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Allergy/asthma symptoms disappear in ice rink

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Posted 12/22/2013 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
My 4.5 yr old daughter has been suffering from allergies since she was 2. Her symptom is a cough, particularly worse at night. we've tried everything with no results - some limited relief from claritin but we are finding now we have to overdose (above recommended) for her to have relief for a full day/night. She's also on flonase inhaler and singulair and was also on nasonex for sometime. When she gets a cold she can't breath and we have to add albuterol and steam showers to her treatment. In an effort to reduce the number of drugs we took her off nasonex. I haven't seen any notable difference from putting her on singulair or flonase. We've also started trying subbing d-hist jr for claritin without much luck yet.

We've taken her off dairy and gluten (for 6 weeks now) and just spent $5500 on new ducts, air returns, fresh air ventilation and filtration (she also has a honeywell 17000 in her room). No better (maybe worse).

The weird thing we can't figure out is that when she goes to the ice rink/arena, places which are notable for poor air quality, all her symptoms go away. She can be hacking all the way to the rink, we get in and she stops. As soon as we step out, hacking again.

I can't find anyting on the web about this. Everything I search relating to ice rinks, cold air, and asthma/allergies says that people normally get worse at rinks or breathing in cold air.

Any thoughts on how this could be a clue to help us?
Posted 12/23/2013 3:51 AM (GMT 0)
Just wondering...do you or anyone else in you home smoke? My son suffered from asthma and it always was worse in the winter...when the furnace kicked in. We never stopped to think that when the furnace is on, the house is closed up and any smoke and allergens were being recycled through the system all winter long. Then, my husband quit smoking and my son stopped the asthma attacks in the winter! He did eventually outgrow the asthmatic problem.

I'm sure there is no smoking in the ice rink so this could be part of the answer...if you do have smokers in the house.

Sherrine
Posted 12/24/2013 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
Just a thought: Do you have anything that measures relative humidity? An electronic weather set like the ones that have an outdoor unit and send the signals back to an indoor screen?

A lot of kids have less trouble when they are in a place with high humidity, like a swimming pool. We've had lots of swim team kids whose asthma disappears during swim season.

Indoor air quality also typically gets worse in winter. Insulation off-gasses, cooking odor chemicals, cleaning chemicals.

Thinking of cleaning - you might try not using any spray chemicals at all except for maybe a little vinegar in water. Other than that I don't use anything except a little bathroom cleaner, and turn on the exhaust fan.

Schools are notorious for using noxious chemicals.

Keep a logbook for her, noting date, time, location, and any foods, drinks, medicines, and chemicals she might be exposed to. A journal works well for finding food sensitivities.
Posted 12/25/2013 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the responses. No one smokes in the house - no friends, no relatives. Our thermostat (with a farily recently upgrade A/C system) measures relative humidity. on the low end around 46, but more typically around 50-55. The A/C system has a dehumidifier mode but not to the extent an actual dehumidifier would. We live in SW FL so it is A/C almost all year around. When it's cool enough we don't need the A/C, I will run the fan to circulate. I may invest in whole home dehumidification next if the dry air in the rink is a clue. Although she doesn't get any better on the drier days in the FL winters. My reason for wanting to invest in whole home dehumidification is I can run the fan more continuously for filtration and keep the relative humidity 50 or below. But I've heard from experts that circulating the air doesn't necessarly clean it even with a good filter.

As for cleaning chemicals we have been using quite a number natural product including our dish soap, but yes other than bathroom it is mostly just water.

We do have a log book but we can increase what we are putting in it. We don't log foods for example and that is a good idea.

That is what is frustrating us right now - there is no obvious pattern. It does seem changes in weather tend to cause more issues... cold fronts, humid days in the winter, etc. hmm... maybe I should get a barometer and watch that.

Will keep working at it. She had to have two albuterol masks today - one in the AM and one now at night as she tries to sleep before xmas.
Posted 12/26/2013 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
I tried some "natural" products, especially laundry detergent. They were worse for my allergies than the ones without perfumes and dyes. "Natural" can be some pretty awful stuff.

For house cleaning my housekeepers use very little beyond plain old vinegar in water. I'm sticking with my laundry detergent and a double rinse cycle. I got a steam mop for my marble bathroom floor. (Never put acid on calcium based materials.)

Clothes washers today don't rinse well enough because they just don't use enough water. I've always insisted on double rinsing.

