According to recent figures published on WebMD.com, 55% of Americans now test positive for one or more allergies. That’s a scary fact: More than half the population now has an allergy of some kind. Allergic reactions and asthma are now considered the fifth most serious chronic condition in the United States. And the problem can only get worse because allergies are passed down from generation to generation. A child with one parent who has allergies has a 33% chance of developing an allergy, and that number rises to 70% if both parents have allergies.
Of all the allergies one can have, it’s not food allergies that are the biggest problem. Food allergies only represent 2% of the total number of allergy sufferers. The most common types of allergic reaction are pollen, mold, dust mite excretion, and dander. People mistakenly believe that pollen is the main cause of runny nose and watery eyes. Pollen is just one of the causes. The fact that people in rural areas of developing countries who have higher exposure to pollen have a much lower incidence rate of hay fever casts doubt on the pollen theory.
Allergic reaction is primarily a developed world problem and it is interesting to note that in countries like the United States and Japan, people spend 90% of their lives indoors. Therefore, it stands to reason that improving indoor air quality is key to preventing allergy sufferers from suffering from upper airway inflammation. Dust mites are microscopic animals that feed on dead human skin and their droppings cause many people to suffer from allergy symptoms. Dust mites live in furniture, bedding, and carpets. Obviously it is difficult to survive without bedding and furniture, but rugs are completely superfluous for our needs.
So rip out your rugs and install an allergen-free type of flooring. Strand woven bamboo flooring is recommended which is not only allergen free but also antimicrobial. Woven bamboo flooring is made from bamboo, which is a renewable resource. It is a strong and hard type of flooring that can be easily self-installed. Strand-woven bamboo flooring is also resistant to mold, which means that if you don’t have pets and install strand-woven bamboo flooring, you’re removing the three main allergens from your indoor space: dander (from pet hair), mold and dust mite excretion. .
