Allergy Sheets Sensitivity?

[Claire]

efgh,

 

I don't understand the technology, but I assume it is in part due to the tightness of the weave. That is a very respected company and the products are lab tested.

 

This is newer technology, only availabe in recent years--thus accounts for why I used those hard to wash membrane ones for years.

 

As Chemar said, the other type can make you sweaty. I used to be a chemical engineer and 'diffusion' means that the plastics do get into the air, even if they are solids. Doris Rapp doesn't even like plastic water bottles for this reason. Though I still use them for portability and non-breakability--I haven't found a glass alternative.

 

Claire

[Guest Guest_efgh]

Chemar and others

 

Thanks a LOT for your valuable input on polyurethane. I am just on the way to exchange the same with cotton sheets.

I love this forum and hence derive a lot of benefit from your experiences. I have so much confidence in all your experiences, knowledge and inputs. Can you please go through the below article and validate ... thanks in advance for your HELP.

Was just browsing the net on this and came across this article

 

http://12.31.13.115/HealthNews/reuters/New...ry012820035.htm

 

Today's Headlines

Daily articles from Reuters Health: breaking news on health issues, drug approvals and recent discoveries.

 

 

Covering bedding cuts kids' need for asthma drugs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Last Updated: 2003-01-28 16:24:55 -0400 (Reuters Health)

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Encasing mattresses and pillows in special covers may help asthmatic children cut down on their use of powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, new study findings from Denmark suggest.

 

After 1 year, about 73% of youngsters given the polyurethane covers cut their dose of inhaled steroids by at least half, compared with 24% of children given cotton covers, according to the report published in the January issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

 

Such polyurethane covers have long been recommended as a way to cut down dust-mite allergen, the most common cause of allergic asthma, although how effective they are has been unclear. The proteins associated with dust mites, the ubiquitous microscopic creatures that live in and on many household surfaces, can collect in pillows and mattresses.

 

In the current study, Dr. Susanne Halken of the Sonderborg Hospital and colleagues had 26 asthmatic children aged 5 to 15 use pillows and mattresses completely encased in semi-permeable polyurethane. A second group of 21 children were given mattress and pillow covers made of good quality cotton.

 

All of the children has asthma, were allergic to dust mites and had never used such covers before. Youngsters allergic to cats or pollen were excluded from the study.

 

Before and during the study, the researchers tapered the children's inhaled steroids to the lowest effective dose. Corticosteroids are medications used to treat inflammatory conditions such as asthma and chronic lung disease. They are usually used in combination with bronchodilators, which are drugs that widen the airways and make it easier to breathe.

 

"We found a significant effect of the coated polyurethane mattress and pillow encasings on the need for inhaled steroids," the researchers report.

 

They found that the dose of inhaled steroids was cut by about 50% in those children without causing their symptoms to get worse or requiring an increase in other medications.

 

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, and for reasons that are unknown, the number of asthma cases has been on the rise in the US and other developed countries.

[Chemar]

efgh

I cant comment on asthma as we dont deal with that, but my son's snoring and stuffiness diminished drastically with the specialized cooton/polyester covers and frequent bedding laundry, plus other anti-dust mite measures that we took for his room.

 

We initially had a complimentary "breathe-right" pillow cover and he sweated and slept horribly with it...it had the plastic inner lining......after that, I checked into the all cotton/polyester ones and am very satisfied.

[Claire]

efgh,

 

My son doesn't have asthma either, but we are both less stuffy. I have zero doubt that a kid with asthma would have clearer airways. Remember to wash bedding and vacuum his bedroom frequently.

 

Chemar's concern with the polyurethane was for general health/tics, not asthma. It is cautious to try the cotton brand. Both are the same effectiveness in dust mite reduction--you can ask the manufacturer for details.

 

My concern is your son's comfort. The cotton guard is more comfortable and quieter--I don't think anyone who has used both would debate that. That is why they cost more!

 

Claire