“Happy New Year” is a message brought to you by dozens of “start your diet” ads in every modern form of media. TV, radio, print and social media advertisers will endlessly pitch ways to slim down and get healthy by buying their programs.
We are keenly aware of the health risks of a bad diet. On the other hand, we are often less aware that we have people with debilitating and often undiagnosed illnesses such as CIRS and MCS due to environmental illness. We are exposed to air borne contaminants that cause cancer, respiratory disease, asthma and countless other afflictions.
We look to the New Year for a fresh start and better times. Why not include our indoor air quality in that time of renewal?
Functional Medicine has evolved to help diagnose environmental illness, but we need to avoid those exposures in our homes. “Avoidance” is now considered an important medical treatment. The problem is that we need to know what to avoid in this world of more and more pollutants in everyday household items.
Indoor air health risks include dust, mold, bacteria, volatile compounds from fragrances and cleaners, formaldehyde, pet dander, dust mites, radon, carbon monoxide and a host of other exposures. Our energy saving technologies have reduced the fresh air in our homes while at the same time manufacturers have added toxins to thousands of consumer and construction products.
We often don’t realize that common house dust is home to mold, dust mites, bacteria, pollen and allergens. Accumulated dust just sneaks up on you day by day, year by year. It hides in carpet, cabinets, books and your furniture. When a person is ill, it’s more difficult to do regular cleaning which makes a bad dust and particle problem worse.
The process of professionally cleaning a home is referred to as “deep cleaning” and is an important tool in mold remediation and reducing many environmental toxics including lead. It should be done using containment, specialized exhaust equipment, air filtration and personal protection for the people performing that work.
Many mold remediation firms shortcut proper treatment and simply spray or fog using toxic chemicals without first cleaning mold and allergens from surfaces. Failing to clean and remove the existing contamination is a primary cause of continued environmental illness after failed remediations.
Secrets to Reducing Dust, Mold and Allergens
VOC’s and Other Indoor Air Toxins You Actually Buy and Bring Home
We live in a world of chemicals. Some are products to clean, some to make things smell, some to make things work better and others to make our homes look pretty. Many of these thousands of chemicals can make some of us very ill.
Synthetic fragrances are in almost every cleaning or laundry product, air fresheners or personal care product. They are often added to packaging to entice consumers to select a product. The organic chemicals are not tested for their effect on people or listed on the packages. Select any product that has an odor and look up the MSDS for that product. In almost all instances internet search will reveal a list of chemicals you will not be able to pronounce or know how they will affect your health.
Furniture, cabinets, flooring and plastic materials usually have chemicals that off-gas in the home. Everything from plastic children’s toys to artificial Christmas trees can be a source of lead dust. Many cosmetics and personal care products have been found to have asbestos and almost all have VOCs.
Secrets to Reducing VOC Contamination
Walk through your home and check for water leaks and mold. These can sneak up on any homeowner. A tiny leak can cause a big mold problem over time. The earlier leaks are found, the less damage they cause and the easier they are to correct.
The most susceptible areas for mold in the home include finished basements, crawl spaces, areas with dirt floors, interior french drains, attics, areas with any leaks and areas that are not heated in cold weather. Homes with foam insulation systems and energy star construction are also extremely likely to harbor hidden mold. Professional mold assessments are a good idea if you have any of these conditions and any family members with health issues.
Improve Your Home's Environment in the New Year
These suggestions will make you feel better in your home. It is your castle and should be the very best it can be. Take a couple of weekends and pick from the list of chores that can make your home healthier.
Let's imagine that you are the child with a deadly reaction to peanuts, but don’t realize it. One solution is to provide you with an EpiPen to inject you every time your turn blue and can’t breathe. Another solution is to figure out that it is the peanuts that almost kill you and then stop eating them. It’s pretty easy to understand that avoiding the peanuts is a better plan. The challenge we face is that we first need to know that you're allergic to the peanuts. This is the start of our pathway to environmental health.
The fundamental problem in exploring causes of environmental illnesses is that those reactions occur in time delay. Our minds are trained to understand that it hurts if we hit our thumb with a hammer, and we should stop doing it. Environmental exposures are cumulative and in” time delay” often complicated in combinations of exposures and locations.
The first step to wellness is to identify the cause of the illness. Functional medicine practitioners have the approach of looking for the cause of the environmental reaction. Modern medicine has developed blood, and urine tests that can identify the source of the illness. Underlying diseases such as Lyme disease, childhood diseases and occupational exposures also need explored as they can combine with environmental triggers to intensify an illness or delay recovery.
The next step is identifying the exposure that is making the client ill. Common environmental exposures include mold, household chemicals, pesticides, chemicals used in hobbies, illegal drugs, HVAC defects, sewer backups, tainted water, air pollutants, off gassing construction materials and allergens. Many of these exposures can only be identified through testing. Identifying possible sources and the proper testing methods is where the environmental inspector comes in handy.
