Allergies and Illness
You may have heard about different ways our environment is polluted, but you may be surprised to find out about some of the specific poisons in our environments that can hinder us from overcoming symptoms and conditions and slow down our healing process. These pollutants and toxins can trigger issues and keep us stuck in a place of poor health if we aren’t made aware of their presence in our lives and learn ways to fight against these various harmful elements.
This is one area that we are well trained in. Many of us have worked with this for years, and yet, they still don’t teach allergies in medical school, so many doctors have not a clue, yet, how important this is. Many allergist still do skin scratch tests, which are antiquated, but they can charge big bucks for.
Not only will this article shed light on some of the environmental toxins you may not be aware of, but it will also provide you with information on how to protect and arm yourself against these destructive forces. Your body is constantly adjusting to things in its environment and fighting against toxins it encounters. Once you have this information and begin to offer your body the foods, supplements, and protective measures it needs to thrive, you will be on your way not to be a victim to the ever-changing environments you find yourself in.
You still should contact us, or an environmental allergist. That is a specialty field, and you have to ask.
Environmental Issues Inside the Home
Allergies, monthly headaches during your menstrual cycle, asthma, eczema, anxiety, fatigue, hair loss, brain fog, confusion, weakness, aches and pains, and a host of other health issues can all be exacerbated by various environmental issues. You may be wondering what is going on in your environment that is causing your unique health complications. Here are just a few of the environmental triggers you may be up against:
Carpet Chemicals
I’ve been discussing the issue of carpet chemicals for decades now, and especially how serious it is not to put a baby on a carpet. Brand new carpet contains solvents, fungicides, and other toxic chemicals, which can trigger seasonal affective disorder-like symptoms and other conditions and symptoms connected with any active or inactive viruses you have. For example, if you have Epstein-Barr virus and you are exposed to the chemicals found in new carpets, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme disease, aches and pains, brain fog, migraines, Hashimoto’s, psoriasis, asthma or a host of other conditions and symptoms may arise or worsen.
Using a conventional carpet cleaning service can also be problematic. A conventional carpet cleaner typically uses a large number of different solvent chemicals mixed into a single, toxic brew. People don’t realize that the freshly cleaned carpets they are padding around on barefoot and letting their children play on have been saturated in such a harmful solution. Problems can especially arise in the wintertime when people get their carpets cleaned and keep their windows shut for months at a time.
Even if you feel you’re in fantastic health, just getting your carpets cleaned could potentially set you up for your first Lyme disease diagnosis. The solvents and chemicals found inside these freshly cleaned carpets can trigger off viruses in people’s bodies such as Epstein-Barr and neurotoxins, such as those that create neurological Lyme. Lyme disease at its core is never bacterial or parasitical, it is always a viral issue. This is still undiscovered information that many healthcare providers will hear for the first time, if you talk to them. These viruses create the neurotoxins that trigger neurological issues that are associated with Lyme. If someone has no symptoms of Lyme until they are exposed to a toxin like carpet chemicals, it means the toxin triggered the virus to worsen, resulting in the start of the symptoms associated with Lyme disease. You could ask for a test for Lyme disease, and if you have a high antigen count, it may be exposure to carpet and cleaning solutions.
Be mindful of how old your carpet is as well. Older carpets tend to begin breaking down and can start to harbor various levels of mold. You may not notice mold in any other parts of your home, and still be unknowingly affected by a low-grade fungus growing in your older carpets.
Depending on your specific circumstances, you may have to live in a place with carpets and face these issues. If you’re living in a rental apartment that has new carpeting, extremely old carpeting, or carpets that have been freshly cleaned with toxic chemicals, do not burden yourself with worry. There are many choices you can make in your life when it comes to foods, supplements, and other more flexible lifestyle and self-care choices that can help you combat the environmental toxins you face. Just give us a call.
Paint
You may see people giggling as they splatter paint on each other while finishing a painting project in a commercial, television show, or movie, but this staged scene is actually highlighting a scenario that could actually be incredibly harmful in real life. The paint they are playfully splashing at each other is in fact toxic and the less exposure you have, the better.
Be cautious and mindful of painting projects inside the home. Fresh paint can have a negative impact on your health, and it takes time for the paint fumes to dissipate. If possible, use low-VOC paint, which may somewhat help in lowering the toxins you and your housemates are exposed to.
