Нейродермит – Neurodermatitis

Vaccination

Some people react to the sera on which immunising vaccines are cultivated. These have been greatly purified and refined, and adverse reactions are rare, but it is worth asking your doctor what the base of any vaccine is before it is given. Horse serum and eggs are sometimes used, for instance, and might affect you if you are sensitive to these. For advice on babies and immunization.

Anaesthetics

It is known for people to have adverse reactions to anaesthetics more commonly to general anaesthetics than to local anaesthetics. A surgeon or anaesthesist will usually check with you before any procedure whether you have any history of allergy or sensitivity, but make sure they know if you have such a history. Local anaesthetics are less hazardous – opt for a local, rather than general, anaesthetic if a choice is offered. If you have already had an adverse reaction, you can be tested in advance of any operation to see what chemical you react to, and a more appropriate mix of drugs chosen for you. Your GP can contact the National Adverse Reaction Consultancy Service (NARCOS) which is a specialist advisory service.

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Tap AC Filters

AC filters are available which fit on the end of a tap, or which are simple to plumb in to the sink top tap inlet pipe. They provide water on tap, at normal flow-rates. They are cheap, more convenient often than jug filters, and avoid any of the need to be careful about bacterial hygiene that jug filters involve. They are portable and can be taken with you if you go out or away. They cost between £11 and £90. Filters needs replacing every one to four months and cost between £8 and £19. They can be cheaper to run than jug filters. The quality of water is comparable to jug filters, and less pure generally than plumbed-in undersink AC or KDF filters.

Jug Filters

Jug filters cost between £10 and £20. A plastic container holding an activated carbon filter cartridge sits on a glass or plastic jug. You pour water through the tap container and it collects in the jug below.

Jug filters reduce the level of chemicals and metals in tapwater. They do not remove them completely, but people using them say that they do make a real difference.

You need to change the filter cartridge frequently – every 60-110 litres (13-24 gallons), or every month or so. If you live in a hard-water area, it will last less long than if you live in a soft-water area. Some jugs have a change-filter indicator to remind you when to change. The replacement cartridges cost between £2.50 and £3.50 (at 1992 prices). This can mean an annual running cost of £30-40, which is much cheaper than buying bottled water.

You need to take care not to allow bacteria to grow in the jug. Jugs and reservoirs are best cleaned weekly; filtered water should be kept in a fridge (best decanted into a bottle to save space). If water has stood in a jug for some time, it should not be used or it should be boiled before use.

The advantages of jug filters are their low initial cost and their flexibility – you can take them with you to work or if you visit or travel. You can buy filter systems with glass jugs if you are sensitive to plastic, and some filters will reduce nitrates significantly, although, again, not completely.

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For people who are allergic to inhaled particles which collect in dust -such as house dust mites, moulds, animal and pet debris, or fibres such as cotton or wool – using a filtration vacuum cleaner can make an enormous difference. For more information on detecting and avoiding allergens.

Conventional vacuum cleaners, even the most efficient, blow a share of dust and particles back into the room. Tests have shown that they actually increase the level of airborne particles in a room which explains why so many people with allergies feel worse during and after vacuuming.

Filtration vacuum cleaners, often called ‘allergy vacuum cleaners’, use a special filter which takes out virtually all particles of major allergens. Tests by Which?, by Good Housekeeping and other independent bodies, have shown that the two market leaders, Medivac and Nilfisk, both filter out over 99.9 per cent of particles down to 0.3 micron (three-hundredths of a millimetre) in diameter. So virtually no dust is blown around while using the machine, and allergens can be removed from sites where they have collected, such as beds, carpets, curtains or furniture, without dispersing them into the air.

These cleaners are expensive compared to other vacuum cleaners (see below) but people who use them say they would not be without them. Not only do they make cleaning possible in the environment of the highly sensitive with minimum dispersal of dust, but they reduce progressively the level of old or dead allergens collected in furniture, furnishings and bedding.

Most people who have such a machine report that their effect accumulates as time goes on and that they clear out the environment progressively. More than any other product designed to help people with allergies, these cleaners receive shining endorsement from their users. If you can possibly find the money, they are one item really worth buying.

There are two market leaders whose performance is measurably superior to other makes – Medivac and Nilfisk. There are some differences between them, notably price, the Medivac being more expensive (at over £300 at 1992 prices) than the Nilfisk (around £270). They are both canister models on wheels. The Nilfisk is lighter than the

Medivac, but it is made of plastic rather than metal, and if you are sensitive to plastics, the Medivac is preferable. Medivac and Nilfisk both provide efficient service and spares backup.

At the time of writing, Medivac is introducing a new lightweight model at a considerably reduced price. It has similar filters and performance characteristics to the original model, according to the manufacturer, but is not made of stainless steel. It is called the Medivac Lighterweight cleaner. We have no user reports to date, but if Medivac’s claims are correct, it should be the most competitive filter cleaner available for people who do not have to have a metal version.

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Any symptom can result from reaction to things used in connection with sex and contraception, including the classic symptoms of allergy, such as asthma and rhinitis, and the symptoms of chemical sensitivity. Most commonly, however, localised symptoms result, on the genitals, anus and surrounding skin and tissues, plus urinary symptoms and, for women, inflammation or pain in the pelvic region. Dermatitis can also be connected to sexual activity, especially around the mouth, neck, lower face and upper thighs.

There are three main categories of causes. The first, and most common, is chemicals used by you or your partner as toiletries, personal hygiene, or cosmetics; as laundry agents; or on products such as sanitary towels, tampons or incontinence protection. You may be sensitive to things that you use, or that your partner has used. They may be things that you tolerate well unless you have contact in an intimate area. Sweat and friction increase the likelihood of reaction – they make the skin and tissues more permeable and more likely to absorb chemicals. So, for instance, a soap powder or deodorant that normally does not bother you, may make you react where you have intimate contact.

Drugs or ointments that you are taking to treat these symptoms, or some other condition, can also cause genitourinary symptoms. Take medical advice on whether to discontinue these.

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Untreated cotton fabrics for upholstery use are available, but they need to be combined with a pure cotton interliner which meets fire safety regulations. It is possible to do this in a combination which minimises exposure to chemicals and meets the fire safety regulations.

One way to use totally untreated materials and meet the fire safety regulations is to re-upholster furniture made before 1950, to which the regulations do not apply. You can legally buy older (pre-1950) or antique furniture in totally untreated materials, or you can re-upholster yourself, or have it re-upholstered in untreated materials of your choice.

Your first problem in doing this is to obtain the materials. Sources of fabrics are given in Fabrics (page 387). John Cotton manufacture cotton wadding and will give names of stockists. Your second problem is to persuade an upholsterer to do the work if you do not do it yourself. Many are reluctant to use untreated materials on old furniture, even though it is legal, because they may be liable in case of accident. It is legal, however, and you can persist in persuading them. Contact the Association of Master Upholsterers for specialists in upholstery who may be able to help.

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