Household products, shampoo and soaps don't have to claim perfumes if they are only enough to mask bad smells.
Posted 12/31/2013 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
Soooo, I'm a complete newbie to this forum but I've had asthma for the last 15 years.

The ice rink along with caves are beyond easy for me to breathe in. Not sure why, but the cold air helps relax my lungs.

Also, one of the paramedics I met told me to stick my head in the freezer for a few minutes when I feel an attack coming on. I think its the same concept as breathing in an ice rink or cave.

Keeping track of the food that she is eating is an awesome idea. I've found that by eliminating gluten and dairy strictly along with my food allergens have helped out greatly with controlling my asthma and ER visits. Interesting fact too: asthmatics tend to be non-celiac gluten sensitive (asthma is a side effect of it). Unfortunately, there isn't a test for this. The only thing you can do is to cut it out strictly for a few weeks and see if her symptoms improve.

Oddly enough, cutting out yellow 5 and 6 has reduced my asthma attacks. I'm not sure what the correlation is, but by switching from a processed, fast food diet to an all natural, whole foods (no artificial flavors, dyes, chemicals that I can't pronounce or preservatives) I've felt so much better. Check out www.foodbabe.com for details.

Also, it might be a good idea for her to be allergy tested. The test itself sucks greatly (mine was 90 pricks in the back and arms), but at least I know exactly what I'm allergic to. However, I don't recommend immunotherapy - it didn't do a thing for me.

Vitamin C and Magnesium supplements have helped greatly. Asthmatics tend to have lower amounts of these nutrients in their bodies. Personally, I take a vitamin c gummy or chew-able in the morning and a glass of Magnesium water at night (Natural Calm - it tastes okay, but helps calm down my chest at night).

Make sure that she rests at night. Asthmatics are prone to attacks from 12 am - 8 am, namely because our corticosteroids (the lovely things that help reduce attacks) are at their lowest levels during that time. Try to have her relax before bedtime, like reading a book or meditating.

Also, clean with natural cleaners. Personally, I use Dr. Bonners for everything from dish soap and hand soap (place it in a foaming soap container 1/4 soap, 3/4 distilled water) to an all purpose cleaner. This switch has helped reduce to asthma attacks greatly. My laundry detergent is home made, and seems to be working so far. =)

Oh, be careful with NSAIDs around her. Asthmatics tend to not react too well to them (Advil, Aleve, aspirin.... basically anything that isn't Tylenol). Personally, I get a huge rash all over and have several attacks after taking an Advil. Totally not fun. >.<

Lastly, I recommend using a neti pot for when she has a stuffy nose and taking Bosweilla for asthma flare-ups. The neti pot is a bit of a gross process but it clears up the nose instantly. As for the Bosweilla, it's an Ayurvedic remedy that reduces the number of attacks daily. For me, it feels like my chest is finally open.

Hope that helps! Feel free to message me if you have any questions. =)

Post Edited (SneakyFoxeh) : 12/30/2013 5:28:11 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/31/2013 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
Cool air is key, my daughter has had asthma since she was 2 and she is now 10, we keep the house cold, all the carpeted floors are vacuumed everyday, no stuffed animals on the bed or bed skirts as the will collect dust. Always clean when she isn't home and open a window to allow fumes to escape. The house should be a 70 degrees or lower at all times.
Posted 1/1/2014 2:02 AM (GMT 0)
Maybe try a cold mist humdifier in her room, a saline nasal spray might help ...cold will also keep germs at bay....
Many well wishes...
For me it's the opposite cold air is a huge trigger for me....
Posted 1/3/2014 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear about your daughter's asthma. I too have asthma and maybe the ice rink helps her because it's putting mist into the air. I do much better when I'm in the bathtub or around a pool or body of water.

You mentioned that you live in SW Florida. I was in southwest Florida in November. I had never been there before. We stayed in a small city on the gulf but when we drove to a larger city, I experienced asthma symptoms. They became so bad I had to go to urgent care a few days later. I came down with a upper respiratory infection and was put on steroids along with other meds.

What I believe happened was the closer we came to the city the worse my symptoms became. Air pollution from the traffic, stagnant heavy humid air, and the red tide can affect people. Even though I loved the area I could not live there.

Eating healthy and taking nutritional supplements has helped me a lot with my allergies and asthma. Good luck to you.
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