Buildings are typically designed to provide an indoors environment with their own atmosphere, thus separating them from our natural environment. In other words, buildings do a wonderful job of keeping the outside out and the inside in, which can be a recipe for disaster, given what is introduced into this indoors environment. The good news is the remedy is simple. All one has to do is remove the cause to avert and even reverse dis-ease.
While many chemicals are used to make materials such as fibers and plastics, a good percentage of chemicals are actually byproducts of various manufacturing processes. Some byproducts are regulated, but most are not. While the more regulated ones are supposed to be treated as hazardous waste, corporations have cleverly incorporated these toxic byproducts into marketable items in order to profit from the byproduct, which would otherwise occur at their expense! Most of these chemicals are not there for our safety, as we have been led to believe, and are, once again, nothing more than undesired results of a process.
Household Chemicals
The last thing I want to do here is rain on anybody’s parade, but are you aware that indoor pollution in most cases is actually worse than outdoor pollution? Come to think of it, most buildings, including the so-called “green” homes, are literally nothing more than toxic waste dumps. For starters, do we really need one specially formulated cleaner for each surface type? Laundry detergent that resembles antifreeze? Air fresheners whether sprinkled, sprayed or plugged in? Even stored chemicals are major factors. Although liquids may be contained and well-sealed, the amount of hazardous gases permeating through is anybody’s guess. Paint, even after it has been dry for years, emits gases we wouldn’t want to inhale. Most of these products—even the “green” ones—come with health warning labels, so why would we want these things around us to begin with?
Replace household chemicals with more natural ingredients such as distilled white vinegar, baking soda, citrus fruits and plain water. Vinegar and citrus are natural disinfectants. Baking soda and water make great cleaning agents. As for keeping insects under control, diatomaceous earth, which is nontoxic to humans, can be spread throughout the house, keeping insect population to a minimum.
There are several manufacturers of zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, made from natural ingredients, available for purchase and are just as good as regular paints. I did one room with this kind of paint that was purchased from a local home store specializing in selling environmentally friendly products such as flooring, tile, countertops and so forth. The paint continues to look great to this day and doesn’t give me a headache. You can even make your own paint if you want to go that route. You can even make your own stain out of natural ingredients such as black walnut hulls.
Off-Gassing
Unfortunately, household chemicals are not the only contributors of indoor health hazards. Even if you did not order that couch or carpet with the stain protector, which, by the way, does not work and is an old sales trick, you have the off-gassing (also called outgassing) of these materials, which in layman’s terms, is the giving off of chemicals in the form of gas. This is the primary cause of that new-car smell most of us are familiar with. An article on this in one of the top car publications a few years ago described the origins of the smell and how they are basically just the off-gassing of various chemicals. While off-gassing supposedly declines over time, it has been said that new homes take about a year, although I would suspect the process takes much longer. This even applies to clothing and bedding, which is often applied with toxic flame retardant. The process also occurs in plastics and various other products.
When buying new clothes or furniture, get the most organic material possible. Just say no to stain guards! Go with natural flooring solutions such as wood or stone. If you desire softer flooring solutions, try less plush area rugs, which take up less space and can be easier to maintain. Check out natural bedding products online and in stores. Granted, these are more expensive, but why put a price tag on something that you will be sleeping on every night? The importance of a fresh, comfortable deep sleep cannot be overlooked because it is how the body recharges and heals.
Forget about going to your local electronics store to purchase an organic widescreen TV! Either enjoy what is offered in new or used form or replace the object with another hobby. I enjoy movies and the Internet, so both are here to stay, although the TV is an analog model from the mid-’90s and provides a much better picture than the so-called high definition TVs!
Fuel Sources
In a way, heating units, whether oil- or gas-powered, are like running a car in an enclosed space with the exhaust ventilated to the outside. You wouldn’t want to share interior space with a running car, would you? Although this may be an extreme analogy, it is something to take into consideration. Older or faulty wood stoves, while great at keeping homes warm, can also dramatically increase carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels.
