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I know there are at least a few guitar builders here with asthma. After almost 2 months of fighting what started out as a bad cold/sinus infection, I was told by the doc that I have asthma. I knew I already had some seasonal hay-fever, but was quite surprised to be diagnosed with asthma at 37, especially considering I've never had any previous symptoms. The only thing I could think was that I spent the first 2 months of summer doing a lot of building, and that could have possibly caused it. For all you builders with asthma, what extra precautions do you take? Currently, I have a Jet canister dust collector (1100 cfm), a ceiling mounted Jet air cleaner (also around 1100 cfm), and I almost always wear a dust mask when doing any sanding/cutting. My basement seems very clean, and there is never a layer of dust on anything else in the basement.

What other precautions would you take? This entire asthma thing may be completely unrelated to guitar building--and actually I'm thinking it may have just been a severe case of bronchitis, although I'm following doc's orders and using a daily inhaler for now. What do you all think?

Thanks!

John

Personally, I would look at the specific woods that you are using. It sounds as though your precautions are on the money, but maybe you are working with some of the woods that are highly problematic. Coco, pau ferro or morado, cedars, even other rosewoods can cause problems. I would be that there is maybe one wood that is kicking you. Any skin rashes or other symptoms?

I suffer some of the same sensitivities as others to pau ferro (spelling?) but had a lot of skin related issues as well as respiratory.

I hope others have more info.

Funny you should mention it. About a month or so ago I was diagnosed with pneumonia, the doctor said I also had asthma. Though how he could tell about the asthma when I could hardly breath from the pneumonia is anyones guess.

I thought it was a bit odd that I'd suddenly get asthma at age 40 when I'd never been diagnosed with it before. I'm still on the inhaler and it does help a lot. Who knows maybe we've both always had it?

I haven't had any dust collection in my shop and I'm not getting any until my new shop is built later in the year. But I'll certainly be doing something about it then.

     I had to undergo an algery patch test. This may be expensive but it was worth every penny. I discovered that I am alergeic to 23 chemicals . most of them are mundane but the 2 that I need most be concerned are oils that are in cocabolo and sycamore.
      Most of use do have or will develope some symtom from and alergin but it is best to discover what you are alergic to. Rememebr Bob Cef and his episode. Exotic woods have oils and other alergins so be safe not sorry
john hall
blues creek guitars

Glad you mentioned allergy testing John Hall, that's what I was going to say. I've suffered with asthma & allergies life long. Don't know where John Elshaw lives, but if it's a humid local then mold and fungus spores can be a problem. Do you have a humidifyer in your shop? Mold and fungus can grow in those things, and get blown througout the shop. Allergies can develope as a person ages, or become worse. I think allergy testing every 5 to 10 years should be routine, and I don't understand why it isn't done more often. Ask your Doc for an allergy consult, and if you smoke, then quit.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

I go into "chemical asthma" when exposed to nitrocellulose lacquer, either fresh or gassing off(even a week or more after spraying). Look around for any chemical that may do the same for you. The symptoms are 100% asthmatic, but go away soon after the chemical is not around.

I was told something similar a couple years back when I also battled a similar URI (upper respiratory infection). What he actually meant was not that I had asthma, but was developing an asthmatic reaction to all the srtess of the infection. Once we dealt with the infection more seriously, the asthmatic symptoms went away.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

As recanted earlier this year, I had 3 serious bronchial infections during late 2004/early-mid 2005. I have been out of the shop for nearly 10 months now and have had no recurrence of the problems. Soon I hope to start back on a day at a time basis to see just where the "threshold" is for me. Also, I have rid my shop of cocobolo, as I knew it effected me slightly. Also superglue is now AWOL. I'm going to start using hot hide glue for many applications and I will farm out my major lacquer work. Hopefully those steps will allow me to get back to what I truly love to do, albeit on a somewhat reduced pace.

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Hank Mauel

Good luck, Hank. You too, John.

Both Myself and Jeff Traugott have one of these on all day. At first it can be a bit much but the way you feel after a month of using it all the time, is great. Clean lungs, dust free eyes and it's great for eye protection when buffing,or any other job you may need eye protection for. $1200 well spent.



Addam Stark39000.013275463

Trend Airshield
I've been using the 3M Powervisor for several years. It s a discontinued predecessor to this unit. These low end units are for particulates only, not fumes. Addam can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the unit he is showing above is for noxious fumes also.
The cool clean air moving past your face eliminates any fogging problems and, as Addam mentions, makes great eye protection.
Nelson

I think it's only a matter of time before repeated exposure would produce an allergic reaction.

My friend has been working with wood all his life...taught it at high school...first he developed a sensitivity to mahogany, which was very disappointing to him as he loved the stuff, then it was all manner of woods.

The only wood he can work with these days without inducing wheezing is yew, strangely enough. All round his house, you will see yew tables, shelves, sculptures...

Seriously, my husband's uncle was a woodworker too..he died of cancer in the sinuses at the age of 50...mind you this was in the days where good working practice and health n' safety wasn't a consideration. All those wooddust particles!!!

I have no know allergies, but have been known to react to western Red Cedar. I shall be investing in a mask very soon, methinks.Sam Price39000.0843287037

Asthma is a disease characterized by bronchial spasms (bronchospasm). With asthma, broncial smooth muscles are hypersensitive to stimulation. Once stimulated, bronchial tubes narrow in response to these stimulations. Everyone's bronchial tubes will react by narrowing, given enough stimulation. For example, jogging in very cold air is an extreme situation and most will experince bronchospasm quickly.

