Nothing sends more kids to the hospital than asthma. So when doctors at Children's Hospital in Boston noticed they kept seeing an unusually high number of asthmatic kids from certain low-income neighborhoods, they wondered if they could do something about the environment these kids were living in. It's well-known that asthma attacks are triggered by dust, mold, pests such as mice and cockroaches, polluted air, and other environmental aggravations. To help parents get rid of those triggers, Children's Hospital developed the Community Asthma Initiative. The program first identifies frequent fliers — children who show up often at the hospital's emergency room with asthma attacks. Many of them get admitted repeatedly to bring their asthma under control. Then program staffers contact the parents. "It's a teachable moment," says program director Dr. Elizabeth Woods. "It's a time when families are very open to wanting to do something new and different to help their child stay out of the hospital."

The next step is a home visit from a community health worker like Margie Lorenzi, who recently paid a call on Maria Texeira-Gomes of Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston. Gomes' 5-year-old son, Matheo, has had asthma nearly all his life. After he was hospitalized last fall, she agreed to accept Lorenzi's help in identifying and eliminating the things in her household that kept triggering his asthma attacks. This was Lorenzi's third visit to the Gomes household — a small, tidy house with a view of the Boston skyline. pool cleaning service venice fl"We'll just go over the triggers like we did the first time and the second time around and see what changes you've implemented within the home," Lorenzi said as the two women settled around the kitchen table, an air purifier humming on a nearby counter.chem dry carpet cleaning deals

Shots - Health News Asthma On The Rise: 25 Million In The U.S. Affected Gomes said she had made lots of changes. NIH: Create Action Plans to Control Kids' Asthma "We have the HEPA-filter vacuum, which is what I use to dust and vacuum the home," Gomes said. "I try to vacuum when [Matheo] is at school." Gomes, a social worker, said she has stopped using room deodorants and no longer lights candles. They can aggravate asthma. pool cleaning service tracy ca"Just being diligent and thinking about his needs," she said. carpet cleaning services philippinesGomes now uses a vinegar-and-water solution to clean in order to avoid harsh chemicals. best way to remove carpet mastic"You know, within our culture we like to do this excessive cleaning with bleach and Lysol and all that stuff," she said. carpet cleaning price per sqft

"So I try to minimize it." Lorenzi ran through a checklist of other triggers. Gomes answered no to each. Then Lorenzi checked under the sink and in the bathroom, looking for trouble. She was pleased to see that Gomes had gotten rid of the living room carpet that harbored allergens, that she vacuums curtains and window blinds to reduce dust, that Matheo's toys and shoes are stored in dust-proof plastic bins provided by the Asthma Initiative, and that Grandma's cat stays upstairs in her apartment at all times. what is the best above ground pool automatic vacuumAll of these changes seemed to be paying off. That was apparent when Lorenzi calculated something called an "Asthma Control Score" for Matheo. "How much of the time did the asthma keep him from going to school and keep you from going to work?" "None of the time," Gomes said. And during the past four weeks, how much of the time did he have shortness of breath that you noticed?

Would you say once a day? Three to six times a week? Once or twice a week? Or not at all?" "Not at all," Gomes replied. Matheo's score turned out to be 23 — which means his asthma is well-controlled. On Lorenzi's last visit, it was 19, not well-controlled. Matheo used to end up in the hospital every time he had a cold, and in between there were many trips to the emergency room. He still has to take asthma medicine — but less often. His asthma isn't waking him up at night anymore. And once a week he goes swimming. The Community Asthma Initiative has served more than a thousand families over the past seven years. It costs about $2,300 per family — not only for staff time, but also for things like plastic bins, a special mattress and pillow covers, and the vacuum cleaner that filters out fine dust. It's not cheap — and it's not something hospitals typically do. But just a few visits over a year's time make a demonstrable difference. "For every dollar spent," Elizabeth Woods tells Shots, "you save $1.46 for hospitalizations and emergency room visits."

