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Interviews

Make the Switch to Safe: Earthview Fragrance-Free Products for the Chemically Sensitive

by Catherine 5:19 am

There is sensitive skin, and then there is skin with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). Sensitive skin is a skin type that is irritated by a certain ingredient or ingredients. For some, those ingredients are chemical, but for others, they can be natural ingredients. While sensitive skin can be bothersome and uncomfortable, the cause of the sensitivity can usually be pinpointed and then avoided. MCS, on the other hand, is a severe sensitivity to a variety of ingredients and pollutants–Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), environmental or microbial toxins, solvents, synthetic fragrance, and petro-chemicals–and can occur in any skin type. For individuals with MCS, exposure to even the lowest levels of these contaminants leads to a variety of symptoms, from headache, fatigue, dizziness, and difficulty concentrating, to more specific symptoms like itching, muscle pain, or skin rashes.

While MCS does produce an allergic-type reaction, the cause is usually widespread and cannot be pinpointed, making treatment challenging. Many times, eliminating just one ingredient is not enough. It would be like trying to bail water from the sinking Titanic. It is a good idea, but there is just too much water coming in for it to make any difference. In other words, MCS sufferers are so extremely sensitive that they experience symptoms even with minute exposures. Thus, complete avoidance of toxicants is the primary course of action. Unfortunately, for those affected, it is not possible to live in modern-day America without exposure to some harmful chemicals. But, thanks to companies, like Earthview®, it is at least possible to keep that exposure to a minimum.

As a company, Earthview® is as unique as its products. It is founded upon the principles of delivering the best, safest, least reactive, and environmentally friendly products to its customers and is also a company focused on the specialized needs of those customers—environmentally harmed, chemically sensitive individuals.

5:19 am 0 comment

Interviews Personal Stories Q & A's

Treating the Individual: A Naturopathic Doctor’s Approach to Healing Mold Patients

by Catherine 5:16 pm

One of the things that helps many mold patients during their recovery is connecting with and working with a naturopathic doctor. Luckily for my family, Dr. Dennis pulled us through, helping to identify the mold piece of the puzzle in our home and in our bodies. He also introduced us to protocols that ignited our healing and still continue to help us recover. Dr. Dennis guided phases of my detox, and the dietary- and nutritional supplement-side of things as well. We were very fortunate. But, for many other mold patients, medical doctors fail to see the environmental issues, and only treat immediate symptoms, leaving them still sick and increasingly frustrated. It is not until they try “alternative” therapies and visit naturopathic doctors and/or medical doctors who take an integrative approach to treatment that they finally are able to identify the cause of their illnesses.

In this way, naturopathic doctors are playing an integral part in how environmental illness is treated. They are on the front lines, tirelessly looking at the person, not just the symptom, to see what is happening in a patient’s diet, home, work and personal life to cause whatever illness is going on in the body. Naturopathic doctors help our understanding of how best to fine tune and prime our bodies to withstand environmental toxins. It is the naturopathic doctor’s unique knowledge of the body as a smart and complex system and view of a whole-body approach to healing that I want to shift my focus to today.

More specifically, I want to get a naturopathic doctor’s view of when something like mold becomes the tipping point, driving a major immune reaction, inflammation and illness. When our bodies scream at us that something is wrong, what should we do? What is the “whole body approach” to treating and healing from a mold exposure or mold-instigated illness?

To help answer this question, I was fortunate to be able to speak with Kimberly Williford, MS,RD/LD,NMD, a Board-Certified, licensed Naturopathic Doctor and Registered Dietitian and one of the founding partners of Southern Integrative and Environmental Medical (SIEM) located in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Williford treats environmental toxicity, metabolic dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, and chronic disease, with a focus on longevity and anti-aging. The practice offers comprehensive, individualized and integrative support for its patients.

5:16 pm 0 comment

Interviews Personal Stories Q & A's

Got Salt? Halotherapy for Environmental Illness

by Catherine 11:45 pm

Halotherapy, or dry salt therapy, has been consistently recommended to me as part of my ongoing wellness treatment for healing my body from exposure to toxic mold. Both my medical and holistic practitioners have touted the benefits of inhaling the salt vapors and of the salt’s negative ionization effect on the entire body.