Bronchial sensitivity increases with viral infections. Sometimes to the point where the person is so sensitive that asthma-like symptoms occur. But this is not asthma, just asthma-like. The infection has the effect of shifting the sensitivity into hypersensitivity. This is an inflammatory response.

It has been shown that repeated exposure to some irritating substances will actually cause a person to become hypersensitive to it. Western Red Cedar is cited in the medical literature as one of the worst, but there are many others, no doubt that haven't been studied, I am sure.

Once exposed to an irritating substance "sensitized", then other substances will cause a similar reaction. And now the person has asthma.

Treatment for asthma is standardized. Treat the symptoms with bronchodilators and the underlying inflamatory response with oral or inhaled steroids.

All suggestions given were good including wearing masks and fresh air hoods. KenMcKay39000.1371643519

      Allergic reactions are closely related to the bodies resource of dietary magnesium. Hypo-magnesia causes the cell walls to become permeable, as the cell wall are composed mostly of magnesium.

     This permeability allows substances to enter the cell that would normally not. As this happens the bodies cytokine responds, as if the foreign substance was a virus or bacterium, developing antibodies. Once these antibodies develop even with appropriate amounts of Mg in the diet and correction of deficiency. These antibodies still exist and react.

    As the modern diet is typically very low in magnesium this is becoming more and more prevalent. I've had repeated allergic reactions that were life threatening and were alleviated, mostly, by long term address to Mg rich foods.

      Generally, romaine lettuce, cantaloupe are the most effective for me. I stress this is long term and in the begining I was using supplements like magnesium lactate, oratate and glycinate, but the foods seem to be the most effective.

     As a side note stay away from the common magnesium oxide, the molecular bond is especially difficult for the body to deal with and is almost useless.

   I have seen personally two other people that reported the same positive response to increasing the right types of Mg. But I stress, once the antibodies develop it takes a long time for this to subside.

    Of course, allergic reaction is different than toxic reaction, which I'm not so familiar. I do know that some toxins induce anaphylactoid(allergic) reaction.

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

magnesium, huh?

I was talking to a student at work the yesterday about allergies...she was a healthy fit woman until last year...after a nasty virus she contracted whilst living in Spain, she was left highly allergic to many things.

So...magnesium...very interesting...I might tell her that. A virus can wipe many nutrients from the body, especially if food isn't being absorbed, and we all know the haemoglobin takes a dive (just ask my son!!)


It seems to make sense.

Sooo why are there such depleted mag. stores in the body? Is it due to intensive farming? General dietary preferences?Sam Price39000.4936574074

These are all great suggestions and ides, BUT A WARNING, you should check with your doctor before taking ANYTHING suggested on ANY website.

Just plain good common sense.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I too developed a respertory problem doing guitar building two years ago. I went to the doc, he said it's not worth my health to build guitars. I STILL CANT QUIT!! It's like smokin to me. read the intro to dust collection in this article. It will scare the pants off ya!http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/DustCollectionIn troduction.cfm

John,

It looks like you got some gooad and accurate advice from Ken.

My wife and I both have asthma as well as both kids. Mine is pretty mild but does act up with allergies.

Advair has made a HUGE improvement in my asthmatic control as well as the wife and kids.

My wife is a registered respiratory therapist and I also work in healthcare as a cardiovascular sonographer.

Asthma is most often associated with shortness of breath and wheezing but some people primarily cough alot without an audible wheeze when it first acts up. My kids are this way and if we wait for an audible wheeze to devolop they end up in the hospital.

Allergies absolutley can activate asthma attacks and inflamation.

You doctor should put you on two medications.
1. A short term inhaler such as Provental etc
2. A maintainance medication that will better control (limit or reduce) attacks and you take these everyday wether you are symptomatic or not. Your maintianance meds WILL NOT help a short term attack but they can be effective in preventing altogether.

If you continue to have attacks on medications then an allergy test is probably in order but as was mentioned previously check al these through your Doctors.

Feel free to PM me with any additional questions and I can get my wife involved for any questions or recomendations if needed.

Scott

   Magnesium is involved in every body process there is. The largest lost component of sweat is magnesium because it is involved with removal of waste from the body.

    Modern farming practices are very highly involved in lower levels of Mg. Hypo-magnesia(low magnesium) is a fact and any Doctor knows this. Probably individual dietary choices are more at fault.

   Please believe me, if you have an allergic reaction to something avoid it as much as possible. Severe anaphylactic reaction is no joke! If you've experienced it, as I have, or have seen somebody die from it, yes...death, it is not pretty!

    My niece, had all that, the inhalers breathing machines, many trips to the emergency room. After changing her diet and supplementation she has lost the machine and only uses the inhaler very seldom.

    As well as a doctor I would strongly suggest an herbalist, yes these are state licensed people. A doctor will not cure asthma! Ask them! They treat symptoms, which if you are having problems I strongly suggest you go to a Doctor, but consider the alternatives for the long term.
    
     And as I said, once the antibodies have developed it takes years for this reaction tendency to subside.

   After what I've been through, believe me, I know about this! It almost killed me!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)