[Solutions from our sponsors]

Feathers and dust mites

May 18, 2004

I have a six year old child, and about a year and a half ago, we took him to an allergist, to get tested. We found that he had an allergy to dust. That was the only allergy that he had. We started allergy shots twice a week, and then down to just once a week. However, we have been thinking about taking him off the allergy shot, we feel that the medications he is currently on for preventive asthma, works better than the shot itself. We found that he seemed to always be more prone to getting sick easier, than before he was on the shots. Are there any other measures that we can follow to ease his allergy to dust? -- V.M., Texas

I've grouped questions about feathers and dust mites together here because the problem and the solution are similar. People often attribute allergies to feathers. All of the allergists I've worked with have included feathers in their basic testing. However, we've found it extremely rare that a patient would show an allergy to feathers.

This does not mean that feathers cannot cause an allergic response. Feathers harbor dust mites and mold.

Feathers that are washed or treated are safer. However, dust-mite protective covers are still recommended for bedding. Dust mites feed on dead skin cells that slough off into our mattresses, pillows, and other bedding. Our bodies provide the moisture these dust mites need to maintain their homestead. Protective covers provide a barrier between us and the dust mites.

You can find a variety of protective covers for bedding here.

Discuss with your allergist whether best to continue the shots to dust mites. Preventing exposure is certainly the first line of defense. Medications can help, and shots may supplement also.

Start by making the bedroom of the allergic person as dust free as possible. I've discussed this here.

Select "dust mites" from the Popular Topics pull-down list on the top left of any page of AllergyNursing.com. This will lead you to a lot more information about dust mite control.

[See our Advertising Policy]