Under attack: Hidden allergy triggers

Sneezing and wheezing can hit at the most unlikely times. You know you've got an allergy, but sudden attacks can be very mysterious.

Allergy attack: stuffed animals in hot water

Kapok (a tree native to tropical America, Africa and the East Indies) has long been used to stuff pillows and cuddly toys. The seed pods are used as stuffing for pillows, sleeping bags and furniture upholstery. Like bird feathers and down, kapok was among allergens suspected in causing allergic reactions in both adults and children.  However, recent studies have shown that the stuffing isn't the problem, it's the dust mites and mould.

But it turns out that even the synthetic material gets as contaminated as natural down feathers. In any humid climate there's a very good chance that pillows and toys, no matter what they're stuffed with, will get contaminated with dust mites and mould.

Rather than throwing out those beloved items, try washing them. Hot water (a 60°C cycle on your washing machine) and drying in a hot tumbler dryer kills dust mites. Adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to the water also helps kill mites.

Allergy attack: pet dander but no pets?

Whether you've got pets or not, small flakes of animal skin or hair, known as dander, are probably lurking in your car or home. You expect to find cat and dog dander where there are pets. But a number of studies have found significant levels in cars and in homes that have never had pets.

In one recent study researchers vacuumed the bus and taxi seats all over one city in Brazil. People with pets are carrying animal dander on their clothes, and deposit it wherever they sit. Dander can be found in cinemas and planes, and the levels deposited by other people are high enough to trigger an allergic reaction. Half a dozen studies all over the globe have looked at this issue, the story's the same all over.

The best way to fight allergies from animal dander is to remove the pet from the home and avoid any contact. However if that's not possible, avoid or reduce contact with the animal.

Allergy attack: is a storm brewing?

When a thunderstorm passes through prepare for an allergy attack. Why? The winds stir up both mould spores and tiny particles released by pollen grains. It starts while the sun is still shining. It has to do with updrafts that often precede thunderstorms. They cause mould spore counts to go up astronomically, 100 times higher than normal.

As the storm passes, winds also disrupt the grass pollen grains on the ground, causing them to release tiny particles, ones that are 1,000 times smaller than the pollen grains. The particles don't show up on any pollen count but a wave of cold air will sweep the stuff off the ground, blow it just high enough to hit people in the face. Because the particles are so tiny, they are inhaled deeply into the lungs and cause serious problems.