Environmental Stressors Can Cause Blindness??

by | air fresheners, air quality, babies, buildings and health, condensation, electromagnetic radiation, EMF, EMR, environmental sensitivities, environmental stressors, fragrances, gases, health, healthy home, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health, informed choice, lead, mold, mould, particulate matter, perfumes, water damage, wifi

Environmental Stressors Can Cause Blindness??

Say what? Environmental stressors can cause blindness????

Yup.

Let me illustrate this with a story about Billie.

Billie (not her real name) is a young Mum who is super keen to ensure her bubba is safe. She’d heard about 5G and noticed some of the attention it was getting. So she asked Dr Google, she joined FB groups, she sought out information from everywhere.

Out came Protective Mamma Bear.

5G became an obsession. It consumed every available moment between changing nappies, feeding, washing, playing with bubba and sleep…. Well, to be honest, it even started to creep in there too – as she dreamed about #5G.

Billie was so obsessed with 5G that she thought nothing of using her tablet while bubba slept, while it connected to the wi-fi.

The humidifier in bubba’s room that was causing mould to grow on the ceiling didn’t even enter her mind.

The perfume she spritzed on her body and clothes didn’t get a mention.

She was so caught up in the one issue, that she saw nothing else.

Not surprisingly, she was blinded by her obsession with one environmental stressor.

Billie is not alone. Environmental Stressors are Hugely Important

Billie’s story is not unique. I see this time and time again – be it around #SmartMeters, #fragrances, #lead, #mould… any #EnvironmentalStressor. 

Whilst it is valid to be informed and proactive, there are quite a lot of issues with this kind of blinkered focus on one thing. 

In a nutshell, the issues are:

🤷🏽‍♂️ There is a lot of mis-information, hype and well-marketed nonsense. As a result, you can end up spending a lot of time and money on unnecessary things

🔎 With all the mis-information, you might end up doing something that could make things worse

🔍 Usually, when my team and I assess homes of people like Billie, we find all sorts of other problems that are much larger issues than the one they are stressing about… the blinkers need to come off to be able to address the bigger picture

And yet, there is much more to this…

It is one small word that has massive ramifications.

🔎 It is #stress 🔎 

Stress can cause a whole gamut of problems. It can:

😡 Reduce your ability to #detoxify 

😞 Negatively impact your #sleep (and as a result, your mood)

😕 Cause a release of all sorts of chemicals in the body that ultimately reduce your #resilience 

AND, this next one is the worst of all, in my opinion.

😔 Stress can cause you to freeze up, become #overwhelmed and take NO action

I believe strongly in taking #empowered action.

There is always something you can do to make a difference.

Even if it feels small, it is enormous! 

So, I urge you to keep perspective, to open your heart to the wonderful things in life, and draw inspiration to take empowered action.

One of my favourite recommendations is to put flowering plants in your garden (or balcony). This will help the birds, bees, insects and your loved ones. 

Take a moment to imagine how the world would benefit if every single person did this? 

🌻🐝🌸🐾💐🦉🌞🦆🌿

Air Quality – Understanding the Information

by | air pollution, air quality, carbon monoxide, gases, indoor environmental health, particulate matter, VOCs

With the bushfires that destroyed so much of Australia in the summer of 2020, air quality became a bit of an obsession – and rightly so with all the smoke that our fires have produced spreading globally.

There are apps and websites and indexes…

There is PM2.5, PM10, TVOC, CO, AQI and on it goes.

But do you understand what it is all about?

For some, just getting the colour indication that it is unhealthy, hazardous or not is enough.

For others, it is important to wrap your head around this. I have put this together for you. 🙂

Air Quality: Making Sense of the Abbreviations

PM2.5 and PM10

These refer to particulate matter of different sizes. “Particulate matter” is particles in the air.

The numbers, eg 2.5 and 10, refer to the size of the particles; so 2.5 microns or 10 microns.

