What Type of Air Filter Is Best For Asthma or Allergies?

Do you know anyone who suffers with asthma or allergies?  I know so many people who do.  In fact, my mother died of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which is a common lung condition.  I am so excited because yesterday I heard a scientist give a talk, and I learned some really scary things about air quality in our homes and some really exciting things about a solution to that problem.  I had no idea how many people really could benefit by an air cleaning system in their home.

Breathing is essential for life and yet it may be the most overlooked piece of our well-being.  Our breathing is on autopilot from birth.  Unless we smell something in the air, like smoke or an irritant, we don’t think much about air quality.

What Is Normal for Air Quality?

Did you know that air quality is the 4th leading environmental risk factor for death globally?  In the United States, one hundred thirty-seven million city dwellers are dealing with poor air quality.  That is 40% of our population.

You may be surprised to learn that indoor air pollution is worse than outdoor air pollution. Half of the deaths in children under the age of five due to pneumonia are caused by household air pollution. Strokes, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer may also be caused by household air pollution. The air in our homes may be making us sick.

We spend 90% of our lives indoors where the level of air pollution is two to five times greater than outdoors.  People who suffer from allergies can’t open their windows because it brings the irritants inside.  Most people don’t open their windows anyway, and so the toxins are trapped inside.  Cooking is actually one of the activities that creates the most air pollution.  However, molds, mildew, and the chemicals in carpets, furniture, and paint also contribute to the problem.  Our homes may be a storage container for air pollutants.

How Does Poor Air Quality Affect Your Health?

Do you know the physical symptoms of poor air quality?  Here are the most common problems of indoor air pollution:

  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Dry Throat
  • Mucus
  • Sinus Congestion
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea

Have you or someone you love  been experiencing these problems?  If you haven’t figured out what is causing these, you may want to consider your air quality.

Are Pets Affects By Indoor Air Quality?

Our pets can also be effected by indoor air pollution.  Cats, who are exposed to indoor air pollution, such as household chemicals, cooking fumes, and secondhand smoke, have higher rates of lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and feline asthma.  Dogs who live inside with indoor air pollution also have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and respiratory illness.  A few years back there was a problem with animals experiencing kidney failure due to the chemicals in carpets that were fire retardants.  Their bodies cannot tolerate as much of the toxins as humans can.  Our pets need our help to protect them from indoor air pollution.  They know how to ask for treats, but they don’t know how to ask for a HEPA filter for their home.

Unfortunately, our furry family members can also be a source of air pollution for us.  Our pets go outside and collect pollen, dust, and dander in their fur.  Then they bring those allergens and pollutants back into our homes.  Our pets are very vulnerable to outdoor chemicals.  One study showed that dogs who ran on grass with pesticides had a 70% greater chance of developing lymphoma.  Another study of dogs in Mexico City, where outdoor air pollution is severe, found inflammation in the dogs’ brains and plaques similar to those seen  in humans with Alzheimer’s disease.  The toxins that are effecting the dogs can also effect us when they bring them inside our homes.  If we love our pets, we need an air purifier for pet allergies to protect both our cats, dogs, and ourselves.

How Does Climate Change Affect Air Quality?

Even if the respiratory problem that you suffer from is seasonal rhinitis, you may have noticed that it is getting worse.  Scientist believe that climate change is causing an increase in pollen.  Plants and trees are blooming sooner. That increases the amount of pollen produced and worsens the suffering of those with allergies. Those who don’t tolerate allergy medicines well can easily be overwhelmed when looking for an air purifier pollen reducer.

The problem with indoor air pollution is severe.  Our homes can really make us sick, if we are not careful and don’t create plans to detox our environment. If we don’t take steps to reduce our exposure and create a safe sanctuary for our and our pets’ lungs and bodies, we and our animals may pay a hefty price with our health and even possibly lose our lives.

How Can We Improve Our Wellness?

We can take steps to create a personal wellness home.  First, we must focus on decreasing the level of toxins in our homes. We musts choose to use as few chemicals in our homes as possible.  We must never store chemicals and pesticides in our homes.  The fumes from these are dangerous to both our and our pets’ lungs.

We should look for non -toxic, organic, and eco-friendly furniture – furniture that doesn’t have the chemicals that most of the mass-produced furniture does.  90% of the couches sold in the United States are treated with flame retardants that can cause cancer.  By choosing non-toxic furniture we will reduce many toxins for ourselves and our four-legged friends.

We can choose cleaning products that are made of nontoxic ingredients or even make our own nontoxic cleansers. This helps decrease the risk of creating super bugs.  The first benefit that you will probably notice from this is less of a nasty chemical smell when cleaning.

