Yes. Many allergists believe that the household mite, a micro­scopic insect distantly related to the bedbug, is a primary factor in house-dust allergy.

The relationship between allergies and hyperactivity, or hyper-kinesis, remains to be proved. Although controlled studies are not available, most allergists believe that no relationship exists.

For certain patients, an extract of dust from your house would be more useful in treatment than the commercially produced extracts formulated to be like those that originate in most households. Usu­ally, however, there must be a peculiar condition in your home for the dust to differ. There are no new, significant developments in the treatment of allergic rhinitis that your doctor would not be likely to know about, considering today’s communications and the dissemination of scien­tific information. Ornade, CoPyronil, and Actifed, for example, are considered effective antihistamines and decongestants, but they cause drowsiness in some allergic people. You should discuss any questions about treatment with antihistamines with your physician.

A reaction of any sort after an allergy shot probably means that the dosage is too high and that it should be reduced. Seek the advice of the allergist who is providing you with the injections.

House-dust allergy is extremely common in the United States. Avoidance of dust, use of antihistamines, and desensitization injec­tions are the usual therapeutic approaches, with avoidance the most important. Your allergist can advise you about how to avoid house dust.

Allergies to cosmetics are extremely common. The best approach is to use only those that are truly hypoallergenic, that is, cosmetics that do not contain common allergens. Such companies as AR-EX, Alcon (Allercreme), Almay, and Clinique market cosmetics that are claimed to be nonallergenic.

molds. Why? Allergy injections should include substances that are not only posi­tive in skin testing but that are present in significant amounts in the outside air. Thus, in the case of mold sensitivity, the molds for which you are receiving injections are by far the most common in the out­side air, whereas those for which you are not receiving injections are relatively unimportant in terms of their concentration in the air.

Mercaptobenzothiazole, widely used in manufacturing shoes, is used in processing all leather. For a complete cure, contact with leather should be avoided. When this isn’t possible, the condition can be alleviated by keeping the feet as dry as possible, using a powder such as Zea-sorb, or by applying creams and lotions to heal active lesions and using nonmedicated creams or ointments to keep the skin soft. A dermatologist or an allergist can advise you further.

It is indeed possible that you are experiencing an allergic reaction, perhaps because of the eye-drop solution used. The best way to de­termine this is to avoid such use for a period of time, say until your eves clear up If you then resume use of the product and your eyes again smart, burn, or swell, it is likely that you are allergic to the product.

Aside from the recognized fact that perfume and smoke are irri­tants, little is known about what causes respiratory difficulties or the blisters. Until researchers discover an effective means of desensitizing a patient against the effect of such agents, the best advice is to stay away from them.