May is National Allergy and Asthma month.  More than fifty million people suffer from allergies in America and one in fifteen people suffer from asthma.  Being educated about the threats to your family's health is essential to prevent illnesses - now and in the future.   With asthma and allergy education coming to the forefront this month, what do you need to know to keep your family healthy?  Not only during May, but year-round, it is important to recognize the subtleties of allergy and asthma symptoms  and to differentiate them from the common cold and other less serious ailments.  It's important to educate yourself and your children. We suggest reading the paper or watching the weather together to learn about pollen levels and how they affect health.  Perhaps having your children help with cleaning the house can reinforce the importance of removing allergens like dust from their environment and make them feel like they're making a difference towards the health of their whole family.  In honor of National Allergy and Asthma Month, what other fun activities can you organize for your kids to understand the seriousness of their allergies and educate them about preventative measures? 

Attention Midwesterners!  The Michigan International Women's Show is coming up next week and you're invited to experience, in person, the exciting technology of the Halo™ UVX Ultraviolet Vacuum!  We have partnered with Real Savvy Moms (www.realsavvymoms.com) to debut the Halo UVX to an estimated 45,000 women at the Novi, Michigan event, right outside of Detroit.  We are excited about meeting all of you and answering your questions about our unique product.  The show is taking place on May 3-6 at the Rock Financial Center where there are going to be a plethora of exhibitors who focus on women's health and well-being.  It will be a chance for you pamper yourself with great food and spa treatments, partake in a little "retail therapy" and stop by to learn more about us while you're there.  We plan on having daily vacuum giveaways, in addition to fun activities and product demonstrations, so this is something you don't want to miss out on.  I know I am looking forward to it and everyone here at Halo can't wait to see you either.   Look for updates from the show next week...but in the meantime, get all the details about the event here!

Years ago as a child, I began showing symptoms of allergies.  At first, my parents and I just wrote them off as the sniffles caught from my fellow first graders.  However, over time, we realized these reactions were on a schedule.  Every change in season, I would come down with some sort of upper respiratory difficulty that would keep me home during the school year for a few days at a time...and inhibit my career as the city's next tee-ball MVP during the summer.  That is when I got tested and realized I had allergies. An article came out this week succinctly outlining the importance of getting tested for allergies if you suspect you suffer from them and what you can do to keep from suffering. Fighting Allergies Means Fighting Cause - WMTW.com

When spring comes around, my allergies tend to catch me off guard.  I get the sniffles and congestion that can often times be confused with the symptoms of the common cold.  However, I read an article this morning about differentiating between having a cold and suffering from previously undiagnosed allergies.  Just this weekend, I had a friend in town from Columbus, Ohio who insisted she had caught a bug from the children she nannies, but after reading this article, I was convinced she was reacting to the change in her environment.  She was quick to say that she doesn't have allergies, but the plant life and pollen count vary widely from Ohio to North Carolina.  The symptoms of allergies and colds often times can be very similar but can be a sign of something more serious, as I learned when I moved from the Midwest.  Here are a few criteria you can look out for to differentiate the two.  Article Link:
Dust Mites Just Might be the Cause of Sniffles -James and Morris Carey, Associated Press

I read an article today about the spread of flu virus, the symptoms and how to prevent catching it.   One of the big concerns for young and old alike, all across the country, is catching a cold or the flu.  With people coughing and sneezing at work and in school, it's all you can do to steer clear of people's cubicles and convince your kids to not share their juice boxes.  People carrying the virus can be contagious 1 to 4 days before their symptoms appear, so they can pass it on before they even know they're sick.  There are plenty of things you can do to reduce your risk of catching a cold or the flu and Halo can be integral in your fight against illness.  Read more about the preventative measures you can take to ward against contagious diseases. What's Going Around - February 8, 2007, KXAN.com

There are lots of great steps you can take this time of year to ensure that your home is as allergen-free as possible.  When spring comes around and the allergens outside the home are as prevalent as the ones inside, it's a good idea to take the necessary precautions to make sure you and your family are sleeping well.   A great article came out recently regarding this exact topic.  They have some great tips for controlling cockroaches, minimizing pet dander, and controlling dust mites to make your house more comfortable today. Article Link