This investigative process involves developing a list of potential exposures and then looking at how these exposures match with testing by the Functional Medical practitioner.
Once they are identified, the sources of the illness need to be avoided. Removing the sources of environmental triggers is another difficult part of the puzzle. The environmental consultant should, wherever possible, provide a plan or options to avoid the exposure that is making people ill.
Modern medical science is developed treatments to remove toxins from the environmentally ill patient. The challenge is that each of us is a unique individual. We are complex organic machines. Treatments that work with some of us will not work with others. Removing toxins from the miraculous and complex human body usually takes time and sometimes multiple approaches. The good news is that if we avoid toxic environmental exposures, the body tries to help heal itself.
Modern man has developed an endless stream of new products and chemicals in the name of making life better, easier or more convenient. It doesn't always work that way. There are defects in manufacture and in some instances reckless behaviors that expose innocent people to toxic health risks. When this happens, it is devastating to the lives that are touched. Sadly, the people who are environmentally ill are often accused of psychological problems or not helped in a way that can restore their health, their health and the lives of their friends and family. For a full article as published Click here for a PDF copy of the full article
If you are like many of us, the addition of another term in the medical field can just be babble and one more thing in a confusing, but major part of our lives. Over 20% of the US economy is dedicated to health care.
The place to start the discussion is to answer the question: Why does Functional Medicine matter? The answer lies with the fact that chronic disease (diseases that linger in our lives) has become more and more prevalent. Auto-immune disease, Asthma, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, COPD are some examples of chronic disease.
The traditional treatment of patients is geared for treating problems such as infections, heart attacks, broken bones, and other afflictions that can be corrected with a heroic swoop down and medical intervention (often a medical miracle) to correct the specific problem.
Functional Medicine Practitioners address the whole person using systems to work in partnership with the patient for the best long term health outcome.
If you are like me, your first reaction to that sentence would be of course, isn’t that what everybody does? That is because it makes sense when we hear that said. The traditional model is disease centered. In other words, if you get sick, the isolated set of symptoms are treated as a single point of concern.
The Functional Medicine Practitioners spend time with patients, consider their histories and look at possible interactions and the influence of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors that affect the long-term health of the patient. This is a much more personalized or holistic approach to medicine and
When the general health of a person is managed, the chronic conditions are better managed and acute episodes are reduced and quality of life is improved. Additionally, proactive and predictive management of health improves overall quality of life. It gives patients the personal power to improve their own health.
We are fans of Functional Medicine for good reason. This type of practice usually improves the health and well-being of patients. We have seen this happen as we work on the environmental with many of these practitioners.
When the Functional Medicine Practitioner is concerned about the environmental conditions affecting a patient’s health, we test and report the finding to the practitioner. We are experienced at providing the proper testing and results for the evaluation of the medical provider.
The role we play in the Functional Medicine puzzle is identifying and solving the environmental issues that affect both long term and short term health
If you are like many of us, the addition of another concept or term in the medical field can be unwelcome babble in an already confusing part of our lives.
Well, my apology, but I am going to add another term. Please hang with me and it will make sense. This new approach may even save the life of someone you love.
“Functional Medicine” is not a fad. Many of the nation’s foremost healthcare providers such as the Cleveland Clinic and the Cancer Centers of America are outstanding examples of nationally recognized programs utilizing “Functional Medicine” to improve the recovery and long term health of patients.
The place to start the discussion of how medicine should evolve is to answer the question: Why does Functional Medicine matter? The answer lies with the fact that chronic diseases (diseases that linger in our lives) have become more and more prevalent. Auto-immune disease, Asthma, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, COPD are some examples of chronic disease.
The secret to managing chronic disease is looking at the factors that most influence the course of the chronic disease:
Traditional treatment of patients is modeled for treating specific problems such as infections, heart attacks, broken bones, and other afflictions that can be corrected with a heroic swoop down and medical intervention (often a medical miracle). The symptoms and episodes are treated, but the underlying causes are often ignored.
The Functional Medicine Practitioners spend time with patients, consider their histories and look at possible interactions and the influence of genetic, lifestyle nutrition and environmental factors that affect the long-term health of the patient. This is a much more personalized or holistic approach to medicine and general health.
When the general health of a person is managed in functional medicine, the chronic conditions are better managed and acute episodes are reduced. The quality of life is improved in the long run. This approach gives patients the personal power to improve their own health.
Let’s face it. It is easy to give a COPD patient an inhaler and tank of air. It is more meaningful to get them to quit smoking and have the moldy house treated.