This is important because there are different health implications based on the sizes.

The larger particles are “inhalable” – as in, you can breathe them in, and they are likely to get stuck in your upper respiratory tract. This is certainly the case for PM10.

The smaller particles, eg PM2.5 are “respirable.” This means that they can get into the lungs.

The US EPA have put together a brochure on “Particle Pollution and Your Health” which you can download here. In this they

tVOC

This stands for Total Volatile Organic Compounds.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) come from a variety of sources and can be assessed individually. However, for this topic, they are lumped together to get an overall total.

VOCs can best be understood by way of the supermarket cleaning aisle. You know when you are approaching the cleaning section because of the smell… that is the off-gassing of the VOCs from those products.

Ozone, CO (Carbon Monoxide), Sulphur Dioxide

These are all gases which can be problematic to health.

AQI

This is the Air Quality Index which takes into consideration a number of air quality issues and rates the air.

It is an index that is used throughout the US to predict/forecast as well as record air pollutants – ozone, PM, CO, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide.

The scale has been developed based on health effects of having breathed in the air for a few hours.

Therefore, in a nutshell, if you are a sensitive person, or someone with lung or heart issues, elderly or pregnant, levels over 100 may be an issue, and you need to protect yourself.

If none of those apply, levels over 200 are considered unhealthy, and the hazardous.

Image source: US EPA

Another resource that the US EPA have put together is this article, How Smoke from Fires Can Affect Your Health.

Want to Know More about Air Quality?

The US EPA have a brochure on the AQI which you can download here.

While all of this is important to know and understand, please note that the apps and sites mentioned initially are measuring and assessing ambient air (outdoor air), and not indoor air. There are many instances where indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air. This can be due to many internal sources, such as new furnishings, paint, floor finishes, and so on.

It is my professional opinion that many buildings should have air purifiers.

My personal preference is that I would rather a machine with a filter captures all of these pollutants, and not my nose and lungs.

Want to understand more about what you can do to create a healthy home or workplace?
Then join our free community

#airquality #smoke #health #airpurifier #airqualityindex #PM2.5 #PM10 #particulatematter

House Hunting?

by | building biology, buildings and health, chemical sensitivities, chemically sensitive, ehs, electric fields, electromagnetic radiation, EMF, EMR, family, gases, health, heavy metals, house hunting, indoor air quality, informed choice, lead, mold, mould

Moving (and house hunting) is a highly stressful time…

Add to the mix the need to avoid environmental stressors, keep to a tight budget and manage with low tolerance – house hunting becomes almost impossible.

Sound familiar?

I get it – not only have I been there myself, but I've also guided many clients through this process.

I have also seen things go pear-shaped. Very pear-shaped… Like one of my earliest pre-purchase inspections. 

You would not believe what happened…

My client arranged for me to do the inspection… So I arrived on this sunny afternoon, excited to determine if this house was suitable for him.

“Let's go in!” I said.

“Uh-uh! Not me. Every time I go in there, I get sick. You go in and assess it.”

I did a double-take.

Why would he want me to assess the place if he can't be in while I inspect it????

I explained the scenario to him – all set to head back to the office. But he wanted to go ahead. So, I did. And my report recommended that he keep looking. My professional advice was disregarded. He bought the place…

And moved out almost as fast as he had moved in.

There is no need to make the same mistakes.

If you have been looking for a new place no doubt money is tight. You may not have enough time to organise a professional indoor environmental health assessment done. Stress levels are through the roof.

You've moved before, and it is essential that you don't have to move again because you can't end up in another place that is unsafe, nay, uninhabitable.

The track running in your mind goes something like this:

What do I do? 

How can I avoid the things that make me sick? 

How can I protect your health and that of my loved ones? 

Am I right?

So here's what you can do:

  • Learn my “Crystal Ball” method;
  • Draw on my training, experience and insight so that you can keep a property on or your list or cross it off with confidence; and
  • Become EMPOWERED to make sound decisions for your health and that of your loved ones.

