Directory of health resources for healthcare professionals.

If you cannot tolerate wool or synthetics, keeping warm is one of life’s real challenges for the allergy sufferer. Here are some useful tips

Wear lots of layers. Layers of thin clothing trap air and keep warmth in. Lots of thin layers of clothing can be surprisingly warm. Wear a vest under a T-shirt under a sweatshirt. You might feel like the Michelin Man but you won’t look it! Wear thin socks under thicker ones, or leggings. And don’t forget the old string vest.

Cover your head. Fifty per cent of body heat loss is from the head. Wear scarves or knitted hats. Wear a scarf under a hat in really cold weather. Wear a hat or scarf indoors if you need to. Wear a nightcap – they had their uses!

Use silk if you tolerate it. Silk jersey underwear is relatively affordable, and offers lightweight warmth. Larger children can wear smaller women’s sizes. It washes well in a machine on a delicate cycle. Wear silk scarves, glove liners, socks and balaclavas.

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Buying or Borrowing Secondhand

Buying or borrowing equipment or toys secondhand, or using passed-on equipment, can often be a good solution for the chemically sensitive since fumes from new synthetic materials have usually worn off well. You need to take care, however, that anything you use has not been washed or cleaned with cleaning or laundry agents that you or your baby do not tolerate. Ask what has been used on anything you are thinking of acquiring. Take extra care with baby clothes and nappies – in particular, avoid anything washed in biological agents. Wash and air anything you buy before using yourself.

If you or your baby are sensitive to pets, animals, house dust mites, or tobacco smoke, also check that anything you buy is free of the things that upset you.

Toys, Books and Games

Hard plastic toys are rarely a problem for the chemically sensitive once they have been washed and aired for a while. Buy, open up and air toys before giving to baby to play. Washing plastic toys in a solution of domestic Borax or sodium bicarbonate (one tablespoonful to a bowl of warm water) helps speed the process of airing.

Wooden toys sometimes give problems with fumes from paints and varnishes when new. Again, allow them to air when new, or wipe with a solution of Borax or sodium bicarbonate.

For full advice on preventing and controlling house dust mites in soft toys. Buy washable soft toys wherever possible and wash and air frequently. If you or baby are very sensitive to synthetic materials, make or knit soft toys in cotton, and stuff with kapok.

Air new books before use to remove fumes.

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Skin tests for animal inhalant allergens are reasonably reliable at detecting allergy to animals, although results can depend on what precisely you are allergic to. If you are allergic to your cat’s saliva or urine, for instance, and you have a skin test for cat hair, the result will be negative even though you are allergic. Some people also find that they can be allergic to one breed or type of animal, but tolerate others; or that they react to one particular individual animal and not to others. Tests, therefore, are not always helpful. Your doctor can refer you for skin tests.

One simple test, which you can do yourself, is the Eye Test. Stroke the animal or bird for a few minutes. Rub one eye with your hand for a few seconds. If your eye becomes itchy and swollen, then this is an indication that you are sensitive to the animal or bird.

You can also do a Sniff Test on bedding, or litter, to check if these upset you. Sniff these gently, and see if symptoms develop.

Another method of detecting animal allergy is to avoid the animal or bird you suspect totally for a period of a week, and see if symptoms improve. If the animal or bird you suspect is your domestic pet, and you are not highly allergic, it will be sufficient to keep the animal or bird totally outside the house, and for you or the person affected not to go near it at all during that week. Try this first. For birds, this should be a conclusive test.

If, however, this is not conclusive for animals, or if you are more severely affected, you will need to carry out a rigorous cleaning programme to clear up traces of allergens from your home before you can be sure that your domestic pet is the source of trouble.

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