My Crohn's and Colitis Blog » Chronic Asthma Treatment » Silk & asthma – anybody else notice a connection?
Silk & asthma – anybody else notice a connection?
Question:
Hi Gals! Can’t believe how many of us stitchers have breathing problems! So what came first….the inhaler or the linen?? 
Brenda "Better to look good, than to feel good, dahling" — Fernando
Response:
with finest floss on pure irish linen: Hi Gals! Can’t believe how many of us stitchers have breathing problems! So what came first….the inhaler or the linen?? Brenda
I seem to remember my mother telling me that the women who made fine linens and underwear in Germany in the "olden days" very frequently came down with "consumption" and/or lung cancer. Perhaps the fibers and dust floating in the air had something to do with it. Ruth Mays Cinnaminson NJ maysrg at mosquito dot com If you want to reply, you know what to do with this.
Response:
Well, a lot had to do with the dyes and mordants used. Some of them were very toxic and these women would spend 8 – 10 hours a day, 7 days a week in bad ventilation handling them. Nowadays, at least in the US, the ventilation is usually very good, and keeps the problems down. At least it is in the weaving and knitting mills I have been in. BTB, consumption is the old name for tuberculosis (as I turn to my handy-dandy 1966 Webster’s to find out how to spell that….;- ). Just thought you might be interested. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – with finest floss on pure irish linen: Hi Gals! Can’t believe how many of us stitchers have breathing problems! So what came first….the inhaler or the linen?? Brenda I seem to remember my mother telling me that the women who made fine linens and underwear in Germany in the "olden days" very frequently came down with "consumption" and/or lung cancer. Perhaps the fibers and dust floating in the air had something to do with it. Ruth Mays Cinnaminson NJ maysrg at mosquito dot com If you want to reply, you know what to do with this.
Response:
However, I have found that when I ‘licked’ my floss (yah, yah – I know, I know – I try not to, but occasionally I lapse), my breathing gets tight. Since silk is a protein, I suspect that is the problem. Anybody else notice this?
Marg, I doubt that it’s the silk, per se. It’s more likely to be the chemicals in the dyes on the silk. There’s a whole range of things which trigger asthma, but I’ve never heard of silk (yet?) I have chronic asthma, and just luuurrve silk in all it’s manifestations. I sew silk fabrics, and wear lots of silk garments, and have a stash of silk fabrics and threads, but I’ve never had an asthma attack that I can attribute to silk. Like you say, it’s a very good reason to stop licking your floss, though. <G JMO Pam P.
Response:
:However, I have found that when I ‘licked’ my floss (yah, yah – I know, I :know – I try not to, but occasionally I lapse), my breathing gets tight. :Since silk is a protein, I suspect that is the problem. Anybody else :notice this? I’m a rather severe asthmatic and never noticed a problem with licking silk floss. Have you ever had a problem with silk in another form, i.e. a dress or shirt?
