News Release: Suffering from asthma?

Combat asked Dr. Gretchen Phillips, a medical show radio host based in Minneapolis, to identify a few easy first-steps for people who think they might have or are currently suffering from asthma:

• Consult your physician.
• Avoid irritants, including pet dander, mold spores and cockroaches.
• If allergic to pets, make sure they are kept from bedrooms.
• Clean home regularly.
• Be sure to clean air vents.
• Vacuum two to three times a week.
• Reduce humidity, which helps prevent growth of mold spores.
• Avoid cold air.

Dr. Phillips is a family physician at Fairview Hospitals in Minnesota. Call for an interview.

News Release: Cockroaches Worsen Asthma Symptoms

A PDF of this file is available.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — May has been named national Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), and Combat® brand pest control is doing its part to help spread the message. Although it might seem like an unlikely connection, studies show that there is a definite link between the cockroach allergen and the exacerbation and even causation of asthma.

“During the past few years, research has shown that cockroach allergens play a big part in the daily lives of asthma sufferers all over the country,” said Dr. Gretchen Phillips, an MD with Fairview Hospitals, and a medical show radio host based in Minneapolis.

The link between cockroaches and asthma has been proven in scientific research dating back to the 1970s. Between 78 and 98 percent of urban homes have cockroaches, and 23 to 60 percent of urban residents are allergic to the cockroach allergen, according to the AAFA. The cockroach allergen is so pervasive in homes around the country, most doctors require patients with persistent asthma to be tested for cockroach allergies, in addition to other environmental factors, such as dust mites, mold and pets.

In the United States alone, more than 23 million people suffer from the chronic respiratory disease, including 6.5 million children.

Around 63 percent of all U.S. households have a detectable level of the cockroach allergen in the home, according to a 2005 study by The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

“Asthma kills. Even in 2008, people die from asthma,” Phillips said. “I always tell my patients that it is easier to prevent problems than to recover from them.”

Using Combat baits and roach-killing gels will help to kill the entire cockroach nest and ultimately improve the air quality. In addition to eliminating the problem, there are a few additional steps to help prevent cockroach infestations:

• Eliminate clutter, such as stacks of clothes or newspapers, which are perfect nesting areas for cockroaches.


• Keep food in tightly sealed plastic or glass containers, do not leave dirty dishes in the sink, vacuum regularly and don’t leave out pet food and water.


• Keep the inside of your home clean and do not leave out food or crumbs, which are attractive to ants and roaches.


• Seal the cracks and crevices in the walls of your home (including around water pipes and electrical outlets).

Combat was recently featured by the Healthy House Institute, an online resource that provides consumers with information to make their homes healthier. The HHI does not endorse specific products. Visit http://www.healthyhouseinstitute.com/ for more information.

To learn more about pest prevention and control strategies, visit http://www.combatbugs.com/. Combat® products retail from $2.49 to $14.99 and are available at most major retailers.

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Pest control in the distant future?

Scientists are researching ways to turn off "post-mating" behavior, like egg-laying in insects, according to Reuters.

Many female insects undergo profound changes in behavior after mating. Some
species start laying multiple eggs. Female mosquitoes, for example, seek out a
meal of blood -- often spreading malaria in the process.

Scientists have known for some time that such behavior is triggered by a so-called sex peptide molecule in the male's seminal fluid, but it has been unclear how it exerts its impact on the female.

Now Dickson and his colleagues have identified the receptor for the molecule in fruit flies and shown it is key to post-mating behavior. Females lacking the receptor continue to behave as virgins, even after mating, they reported in the journal Nature.

Bug bits: News from around the 'net

• The Oklahoman: Homeowners usually can control light infestations of pests in house
• ScientistLive.com: Protein serves as asthma biomarker
• The Hindu (India): ‘Cockroach is the cause in 25 per cent of asthma cases’
  

BANGALORE: Twenty-six per cent of children aged below 18 in Bangalore
suffer from asthma, the causes varying from air pollution to pets and
cockroaches, H. Paramesh, director of Lakeside Medical Centre and Hospital, has
said.

[...]

Interestingly, 25 per cent of the cause for asthma was
because of cockroaches while only 7.5 per cent of asthma cases could be
traced back to pollen and fungi in the city, Dr. Paramesh said.

Those Uninvited Guests

The New York Times rounds up methods on pest control for vacation homes:

But bugs like vacation homes as much as the owners and their guests do.

That vacation homes are often vacant and untended means that bugs — especially spiders, ants and silverfish — have a free run of the house much of the time.

Combat products are not listed in this article, but Combat does offer ant and cockroach baits and gels, which would be suitable for when you spend time away from your home and need an easy, affordable pest management solution.