You don't need to invest tens of thousands of dollars or years of time training and equipment…

You just need someone to show you #PROtips and tricks so that you can shortlist properties for yourself with confidence…

eco-health-solutions natural

Thus, I have curated this course.

I want you to:

  1. Be able to confidently cross places off your list, keeping only the good ones;
  2. Avoid having to gather the energy to look at places, only to be sick for weeks after;
  3. Save time, money and energy.

All of my years of training, experience, up skilling and knowledge have been consolidated into 13 online lessons, complete with worksheets, my black book of online resources and the essential 122-point checklist so you know you've covered all bases.

Just what the doctor ordered, hey?

  • Do you suffer from environmental sensitivities?
  • Desperately trying to find a home that isn’t going to make you sick, or sicker?
  • Feel forced to settle on a less-than-ideal home because funds are tight?
  • Multiple home assessments haven’t helped you find the perfect place, but you can’t afford to keep coughing up cash?

A LIFE-CHANGING ONLINE COURSE THAT’S ONE-OF-A-KIND 

In Looking for a New Place? How to Avoid the Pitfalls, indoor environmental health expert Lucinda Curran reveals how to streamline the house-hunting process, eliminate uninhabitable homes with confidence, and make a promising shortlist of homes for professional assessments.

No more:

  • Time wasted on pointless inspections
  • Money spent on unnecessary assessments
  • Needless exposure to toxins at inspections
  • Settling for uninhabitable properties
  • Heartache on learning that the ‘perfect’ home wasn’t right after all

“THIS COURSE IS A MUST” 

“I am now better able to rule out unsuitable properties from the comfort of my home which saves me time, energy and cuts down on exposures. The checklist of what to look for in and around the property is very comprehensive and makes it so easy to look for the potential dangers that may be lurking. This course is a must have for anyone wanting to know what to look for and avoid when searching for a healthy home.”

– Genevieve, VIC

Check it out here. 👉

Please note: this course does NOT take the place of a professional Indoor Environmental Health Assessment.

BUT it does mean you don't have to have so many! 🙂

Is My House Making Me Sick? Pt 1

by | air fresheners, air pollution, building biology, buildings and health, detoxification, dust mites, gases, health, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health

Is my house making me sick?

PART 1

You’re not quite on your game. Your health has declined – your energy is low, you feel “off”, when you wake up you definitely don’t feel vibrant and refreshed any more. Each day has become a struggle and even a morning coffee doesn’t get you through the day.

The doctor says everything is fine, but your gut tells you it isn’t.

You’ve been to numerous health professionals, medical doctors, complementary medicine practitioners, and jeepers, with the amount you have forked out on testing, you are wishing you had bought shares in the pathology labs!

Something isn’t quite right, and you know it.

You’ve started to notice that when you are away from your home that you feel better, and not just because you are on holidays! When you return, so do your symptoms. You being to wonder…

“Could my house be making me sick?”

Before we go any further, I want to share with you some basics of health and detoxification which many people seem to forget about.

Detoxification 101

I’m talking the absolute foundations… and that is why I call it “Detoxification 101.”

Our bodies are truly amazing – we are like finely-tuned machines. We like to keep everything at “normal” – so we remove, address and deal with whatever throws our “normal” out (medically speaking, this is homeostasis).

If we follow the rhythms of nature, we rise to greet the sun, and we sleep while the sun does. The days are shorter in winter, so ours are too.

Because we are designed to sleep at night time, this is the time our body is programmed to clean everything up and actively work to return us to “normal” so that we are completely ready to “do it all again” the next day.

At a minute level, our cells are cleaning everything up, we detoxify, we heal.

However, in the presence of stress, these functions don’t happen.

It is a little like a see-saw. Stress goes up, so detoxification goes down.

And when we are talking stress, we are talking any and every kind of stress.

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1. Breathe…easy!