It is important to regularly change the filters in heating and air machines because your HVAC filter traps  pollutants that have made their way into the heating and air ducts.  When you don’t change your HVAC filters regularly you are creating a storage area for pollutants and toxins. This is hard on the HVAC unit and maybe even worse on your lungs.

Do Home Air Filters Really Make a Difference?

Getting a home air filter is one of the most important purchases that you can make to protect your family and your pets.  During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the CDC recommended an air purifier with a HEPA filter to decrease the spread of the virus in our homes.  It is just as important that we have a HEPA filter air purifier to control the air toxins in our homes.  Even if we have seen the worse of the COVID-19 pandemic, you still need to protect against flu, colds, and other airborne illnesses.

A portable air filter is best.  When it is portable, you have a room air purifier for whenever and where ever you need it in most. You can move it around in your home as needed.  If you or one of your children is sick you can place the unit by the bed and therefor protect others who have to enter the room.  Having an air cleaner may be the perfect way to protect the members of the family who aren’t ill.

The CDC recommended a high efficacy HEPA air purification system that works on particles of less than 0.3 microns.  When you begin to look for a pure air purifier, you will find many filters that say they are the best air filters for homes, but many may not reach this standard set by the CDC for a HEPA filter system.  If you are spending money to protect your family and pets in your home, it is really important that you get the protection that you are paying for.  You deserve the best air filter for your home.  You want it to be:

  • the best air filter for pets,
  • the best air purifier for allergies
  • the best air purifier for smoke
  • the best ir purifier for viruses
  • the best air purifier for dust

You want a unit that is cost effective, runs quietly, and is easy to maintain.  All of us have more to do these days than we feel capable of handling much of the time.  Having an air purifier that is on auto pilot, like our breathing, can make life much easier.

It is important to choose a one that does not emit ozone.  California banned the sales of air purifier filters that emitted ozone in 2009, but most states still allow the sales of these machines.  Ozone can be damaging to lungs and it is best not to have an air cleaner machine in your home that is emitting ozone.  A couple of years ago I visited a friend and immediately had a sick headache.  It turned out she had an air filter that created ozone and she was having the same symptoms that I was having.  When she stopped using the filter the problems she had went away.

What Type of Air Filter is Best for the Home?

I believe the Nikken KenkoAir is the best solution for everyone who wants an air filter for their home.  It is a five-stage air filter, portable for your convenience. It has a high efficiency HEPA <0.3-micron filter, a HEPA room air purifier.  This home air purification system attracts the particles that may irritate our lungs.  It is a HEPA air filtration system that uses a unique technology called KAP to create negative ions without producing ozone.  In Japan they love Shinrin Yoku or forest bathing and the KenkoAir allows you to forest bathe wherever you are in your own home.  It is a fresh air purifier.

It also has a particle sensor that detects ambient pollution.  When your KenkoAir sensor turns red, you know it is processing something bad that the pure air filter has detected.  When it turns back to blue, it means that they have done their job.  The blue light lets you know that you are breathing clean air again.  That is what a good home air purifier does.  Even if your only allergy is because of dust, this technology is probably the best air purifier for you.

It also has an Energy Star Rating.  It is 35% more efficient, which means that you will save 215 Kilowatts per year when you use it in your home.  It’s good for your breathing.  It’s good for your environment, and it’s good for your pocketbook which makes it the ideal air purifier.

The Difference It Made for my Mother

My favorite story of the KenkoAir comes from my mother’s experience.  She was terminally ill with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had to wear oxygen 24 hours per day.  She said her lungs hurt when she breathed in thru the nasal canula, and she hated the feel of the oxygen going in her nose.  We got her a Nikken air filter and put it by her hospital bed at home.  She called me after she had used it for a couple of weeks to say that she wasn’t expecting that the Nikken HEPA air purifier would make her feel better.  Mom repeatedly thanked my brother and me for getting the KenkoAir for her.  She told us how much it helped her enjoy life more.  My mom lived 18 more months using the Kenko air purifier filter.  One of her favorite things was to turn it up to high and sit and just breath in the air.  Mom said the air felt different in her lungs, it relieved her discomfort, and made her feel better.  It was the best air cleaner for my mother. There was no cure for my mom, but it meant so much to be able to give her the gift of more comfortable breathing.

Do you know someone who has breathing issues, allergies or asthma?  I highly recommend that you share this blog with them.  They deserve to know that there is a true air filter that could provide them with more comfort.

Do you want the best air for your Home?  If your answer is yes, then you want to purchase a KenkoAir this month, because it is 20% off the regular retail price.  The price includes free shipping.

Click here  get yours https://mynikken.com/?linkid=%23%22%3C%3FY%0A