(Note: The more negatively charged ions that are in the bloodstream, the more efficient a cell’s metabolic processes. Contrarily, the more positively charged ions, i.e., free radicals from computers, air pollutants, mold, processed foods, etc. there are in the blood, the slower and less efficient a cell’s ability to get rid of waste. An overabundance of free radicals or positively-charged ions causes cells to become weak; therefore, the body will get sick more easily and age faster.)

Because I have been so busy overhauling our home to make it safe for me and my family, I neglected searching for a place to experience halotherapy here in Memphis. Luckily, for me, as soon as things slowed down, I found the Salt Caves at Better Bodies Yoga Studio. When I reached out to the owner, Karen Moss, she was not only happy to have me come in to experience The Salt Caves, but was willing to answer any of my questions.

Now, I’m going to “take you with me” during my experience of halotherapy. I’m also going to let you in on my conversation with Karen, so that you can get an inside look into why dry salt therapy is so helpful for, not only people with upper respiratory issues, like asthma, sinusitis or allergies, but also for chronic inflammatory response syndrome, environmental illness and mold patients, like me. In other words, anyone interested in increasing immune function, resistance to disease, clearing unwanted particles from the respiratory tract, balancing nervous system function, or just in search of a healthy lifestyle can benefit from time spent inhaling the salt vapors.

Interested?

Let’s go.

11:45 pm 2 comments

Healthy Home Interviews Mold in the News Mold Prevention Products

Molekule: The New Guard of Air Purification

by Catherine 6:53 pm

Sleek, modern, and standing only 23″ tall, the Molekule air purification unit may look similar other air purifiers; however, it isn’t anything like the competition. To accompany the “unobtrusive” design and lightweight portability, the Molekule is an innovation above existing HEPA-filter-based air purifiers. It uses patented PECO (photo-electrochemical oxidation) technology to filter indoor air at the molecular level, not trapping particulates and toxins, like other purification units, but actually removing them from the surrounding air altogether. MoleKule also employs smart technology, with an app that can be downloaded to your phone, so that it can be controlled by a mobile device.

I became intrigued by these units, because, let’s be honest, they look really cool, but, more importantly, because they also claim to filter particulates from the air 1000 x smaller than those removed by HEPA filters. Each Molekule has the ability to completely purify the air in a 600 square foot room in an hour’s time, when continuously running. Molekule’s price point is competitive with other quality air purifiers ($799 a unit), which includes your first year’s filter replacement subscription, a $99 value. So, does Molekule live up to its billing? And what about mold? How does Molekule do with mold? Since mold is enemy #1 for me and my family, I wanted to dig a little deeper.

6:53 pm 8 comments

Interviews Mold in the News Mold Prevention Personal Stories

Mold in Your Sinus Can Cause Neurological Symptoms: Watch This Clip From Know the Cause

by Catherine 6:48 pm

Why is inhaling mold in your indoor environment for a prolonged amount of time so dangerous? Well, for one, your sinus sits right in front of your brain, and provides a direct avenue to both the brain and the bloodstream. But, if you are someone who likes visual proof and medical explanations of this sort of thing, I have a show for you.

This latest clip from Know the Cause features Dr. Dennis, and discusses a story about mold in the human sinus. Dr. Dennis talks about two patients with mold in their sinuses. Their particular cases were so groundbreaking, in terms of mold illness studies, that he later published a paper on them with the late Dr. Jack Thrasher.

The two, very sick female patients had both been living in their moldy homes, had many different symptoms, not limited to sinusitis, and were not responding to the maximum sinus and body protocol treatments for the mold.

Here is the video:

6:48 pm 0 comment

Healthy Home Homemade Products Interviews Products

Allergy Relief with MicroBalance Health Products on Know The Cause

by Catherine 10:40 pm

What happens when products and health solutions are created by a renowned doctor simply because he cannot find the products and solutions that his patients desperately need already on the existing market? I’ll go ahead and tell you—mold allergy relief, that’s what happens.

MicroBalance Health Products was born a little over 8 years ago with the patients of Dr. Donald Dennis specifically in mind. One, in particular, struck a chord with Dr. Dennis, because the patient was constantly plagued by sinus infections and general illness no matter what treatment they tried. When the patient finally left his regular indoor environments to vacation at the beach, he miraculously got well. This was Dr. Dennis’s eureka moment: The source of the illness was environmental—mold, and, a mold-free environment, like the beach was the answer for not just this patient, but many other chronic sinusitis patients. Then, Dr. Dennis created a few core products in 2008 that were only available for his patients through the compounding pharmacy in his building. Later, MicroBalance was born to make those products and more available to everyone. Today, the company has grown to offer 9 very targeted and diverse products to their customers. Each product combats mold at the source, whether in the body or in the indoor environment.

