HOME HEALTH CARE PRIVATE DUTY NURSING PRIVATE HOMES • NURSING HOMES • HOSPITALS Mr. Connelly said his team was able to confirm that the vacuum did indeed reach the promised temperature. But there was no way to confirm that the dust mites had, in fact, died. "It was difficult to prove one way or another if this product ac- tually worked," he said. Standard vacuums stir up the dust particles in the carpet and then provide a comfortable breed- ing ground in the porous vacuum bag for the dust mites, which are then released back into the envi- ronment. "No vacuum does a great job pulling dust mites out of carpet because they are so small," Dr. Wood said. "But certain vacuums with filters don't leak as much as other models, which spew the al- lergens out in the air." But before investing almost $500 for a vacuum that claims to be dustless, Dr. Wood recom- mends trying special bags that attach to standard vacuums and supposedly reduce the number of particles that escape into the air. These double-layered bags cost about $20 for six and are avail- able from allergy relief compa- Dustless Vacuums nies. The same holds true for dust- Mr. Connelly suggests anoth- less vacuum cleaners, some of er way to cut down on the dust which claim to kill dust mites storm after vacuuming. Simply with high temperatures, pre- replace the standard bag each venting them from breeding in time the vacuum is used. Vacu- the vacuum cleaner bags. um manufacturers have begun Consumer Reports tested a selling bags marked "micro-fil- vacuum whose manufacturer tration" alongside their standard claimed that's exactly what it did. bags, but Mr. Connelly doesn't see much improvement in the new bag. TIPS Dr. Scheiken, the allergist, ad- Following are the major allergy relief vises his patients to start with companies. While it is not an en- the cheapest method. "If it works, dorsement, Dr. Robert Wood lists stay with it. If not, try the next these companies in his forthcoming level," he said. book: However, if a patient happens to be building a new house, the doctor does recommend installing 164 hardwood floors and a central .Topeka; Kan 66r vacuum system that empties into (913) 267,933 one canister, preferably kept in the garage. Allergy Cleattg#0** --- 125 Haddon Avenue Haddon Heights, N.J. 0803 5 (800) 8814110 Allergy Control Products 96 Danbury Road Ridgefield, Conn. 06887 (800) 422-3878 Allergy Relief Products 246-08 Jericho Turnpike Floral Park, N.Y. 11001 (800) 862-5155 Bio-Tech Systems P.O. Box 25380 Chicago,111, 60625 (800) 621-5545 National Allergy Supply 4579 Georgia Highway 120 P.O. Box 1658 Duluth, Ga. 30136 (800) 522-1448 MEDICARE-MEDICAID-PRIVATE PAY-INSURANCE CLAIMS Small Doses Many doctors now recommend some of these products to their patients in conjunction with a medically based treatment pro- gram. "When board-certified aller- gists look at a patient's overall history, it includes their home, school and work environment," said Sarah Kaluzny-Petroff, di- rector of communications for the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology, a profession- al organization for allergists. "Seeing where the environment can be improved and thus reduce exposure is part of the overall plan." Some insurance companies re- imburse for the cost of these prod- ucts but policies vary. There is a quiet push within the allergy relief industry to get insurance companies to increase reim- bursements. `These are medical devices and they should be treated accord- ingly," said Ms. Miller of Aller- gy Control Products. "But insurance companies are looking to pay for less these days, not more." 111 Surveyed and Certified by Michigan Dept. of Health Call Anytime-24 hours a day-7 days a week! "Experience the Difference" M (810) 551-8100 Staffing Metro Detroit Since 1969 • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • Join The New Year Celebration! Save 1 5 % on All Non-sale Supplements With this ad Exp. 2-15-95 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT , INC. Fat Facts It may be fashionable to work out and watch what we eat, but most Americans don't practice what medical experts preach. Accord- ing to the Centers for Disease Control, one-third of men and one-fourth of women are obese, and only 53 percent of those peo- ple are on a diet, down from 56 percent in 1985. Home Health Care 28500 Southfield Road. Lathrup Village, MI 48076 HEALTH FOOD STORE 2530 ORCHARD LAKE ROAD • SYLVAN LAKE U1'71-W:WH'%LW:M1E17L-WM4:kM products and called them "ques- tionable." They are air filtration systems and dustless vacuum cleaners. So leery is Mr. Connelly of both products that he recom- mends removing wall-to-wall car- peting from the home rather than buying either of them. Air purifiers do not remove dust mites because the dust mite allergen particles are heavy and sink to the floor. Air filters re- move only airborne particles, such as cat dander, pollen and cigarette smoke. "Most allergens that bother us are not airborne," said Dr. Wood. He is currently involved in a study with Honeywell, manufac- turer of a popular filter, on the ef- fect of the filters on the number of allergens in home air. Ms. Miller of Allergy Control Products cautions that some com- panies make unsubstantiated claims about the effectiveness of air purifiers. "There have been some small studies of these de- vices but not enough homework has been done. This should not be your first line of defense," she said. PEOPLE WHO CARE SERVING PEOPLE WHO NEED CARING — • RegisteredNurses/Licensed Practical Nurses • Nurses Aides/Home Health Aides • Therapists... Physical/Speech/Occupational • Personal Care Aides/Companions • Social Workers the dead dust mites. A 14-ounce box of Acarosan sells for $67. The only product Dr. Wood dismisses as truly useless is the spray or powder pet stores sell to sprinkle directly on pets to reduce dander. "They just don't work," he said. U) r- r- CO r- 810.681.3700 U) U) Join the Trend of the FUTURE! Come to the Place Where "Health Reform" Begins & Start your own "Health Care Program" r- C) r- 111 Still the place where you get . Other Products Among the other products on the market are sprays that claim to "denature" dust mites or cat dander. Denature means to break down the protein that produces the allergy. The two most com- mon sprays are tannic acid and benzyl benzoate. Dr. Wood considers tannic acid "minimally effective. [The sprays] reduce the allergen level quite a bit but the dust mites remain, and repeat applications are nec- essary." A one-quart container of Allersearch, which covers about 600 square feet, costs about $23. Benzyl benzoate does kill dust mites. It is a heavy, moist pow- der that is sprinkled on the car- pet and vacuumed up after it has dried. But there's a hitch. Most conventional vacuum cleaners are not strong enough to suck up Stick To It Don't be among the half of those who drop out of an exercise pro- gram in the first six months. Try these tactics to boost success: Work out with a friend, be con- fident, and don't rush. Always warm up and cool down before a workout and exercise to your current fitness level. Easing Muscle Soreness If hiking in the woods or running a 10K leaves your muscles sore, take 400 milligrams of an anti- inflammatory drug (like ibupro- fen) four hours before the activity. Continue to take it every eight hours for the next day or two. "Service with a Personal Touch" r- * SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE • SALE * SALE • SALE * PERSONAL FITNESS CONSULTING Continuing motivation to promote lifestyle modification with emphasis on heart disease, weight management and osteoporosis. • Individualized exercise • Weight training prescription & training & toning • Aerobic conditioning • Flexibility • Women's special issues Credentials: Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, 20 years weight training experience, BS in nutrition, MA in exercise physiology, Certified by American College of Sports Medicine Call MICHELE L. GARDYNIK (810) 624-6976 to schedule your appointment H27