Useful devices for allergy sufferers

One out of three people worldwide faces a food allergy, and for many kids, that number climbs to half. This issue grows bigger every year. Allergies now stand as a major health challenge of the 21st century. The increase links closely to new technology, worsening pollution, and more chemicals added to foods. Knowing this helps spot dangers and stay protected, making the allergy story worth exploring further.

But the same technological progress is helping allergy sufferers and to overcome the disease.

Purifying the air from allergens.

The most logical way to fight an allergy is to eliminate its cause. Since most allergies are caused by so-called air allergens, it is also necessary to fight them by cleaning the air in the room. Household appliances such as cleaners, filters and sinks are best suited for this purpose.

High-quality devices can clean the air from 99% of allergens, such as pet hair and dandruff, household dust, plant pollen, chemical toxins and particles of exhaust gases.

There are many types and models of air purification and washing devices on the market. The main principle when choosing a household appliance is the presence of HEPA-filter. It captures the smallest particles up to 2.5 micrometers in size. These are the most dangerous pollutants for allergy sufferers and everyone else.

You don’t have to chase after the “99.99% cleaning” figures on the packaging, which invariably increases the cost of the device. Practice shows that effective air purification is also achieved at 95%. And the price of such filter or washing will be lower than the advertised brands.

Avoid pollen

One of the popular Russian applications for allergy sufferers is “Pollen Club”. Allows you to monitor the activity of eight common plant allergens, including pollen alder, hazelnut, birch, oak, cereals, wormwood, ragweed. In the application you can find out the flowering dates of the plants and the approximate concentration of pollen in the air on a given day.

There is also a function for evaluating your own well-being using the “traffic light” scheme. You can also view the assessments made by other users in the application. In addition, you can get a forecast of the development of an allergic situation in the city for a week and read the comments of experts.

Determine food allergens.

The United States has developed a truly revolutionary device for quickly determining the content of allergens in food. The device was named Allergy Amulet. It was introduced by the eponymous start-up Abigail Barnes, a young entrepreneur. The girl herself suffers from allergies to peanuts, hazelnuts and oysters.

The development is based on sensors on molecularly imprinted polymers. These are polymers that determine the content of certain molecules in substances. This technology finds application in the development of sensors, test systems, antimicrobial preparations, artificial antibodies, etc. Allergy Amulet is a small wearable gadget that looks really like an amulet. It can be worn on a chain as a fashion accessory. It comes with disposable test sticks.

Protecting children.

Another device developed in the USA is designed for children. It is a bright bracelet called Aibi, which is worn on your hand like a fitness tracker. It responds to elevated histamine levels and signals the onset of an allergic reaction. The device is designed to alert parents, teachers and emergency services to the severe consequences of an allergic reaction, including anaphylactic shock in a child.

In case of an attack, the bracelet automatically sends a text message to the phones of parents and other recipients listed in the app. There is also a function to call the medical service number.

We find lactose.

The device called Ally is designed for people with lactose allergy – milk sugar. Ally is a compact device that looks like a lollipop on a stick. To test the content of the allergen, you need to crush a small amount of product in a container with a few drops of water, and then dipped in the resulting solution test strip and put it in the connector device.

The result is transmitted via Bluetooth to a smartphone where it can be shared with other users. In the app you can also mark the café or restaurant where the user dines and indicate which dishes of the institution contain or do not contain milk sugar.

Remove the sinus headache.

Year-round allergic rhinitis is an unpleasant thing in itself. But one of the most annoying symptoms of this allergy is sinus headache. It occurs because of constant inflammation of the sinuses and can be accompanied by swelling, fever, high pressure in the nasal area, forehead, cheekbones.

Typical medicines used for sinus pain are antihistamines and local vasoconstriction sprays. But they have side effects, and nose sprays are also addictive. The U.S. has invented a special device to quickly eliminate this pain. It’s called the ClearUP Sinus Pain Relief Device. It is a compact device that uses microcurrent technology.