By Raisa Weisspapir
After a long cold winter, dust, smoke, mold, dander and other invisible health hazards have been trapped in your house.
By keeping windows closed, you did not allow for good ventilation and good air circulation. Keeping the house warm all winter is nice, but who can assume how much toxic and irritating particles might build up.
The lack of ventilation and indoor air pollution causes various health problems for the entire family. It may aggravate asthma, allergies, fatigue, eyes and throat irritations, chronic ear infections, and eczema.
Some examples of indoor pollutants are gas and fumes.
When something burns inside the house- in gas furnaces, stoves and water heaters, coal- and wood-burning fireplaces and candles, there is the potential for serious pollution. Poor ventilation and lack of oxygen can create dangerous gases like carbon monoxide, or nitrogen dioxide. If you have an attached garage, warming up your car produces exhaust that can easily seep into your house.
I remember a case of my patient, a five years old Jessica, suffering from severe asthma. She would cough sporadically at night during her sleep and in the morning her cough would be really bad. Prolonged spells of dry suffocation cough made her feel weak and irritable. After a thorough taking of environmental history, I discovered that this family was using a wood-burning heating system in their house. By morning time the wood will be gone and the house will be full of the fumes. I recommended stopping the wood-burning heating system immediately. I also prescribed for the little girl some homeopathic medicines and a special diet. Her cough disappeared like she had never had any cough before.
Paint, solvent, cleaner fumes, hairspray, air fresheners and dry cleaners are just some examples of fumes we are pumping into our houses.
One of my patients 39 years old Sam, started to cough all of a sudden without any cold symptoms or a history of asthma. His cough didn't have any pattern. But his wife noticed that he always starts to cough after wearing a freshly dry cleaned shirt or even being beside the closet with dry cleaned clothes. I recommended to wash his clothes with environmentally safe laundry detergent or to find an environmentally friendly dry cleaning place. I also prescribed for him a homeopathic medicine, which relieved him instantly.
Another big problem is dust and dander.
Dust makes up a unique group of particulate pollutants. They can come from outside and be composed of silica, asbestos, car exhausts and other substances. Indoor dust might also contain natural and synthetic fabrics, fiberglass, woods, animal dander, etc.
I had recently a case when the whole family got sick. Both parents and their nine years old son were complaining of dry tickling cough, itching and swollen eyes, and stuffed nose. During the consultation, I discovered that they just have moved to an old dusty house, where air ducts were not cleaned for years. I prescribed homeopathic medicines and a special diet for the entire family. I also consulted them on how to maintain a hypoallergenic environment inside of their house. After the treatment and cleaning air ducts, the family's health was restored.
Another big problem of your house, especially in bathrooms and basements, is mold . Besides being unpleasantly smelly, mold and its spores can trigger severe allergic and toxic reactions. The more mold, the more spores and the more risk to your health. There are hundreds of different types of mold, some of which are hazardous to one's health. Mold can be found in any place that's excessively moist. It can grow inside of the walls and can affect your health tremendously. It irritates your eyes and lungs. Large moldy areas in your house require a thorough professional cleaning. To prevent mold from returning, keep the area dry by eliminating the moisture source.
Here's one case of mold allergy from my practice. A family of five got sick after they had moved to the apartment that had a flood before. Both parents and their three little children were coughing at night badly. Children were sleeping in a room with a carpet. I recommended strongly to get rid of the carpet as soon as possible because under the carpet was mold. I suggested staying away from the apartment for a period of time while equipped professionals cleaned out the mold living under the carpet. After the treatment and cleaning the apartment, the coughing stopped completely.
As a Homeopathic Doctor and an Environmental Specialist, I am seeing an increased number of complicated “mystery” cases of allergies, asthma, etc, where mainstream medicine could not help. With homeopathic treatment, diet and environmental changes I saw many cases turn around and regain health and a normal life after suffering for so long. We need to be aware of the hazards that we let into our homes on a daily basis and eradicate them because our health and the health of our loved ones are worth it.
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