The air inside our homes is unique and the quality of it is affected by anything and everything that comes into our homes. Research has shown that the indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than the outdoor air! Alarming, right?

Add to that the fact that the majority of people spend around 90-95% of their day indoors, and it starts to become clear why all of this is so important.

When we keep our doors and windows closed, the levels of indoor air contaminants build up and conversely, oxygen levels are reduced.

This can make us feel groggy, confused, itchy, sick… all depending on what is in our homes.

When we open our windows and doors and let the fresh air in, we end up exchanging the air and diluting these levels.

As a result, we often feel fresher, brighter and clear-headed.

Did You Know?

Did you know it is possible to exchange the air in your home in as little as 2 minutes?

By opening all external and internal doors and windows, it can take as few as 2 minutes to change all the air in your home over to fresh air!

“What Can I Do?”

At the very least, exchange the air inside your home each morning, each afternoon and each evening.

Start at your front door and do a lap of your home opening every door and window. Wait two minutes, and the do a lap and close the doors and windows you want closed.

Save this to read later?

2. Barefoot… and healthy!

Our shoes get to walk in all sorts of unpleasant things (I’ll leave it with you to think of some. My mind always goes back to the train I used to have to catch that was so foul, I would have a good shower when I got home, too!).

Apart from that, there are also pesticides, pollutants from traffic and roads, heavy metals, dust and so on.

When we wear our shoes inside, we can easily traipse all of this through our homes. From here it either moves about the place as dust, or if you have carpets or rugs, it becomes embedded deep within the pile.

Even a good clean may not remove all of these contaminants.

It is wiser, in my opinion, not to bring them into our homes to start with.

Did You Know?

Carpets act as a “sink” they collect all sorts of contaminants, including skin cells, mould spores and all the things you traipse in on your shoes.

I often think about a carpet as being like an archaeological site – revealing information about the lives of the people living there!

Also, where there is dust, there are dust mites.

“What Can I Do?”

Simple!

Create a no-shoe policy..

Continue reading PART 2 here…

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Carbon Monoxide – Beware This Silent Killer

by | air pollution, carbon monoxide, death, gases, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health

As winter approaches, it is a great time to be having appliances serviced and checked for problems; as well, ensuring that flues are vented to the exterior and that there are no blockages.

There are many things to be thinking about, and today, I wanted to share this with you to prevent issues, and potentially deaths.

Carbon Monoxide – A Silent Killer

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless gas. It is deadly.

It is a combustion gas and can easily build up in the home.

Another common contributor is car exhaust.

CO Poisoning: Health Effects and Symptoms

CO has an affinity for haemoglobin and thus it easily disrupts oxygen transportation within the body.

  • flu-like symptoms
  • fatigue
  • headaches
  • dizziness
  • nausea and vomiting
  • confusion and impaired cognitive functioning
  • tachycardia (rapid heartbeat)

Heath practitioners need to be alert to CO poisoning mimicking influenza – and include this in their differential diagnosis when the whole household is exhibiting these symptoms.

Steps to Prevent CO Poisoning

  1. Have all gas appliances serviced annually and checked for faults and defects
  2. Check the flames – are they blue? Great. Are they yellow/orange? Call your gas company as this is a sign that the gas is nor burning properly.
  3. Only use gas heaters that are flued and vented to the exterior
  4. Use the extractor fan when cooking on a gas stove top
  5. Keep your windows ajar to dilute the indoor air
  6. Avoid idling the car in the garage or near windows
  7. If you have a garage attached to your house, be sure to close the door and seal it well, and never idle the car in the garage
  8. Also, ensure that windows are closed when the car is idled in the driveway
  9. Avoid opening your windows during peak hour traffic (or school pick up and drop off), especially if you live near a busy road

Prevention is Better Than Cure

If you have any concerns, please get in touch.

#carbonmonoxide #gases #environmentalhealth #buildingbiology #gasappliances