Asthma & Humidifiers...

V.~My daughter has asthma and my son is allergic to mold and mildew and he gets croup every year. The allergist has told me that I need to keep the cool mist humidifier in both bedrooms during the fall and winter. Basically when the heat comes on the humidifiers need to be in there. I hope this helps. If you live close to the Clinton Twp. area there is a good children's allergist at the Michigan Institue of Asthma and Allergy. It is located at 19 Mile and Garfield.

V.,
Both of my kids had been diagnosed with asthma. we started with this health and wellness company and removed
the chemicals from our home. Like bleaches, cleaners that had chemicals in them. Neither of them have had to use
their inhalers in 4 years now.
If you would like to hear about this company email me.
T. W
____@____.com

I agree with going green in your house. We did and it has worked. Target sells a brand called Method and there are many other green products on the shelf now a days and you don't have to spend a billion! My son's asthma has been terrible this season. We are off to the allergist on Halloween. Good luck to you!

Hi V.,
I believe that the cool mist is better. The real question is why are so many children getting asthma these days. Asthma rates are growing by leaps and bounds, and many experts feel that it is related to all of the chemicals that we are bringing into our homes. Asthma was virtually unheard of just two generations ago. Many household products contain chemicals which are irritating to the respiratory tract and triggering asthma. If you have Plug-ins, air fresheners, Clorox wipes, even some laundry detergents---all of these things could be contributing to your child's asthma. If I could, I'd like to refer you to a website where you can watch an 18 minute Canadian investigative report on household products. Simply go to www.theglobalsuccessteam.net and click on 'Toxic Brew". I would also like to recommend a 5 minute clip from Oprah's Earth Day show at www.realdirtonclean.com. Please consider greening up your home by using non-toxic products. If you don't know anyone well versed in green issues, please contact me or visit my Mamasource business M. Goes Green! I have known people that have been helped immensely by switching out their household products. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Best wishes to you and your little one,
M.

We have the same thing in our house! I do know that we CAN NOT use vicks vapor AT ALL!

Hello V. - In addition to the humidifier I also use an air purifier (Honeywell w/Hepa) in our family room & daughter's bedroom. The one I use is also very quiet. Hope this helps.

Hello V., When my son was little he had severe asthma. Molds and dust mites where what he reacted to the worst. The cool air mist is the best, but if your little one is allergic to mold then any moisture can become a problem. Make sure any mist does not get directed onto the walls, as mold will grow there. Use a hepa filter in his room 24/7, keep the bedroom door closed at all times, and encase his pillow and mattress. Wipe down all hard surfaces with dishwater with bleach in it. Keep stuffed animals and pets out of the room. Hard flooring is best. Keeping the sleeping quarters free of allergens allows at least 10 hours a day in a "safe zone". If his lungs become an issue seek medical attention. Good luck.

Hi Vicki,
I commend you for being proactive with your son's health! Other than dust what are his triggers?
What other strategies are you working on to prevent asthma?

warmly,
M.

My son was diagnosed with asthma when he was 18 months. Our doctor recommended a warm mist humidifier. My son's asthma presented itself mainly as a cough, but when the humidifier is on it really helps. I also wet dust his room very often to keep dust levels down. I just dampen my duster with water so that it catches more dust instead of the dust just being in the air.

My son was a seasonal asthmas sufferer (bronicial spasms)
and as a seasonal asthma sufferer myself... Cool mist humidifer.
Warm steam makes it harder for us to breath.
Hope that helps.

Also Do some research on those hot infared saunas.
That is great for my asthmas.

Don't know why the difference.

But Hot Steam... I can't breathe.

Hope that helps.
Some other things we did for our son. We built a house Geo Thermal... and oh my what a difference. He practially stopped with his bronical spasms.

They also told me no carpet... but that was before out geo thermal.

What I notice with myself and seasonal asthma... is once I close up the house and the air conditioning goes off... it comes on... my asthma.
P.

V. -

My son, who is 13 months old, has had some breathing issues in the past and has even been prescribed the use of a nebulizer at home occasionally. During the times when he's having a bit of trouble breathing, or when he's sick, I use an evaporative cold-water humidifier. I found that if I used a cool-mist humidifier, condensation would accumulate on the windows and drip onto the window sill, which would create warping and eventual separation of the wood from the window seal. Then I was concerned about the possibility of mold growing in the walls. All that equals more headache than it's worth. At least with the evaporative humidifier, the amount of water released into the air is regulated by the moisture already present in the air. As taken from Wikipedia.com - "[When using an evaporative humidifier] A room with low humidity will have a higher evaporation rate compared to a room with high humidity. Therefore, this type of humidifier is self-regulating: As the humidity of the room increases, the water vapor output naturally decreases." Plus, I don't have to worry about the white dust problem! I got our humidifier at Target a couple of years ago, "Holmes" brand, I think, and the only thing I worry about with it is changing the wick. It wipes down easy and finding replacement wicks hasn't been a problem for me yet.

Hope this helps!

For more info, check out the Wikipedia page I quoted earlier: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humidifier