I have never been a fan of gas heating units or appliances and wouldn’t feel comfortable living in a home that uses gas because hazards can occur with this type of fuel. I’m not even 100 percent comfortable with having an oil-burning heater, but it provides warmth when needed and hot water on demand, for which I am thankful. The most environmentally friendly products readily available, to my knowledge, are solar heaters and wood stoves, although the environmental concerns of burning wood throughout the world are debatable. If you have no desire in relocating or replacing your utility source, the least you can do is to ensure the system is periodically maintained. If you have an older wood-burning stove, either replace it or seal it well. Newer stoves are more airtight and have a higher heat output but utilize less wood.
Mold
Mold typically arises from moist conditions and can cause severe health hazards, which can ultimately lead to death. Although some mold problems are caused by obvious ways such as spills and leaks, hidden problems are caused by large differences in temperature such as the inside of a home, 20 degrees cooler than the outside temperature, leading to condensation of the wall cavity. This commonly happens in older homes with newer air conditioning units that were not designed to be cooled at low temperatures. External symptoms of mold problems usually do not appear until decades later, when they finally show up in visible walls long after taking up residence in the wall cavity. So many people are out there with health issues, unaware that they are from mold exposure because the obvious physical signs are not present. Mold will easily multiply given the right conditions, especially since it is airborne.
There’s even a natural remedy for the removal of mold. A friend of mine recently hired specialists who utilized essential oils to take care of the mold. The only other remedy I know of other than relocating or using chemicals is to replace the affected areas, which may be entire structural walls or even a whole building. Just be sure to take care of the cause of the problem first, whether it is fixing a leaky roof or updating an older home to make it suitable with air conditioning. I personally do not like air conditioning and would much rather do without the central air unit that is installed in my house, even though it adds value to the property. That’s what the windows and trees are for.
Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs)
Everything has a frequency, including humans, who have their own unique frequency, which can be measured with the right equipment. Even our brains alone generate enough electricity to light up a bulb. These energy fields cannot be seen with the naked eye, but they are there. All this would have been a laughing matter prior to the 1900s, and if there was any mention of sending messages through the air, one would be destined for the asylum.
About 15 years ago, there was a report on the nightly news that caught my attention and exposed the death of a woman from brain cancer, which was directly attributed to cell phones. Even the companies implied the dangers of using cell phones on a regular basis and said the new phones at the time were designed to help direct the signal away from the brain. There was no mention of cell phone dangers in the media for quite some time afterward, and I had assumed the technology improved to the point where health hazards were nonexistent. I even slept on my phone for a couple of years. The public eventually caught up, and this is why my current cell phone came with “warnings” written by a lawyer, which came in a small hand manual called, “Safety and Product Information,” and was conveniently placed at the very bottom of the box, underneath everything else.
One issue with cell phones, wireless routers and any electronic equipment from the computer to the electrical outlet is that they give off EMF radiation that is harmful to most, if not all, living things. Another issue lies with wireless products in that they send and/or receive signals that disturb the natural electrical field of living things as well as the earth itself. Enough of this disturbance is enough to destroy, as in the case with microwaves, which vibrate at frequencies high enough to tear apart the molecular structure of anything inside it. They also put out frequencies that will disturb the vibrations of any living thing close enough to it.
These days, I hardly have my cell phone on me and place it at least 2 feet away from my body so that it is still within reach. I use it only for a couple of minutes at the most and never place it to my head. Special radiation-blocking headsets are available—a regular headset will pull more EMF radiation toward your head. Also, if you have a cordless house phone, replace it with a corded phone. I have since donated my wireless router and networked the computers with a DSL cable. Make sure your computer’s wi-fi is turned off and that your modem does not emit a wi-fi signal. I was surprised to find out recently that you can get wired routers, although they are much less common than their wireless counterparts. Himalayan salt lamps, which I have set up throughout my home, help with neutralizing electrical pollution. Various crystals, stones and plants are great EMF protectors—even ancient civilizations used certain stones to keep themselves grounded. As for microwaves, H.M. Murdock from the A-Team would tell you to get rid of your microwave unless you wanted space hamsters released in your bloodstream.
Check out Korey’s whole series on the four causes of disease!
- Story 1: Four Causes of Disease and How Health Can Be Achieved
- Story 2: Learn How to Improve Household Conditions
- Story 3: Improving Your External Environment
- Story 4: Diet Is Key to Outstanding Health
- Story 5: The Mind Is the Lynchpin of Optimal Health
Explore Words of Experience from Korey Constable, Korey’s guest stories for Fruit-Powered Magazine!
Check out Korey’s transformation story!
