Can dogs and cats really prevent asthma?

Your question:  I read about a recent study that showed that exposure to a cat or dog can prevent asthma or allergies.  So why don’t doctors recommend that all parents get a dog or a cat to prevent asthma and allergies.  I know it sounds goofy, but…

My humble answer:  I’m going to give you the oposite answer that you’d expect me to give.  I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to jump on the popular bandwagon.  I don’t like to support something just because everyone else does.  By this I’m going to imply, that even thoug I wrote an article about it called “Having a dog or a cat may help prevent asthma,” doesn’t means I think the study is even viable.  In fact, if you think about it, asthma is a hereditary disease.  By this you must realize that most people who have asthma and allergies are more likely than those without asthma to have pets.  So it’s only fitting that such a study would show that people who have a dog or cat are more likely not to have asthma.  So I’m going to say that there is no evidence a dog or cat will prevent asthma, and suggest that if you have a family history of asthma that you don’t get a dog based on studies like this. 

Can a dog or cat prevent asthma?

The following was published on myasthmacentral.com/asthma on July 7, 2011.

Having a dog or cat may prevent asthma

Some people think that if you have a family history of cat or dog allergies you should not expose your kids to cats or dogs. The belief is this will prevent cat and dog allergies.

Yet that theory may soon — if it hasn’t been already — be thown into the large, heaping pile of asthma myths, along with the myth that you grow out of asthma or that asthma is a disease of the mind.

In a recent study researchers followed 565 kids from the ages of birth through age 18, and learned that those kids who were exposed to cats had a 50 percent less chance of developing a cat allergy.  Boys exposed to dogs in the first year of life were likewise 50 percent less likely to develop a dog allergy.

Yet exposure to dogs the first year of life by girls caused no significant change in their risk of developing allergies.  The reason for this remians a mystery.

According to the Washington Post “Study shows early exposure to cats and dogs does not make children allergy-prone,” it’s not the dog per se that causes allergies, but the dander, and flakes of skin the animal sheds, that cause the allergy response.

These allergens  “get on the skin when the animal licks itself, the substance dries and eventually the skin flakes off. Common symptoms of a pet allergy are sneezing and a runny nose, although some people also have trouble breathing.”

Healthcay Reporter Serena Gordon, in ”Early Exposure to Pets Won’t Up Kids’ Allergy Risk: Study,” made another important connection, and I have to say I was thinking the same thing when I first read this study

She wrote that this kind of goes along with the hygiene hypothesis which surmises many cases of allergies and asthma are caused because we are overprotective of our kids — we are too clean.  That exposure to germs while the immune system is developing — in the first year of life – makes our immune systems stronger.

Thus, a stronger immune system will be less likely to create antibodies to identify and destroy things that are considered normal — like cat and dog dander.

Surely this is only one study, yet I have seen other studies that came to the same conclusion.  This might be proof positive that early exposure to cats and dogs will allow our kids to be among the 70 percent of Americans who own a cat or a dog.

Early exposure may allow our kids the opportunity to enjoy these fun animals later in life without being zo zduffy and mizzable.

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New Smart Phone App Helps Prevent Fall Injuries and Death

Maine - Maine employees have a new tool in the toolbox-or app on the phone-to keep them safer on a ladder. The app aids users in proper use of ladders, and assists with ladder selection, inspection, positioning, accessorizing and safe use.

The new app is useful for workers in addition to those who are using ladders in the yard or around the home. Falls are most common in the construction industry, but can occur in any industry from healthcare to retail industries.

“Sadly, these falls happen too often,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “But falling off a ladder can be prevented by taking a few simple steps. People using ladders at home or work can now double-check their safety with this app. We want to make sure that all Mainers stay safe when they are using ladders.”

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) created the Ladder Safety Tool to provide safety information on mobile devices. Fall-related injuries present serious risk to workers in all industry settings. According to the National Safety Council, falls are the leading cause of death in the workplace and the second-leading cause of death in homes and communities.

Fall injuries can create an enormous financial burden to workers. The National Safety Council reports that approximately $ 70 billion in workers’ compensation and medical costs are associated with occupational fall incidents annually in the United Sates. In Maine, there were 114 workers’ compensation claims in 2012 due to falls from ladders that prevented the injured worker from returning to work for at least a whole day. This number has been on the rise since 2009, and does not include hundreds of other falls from ladders in residences or workplace falls where the employee returned to work the next day.

“Use common sense when on ladders and don’t rush,” reminded Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette. “It’s important for employees to be properly trained in equipment use and safety techniques to avoid serious injury. SafetyWorks! consultants can help employers identify ways to improve their safety procedures, like using this new app, and provide training at no cost to the business. This, in turn, saves money spent on workers’ comp and lost productivity, not to mention preventing injuries and deaths.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends that workers and employers plan the job ahead, provide the right equipment and train everyone how to use equipment. Additional information about fall prevention is available at https://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/index.html .

The NIOSH Ladder Safety app is available for iPhone/ iPad and Android phones here: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls .

Businesses can contact SafetyWorks! at 1-877-SAFE 345 (1-877-723-3345) or www.safetyworksmaine.com . SafetyWorks! provides a trained consultant with industry-specific expertise who will review the facility by appointment. The consultation may include such elements as recognizing safety hazards, sampling for air and noise exposures, recommending ways to reduce or to eliminate hazards, developing or improving a safety program, complying with federal OSHA regulations and identifying training needs.

SafetyWorks! is not OSHA and cannot issue fines or citations to private businesses. While SafetyWorks! helps businesses of any size, priority is given to small businesses. The program trains about 8,000 people and consults at nearly 1,000 worksites in Maine each year.