Both viral and bacterial conditions are more easily triggered when someone is living in a freshly painted rental or any environment that has been newly painted. One condition that may be triggered to worsen is a streptococcus infection, which could result in a handful of health-related difficulties including SIBO, sinus congestion, UTIs, styes, and acne. Even if you are in excellent health, regular exposure to fresh paint could still negatively impact your health.
Mold
Mold can be present in a variety of places in the home. Different types of black mold that may appear inside the walls, underneath the kitchen sink, or in a variety of other locations in the home can trigger serious health symptoms and conditions. Black mold can be a major trigger for neurological viruses that create Lyme disease symptoms, a variety of multiple sclerosis, or a host of other health-related issues.
Again, I have to say, if you have questions you need to talk to us. Many of us know what it’s like to live in a one room apartment that’s filled with harmful pesticides, toxic paint, and mold. I understand that many people do not have the financial means or the ability for one reason or another to move away from and/or modify their living quarters. The awareness of potential environmental toxins inside the home can still bring about understanding, and some of the suggested dietary and supplement recommendations can still be beneficial for you and your loved ones to help safeguard your health.
Water
From brushing your teeth to washing your hands to soaking in the tub after a busy day, you are constantly encountering varying qualities of water. Many people know to avoid drinking tap water whenever possible. If you cannot afford a high-quality water filter, even a semi-decent filtration system can offer some benefit.
You may not know that you are often bathing in chlorine and fluoride when you run a bath or step into the shower. These two substances are not ideal for your health or healing. I’ve worked with a client who developed chronic fatigue largely because of their constant exposure to chlorine while showering. They hopped from doctor to doctor, were given numerous misdiagnoses, and didn’t actually experience positive shifts in their health until they filtered the chlorine out of the water they were showering in. My client, who was suffering from low-grade Epstein-Barr that gave rise to chronic fatigue syndrome, was already fighting off neurotoxins from the Epstein-Barr that were creating neurological fatigue, and the chlorine exposure in addition to the neurotoxins overburdened the immune system. After this fix, the client no longer needed to pause their day after a shower to take a nap and noted that this simple change seemed to make their fatigue disappear by 75%. If you want to address this issue yourself, consi der installing a filter in the shower. You may also be interested in installing a reverse osmosis water system throughout your home, which is another option.
I always talk about the importance of little steps in the right direction. If you can decrease your exposure to environmental toxins, this may play a 5% role or more in your overall healing. Any other healing efforts, including your dietary choices, the supplements you choose to take, and the healing meditations you practice all have different positive percentages in which they impact your healing. The more of these positive pieces of healing you can bring into your life, the more results you are likely to see because it matters and all adds up.
Air
What I’m about to reveal is negatively affecting the health of our children, our families, and our communities, but is not being openly discussed. This harmful practice is present throughout the United States and in many other countries around the world. Every state in the U.S. has areas that are specifically designated for agricultural use. In the areas that are used for farming most conventional vegetables and certain conventional fruits, workers lay down hundreds of billions of pounds of plastic throughout the rows of produce. These often white, but sometimes black colored row covers are vastly different than the row covers you may use in your backyard garden to provide protection and pest control. These toxic plastic row covers blanket thousands of acres of crops throughout the United States and elsewhere and are sprayed multiple times a week with rodenticides, herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. The barrels these chemicals come from display a unique variety of hazard label, which is a large skull and bones, and the mixture that is eventually sprayed on the crops is concocted in a massive containment unit. The people who cover these plastics in heavy quantities of these toxic chemicals have to wear hazmat suits to protect themselves. Chemicals being sprayed on conventional crops is nothing new, but this part is.
Once the conventional crops are ready to be harvested, the plastics are gathered and burned. During this process, dangerous furans take to the air. Environmental activists are understandably worried about the pollution generated by factories and certain forms of transportation, but nobody within the environmental movement is aware of this practice or is talking about the toxic plumes that arise, billow through the air, cross state lines, and wreak unparalleled havoc on people’s lives. Burning plastic by itself can be toxic, but this becomes an even greater issue because of the high levels of pesticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and herbicides covering these plastics. If you’re someone that follows, believes or is interested in climate change, protecting our environment, wildlife and the future of our children’s health and wellbeing, it’s important to know that this hidden practice of burning agricultural plastic is by far one of the most damaging. It is wreaking havoc on all of us, but slips under the radar of the experts and environmentalists.
