Tuesday, February 1, 2011

What are cotton linters, kapok, and pyrethrum?

Some allergists may test for cotton linters, kapok, and pyrethrum. These items may be found in some homes and cause allergic symptoms in susceptible individuals. 
For information on cotton linters, go down to chapter 6 Uses, 4th paragraph.  My conception of this is the "lint" from cotton fabrics.  This is not found near as often as more than 30 years ago.
Kapok trees produces a fiber which may be used as stuffing in household items in place of down stuffing.
Sometimes these fibers can cause allergic reactions.
Pyrethrum is the name for a group of flowers, that may have been used for decoration in homes. 

2 comments:

biffo37 said...

Hi Dr. Kao! I have just come across your blog today and am very excited to find it is written by a doctor! My toddler was diagnosed with multiple food allergies when he was 5 months old. He is now almost three and doing pretty well most days. I spend a lot of time researching and trying to educate myself and others in our lives about food allergies. Unfortunately my son does not have insurance at this time. I hate it and live in fear of something happening, but it could not be helped. He will have insurance again soon, but really needs to be retested before then. Do you know if there are any allergy doctors in SC that take patients without insurance, that are maybe less expensive? I realize this may not be the place for this question but haven't had much luck searching online. I would appreciate any help you might have. Thank you and keep up the great work!

Neil Kao said...

I would say that most allergy doctors in SC will see patients without insurance. I do. The real issue is the your expense without insurance to help you out. Consider what are you interested in testing for. How many tests really need to be done? Honestly, add 10% because you may find out after speaking with the doctor that additional tests would be helpful. Perhaps the office has a payment plan. Ours does. Skin tests are quicker & more accurate than blood tests. I hope this helps.

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