The program's performance was detailed in a report published last year by the journal Pediatrics. "There's a 56 percent reduction in patients with any emergency room visits," Woods adds, "and an 80 percent reduction in patients with any hospitalizations." And that doesn't include the savings from lower use of medications, or the cost of time off work for parents caring for a sick child. The program is beginning to catch on around the country. Woods says she knows of startups and keen interest in Alabama, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Illinois, Indiana, Delaware, Florida and Ohio. Woods hopes to persuade Medicaid and other insurers to pay for this sort of simple re-engineering of the home environment — pioneered by the Boston program — so they don't have to pay so much for treating asthma attacks.Edit ArticleHow to Choose Between a Bagless and a Bagged Vacuum Cleaner Three Parts:Figuring Out The BasicsFiguring Out The SpecificsChoosing The Right Model VacuumCommunity Q&A Choosing a vacuum cleaner does not have to be daunting.

Bagless and bagged vacuums both have different pros and cons. By considering your specific circumstances you can determine which vacuum is best for you. Determine how environmentally-friendly you want your vacuum cleaner to be. Decide whether breathing in the dust and dirt from the vacuum cleaner would bother you. Bagged vacuums are often better for people with asthma, as well as environmental allergies. This is because many modern vacuum bags are made from HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) material, which traps dust and dirt. Most bagless vacuums come with HEPA filters as well. But adding the extra layer of protection in a bagged vacuum may be better for those who have severe health problems stemming from exposure to dust and dirt. A full vacuum bag will release much less dust into the air when you throw it out than a full bagless vacuum canister will when you empty it. Some vacuum bags are made with rubber seals that release almost no particulate matter at all when you remove them from the vacuum, making them ideal for asthma and allergy sufferers.

Determine how frequently you’re willing to empty your vacuum cleaner. Vacuum bags can hold as much as twice the amount of dirt and dust that a bagless vacuum can hold at any one time. If you don’t mind potentially emptying your vacuum twice as often, a bagless vacuum may be right for you. Bagless vacuums’ reduced capacity also means that people who are sensitive to dust and dirt will be exposed to allergens much more often than with a bagged vacuum. Decide how much maintenance of your vacuum you are willing to do. A bagless vacuum cleaner may require regular filter cleaning in order to work at optimum levels. These filters must also be replaced regularly. Bagged vacuums require much less maintenance, since any filter mounted on them catches much less particulate matter. Calculate how much you wish to spend over the long term. Bagless vacuum cleaners can be more expensive than bagged vacuums. Over time they can save money since you do not have to go out and buy bags on a regular basis.

If you do not vacuum often, however, you may not need to buy bags very often for your bagged vacuum cleaner. Filter replacements can be a hidden cost of bagless vacuum cleaners. Because the filters on a bagless vacuum catch more dirt and dust than a bagged vacuum, you will need to clean and replace the filter more often, and these filters can be expensive. Choose a vacuum based on how much power you’ll need. Bagged vacuum cleaners generally provide more suction. That can be useful for heavily carpeted areas, or for people with pets that shed a lot. But if you’re only vacuuming hard surfaces, you may not need that extra suction. Bagged vacuums often provide less suction as the bag fills up. If you have a bagged vacuum, remember to check periodically to see if the bag needs to be replaced. Determine how likely you are to have to retrieve items from the vacuum cleaner. Check how much space you have to store your vacuum. Bagged vacuums can be larger than bagless vacuums.

This is because most portable, lightweight vacuums, such as handheld and lightweight “stick” models, are bagless. Most full-size vacuums, whether bagged or bagless, do not take up that much room. But if you live in a tiny apartment with only enough storage space for a lightweight vacuum, you may not be able to find room for a bagged model. Consider how important it is for you to see when the vacuum is full. Most, but not all, bagless vacuums have clear canisters. These allow you to see when the canister is full, so you don’t have to open the vacuum to check. On the other hand, you can’t see inside a bag. Some new models of bagged vacuums have indicator lights to signal when it’s time for a bag change, but most do not. Many portable, lightweight bagless vacuums do not have clear canisters. If you have one of these vacuums, emptying it after every use may be a good habit to adopt. Determine if you want a multi cyclonic (or “Cinetic”) vacuum. Most bagless vacuum cleaners operate on cyclonic technology, in which a fan sucks in air and creates a small cyclone within the vacuum cleaner canister.