One source has always told me that this destructive practice is one of the reasons for the currently high rate of cancers. This is unknown to medical science and research. Many people are suffering from viruses such as Epstein-Barr that are creating severe fatigue and a multitude of other symptoms and conditions. These symptoms can be triggered off by this pollution as well. Additionally, allergy and asthma sufferers are greatly impacted by this practice. Oftentimes spring allergies people suffer from are largely due to the increase in the burning of plastics on agricultural lands during the spring season. Pollen may cause some irritation, but what could be triggering most of someone’s allergies is exposure to toxic, odor-free plumes. Because these crops are burned at different times in different areas, people can experience symptoms and conditions related to this destruction all year around.
The west coast has been especially impacted by this tragic practice, and when the winds blow, a terribly toxic soot that was created in the agricultural areas spreads throughout the west. Across the country, places have been affected by this free-flowing air pollution. This is especially true for states with warmer climates. Environmental groups are unaware of the immense harm this particular air pollution is causing and have no clue that this practice is one of the biggest reasons for air pollution-related illnesses in the world today.
Sadly, this is not even a necessary practice. Replacing these conventional techniques with organic farming practices could have a number of outstandingly positive consequences for our health. But as of right now, this destruction continues to take place.
If you are living near these agricultural lands, know that you do not necessarily need to move away from the place you call home. Even people eighty miles away from an area where burning occurs can be affected for a few days, a week or longer when a heavy period of burning takes place. Maybe you are outside breathing in polluted air and take a few steps back in your overall healing. If this happens, have faith that you will move forward once again. Instead of learning about these issues and growing fearful, I hope you can use this new knowledge to fight even harder against the things that are keeping you from embracing total health.
Besides air pollution from the burning plastics, you also need to be aware of the many chemicals falling out of the sky on a regular basis. Exhaust and jet fuel can be issues, especially for people who live near airports, but exhaust and jet fuel are not the only pollutants we need to worry about. I’m not going to expound on this topic in too much detail, but I just want to make you aware of the constant chemical fallout we are regularly exposed to. Other air pollutants include the radiation fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It may be surprising to learn that only a small fraction of the radiation from World War II has fallen to the ground level of earth thus far.
Not only are we up against the toxins that stem from the abuse of conventional agricultural lands, but we also have to fight off other environmental toxins as well as the viral explosion, toxic heavy metals, and radiation. Medical science and research are unaware that these toxins are responsible for most illnesses today and these environmental issues are simply triggers to underlying health problems caused by these factors. Fortunately, we are resilient, our bodies are always working for us, and you now know the truths that can help you to truly begin healing.
Communities
If you live in a gated community, retirement complex, condo, or other communal space, know that you are most likely being exposed to rampant pesticide use. Large quantities of pesticides are oftentimes sprayed in areas of community living unbeknownst to the people and families dwelling in these areas. The hundreds of pounds of pesticides used on the lawns, bushes, and other greenery in these community spaces not only affect those who choose to live in these places, but can also be carried to other locations by the wind. This is one reason why you may unknowingly be suffering from pesticide exposure.
Golf Courses, Parks, & Lawns
If you or a loved one likes to play golf, it is important to be aware of the environmental toxins you may be exposing yourself to. Lethal fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides cover most golf courses, and most people who play on these courses will suffer some negative health consequences because of it. Not only are your feet, ankles, and legs exposed to tremendous amounts of pesticides and herbicides, but you are breathing in these toxins as well.
Parks and sports fields are also heavily sprayed with chemicals. It is unfortunate that places such as these, that bring joy to so many families, can be highly toxic environments.
If you are spraying your lawn with an herbicide or treating the inside or outside of your home with insecticide, you may want to reconsider these methods of maintenance. Unfortunately, if you discontinue these practices but still have a neighbor who continues to use these toxic chemicals you may still suffer from mild exposure. If a home down the street is treated with pesticides around its foundation, a windy day could easily blow those toxins onto your property and cause you or your loved one’s health issues to arise or grow worse. In a case such as this, someone could even develop a symptom of Lyme disease.
New Cars, Furniture, & Clothes
Have you ever gotten into a brand-new car and noticed that smell that tends to be in new vehicles? Toxic solvents create that “new car” smell and can linger in a vehicle and cause problems for up to six months. If you have allergies or chemical sensitives and you get a new car, know that you may suffer with these symptoms more during the first few months after your purchase. If you do experience a slight setback in your healing during this time, do not lose faith. Continue to implement the healing protocol that is working for you and your body, and remember that the healing process involves steps forward and steps back.
