Email to a friend Check out this article FALSE: Onions vs. Flu. Claim:   Onions placed in bowls around your home will fight off the flu virus. Example:   [Collected via e-mail, September 2009] Origins:   Although influenza is no longer the unchecked grim reaper of years past (in 1918 it killed half a million Americans and twenty to forty million folks worldwide), it continues to present a very real danger even in these more modern times. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), millions of people in the United States (about 10% to 20% of U.S. residents) will get the flu each year. Influenza also costs Americans $10 billion annually in lost wages and medical expenses. Worst of all, every year about 36,000 people in the United States die from it, and 114,000 have to be admitted to the hospital because of it. The flu is not just a week of feeling lousy and missing work; it is a disease that can and does kill. The 2009 outbreak of H1N1 (swine) flu brought home even to those who didn't normally ponder such matters the danger posed by contagions dismissively regarded in other years as mere seasonal flu, maladies that are thought of as wholly unpleasant but not life threatening.

In 2009, people became more aware of the sniffles and sneezes around them. blueair hepasilent air purifier-503 reviewAlso, unlike in other years, more folks were actively looking for ways to avoid catching the flu.air purifier wickes In addition to the good advice about washing one's hands frequently and avoiding the company of those who are obviously under the weather, folks looking to sidestep being felled by the flu are subject to toutings of a variety of folk remedies, each of which is presented as a surefire and deadly preventive. philips air purifier ac4072The missive quoted above about onions absorbing the virus is one such offering. There's no medical magic to placing peeled or cut onions around the home: they don't act as sponges that soak up whatever viruses or other nasty microbes are in their immediate vicinity.

However, the belief that they would act in this fashion predates the 2009 flu outbreak by at least 100 years. Long-standing superstition asserts that keeping raw onions in the house (either cut or whole; different folks swear by different methods) will draw illness-causing germs from the air, thereby rendering the home free of contamination. The following print references gathered by folklorists Iona Opie and Moira Tatum showcase that belief: Even older print sightings exist, however. One of the earliest we've located (from 1900) calls the practice "an old custom," which means even at that early date, the belief's origins were lost in the mists of time. [Los Angeles Times, 1913] [The Chicago Defender, 1922] Some insist plates of sliced raw onion should be left at various points around the home; others avow that whole onions must be hung on strings affixed to the domicile's ceilings, some further asserting the bulbs must be hung in front of doorways to better filter incoming contamination.

As to what sorts of contamination the onion is purported to overcome, at various times it has been said to kill flu virus, diphtheria, smallpox, the cold virus, and even whatever nastiness a rotting corpse might be venting into the air, especially one that reached that condition via infectious disease of any description. Onions are also, according to lore, to be placed in any sickroom no matter how that room's occupant came to require bedrest. While this folk belief is indeed an old one, there's precious little reason to place any store in it. No scientific studies back it, and common sense rules it out: cold and flu viruses are spread by contact, not by their nasty microbes floating loosely in the air where the almighty onion can supposedly seek out and destroy them. As the Wall Street Journal noted in 2009 of such claims: Furthermore, for those who believe in folk claims, superstition also asserts that it is unlucky to keep cut onions around, as demonstrated in these additional examples gathered by Opie and Tatum:

Onions — cut, peeled, or otherwise — aren't going to secure your living space from the flu virus, either 2009's swine version or any other year's contagion. Instead, if you want to stay healthy, wash your hands and avoid being around sick people. Mind you, if you choose to place a few onions around your home, the only downside would be that your nearest and dearest will regard you as somewhat eccentric. Barbara "as if they didn't already" Mikkelson Variations:   This item about cut onions placed about a house combating the flu virus has since been combined with a caution against consuming cut onions. Last updated:   4 April 2015"Home Flu Cures: Bad Medicine?" The Wall Street Journal.   3 November 2009   (p. D8). Opie, Iona and Moira Tatum.   A Dictionary of Superstitions.ISBN 0-19-282916-5   (pp. 293-294)."The Onion is Not Merely a Vegetable.""Onion Diet 'Will Rout' All Germs." 10 June 1922   (p. A8).Old Onion Remedy Hailed."

24 January 1972   (p. I9). 4 June 1913   (p. I15).The requested URL /showthread.php?t=29242 was not found on this server. Lung Disease & Respiratory Health Center Lung Disease & Respiratory Features Breathe Easy: 5 Ways To Improve Indoor Air Quality Michael W. Smith, MD We tend to think of air pollution as something outside -- smog, ozone, or haze hanging in the air, especially in summer. But the truth is, the air inside homes, offices, and other buildings can be more polluted than the air outside. The air inside your home may be polluted by lead (in house dust), formaldehyde, fire-retardants, radon, even volatile chemicals from fragrances used in conventional cleaners. Some pollutants are tracked into the home. Some arrive via a new mattress or furniture, carpet cleaners, or a coat of paint on the walls. In that mix, you'll also find microscopic dust mites -- a major allergen -- plus mold and heaps of pet dander, says David Lang, MD, head of Allergy/Immunology at the Cleveland Clinic.

"Even if you don't have pets, you've probably got pet dander," he tells WebMD. "It's become what we call a community allergen. Pet owners carry it around on their clothes and shed it throughout the day. You can't get away from it." More Health eHome Tips Cleaner Air Through Plants Children, people with asthma, and the elderly may be especially sensitive to indoor pollutants, but other effects on health may appear years later, after repeated exposure. Indoor allergens and irritants have become much more important in recent decades because we're spending more time indoors, Lang says. And because modern homes are airtight, these irritants can't easily escape. "We're all exposed to a greater degree than we were three or four decades ago," he says. 5 Simple Steps to Improve Indoor Air Quality 1. Keep your floors fresh.Chemicals and allergens can accumulate in household dust for decades. By using a vacuum with a HEPA filter you can reduce concentrations of lead in your home.

You can also get rid of other toxins, like brominated fire-retardant chemicals (PBDEs) as well as allergens like pollen, pet dander, and dust mites. Using a vacuum cleaner that has strong suction, rotating brushes, and a HEPA filter ensures that dust and dirt won’t get blown back out in the exhaust. In high traffic areas, vacuum the same spot several times. Don't forget walls, carpet edges, and upholstered furniture, where dust accumulates. For best results, vacuum two or more times each week and wash out your filter regularly.Mopping picks up the dust that vacuuming leaves behind. You can skip the soaps and cleaners and just use plain water to capture any lingering dust or allergens. New microfiber mops (and dust cloths) reportedly capture more dust and dirt than traditional fibers and don’t require any cleaning solutions whatsoever.Put a large floor mat at every door.People track in all sorts of chemicals via the dirt on their shoes. A door mat reduces the amount of dirt, pesticides, and other pollutants from getting into your home.