Could a balloon cure eczema?
Reddened and painful eczema patches have covered Sam Cuby’s body for most of his life – for the four-year-old was born with the skin allergy, which was so irritating, he scratched himself red-raw and couldn’t sleep. But now, thanks to a revolutionary ‘hot-air balloon’ that heats mattresses, killing dust mites and their droppings which can cause eczema, Sam’s skin has cleared. ‘The difference is incredible – Sam’s eczema has almost gone and he’s much happier,’ says Joe Cuby, Sam’s father, a publisher from Hertfordshire. Until now, there has been no safe or effective way of killing both dust mites and their droppings – for while dust mites can be killed with steam, the protein in their droppings which aggravates allergies (the allergen) is remarkably resilient. ‘The problem for allergy sufferers is these proteins can withstand intense cold and heat and remain in a mattress for years,’ explains Paul Nightingale, an engineer from Devon, who designed the balloon system after his wife develo
