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Athena · 04-13-2009, 07:50 PM

Hello Everyone,

You may want to get a

before reading this post...

When my book, Homes That Heal, came out in 2004, it was part of a consciousness shift taking shape around the globe as more and more people began to realize that a healthy home, a green home, a sustainable home, was not only better for our planet, but it could have profoundly beneficial effects on the health of an entire family. Roll forward to 2009, and this same information is perhaps more important than ever.

Here at the Avalon Forum, home of the Ground Crew and those seeking to stay Awake and Aware through these interesting times, let me explain why turning your home into a Home That Heals NOW could prove to be an important ace card to have up your sleeve. I’m going to assume that all of you, like me, are frequent visitors to Project Camelot’s website and, because of that, you know more than most about what’s really going on in our world today, and you’ll also be familiar with many of the possible scenarios we may be facing in the very near future: intensified climate change, economic collapse, civil unrest, plans to decrease the population…it’s a long list. As a result of any or all of these conditions, I think it’s safe to assume many of us may be spending longer periods of time indoors, and if you’ve never paid any attention to the health of your indoor environment, you might be in for some unpleasant surprises.

For instance, how many of you:
Suffer from insomnia?
Wake up in the morning and are still tired?
Wake up in the morning with a headache or some other kind of pain in your body?
Have frequent headaches?
Have breathing problems?
Have difficulty concentrating?
Suffer from depression or mood swings?
Generally don’t feel well, but can’t put your finger on it?

All of these are common day-to-day ailments that many people live with and take over-the-counter medication for. However, what many people don’t know is that most of these conditions are also symptoms of environmental illness caused or triggered by things in your own home.

The purpose of this thread is to discuss the sources of toxins and pollutants in the home and offer workable solutions.

The good news is that many solutions are simple, inexpensive, and often only require making better consumer choices. If you really want to take a stand against the Powers That Be—“PTBs”, not to be confused with “PCBs” which are equally toxic and bad for ones health!—then probably one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family is to get busy turning your home into a place that supports your health and nurtures your soul.

This is a huge subject, so I’ll be breaking information down into bite-sized pieces and posting things as time permits. For those who would rather go faster, find yourself a copy of my book, Homes That Heal, (many libraries have a copy) and jump right in.

Here’s a suggestion to get you started right away…

Get rid of EVERYTHING that contains synthetic fragrance in your home. Take a walk around your home and identify everything fragranced. Use your nose and read labels. Some hints: air fresheners (including plug-in air fresheners), scented candles, laundry products (detergent, softeners and dryer sheets—even ones that say “no fragrance” sometimes are fragranced), personal toiletries, kitchen trash bags, and toilet paper. Fragranced household products are one of the biggest polluters of indoor air quality in the home.

So what’s the problem with fragrance?

Did you know:
A single fragrance can contain as many as 600 different chemicals. (1)
Approximately 95% of all ingredients used by the fragrance industry are synthetic. In a 1988 study, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that in a partial list of 2,983 chemicals being used by the fragrance industry, 884 toxic substances were identified. Many of these substances are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, reproductive disorders, and skin irritation. (2)
By design, fragrances are composed of materials that quickly get into the air. Once in the air, these materials pose serious health concerns for many with asthma, allergies, migraines, chronic lung disease, and other health conditions. Up to 72% of asthmatics report their asthma is triggered by fragrance. (3)
The ingredients in the fragrance portion of products do not have to be revealed. Most of the materials have not been fully tested for safety and this makes it difficult to pinpoint and monitor problematic materials. There is no one agency responsible for the regulation of scented products and generally these products are a low priority among these agencies. (4)

Getting rid of fragranced products in your home is such a simple, zero-cost solution to improving indoor air quality, that anyone can do it. Get your children involved and turn it into a game! Doing this one simple thing will start to reduce the chemical load on your body, which in turn allows the body to better heal itself.

In case some of you still need a little added incentive, consider this: What would you do if you couldn’t get your over-the-counter drugs for your everyday ailments? What if pharmaceutical drugs were suddenly unavailable to you? What would you do?

By removing fragranced products from your home, you may find that some of the above mentioned health problems simply disappear. You have nothing to lose and possible everything to gain by taking what I call the Fragrance Challenge.

Fragrance Challenge Instructions: Remove all sources of fragrance from your home for 3 months. Be careful during this time not to reintroduce fragranced products back into your home (pay particular attention any time you go shopping). You’ll need to open windows and air your home out to facilitate the process of removing already embedded fragrance from your furniture, carpet, and furnishings. If you’ve been using fragranced products to disguise an unpleasant smell in your home, now’s the time to discover the source of the problem and fix it. Evaluate your health when you start the challenge and evaluate your health after 3 months. Any forum members who take the challenge and care to share their personal success stories here are welcome to do so. Never underestimate the power of your small victory and its ability to inspire someone else to take better care of their health.

Yours in great health,
Athena

Notes:
(1) Baker-Laporte, Elliot and Banta, Prescriptions for a Healthy House, p. 29.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Betty Bridges, “fragrances by Design” [online], [Cited July 2003], Fragranced Product Information Network, March, 2003. www.fpinva.org
(4) Ibid.

