28 April 2009Living With Latex Allergy
The fetish community may be accustomed to latex material used in garments, but it is a known fact that some people get allergic reactions when wearing or even coming in contact with latex. Why? And is there an alternative?
The natural product that is latex can be found in a bigger number of objects than we’d think! There are of course the obvious examples, like condoms or the kitchen gloves used for doing the dishes. Gloves used in medical environments also represent a large market: up to ten billion latex gloves are used in the US alone each year! Other examples are less obvious, like children’s toys, paint or bedding.
As we use latex in more products, more people are developing dangerous allergies to it. Reactions can range from an uneasy skin irritation and wheezing to a sudden drop in blood pressure, shock or even death. The American Academy of Family Physicians has now published a list of measures people with a latex allergy can take to avoid an allergic reaction:
- avoidance is key to preventing any allergic reaction
- if you know an item is made out of latex, perhaps you can find a suitable alternative
- the powder used in medical gloves can be dangerous, so avoid breathing in the dust
- when you receive medical assistance, ask for use of non-latex gloves
- if you are incapable of asking yourself (e.g. in an emergency situation) you can carry a medical passport or bracelet warning about your latex allergy
- if your latex allergy is serious, you can ask your house doctor if you should carry an emergency epinephrine injection with you
ALTERNATIVES:
The use of natural alternative sources, replacing natural rubber, show promise. Most current latex alternatives are synthetic, derived from petroleum. With the uncertain oil price and resources, these synthetic products remain expensive. Recent discoveries make a return to natural products possible. One such product is Yulex, derived from a desert plant called guayule. Scientists say Yulex offers a new, natural rubber alternative without the proteins that trigger allergic reactions. Of course these products still need further research before large-scale manufacturing can take off, but they do show promise for an allergy free product. The range of applications overlap with those of natural rubber, so perhaps even the fashion and apparel industry can benefit from this in a foreseable future.
AUTHOR: Photographer and event reporter BelgiumMarc has been active in the fetish scene since 2003. He is sometimes nick-named "roving reporter", with publications in some of the biggest fetish magazines and owner of his own photo studio in Belgium. Read more from this author »
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1 Comment » | Tag(s): General News
29 Jun 2009 - 14:32
Thank you for your cogent thoughts on latex allergy; this is an important and often overlooked issue, and I found your words provocative and insightful.
The organization I work for, the Pacific Northwest Foundation, is devoted to researching alternative modes of healing for a variety of illnesses, including latex allergy. I wanted to share with you a video presentation of a case study we conducted some years ago about a woman with severe latex allergy who, through a variety of methods, was able to diminish her reactivity. The link to the presentation is http://pnf.org/html/anna_s_case.html.
I’d like to thank you so much for your contribution to the subject of latex allergy, and hope you will find the case study above helpful in your continued exploration into the subject.