Did you know that potentially more than twenty million Americans are allergic to dust mites?  That is second only to having a pollen allergy.  Unfortunately, I am one of these aforementioned Americans.  After being tested at an early age and receiving my laundry list of allergies, I was put in quite a predicament.  I can avoid foods that make me ill, I can use purifiers to remove pollen and dust from the air, but how am I going to get rid of the millions of dust mites in my mattress and carpets around the house...especially when studies show they are multiplying exponentially every day?  Short of tearing up every inch of carpeting and sleeping in a rubber bed, what are our choices?  That sounds like a lot of work for such a microscopic problem. Halo can help with your everyday battles and here are a few recent articles about the ongoing war against dust mites in your home. Article Links:  Dust Mites Top List in Allergy Survey - Achooallergy.com Is Your House Making You Sick? - Oprah.com

A recent study found that there is a gap to be bridged between children who live in the city and those who don't regarding allergy and asthma prevention. The socioeconomic inconsistency was also reflected in the amount of education regarding prevention that diagnosed patients received.  "The majority of asthmatics have some sort of allergic component to their disease, and treating allergies and teaching people how to reduce or eliminate their exposure to whatever they're sensitized to is a large part of asthma treatment for those who have allergic asthma," noted Jeanette Stingone, M.P.H. of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
 
The Halo Team found this interesting and relevant to our mission to help educate and create products to improve the lives of our Halo Family.  It's our goal to help bridge this gap and make your home a healthier place.  
 
Learn more about this discrepancy by reading the full article below: AAAAI: Asthmatic City Kids Often Don't Get Allergy Testing or Education - February 26, 2007

Just recently, a very interesting article came up on our radar about allergies in cats.  So often we think about humans being allergic to pet fur and dander, but it's not so uncommon for our pets to be allergic to things as well, just like us.  Some of the allergens that can affect your pets are fleas, dust mites, even the metal residue in their water bowl or their own flea collar.  Believe it or not, the visible symptoms in your pet are similar to human reactions too; pets can sneeze, itch at a rash and vomit from their allergies.
 
Of course, steps can be taken to relieve your pet from allergies.  Trial and error with removing flea collars and toys might help, using a ceramic or glass water bowl instead of a metal one might alleviate symptoms as well.  Drugs can even be prescribed.  If the culprit is dust mites or fleas, inevitably, we are obligated to suggest our hot-off-the-assembly-line, furry-friend-friendly, chemical-free Halo UVX Ultraviolet Vacuum! However, our main concern is the health of you and your family, including Fluffy and Spot.  Read the full articles below and try each avenue if your pet is suffering. Article Links: Allergies In Cats - The Basics - February 25, 2007 Dermatologist can help itchy dog - February 27, 2007

For us allergy sufferers, the city in which we live can pose a problem.  Some parts of the country are known for their beautiful wildflowers that produce pollen...some of us live near water where mold is prevalent.  The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (www.aafa.org) has put out a list of the Top 100 Allergy Capitals...the cities in the United States where it is most difficult to live with allergies.  Check out the list below and see where you hometown ranks.

Article Link [pdf]

Halo Technologies is in the news! Michael Rudnick of Home Furnishings News
(hfnmag.com) wrote up a great article about the launch of the Halo™ UVX Ultraviolet Vacuum and the future of Halo. We are excited about the visibility and excited for what the future will bring! Cleaning what you see and killing what you can't has never been so glamorous! Read the article below. Article Link [pdf]

Inevitably, each spring brings with it a whole slew of concerns for us. For allergy sufferers, there is the pollen, ragweed and other outdoor nuisances to deal with in addition to the dust mites and mold indoors; for pet owners, the threat of fleas and ticks grows with each increasingly prettier day. The warmer temperatures bring on higher humidity, fostering the growth of molds.

What do you do around your home in the spring to help curb the infiltration of these things? Often times, things like mold and mildew can be in your house without you knowing it. Just because you can't smell or see it, doesn't mean it's not there. With the prevalence of mold allergies, one cannot be too careful when considering a cleaning method to get rid of mold and its spores.

Here are a few articles on the proliferation of mold and mildew allergies and if you haven't yet stopped by the Halo website to learn more about what you can do to take care of mold in your home without the use of chemicals, go check it out.

Article Links:
Parents want school tested - March 13, 2007,
How one woman's life was turned upside down by mold - March 11, 2007