I’ve suffered from allergies for as long as I can remember. Contrary to what the headline suggests, I wasn’t diagnosed with a house dust allergy at the time, but one against small animal hair. For me, contact with manageable animals such as B. hamsters or guinea pigs, but also birds (or their feathers, including down) immediately on the lungs. Then, from one second to the next, I simply can’t breathe: asthma. As a first grader, I received this diagnosis from the doctor at the time. Immediately afterwards my hamsters were given away. We also had to move. The doctor said our coal stove wasn’t particularly good for my lung health…