Allergies

Manufacturers, schools, and the public have come a long way in recognizing food allergies. As someone who cannot have gluten or dairy, I appreciate all the foods that have been made especially for people like me. I know putting “gluten free” on many products is a fad just like when everything from licorice to raisins were labeled “fat free.” But I am grateful none the less.

But I want to discuss environmental allergies. Perfumes, colognes (especially Axe), cigarette smoke all these and more aggravate asthma, hay fever, and cause migraines (to name a few reactions.)

I get so angry when I see people smoking in front of a building entrance. It is not right that I, and many like me, have to hold our breath just to get inside many places ranging from stores to apartment buildings. We have a right to breathe cigarette smoke free air and not have to worry about asthma attacks.

When it comes to perfume/cologne please do not use much. People have already used scented soap, shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, gel and or mousse. Then they add perfume, I am surprised that they are not arrested for attempting chemical warfare. Another thing that aggravates many people’s allergies are strong smelling flowers. I had to leave work early because someone brought in tiger lilies that caused me to have an asthma attack. Please do not put strong smelling flowers in your businesses or churches. They are beautiful, yes, but I and many like me would rather be able to breathe.

Then there is latex. Please do have latex balloons everywhere. I went into one college bookstore and latex balloons were all over the ceiling. They were having a promotion where a customer would choose a balloon, the cashier would pop it, and then a piece of paper in the balloon would have written on it the percentage the customer would save on the order.

Here is something many people without latex allergies do not think about: band-aids. I was looking for a latex free first aid kit. I went all over town—Costco, Wal-Mart, Target, etc… All the kits had latex free gloves, but none had latex free band-aids. I even asked a pharmacist and he said that he had never heard of a first aid kit with latex free band-aids. I told him that it did not make sense to have latex free gloves and band-aids with latex, he agreed. Whose dumb idea was that, hmm maybe if a person is allergic to latex the whole kit—including band-aids should be latex free, what a concept. I ended up buying a kit, substituting my own latex free band-aids, and giving the other band-aids to my parents.

Here is an allergy I doubt if anyone thinks about—sodium laurel(th) sulfate. That stuff is in everything ranging from soap to prescription drugs to toothpaste. Who puts detergent in drugs? I know of two right off the top of my head that have sodium laurel(th) sulfate—relafin and celebrex. As far as soap is concerned I have to bring my own small bottle of hand soap with me wherever I go. This stuff should not even be available to the public and it is an ingredient in baby wash and baby wipes. I wonder if it is one reason (not the only reason) babies develop diaper rashes. I read somewhere that it is used in laboratories to help breakdown human skin cells in preparation for examination under a microscope. No wonder I react to it. I hope and pray I am never in a hospital overnight, because all the soaps have sodium laurel(th) sulfate. If I ever am, I hope I can use my own.

I know there are many people with similar and other environmental allergies. So please, if you smoke move away from the entrance of buildings and if you wear perfume or cologne do not use very much, Oh and before you give anybody a latex balloon or put a band-aid on someone make sure he/she is not allergic to latex. Thank you. If soap severely dries your skin it might just be the ingredient—sodium laurel(th) sulfate.