Anju Peters, M.D., Chair of the AAAAI's Rhinosinusitis Commmittee, says, ‘Millions of Americans think they are suffering…
Combating Winter Allergies
Most people associate seasonal allergies, or hay fever, with the spring and fall, but winter allergy sufferers know all too well that winter brings on its own set of allergic reactions. Although many pollens may have left the air by…
Humidifiers Guard Against the Flu
We all know that flu season hits hardest in the winter, but have you ever wondered why? The New York Times reports that the flu virus ‘is more stable and stays in the air longer when air is cold and…
Cost of Asthma Inhalers to Double
According to The Detroit News, many low-income asthma patients across the country will be at-risk of missing doses of their asthma medication beginning in 2009, when CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) inhalers will become prohibited. The FDA is probiting the use of CFC…
Will Cloned Livestock Increase Food Allergies?
Natural Foods Merchandiser reports that the FDA may soon declare that meat and milk from cloned animals is safe to eat. Some experts are concerned about ‘the unpredictability of cloning, the higher risk of animal birth defects, and unresolved issues…
Eczema on the Rise in Young Children
Science Daily reports that childhood eczema, although decreasing in the 13 to 14-year-old age group, is still on the rise in six to seven-year-olds. The continuing rise in eczema prevalence in younger children as well as the number of reported…
Pediatricians Offer New Advice to Breast-Feeding Mothers of Allergic Children
In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advised mothers of children with a family history of allergies to avoid cow's milk, eggs, fish, peanuts, and tree nuts while breast-feeding. Now, according to msnbc, the AAP has changed their advice…
Winter Weather Allergy Symptoms
scnow.com reports that as the weather gets colder, many people will experience allergy symptoms that seem out of place during the winter. Dr. Shawn McKay, an ENT specialist in Florence, SC, says, ‘The allergies we worry about during the winter…
Country Music Star Trace Adkins Raises Money for FAAN on Celebrity Apprentice
The Food Allergy & Anaphlaxis Network (FAAN) reports that country music star Trace Adkins will be part of the celebrity line-up in Donald Trump's TV show The Celebrity Apprentice, which debuts tonight at 9:00 PM EST on NBC. The celebrities…
Can Your Home’s Humidity Affect Your Mood?
According to ScienceDaily, your home's humidity can indeed affect your mood. A groundbreaking study found a connection between damp, moldy homes and depression. The 2007 study, led by Brown University epidemiologist Edmond Shenassa and published in the American Journal of…
MRSA Kills More Americans Than AIDS
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was responsible for an estimated 94,000 life-threatening infections and nearly 19,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2005, reports WebMD. In the same year, roughly 16,000 Americans died from AIDS. The number of deaths from MRSA doubled…
That Chronic Cough Could Be Asthma
HealthDay suggests that you should see a doctor if you have a cough that won't go away. ‘Cough is the most common respiratory symptom for which patients seek medical attention,’ says Dr. Alan B. Goldsobel, chairman of the cough committe…
Vital Oxide – Multipurpose Green Cleaning Solution
If you're a regular reader, you'll remember that I recently rented a house, and I've been working on a hypoallergenic home remodeling project. At this point, I'm finished with all of the major labor, but I still have a lot…
Mushroom, Cheese, and Mold Allergies
A couple of weeks ago, one of the largest truffles unearthed in the past 50 years was dug up in the Italian countryside by Cristiano Savini’s truffle-hunting dog Rocco. The truffle was donated to a charity auction held simultaneously in…
Sinus Infections Not Helped by Antibiotics
A British study suggests that routine sinus infections are not helped by the antibiotics and other medicines that are regularly prescribed. The study tested amoxicillin, steroid nose spray, and fake medicine on people suffering from symptoms of acute sinusitis. Results…
Immune Systems, Body Odor & DNA Dating
WCVBTV in Boston reports that a new dating service is the first to use DNA analysis for match-making. ScientificMatch.com uses DNA technology to find people dates who have ‘a natural odor you'll love, with whom you'd have healthier children and…
Dust Mites Go On Strike, Protest Unfair Labor Conditions
1888PressRelease reports that the Dust Mites Guild of America has gone on strike to protest unfair labor conditions brought about by Allergy Armor
AllerAir Air Purifiers Visits achoo! ALLERGY
_Yesterday, Jeffrey Kanel of AllerAir Industries held a meeting with achoo! ALLERGY employees. Such meetings are a regular occurrence at achoo! ALLERGY, where continuing education regarding allergy relief products and disseminating this information to allergy sufferers is one of our…
Las Vegas: Not Very Hypoallergenic
Greetings from Las Vegas! I’m here in the city that never sleeps with Craig Avramovich (achoo! ALLERGY’s web developer) for PubCon Las Vegas 2007. PubCon is the leading search engine and internet marketing conference. Keynote speakers include Craig Newmark, founder…
Eating Fish May Reduce Allergy Risk
According to The Local, a new Swedish study shows that eating fish reduces the risk of developing allergies. Researchers found that children who eat fish more than once a week are less likely to have allergies. Earlier studies have suggested…
Flu Shot Finder: Find A Clinic Near You
Medical News Today reports that November 27 to December 2 is National Influenza Vaccination Week. Since the flu is especially dangerous for people with asthma, the CDC recommends that all asthma sufferers get a flu shot. The Asthma and Allergy…
It’s National Sleep Comfort Month!
(Really. I'm not making this up. November is actually National Sleep Comfort Month.) Apparently November is full of bizarre & unique holidays. To ensure that you have a happy National Sleep Comfort Month this year, treat yourself to the most…