10:40 pm 0 comment

Interviews Personal Stories Q & A's

The “Better Health Guy” on Mold and Environmental Illness

by Catherine 2:39 pm

Part of my understanding of mold/fungus and its effect on the body has come from personal experience. The other parts have come from constantly researching and reading anything I can get my hands on about mold-related and environmental illness. After all, the whole reason I started this “cleaning for mold” blog was to carve out a niche where I could actually impart some wisdom—maintaining a healthy mold-free home—to others who have suffered or are suffering from similar illnesses. And, just like a small cleaning job that morphs into something much bigger and more involved, the topic of mold has expanded and deepened on this blog as I have learned more. The doctors, professionals, advocates and fellow mold patients I have met along-the-way have also provided wonderful information that continues to aid me and my family on our journey to better health. It has been so comforting to be able to reach out to so many other mold illness resources anytime my health or the health of my family seems to slip, or a symptom of mold exposure starts to arise again. At these times, I ask questions, consult with my physician, and begin online research to see if any new information helps me to figure out the root of the problem. If there is one thing I’ve learned about environmentally-triggered illness, it is that there is always more to the picture than just the immediate symptoms. Usually, one, singular approach is not the answer.

2:39 pm 0 comment

Cleaning Tips Healthy Home Interviews Mold Prevention

Bathroom Ventilation: Everything You Ever Wanted and Needed to Know

by Catherine 3:16 am

I recently wrote a blog post detailing how to clean your bathroom ventilation fans properly for mold. (HERE is a link to that post on the blog.) Because ventilation, and especially bathroom ventilation (think an area with large amounts of moisture, warmth, and residue), are crucial to preventing mold growth in your home, I thought I would bring you a supplemental post to add to that one.

Today, I will share some helpful insights with you on how to pick the best fan for your bathroom and ventilation needs. To help me do that, I’ve enlisted some professional help. Let’s face it, I may know a thing or two about mold, cleaning for mold, and mold prevention, but when it comes to the intricacies of bath fans, I only really know what I have read. With that said, I would like to introduce you to Paul St. Pierre, founder of Bathfanreview.com.

3:16 am 0 comment

Interviews Products Q & A's

Increasing Mold Tolerance With Sinus Defense

by Catherine 10:11 pm

The immune system acts as the body’s first defense against infection and illness. Your immune system recognizes every cell in your body. When something unfamiliar enters your system, like a virus, a parasite or bacteria, your immune system fights to get rid of it. So, have you ever heard of cell-mediated immunity? It refers to immunity that does not involve antibodies, but rather, the activation of Thymus cells (T-cells) in response to an antigen, like mold. T-cells are the core of our body’s adaptive immunity to allergens. Cell-mediated immunity is directed primarily at microbes that infect cells. It is also the most effective in defending against mold, because once T-cells are activated against an antigen for removal, they will remember that same invader for future removal. So, the next time you encounter something like mold, your T-cells will be quick to remove it. Since mold is an antigen that exists everywhere, this type of efficient immune response would be ideal in dealing with it and lessening an onslaught of debilitating symptoms.

10:11 pm 0 comment

Interviews Mold in the News Personal Stories

Relief from Mold Illness With Dr. Dennis on “Know The Cause”

by Catherine 5:29 am

I hinted that this was coming in a previous post, so today, here it is: Dr. Donald Dennis talking about his experience with and treatment of mold- and fungal-related sickness on the Know the Cause television show with Doug Kaufmann. So that I am not boring you with repetitive details, should you want to know more about any background info not included in this post, HERE IS THE LINK to my previous post, where I tell you all about Know the Cause and Doug Kaufmann’s work to bring awareness to the masses about the root cause of many diseases and systemic illnesses. Kaufmann is a pioneer and a truly great person, so I highly recommend that you check out his site, his podcast, and his television program. He is also the author of many fantastic books, one of which, Eating Your Way to Good Health, changed the way I look at food, eat and cook for my family. It’s a game changer, in terms of eating to combat fungus. Hopefully, I can write about it in another post. But, I digress…

5:29 am 0 comment