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Allergy Sufferers Should Generally Avoid Cats

July 2nd, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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New research suggests that people with allergies to molds, pollen, and dust mites but NOT cat dander, may have heightened asthmatic reactions to their usual triggers in the presence of cats.  This is unfortunate news for cat owners or anyone who is fond of kitties but has environmental allergens.  Researchers note that :

Avoidance of cat exposure would be beneficial to a much wider
population than previously expected. Furthermore, cat allergen levels
were ubiquitous in cat-owning communities, and their results showed
effects of cat allergen exposure at lower levels than generally
regarded necessary to produce a measurable result.

So basically, if you live in a “cat-owning community,” their airborne fluff will probably make your pollen and mold-induced asthma worse.  Aside from declining to pet and/or play with them, I doubt that there’s much you can do to completely avoid their dander.  But there is some cause for all allergy sufferers to eye cats with suspicion… time to trade in Tiger for Fido?

[View cat allergy cartoon]This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.

Smelling the flowers

April 30th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in True Stories
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There are cherry trees just outside my patio and 2 days ago
they decided to drop the majority of their pink petals on the ground.  It created a luxurious, 2 inch deep floral
carpet that surrounded my home.  It was so
beautiful and soft in appearance that I couldn’t resist scooping up fist fulls
of the flower bits and holding them out to my husband.  It was a sunny blue day and I giggled as I
asked him to join me in my child like glee.

“I’m not touching them,” he said, “It will make my nose
itch.”

“Aw, come on honey,” I cajoled him, “these petals won’t be
here like this again for another year!
Touch them, they’re so soft!”

He glanced at me sideways.
“No, I don’t want to touch them.
They’re dirty.”

I was crest fallen at first, but then I started thinking
about how something so beautiful to one person, can look entirely different to
someone with allergies.  What a sad thing
to have taken away – the ability to truly stop and smell the flowers.  I count my blessings that I have no allergies
to anything.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.