“We spend $100 in groceries from a Whole Food market, to cook in a toxic kitchen.”
Are you doing everything you can to help your family thrive? Eating organic, taking your vitamins, whirling vita-mix shakes daily and even drinking the cleanest water. But have you thought of where you live, your home?
Could the chemicals you are exposed to be hurting your health, exacerbating your allergies, or worse, did you develop new allergies recently?
If you are the parent of a child who suffers with asthma, autism, ADD, or allergies, then taking the steps to improve your home even one item at a time will help reduce symptoms and that means less suffering for you and the child. The environmental illness can augment the severity of these issues for children and adults.
The syndrome for ‘environmental illness’ is called TILT which stands for “toxicant induced loss of tolerance” or MCS, which means multiple-chemical sensitivity. It refers to a variety of non-specific symptoms reported by some people after possible exposure to chemical, biologic, or physical agents. The symptoms people report are wide-ranging. They include headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, congestion, itching, sneezing, sore throat, chest pain, changes in heart rhythm, breathing problems, muscle pain or stiffness, skin rash, diarrhea, bloating, gas, confusion, trouble concentrating, memory problems, and mood changes.
Some experts suggest that it is an immune response similar to allergies. Others say that the symptoms stem from an extreme sensitivity to certain smells. It’s possible that conditions such as depression and anxiety play a role, too. (According to Pubmed).
Where is the real harm?
Detoxification of naturally occurring toxins is carried out in humans by enzymes in the liver. These same enzymes are also used to detoxify a wide range of synthetic chemicals, but if the enzymes are depleted or damaged by health problems, then they are unable to metabolize these toxicants efficiently, so leading to the problems associated with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Enzyme depletion occurs with exposure to pesticides. If the enzyme is depleted then the toxin stays in the body longer causing damage and malfunction in the immune system. This could give rise to a sensitivity to all sorts of triggers rather than a specific reaction to one toxicant. A number of types of toxic chemicals, which exposed for people who then subsequently became MCS sufferers AND which are known to be Immune System disruptors, include organochlorines, formaldehyde, pesticides, herbicides, organophosphates & others.
In a recent article in Discover Magazine, they discussed the sequence of events that occur in the body. ‘First, a susceptible individual gets sick after toxic exposure orexposures. But then, instead of recovering, the neurological and immune systems remain damaged, and the individual fails to get well. The sufferer begins to lose tolerance to a wide range of chemicals common in every day life. The latest research, both in the United States and abroad, suggests that brain processing itself is altered so that the neurological set point for sensitivity falls. The person, now sick, becomes highly sensitive to chemical exposures. The individual is like a fireplace after the original fire has died down: The embers still glow a brilliant orange, ready to burst into flame with the slightest assistance. Getting sick upon toxicant exposure and failing to get well may be driven by epigenetic change, which occur when the environment alters the expression of genes without changing the core DNA code itself. “Environmental events can dramatically impact gene activity,”explains reproductive endocrinologist Frederick vom Saal of the University of Missouri-Columbia. “Once genes are switched on,” says vom Saal, “and once you are sensitized, you essentially have a re-programmed cell.”
The new study is based on an inventory of 50 questions called the QEESI (the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory), available for free at familymed.uthscsa.edu/qeesi.pdf. The QEESI isolates sensitivities to common triggers, such as diesel, paint thinner, foods and products like fabric softener. It is very effective at culling the one in five individuals who are vulnerable to severe TILT, and it has been validated in Sweden, Denmark, Japan and the United States.
Where to turn…
The Green Design Center (GDC) is a reliable source for sustainable and environmentally friendly building products. They are the only one’s in the USA that have ‘Degree of Green’ ranking system. This allows you to decide what is green to you and your family. This information breaks down the negatives and positives of the product. Not all products are perfectly environmentally friendly. There are degrees. The largest premise this company supports is full disclosure so you, as the consumer, can make a clear decision. If only we had full disclosure with everything!
The GDC has been around over 23 years, serving folks of all walks. Some are in great need to have a healthy environment because their child suffers with asthma, autism, MCS, ADD or allergies. They are wanting to improve their home by choosing materials that are non-toxic or the least toxic to avoid exacerbation of symptoms. Others seek a healthy environment to decrease a chronic unknown cause of their headaches. Some are looking for freedom from general allergies. Overall, seeking a green home can help you and your family thrive healthfully – it is the whole picture.
By starting one item at a time, for example, changing the logs out of your gas fireplace to fire crystals, will decrease your exposure to a dangerous chemical fume.
This is economical and a great place to start with cold weather ahead.
Once you begin to explore the products that Green Design Center offers, it will become exciting to decide what is next to change in your home.
The costs are not much different than large commercial store pricing.
Click on the link www.thegreendesigncenter.com today to explore and place an order.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have or to discuss this topic and your best health further at docsage@docsage.com.
Be Your Best Health,
Dr. Sage Campione
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