04-13-2009, 07:50 PM	#1
Athena Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 19	Creating a Home That Heals Hello Everyone, You may want to get a before reading this post... When my book, Homes That Heal, came out in 2004, it was part of a consciousness shift taking shape around the globe as more and more people began to realize that a healthy home, a green home, a sustainable home, was not only better for our planet, but it could have profoundly beneficial effects on the health of an entire family. Roll forward to 2009, and this same information is perhaps more important than ever. Here at the Avalon Forum, home of the Ground Crew and those seeking to stay Awake and Aware through these interesting times, let me explain why turning your home into a Home That Heals NOW could prove to be an important ace card to have up your sleeve. I’m going to assume that all of you, like me, are frequent visitors to Project Camelot’s website and, because of that, you know more than most about what’s really going on in our world today, and you’ll also be familiar with many of the possible scenarios we may be facing in the very near future: intensified climate change, economic collapse, civil unrest, plans to decrease the population…it’s a long list. As a result of any or all of these conditions, I think it’s safe to assume many of us may be spending longer periods of time indoors, and if you’ve never paid any attention to the health of your indoor environment, you might be in for some unpleasant surprises. For instance, how many of you: Suffer from insomnia? Wake up in the morning and are still tired? Wake up in the morning with a headache or some other kind of pain in your body? Have frequent headaches? Have breathing problems? Have difficulty concentrating? Suffer from depression or mood swings? Generally don’t feel well, but can’t put your finger on it? All of these are common day-to-day ailments that many people live with and take over-the-counter medication for. However, what many people don’t know is that most of these conditions are also symptoms of environmental illness caused or triggered by things in your own home. The purpose of this thread is to discuss the sources of toxins and pollutants in the home and offer workable solutions. The good news is that many solutions are simple, inexpensive, and often only require making better consumer choices. If you really want to take a stand against the Powers That Be—“PTBs”, not to be confused with “PCBs” which are equally toxic and bad for ones health!—then probably one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family is to get busy turning your home into a place that supports your health and nurtures your soul. This is a huge subject, so I’ll be breaking information down into bite-sized pieces and posting things as time permits. For those who would rather go faster, find yourself a copy of my book, Homes That Heal, (many libraries have a copy) and jump right in. Here’s a suggestion to get you started right away… Get rid of EVERYTHING that contains synthetic fragrance in your home. Take a walk around your home and identify everything fragranced. Use your nose and read labels. Some hints: air fresheners (including plug-in air fresheners), scented candles, laundry products (detergent, softeners and dryer sheets—even ones that say “no fragrance” sometimes are fragranced), personal toiletries, kitchen trash bags, and toilet paper. Fragranced household products are one of the biggest polluters of indoor air quality in the home. So what’s the problem with fragrance? Did you know: A single fragrance can contain as many as 600 different chemicals. (1) Approximately 95% of all ingredients used by the fragrance industry are synthetic. In a 1988 study, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that in a partial list of 2,983 chemicals being used by the fragrance industry, 884 toxic substances were identified. Many of these substances are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders, reproductive disorders, and skin irritation. (2) By design, fragrances are composed of materials that quickly get into the air. Once in the air, these materials pose serious health concerns for many with asthma, allergies, migraines, chronic lung disease, and other health conditions. Up to 72% of asthmatics report their asthma is triggered by fragrance. (3) The ingredients in the fragrance portion of products do not have to be revealed. Most of the materials have not been fully tested for safety and this makes it difficult to pinpoint and monitor problematic materials. There is no one agency responsible for the regulation of scented products and generally these products are a low priority among these agencies. (4) Getting rid of fragranced products in your home is such a simple, zero-cost solution to improving indoor air quality, that anyone can do it. Get your children involved and turn it into a game! Doing this one simple thing will start to reduce the chemical load on your body, which in turn allows the body to better heal itself. In case some of you still need a little added incentive, consider this: What would you do if you couldn’t get your over-the-counter drugs for your everyday ailments? What if pharmaceutical drugs were suddenly unavailable to you? What would you do? By removing fragranced products from your home, you may find that some of the above mentioned health problems simply disappear. You have nothing to lose and possible everything to gain by taking what I call the Fragrance Challenge. Fragrance Challenge Instructions: Remove all sources of fragrance from your home for 3 months. Be careful during this time not to reintroduce fragranced products back into your home (pay particular attention any time you go shopping). You’ll need to open windows and air your home out to facilitate the process of removing already embedded fragrance from your furniture, carpet, and furnishings. If you’ve been using fragranced products to disguise an unpleasant smell in your home, now’s the time to discover the source of the problem and fix it. Evaluate your health when you start the challenge and evaluate your health after 3 months. Any forum members who take the challenge and care to share their personal success stories here are welcome to do so. Never underestimate the power of your small victory and its ability to inspire someone else to take better care of their health. Yours in great health, Athena Notes: (1) Baker-Laporte, Elliot and Banta, Prescriptions for a Healthy House, p. 29. (2) Ibid. (3) Betty Bridges, “fragrances by Design” [online], [Cited July 2003], Fragranced Product Information Network, March, 2003. www.fpinva.org (4) Ibid.