The Halo Team recently hit the streets and headed to the Big Apple to attend the Peek lifestyles media event.  This New York City event highlighted some of the newest gadgets on the market, including the Halo UVX.  Check out some of the media coverage below. http://www.news8austin.com/content/living/tech_beat/?ArID=183905&SecID=192

As we wrote about before, the human members of your family aren't the only ones who can suffer from seasonal or chronic allergies.  Our "fur children" can have itchy skin, ear and eye discharge and sneezing fits just like us.  This is Pumpkin - the newest member of my family.  She is a Retriever/Chow mix and was adopted a few weeks ago from a shelter that saves dogs and cats from being euthanized.  We really lucked out: Pumpkin was housebroken, is very obedient, loyal and sweet.  The one thing we didn't know is that Pumpkin has allergies.  We started to notice her eye discharge right away, and her itching just got worse and worse.  Thankfully, I came across this article about animal allergies and possible remedies.  We realized it might just be her food or something in her shampoo even.  Of course, the author suggests you go to a veterinarian for your diagnoses, but there are some non-invasive home antidotes you can try to save you a trip to the vet's office.  Read more about them below. http://www.timescommunity.com/site/tab3.cfm?newsid=18380590&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=506078&rfi=6  

There are many situations in a child's life that are hard for parents to explain.  From grandparents passing away to being the only kid in their class with glasses, parents often feel short on words to help comfort their children in difficult circumstances. Thankfully, you have your public library to thank for some vicarious wisdom.  With books covering all topics from the passing of a pet, to Dad going to Iraq, to dealing with diabetes, you can muster up the right words to help your kids get through the hard times.  I came across this article in my efforts to educate myself about ways to help kids understand their allergies and asthma.  I remember as a child, I would miss school due to a whole gamut of upper respiratory infections brought on by untreated allergy symptoms.  Knowing how my body was reacting to my surroundings would have helped my parents prevent my suffering and kept me in school instead of on the couch, sipping soup and watching "All My Children" with my mom.  If I only had the book!   Read here to find out more about the kinds of books available: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/20/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/20Rparent.html?em&ex=1179806400&en=a93ee323e3ddcb2d&ei=5087%0A

Many studies have come out over the last several years proving the ineffectiveness of vacuuming alone on preventing the build-up of dust mites and dust mite feces into your home. This is particularly troublesome because these dust mite allergens are the number one cause of allergies and asthma worldwide (and asthma is the number one pulmonary disease in the world). A new study just came out that again confirms the ineffectiveness of traditional vacuuming. The study conducted by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research concludes that regular vacuuming "was an ineffective allergy avoidance measure because it removed dust mite allergen from carpets in an inconsistent and incomplete manner." Traditional vacuums do not kill dust mites. As a result, live dust mites remain in the carpet to rapidly reproduce, leaving the problem unsolved. Even if a traditional vacuum picks up some of the dust mite allergens, they still leave behind the unrelenting persistence of millions of live dust mites. Dust mites have little suction cups on their many feet to help them cling to the fibers of your carpet! This is the exact problem that Halo is able to remedy. Halo kills dust mites as you vacuum, loosening the grip they have on your carpet and freeing them up to be suctioned away. Read more about dust mites and vacuuming in the article below from Science Daily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070522155643.htm

Who knew that your diet could affect your unborn child's predisposition for allergies and asthma?  A recent article states that a mother's diet, chock full of apples and fish can actually lessen a child's risk for allergies and asthma once they leave the womb.  Read the article for the whole scoop.  You'll be surprised. http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=785582007

An article just came out this week outlining Thailand's plan for production and use of a new dust mite allergy vaccine developed by the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital.  The vaccine would stimulate one's immunity against dust mite allergies for up to five years and they hypothesize that multiple injections would prevent symptoms for life. Given the intensity of your allergies, would you try this new vaccine when it came to America?  Read more about it here.  And read more about how it's been tested here.

We all know that often times, allergens can affect those living with asthma, but did you know that many people with allergies may have low grade asthma and not really know it?  A doctor from the Allergy and Asthma Center in Parkersburg, West Virginia has come out and said that when allergies are at their   worst, low grade asthma symptoms can arise.  The only way to know for sure if it's just allergies or if relief can come from asthma treatment is to ask your doctor. Read more about this phenomenon below: http://www.wtap.com/news/headlines/7406106.html 

According to doctors nationwide, this allergy season has been especially aggravating for many.  Due to a lack of precipitation in many areas of the country, the pollen and grass counts have been up and have been relentless on those with severe allergies.  Without rain to remove some of these allergens from the air, I know that I can feel the difference in my itchy, watery eyes. Doctors blame the warm, dry weather around most of the country for the increase of visits to their offices.  The combination of the wet winter and the lack of precipitation now allows for the growth of mold and the rise of it up into the dry, swirling air.  Mold, mingling with the pollen and other allergens leaves us all back at the doctor's office, asking for more antihistamines. The recent article below outlines doctors concerns with this year's allergy season.  What are you doing to take you and your family's allergies into your own hands? http://www.king5.com/health/stories/NW_050907HEBallergiesKC.52eac3fd.html

In our valiant attempt to stay at the cutting edge of all things hip and cool, Halo has launched its own MySpace page!  We hope that our MySpace page will be a forum for the Halo Family.  We can't wait to share tips, ask and answer questions, hear your comments on our products, and help educate new moms and others about how to minimize suffering from allergies and asthma.  We plan on putting up more great tips and blog posts, interesting videos and even contests for free products, exclusive to MySpace friends! Send us a message and a friend request and hopefully we can get a great group of people together to network for the health and happiness of everyone's families! www.myspace.com/halovacuums

For most of us allergy sufferers, Spring is the time where our symptoms are most prevalent. Year in and year out, we can practically throw away our calendars and keep track of time by the ebb and flow of empty Kleenex boxes and prescription bottles. With that kind of consistency, wouldn't you think we'd be able to make some pre-emptive measures to keep ourselves from suffering when allergy season rolls around again? Family physician Dr. Jennifer Malcolm suggests just that in an article that came out recently. She says that if you know allergies are eminent and all the signs are beginning to show, that you should get into the habit of taking your medications immediately. This will build up the antihistamines in your system and at least lessen suffering once pollen and other allergens are in full-force. Read more about this theory in the article below. Article Link: How to Avoid Allergies

With National Allergy and Asthma Month in full swing, there are various initiatives going on to educate the public about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of these frustrating and often chronic illnesses. A recent article explained how asthma has become a growing problem over the last 20 years and while there are assumptions about the symptoms, they can vary from person to person, making the diagnosis of asthma difficult.An important point the article made was the fact that asthma is much more serious for children because their airways are already so much smaller than adults. Check out the article below to learn more. Article Link: Asthma Affects 26 Million Americans

The Halo Team has returned from the Michigan International Women's Show in Novi, Michigan!  Thank you to all the people at Southern Shows, Rock Financial Showplace and all the people of the Detroit Metro area for being so hospitable.  It was great being able to meet so many people and spread the word about the Halo UVX.  The response was great and it was very educational to hear the questions you had.  If you couldn't make it, we hope to see you at more shows in the future.  If you were there and received our flyers, don't forget to register at gethalo.com/contest with the promotional code we gave you!