Kiddipedia

Kiddipedia

Have you ever had health issues, been to your health professional and they say that there’s nothing wrong?

Or that your kids are often sick, but again, that is ‘normal’?

Have you ever considered that the health of your home may be a contributing factor?

Building biology is a specialty field that understands the link between health and the health of their homes. Because we spend much of our lives indoors in our homes, the environment that we live in affects our health – positively or negatively.

Living close to a freeway or busy road with increased pollution, or near a golf course that is sprayed with chemicals regularly, or close to mobile phone base towers emitting large amounts of electromagnetic radiation (or a combination of these) can contribute to poorer health.

Inside the walls of our homes may also lie other hazards. For example, in the past, lead was used in paint including the paints used in our homes. Lead is known to contribute to learning and behavioural issues in children living in those homes. Australia was one of the slowest countries to acknowledge this issue and remove lead from our paint slowly over many years – a known factor to contribute to health issues in children (and adults too), however the change was too slow.

When it becomes clear that there are negative health consequences for everyday products on the shelf or infrastructure, it may be inconvenient and costly to deal with it at a national level.

And we cannot wait for change at a national level. It’s up to us to be advocates for our health, but sometimes it’s hard to know what issues may be affecting our health – I mean, how do we know when we don’t know what we don’t know?!

While there’s quite a list of different indoor environmental factors that do affect our health, many we can do something about. Aside from lead paint which shouldn’t be an issue any more, dust, water damage and mould, electromagnetic frequencies from modems and smart homes, to name a few. And for anyone who has a chronic health issue, an autoimmune condition, recurrent illness, eczema, allergies or asthma, the health of our home should not be underestimated.

And if you’ve tried dietary and lifestyle changes, are actively working on improving your gut health and you’re still not feeling any better, consider the health of your home. Below I take you through some common issues with some tips:

  1. Mould

    • What do you smell when you walk into your house or different rooms in your home? Is it musty or damp?
    • Look for signs of moisture – e.g. peeling paint, is there adequate ventilation in the bathrooms? Ensure the fan is on when showering. Any windows should not fog when the fan is on – if so, open the window or install a stronger fan
  2. Dust

    • Is there a high dust load on shelves and tables? (Swipe with a white tissue and see)
    • Regular vacuuming with a vacuum with a HEPA filter – ensure that if it is bagged that you empty outside (not into your internal bin as this will re-release the dust back into your home)
    • Wash your children’s soft toys in hot water (55C+) with eucalyptus oil frequently
    • Don’t make your beds! Throw the covers back to air daily – this reduces dustmites as they prefer the dark…
  3. Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMFs)

    • Our world has significantly greater electro-pollution: it is a million times more today than it was only a few decades ago.
    • EMFs affect our brain’s ability to detoxify and causes inflammation and oxidative stress at a cellular level.
    • Keep devices such as phones, alarm radios, iPads and other devices out of the bedroom while you sleep and switch off at night
    • Switch off your modem at night while you sleep. Our brain is must vulnerable at night
    • Hardwire where you can.
    • Learn how to hardwire and reduce your EMF exposure with The EMF Course at Your Journey to Healing
  4. Room sprays

    • Commercial room sprays, wall plug ins, and candle melts release harmful chemicals into the air including potential carcinogens, formaldehydes, hormone disruptors and lung and eye irritants! These may contribute to headaches as well. The best remedy is to stop using these and replace with a few drops of pure essential oils and water as a room spray
  5. Keep contaminants out of your home

    • This includes any purchase of cleaning chemicals or personal care products.
    • Cross check the ingredients of any products you plan to purchase – are they safe for your children? Are they safe for you?
    • Regularly ventilate your home – open your windows and doors to allow for cross-ventilation
    • Shoes off before you enter your home. Think about where you’ve walked in your shoes – public bathrooms, roads, grass or parks that might be sprayed with pesticides

 

Improving the health of your home is a step by step process. When we know better, we do better, right? Take one item on this list and take a week to assess and address. Without the overwhelm. One change per week is 52 changes per year!

Choose the quick wins… here are two quick suggestions:

Turn the modem off at night.

Shoes off at the door.

Let me know how you get on with those, I’d love to hear how you go with improving the health of your home to improve the health of you and your loved ones.

Change begins at home.