The below information was provided at www.webmd.com website. We at Action Heating and Air Conditioning are providing this information to you in an effort that you may understand the value of having your air ducts cleaned.

As spring allergy season approaches, you may hear companies make bold promises to improve your health by reducing allergens in your home. Such boasts may appeal especially to the nearly 25 million American adults and children with asthma and the approximately 50 million who have allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, because the symptoms of both can be triggered by dust mites, mold, and other allergens often found in air ducts and elsewhere in the home.  Allergies, according to the CDC, are the 6th leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S.

But should you believe the hype? Will air duct cleaning help you breathe more easily?

“There’s never been a great study that shows objective evidence of disease improvement (as a result of air duct cleaning),” says allergist Anthony Montanaro, MD. “But to me, it’s always been a commonsense move. If you’re sensitive to what’s found in dust, it’s to your best advantage to minimize exposure to it.

Montanaro, a professor of medicine and chief of the allergy and clinical immunology division at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, often talks with patients about their heating systems as he investigates the possible environmental triggers of their allergies.

“If they have forced air, that’s part of the conversation,” he says.

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems push air through ducts that run throughout your house in walls, ceilings, and floors. Mark Zarzeczny, who sits on the board of directors of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), calls ducts the “lungs of the home.”

How can you tell whether your air ducts need attention? Visual clues, like signs of mold and excessive dust around the air vents, can point to a need for cleaning. But when there’s no evidence in plain view, allergist Tania Elliott, MD, advises people to ask themselves the following questions:

• If your house is more than 10 years old, have your ducts ever been cleaned?
• Does your house constantly collect dust no matter how much you clean it?
• Do you notice allergy symptoms when you turn on your heating/cooling system?
• Do you have asthma that’s not well controlled even though you’re taking your medicine?

Answering yes to any of these questions should encourage you to consider cleaning your ducts.

“It’s better safe than sorry for people who have underlying asthma or allergies or breathing issues,” says Elliott, a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and chief medical officer of EHE International, a healthcare management company that focuses on preventive medicine.

We at Action Heating and Air Conditioning can provide professionally completed air duct cleaning at an affordable price. We have been serving the Mobile and Baldwin County areas since 1997, with well trained professional technicians. Please visit our website at www.callaction.net to meet our team and learn more about us.