The Allergy Directory, Dust Allergen Publications

Books on Household and Garden Allergens


	My House Is Killing Me
	The Home Guide for Families with Allergies and Asthma. It's a world we barely see, but it is teeming with life. In the dust of a typical house, carpet beetles, mites, silverfish, spiders and other creatures live and die, producing new generations every few months. Mould, bacteria and yeast lurk undetected in heating and cooling systems. Debris dispersed into the air from these creatures can cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing, headaches and breathing difficulties. Some people, especially those made highly sensitive by allergies, suffer from devastating health problems and the worry that, as one such sufferer lamented, "My house is killing me!" Scrutinizing house dust and air samples with a microscope, indoor air quality expert Jeffrey May has spent his career helping people identify what's causing their chronic health problems. In this text he draws on dramatic personal stories of suffering and relief to help readers understand the links between environmental factors and problems like allergies and asthma. Explaining how air conditioning, finished basements, and other home features affect air quality, he offers a step-by-step approach to identifying, controlling, and often eliminating the sources of indoor pollutants and allergens. If we could see this contamination, May observes, the air would look as murky as stagnant water and we would know not to breathe it. Just as he looks at spaces and systems during an indoor air quality investigation, May focuses first on the areas of daily life (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen), then moves into attics and basements (including heating and air conditioning), and finally outside to the garage and the exterior of a home. Along with offering a wealth of practical advice and proven solutions for various problems, he includes a glossary of terms and a list of valuable resources

	House Dust Mites
	This book explains the scientific research which demonstrates that house dust mites are the predominant cause of asthma. It also explains why there are more house dust mites than ever before and thus gives the answer to why asthma is increasing. Study the enemy.

	Allergy-free Living
	This is a guide to allergen-free living. The book explores the issues surrounding what can trigger allergic reactions, and provides a range of solutions as well as hints on how to suppress reactions.

	Allergic to the Twentieth Century
	The Explosion in Environmental Allergies--From Sick Buildings to Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Makes for some interesting reading.

	Allergy-Free Gardening
	Reviewer: A reader from Cambria I enjoyed the eye-friendly organization. For the layman--- the rating system, the illustrations, and the clearly representative (as well as beautiful) photos are very helpful. In my opinion, the unexpected additional information, whether practical (i.e. the warnings regarding poisonous plants) or specialized (i.e. the use of Northfork Island pine as a substitute Christmas tree for those with pine allergies) or derivative (i.e. avoiding cotton seed meal fertilizer because of their heavily sprayed fields) or purely of interest (i.e. Van Gogh's "heavy absinthe consumption") makes this book a treasure. [Gee---I am beginning to sound as though I regularly review books.] Bottom-line... I have had the book for only a few days and have already referred to it several times for myself or my allergy-sensitive friends and children.

	Safe Sex in the Garden
	The fact that our urban forests have been propagated with male-clones is a crime on two counts: male plants are the pollen-producing offenders and without female plants to absorb pollen, allergenic pollen counts are on the rise. Here, horticulturalist Thomas Leo Ogren explores this issue, as well as many other allergy-related, socio-environmental topics: organic gardening; protecting pets against allergies; handling allergy-related stress; and global warming's effects on allergies.

	The Allergy-free Home
	In the modern world it is estimated that one in three people suffers from some form of allergy. Reactions range from mild skin irritations to life threatening breathing difficulties. This book explains what an allergic reaction is and how to take practical steps to create an allergy-free home.