If you buy a new piece of furniture, be aware that it is most likely laced with fungicides and nanotechnology. It may also have a smell, which is due to the high-level of solvents typically found in new fabrics. Even if the furniture does not smell, solvents are still usually present. Due to the toxic nature of the solvents, just sitting on a new piece of furniture could slow down someone’s healing. To protect yourself while waiting for the solvents to air out, buy a new comforter, wash it once or twice, and spread it over the new piece of furniture. Sitting on top of the comforter will help reduce your exposure to the solvents and help better support you healing.
Whenever you purchase new clothes, make sure to wash them before you wear them. This is true for any blankets, towels, quilts, and other bedding you buy. Many of these new pieces have been saturated with formaldehyde, fungicide, and other toxic chemicals. Try to avoid having your dry cleaning done at traditional dry cleaners as well. The toxic chemicals used at these places can hinder healing for some.
Detergents & Hair Care Products
When doing laundry, it is important to use a natural detergent. Conventional detergents usually contain petrol oil, which is an ingredient that may play a part in retarding your healing efforts.
Being mindful of the products you choose to use is important. This is true when it comes to the creams, gels, sprays, and other products you choose to use on your hair. One past client returned to my office after a period of time because her headaches had come back after a three-month respite. I found out that the client was using a different, more toxic brand of hairspray. My client confirmed this was the case. I suggested she stop using this new brand and return to using her old brand, which was slightly less toxic, or refrain from using hairspray altogether. The client was initially hesitant to stop using hairspray because she worried that her hair would not hold well and she would consequently not look her best at work. But eventually, my client came to realize that if she continued to use the hairspray, she would not even be able to show up to work because of the headaches the toxic hairspray could trigger.
Perfumes & Colognes
Perfumes and colognes are harmful and should be avoided whenever possible. Chemical compounds used in perfumes and colognes have the same chemical compound construction as particular pesticides and herbicides. You may be surprised to learn that pesticides, when freshly placed on agricultural fields, smell just like the perfumes and colognes you would find at a department store. Anyone suffering from a chronic condition or symptom should stay clear of perfumes and colognes, which can greatly retard your healing process. If you suffer with chemical sensitivity, exposure to perfume or cologne can be particularly devastating. If you are hesitant to give up your perfume or cologne, try switching these products for some high-quality essential oils. Essential oils can give you a wonderful fragrance without exposing you to toxins.
Perfumes and colognes are so toxic that just breathing in the cologne or perfume of another colleague at work on a daily basis can actually set your healing back slightly. That being said, it is important to remember that healing does not happen in a straight line and that with patience and consistently applying the healing information I share, you can eventually overcome this hindrance.
Air Fresheners
Plug-in air fresheners, like perfumes and colognes, possess the same chemical compound construction as certain pesticides and herbicides. Remove any plug-in air fresheners you may have around your home and toss any air freshener sprays you may be using. Air fresheners are so harmful that moving into a place where air fresheners were once used can actually slow down someone’s healing for a period of time.
Invisible Issues
I’ve worked with tens of thousands of clients throughout my life. There was a more than twenty-year span where I worked seven days a week, from six-thirty in the morning until midnight. During this time, there was a five-year period where I even spent the holidays meeting with the many sick people who continued to pour into my office. I say this to highlight something I’ve learned throughout the countless years. There are many things we are up against in our lives. Some of these things are visible and many of these things are invisible.
Resilience & Adaptation
It is important to remember that even though we are being bombarded with environmental toxins wherever we live and wherever we go, our bodies are incredibly resilient. Even if you only lower the level of heavy metals in your body by a small margin, or slightly decrease your viral load, it is likely your body will noticeably reward you for your efforts.
For those who are not familiar with the term “viral load” and are not sure how it’s relevant, I’ve talked about how viruses like Epstein-Barr and others cause multiple symptoms that make people sick without them even being aware of it. You may be more familiar with terms like “candida”, “leaky gut”, “SIBO”, “fibromyalgia”, “autoimmune disease”, “chronic fatigue syndrome” and others, but there’s more to understand about these conditions and what’s really behind them and that’s what I we do for you.
This is because your body has the ability to adapt once it is given the right foods, supplements, and care, and the body’s God-given, miraculous ability to adapt is a critical part of the healing process.
Health and Wellness Associates
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Dr P Carrothers
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