Thursday’s tip becomes WFMW: Aloe for asthma June 20, 2007

Here at Broom Huggers we’ve been doing a cleaning or health tip every Thursday. Starting this week, we’re switching our tips to Wednesdays to participate in Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer.

As it turns out, fresh gel from the aloe vera plant can help asthma sufferers. Clip a leaf, slice it lengthwise, and scoop the gel into some boiling water. It makes a great humidifier for asthma sufferers to breathe. But you do need the fresh stuff – so if you or someone in your house has asthma, get yourself a healthy aloe plant and learn how to take care of it.

You can also use it to relieve sunburns, eczema, and aid digestion. They say aloe is a pretty easy plant to keep – hardy and survives even the least green of thumbs. So I guess we can just call me a 3rd-degree plant murderer. I’ve killed numerous aloe plants, but thankfully kept each long enough to get good use out of it!

Alleive asthma May 15, 2007

It can be so frustrating to go through the day with asthma – always conscious of triggers, coughing for seemingly no reason. The EPA has reported that indoor air is multiple times more toxic than outdoor air. So what to do? A new study notes that the critical time to keep your windows closed is between 4 and 8 AM. That’s when most plants emit their pollen. So keep those windows closed in the early morning. But open them up in the evening. Let the breeze blow through your house and conquer all those spring time allergies and asthma triggers.

Next – and this one is pretty obvious – make sure your air filters are HEPA – they capture 99.97% of particles.

You can also check the daily pollen count at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Stay inside when pollen counts are high.

Clean the house frequently – and especially things like pillowcases, which should be washed in hot water to eliminate dust and pollen settling in.

Finally – and this was a bit of a surprise to me – shower at night before you go to bed. A lot of asthmatics have worsened problems at night. A lot of the time this is because they carry pollen and dust to bed with them on their bodies. So shower at night, wash off all the day’s pollen, and sleep more soundly.

Breathe easy May 9, 2007

I feel like I’ve been bombarded lately with moms whose kids have asthma. I know their fears well, and their stresses. Anything that effects the way your child breathes is infinitely scary. I never thought I would say this, but I am so blessed that I grew up with asthma. It’s put a bunch of tools in my toolkit so that I know how to manage my children’s asthma. And not just that. I know exactly what they’re feeling when they have an asthma attack. I know how to evaluate the triggers, and I can test out new products and new places – if something triggers me I can be pretty sure it will effect my kids in some way.

I have this amazing benefit that I’ve been managing asthma for over 25 years (I won’t say how much over 25) and I’m so glad I’ve had that experience before having to manage my kids’ asthma, and teach them the tools to handle it themselves. The good news is that I’ve found a huge difference in my breathing ease since switching from regular cleaning products to natural cleaning products. The difference it has is mind-boggling. Honestly, when I pour Mr. Clean or Fabuloso into my mop bucket, the effect on my lungs is almost immediate. And sure, that dissipates while my kids are napping, and by the time they wake up the fumes are less severe. But they’re still in my house. So I appreciate it so much when I pour a natural cleaner into my mop bucket and breathe free. But just in general, I really do breathe easier now – I haven’t used regular cleaning products in years, and my house is a much nicer place for me to be. So if you haven’t tried making the switch, give it a shot. You’ll be pleased. And so will your kids.