LOL…. I’m sitting here now with a mental image of someone licking her dress or shirt to test for breating problems. — In Stitches, Sherry http://home.earthlink.net/~thedennards/index.html Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ~NKJ: I Cor 13:1 I am parting with some of my stash at http://home.earthlink.net/~thedennards/marketplace.html or will email list upon request
Response:
" " :However, I have found that when I ‘licked’ my floss (yah, yah – I know, I " :know – I try not to, but occasionally I lapse), my breathing gets tight. " :Since silk is a protein, I suspect that is the problem. Anybody else " :notice this? " I wonder if you might not be allergic to silk. An allergenic reaction would tigger asthma. Could you have your allergist do a quicky test for silk? This thought coming from a person with hordes of allergies, including wool and anything else from a sheep, who didn’t develop asthma till recently, thanks to acid reflux problems. — RuthAnn Biel | Mother. Unschooler. Stitcher. +1 916 381 4205 | Sacramento, California
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : :I love using silk – the colours, the feel and the way it looks when :stitched up. In fact, I often substitute in patterns. : :However, I have found that when I ‘licked’ my floss (yah, yah – I know, I :know – I try not to, but occasionally I lapse), my breathing gets tight. :Since silk is a protein, I suspect that is the problem. Anybody else :notice this? : : :Just one more reason to stop licking my floss. : :Marg W. : :St. Peter’s Fair, Primrose Path, Avro Arrow :
I’m a rather severe asthmatic and never noticed a problem with licking silk floss. Have you ever had a problem with silk in another form, i.e. a dress or shirt? I’ll have to pay more attention next time I stitch with silk and see what happens. It took me months to realize that food allergies were triggering my asthma. Rhiannon "Love is nature’s way of trying to trick us into reproducing …I want no part of it"…Callisto, from Xena:Warrior Princess — To reply via e-mail, remove "nospam" from address <-<-
Response:
I have asthma and ezcema also. I stitch alot- sometimes 10 hours a day!! I have never noticed that my eczema has broken out at all stitching with DMC floss. I am just beginning to experiment with other specialty fibers so I will have to make note of it. Happy Stitching! Tina – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I never noticed this connection before but now that you mention it my fingers itch an awful lot some evenings. I will have to know if they are the same evenings that I have done extensive stitching. I have had exzema since I was born and have just gotten it under control in the lass five years. Dana B. I haven’t had this problem, but DMC floss seems to make the exzema on my hands flare badly! Unfortunately, it’s my floss of choice…..ah, well, one of life’s little mysteries. I just band-aid my hands and try not to get blood on anything! Ann in MD
Response:
I never noticed this connection before but now that you mention it my fingers itch an awful lot some evenings. I will have to know if they are the same evenings that I have done extensive stitching. I have had exzema since I was born and have just gotten it under control in the lass five years. Dana B. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I haven’t had this problem, but DMC floss seems to make the exzema on my hands flare badly! Unfortunately, it’s my floss of choice…..ah, well, one of life’s little mysteries. I just band-aid my hands and try not to get blood on anything! Ann in MD
Response:
I doubt it’s the silk, it’s more likely the dye or mordant used to fix the dye that is causing the problem. If it was the silk, you’d notice whenever you wear or handle silk, not just when you lick the floss. I have asthma as well, but since I don’t lick the floss, I’ve never noticed a problem. Now, get me into the garden digging around or pulling weeds…:-(. I know several people with athsma, and for each person it is something different that sets off the asthma. For instance, I have 2 cats, and no problems. My neighbor can’t be in my house 10 minutes before she has problems. I know – long answer, little info. Sorry. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I love using silk – the colours, the feel and the way it looks when stitched up. In fact, I often substitute in patterns. However, I have found that when I ‘licked’ my floss (yah, yah – I know, I know – I try not to, but occasionally I lapse), my breathing gets tight. Since silk is a protein, I suspect that is the problem. Anybody else notice this? Just one more reason to stop licking my floss. Marg W. St. Peter’s Fair, Primrose Path, Avro Arrow
Response:
I haven’t had this problem, but DMC floss seems to make the exzema on my hands flare badly! Unfortunately, it’s my floss of choice…..ah, well, one of life’s little mysteries. I just band-aid my hands and try not to get blood on anything! Ann in MD – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I love using silk – the colours, the feel and the way it looks when stitched up. In fact, I often substitute in patterns. However, I have found that when I ‘licked’ my floss (yah, yah – I know, I know – I try not to, but occasionally I lapse), my breathing gets tight. Since silk is a protein, I suspect that is the problem. Anybody else notice this? Just one more reason to stop licking my floss. Marg W. St. Peter’s Fair, Primrose Path, Avro Arrow
Response:
I love using silk – the colours, the feel and the way it looks when stitched up. In fact, I often substitute in patterns. However, I have found that when I ‘licked’ my floss (yah, yah – I know, I know – I try not to, but occasionally I lapse), my breathing gets tight. Since silk is a protein, I suspect that is the problem. Anybody else notice this? Just one more reason to stop licking my floss. Marg W. St. Peter’s Fair, Primrose Path, Avro Arrow
Response:
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