When the Functional Medicine Practitioner is concerned about the environmental conditions affecting a patient’s health, environmental professionals test and report the findings to the patient and when appropriate the practitioner. There are environmental specialists experienced at providing the proper testing and results required for the evaluation and interpretation of the medical provider.
Pittsburgh Area Functional Medicine Practitioner Dr. William Cole Describes the Five Principles of Functional Medicine.
1) Functional Medicine views us all as being different; genetically and biochemically unique. This personalized health care treats the individual, not the disease. It supports the normal healing mechanisms of the body, naturally, rather than attacking disease directly.
2) Functional Medicine is deeply science based. The latest research shows us that what happens within us is connected in a complicated network or web of relationships. Understanding those relationships allows us to see deep into the functioning of the body.
3) Your body is intelligent and has the capacity for self-regulation, which expresses itself through a dynamic balance of all your body systems.
4) Your body has the ability to heal and prevent nearly all the diseases of aging.
5) Health is not just the absence of disease, but a state of immense vitality.
Environmental Professionals May Play a Role in Your Long-term Health
Any home, office, school or any other facility can be a hidden source of exposures affecting fundamental health.
Medical Practitioners usually can’t follow you home to explore the set of exposures a patient experiences. Most homeowners are not able to identify and test for most environmental hazards that can affect health
The role environmental professionals play in the Functional Medicine puzzle is identifying and solving the environmental issues that affect both long term and short term health. The testing for the wide range of causes of Sick Building Syndrome is just like CSI investigative work.
Some of the factors that can affect the long-term health of individuals can include
A general screening and assessment for these and other potential environmental risks can provide valuable information that can assist in maintaining patient health. Very often, Functional Medicine Practitioners have tested patients and already identified sensitivities and exposures that are affecting the health of patients before the environmental professional is consulted.
Mold exposures are one of the most common examples of problems identified in patient medical testing. In that example, the goal of the medical practitioner would be to have the environmental professional identify the source of mold and its proper remediation.
The field of Functional Medicine takes a holistic approach to the patient for prevent disease and enable or enhance recovery. The world we live in is a major part of the puzzle that affects our health and the health of those we love.
Nutrition, lifestyle and environment are all important factors in our health. As we continue to consider our overall health, each of these areas will be considered in health care and recovery programs.
You will find links and information about Functional Medicine in the online copy of this article at: www.FunctionalMedicinePractice.info
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According to the EPA, 1 out of 10 children have Asthma. Just imagine what that means to every one of their families. Picture the mothers. fathers and others flinching as a child struggles and gasps for air.
A child never gets back the missed ball games or other special occasions during a chronic episode. They will always remember the doctor visits, the very scary nights in the hospital.
There is overwhelming stress and anxiety for everyone when an Acute Asthma attack occurs. Ironically, that stress can add to the severity of the attack.That stress is deeply emotional and too often very financial.
In the past, we centered our attention to providing the proper Asthma medication for our children. Isn’t it time that we trade reaching for an inhaler for doing things to AVOID having that attack!
Even one avoided Asthma attach can be a victory. With a change in how we approach this affliction, we can have many more than 1 victory
A “Functional Medical” provider and a growing number of other medical practitioners have programs that consider the whole person and their individual lifestyles and environments.
These professionals can help patients and caregivers to reduce the underlying conditions that will elevate a chronic disease such as Asthma to an acute attack.
Some of those factors are diet, weight and exercise. Other factors to consider relate to nutrition and sleep patterns.Then, there is one more very important and too often ignored factor. That is the indoor air environment
The step by step way to improve the home to avoid asthma attacks is our separate video that I hope you will take time to view. It has great suggestions you may not have thought about.
The poets describe our lives as going “from our first breath to our last”. We breath day and night, in good times and bad times. We can skip eating for a day. We can’t stop breathing and remain alive for more than minutes. That makes the indoor environment a 24-7-365 kind of issue.
In our care for asthmatic children and adults, we must look at the underlying conditions that harbor mold and allergens and take positive action to minimize those exposures.
We then need to test the air we breathe for trigger molds and allergens.
If we find elevated mold and allergens, we need to take action to protect our loved ones by eliminating those airborne triggers. First by removing the conditions that contribute to the elevated levels and then by eliminating those nasty culprits we breathe in thousands of times a day.
Treatment should be conducted using a “Green” treatment product that is applied by professionals sensitive to the issues surrounding indoor air quality and its effect on general health. We need to take care to avoid making the indoor environment worse by having unprofessional treatment using harsh chemicals.
If you are like me, your first reaction to that sentence would be “of course, isn’t that what everybody does?” That is because it makes sense when we hear that said. The traditional model is disease centered. In other words, if you get sick, the isolated set of symptoms are treated as a single point of concern.
The role we play in the Functional Medicine puzzle is identifying and solving the environmental issues that affect both long term and short term health.