Research Quotes
posted 12.16.2009
"Allergen Avoidance" is Doctor Recommended
Allergy physicians tell us that people are most allergic to dust and dust mites, mold spores, pollen, and animal dander. All of these allergens have two things in common: they are invisible particles that float through the air, and they have to be breathed in to cause allergy symptoms. Doctors who have researched the relationship between levels of airborne allergens and the incidence of allergies and asthma say the connection is clear. If the source of allergies is removed or significantly diminished, major improvement in symptoms also occurs.
Environmental controls may not eliminate the need for medication and immunotherapy (allergy shots). However, studies do indicate that allergen avoidance is essential to effective treatment of asthma and allergies.
Here are some quotes from physicians and researchers taken from several medical journals which express the importance of allergen avoidance and environmental control.
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"Three basic therapeutic techniques should be considered in treating either seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis:
- avoidance of the offending allergens
- use of appropriate drugs
- immunotherapy (injection treatments to effect hyposensitization or desensitization)
When feasible, avoidance is the preferred form of treatment, since it both relieves symptoms and eradicates the cause of the difficulty."
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Nov. 27 1987-Vol. 258, No. 20,Pp. 2854, 2855; M. Kaliner, MD, P. Eggleston, MD and K. Mathews, MD
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"The most effective treatment of recurrent inhalant allergy is the removal of allergens to which the patient is sensitive."
ADVANCES IN PEDIATRICS Deamer, William C. "Allergy in Childhood" 11 (1960): Pp. 147-82.
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"House dust mite has long been recognized to be the most important allergic trigger of asthma." p. 17
"Effective aero-allergen avoidance may not only reduce the severity of established asthma but also have the potential to prevent the development of the disease in the first place." p. 18
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY Warner, J.o. et al; Sept. 20 1990 -- Suppl. 3: 15-19 "Aero-allergen Avoidance in the Treatment of Asthma"
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"Allergy to house dust mites requires precautions to minimize exposure to mite allergens. Avoidance in the bedroom is often sufficient because children spend more time there than in other rooms of the house."
NELSON TEXTBOOK OF PEDIATRICS Behman, Richard E., ed. Philadelphia: Saunders P, 1992.
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"Simple measures of environmental control can be helpful for most asthmatic patients."
PEDIATRIC ANNALS Hen Jr, MD., Jacob. "Office Evaluation & Management of Pediatric Asthma." 15.2 (1986): 111-24.
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"The most effective form of treatment is elimination of exposure to the offending allergen."
TEXTBOOK OF PEDIATRIC ALLERGY Sly, R. Michael. New Hyde Park: Med Examination P, 1984.
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"There are strong indications to suggest that manipulation of the environment to reduce the exposure of allergens and adjuvant factors in the first few months of life may reduce the risk of development of allergy and subsequent asthma."
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE Warner, J.A. et al; March 1991,Vol. 85 (2); 103-104 (40 Ref.) "Allergen Avoidance in Childhood Asthma"
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