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Studies Show Connection Between Environmental Pollutants and Lupus   Lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks its own healthy cells, is a crippling condition for some and affects millions of Americans each year. For those who knowingly have the disease, many have reported worsening symptoms within days of being around smog in crowded cities. In a recent study conducted in Montreal, Canada, it was shown that being around increased airborne pollution and particles had a direct correlation with severity of the disease among lupus patients. Background on Lupus Lupus is a chronic condition that causes swelling and inflammation in the joints, and can also affect many organs in the body. The disease affects primarily women of childbearing age, although some other populations also are affected. The way lupus works is complicated—it is believed to result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The affected person’s genes make them prone to the disorder, an...

Air Quality Issues Recently Discovered in Dorm Rooms Recently, alarmingly high levels of toxic flame retardants have been found during testing of the air quality in college dorm rooms. These harmful chemicals could potentially impact the health of the young students who reside in them. The risk posed by these chemicals range from cancer to hormonal disruption, and more. Many enviromentalist debate on what is the best air purifier for dorm room s as one side is focused on  the irmportance of particualte removal, while the other side argues the importance of removing VOCs and enviromental exposures. Among the chemicals found were two flame retardants that have either been largely eliminated from modern products, or completely banned. One, DecaBDE, has seen its manufacturing almost completely halted since 2013 when it began to be phased out of the industry due to its known side effects in lab rats. It is labeled as a possible carcinogen and was found in higher concentrations during ...

Top Triggers of Autoimmune Disease Autoimmune diseases, in which the body attacks its own tissues and cells, are becoming more and more prevalent. Over 50 million Americans have some type of autoimmune disease. As an attempt to combat these conditions, many patients are resorting to medications that merely mask symptoms. Hiding symptoms rather than trying to get to the root cause of the disease only prolongs suffering in the long run. Many autoimmune diseases, whether they be Crohn’s Disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, or others, share common underlying problems that cause them. Find out what are the main triggers of autoimmune disease , and how to start eliminating them in order to get yours under control. Please note that there are other triggers that may affect particular autoimmune diseases and cause flare ups, but these are the most prevalent across the board. #1. Gluten Gluten is the protein found in grain products like wheat, oats, barley, and rye. It seems to be a fa...

For most people, our immune systems know the difference between our body’s cells and foreign substances and know to only attack those that pose a danger to our body. For some, however, our bodies don’t know the difference and may attack perfectly healthy tissue, resulting in an autoimmune disease. Although the cause of why exactly autoimmune diseases may occur is unknown, we do know that there is a connection between the way our bodies handle allergens and autoimmune disease responses. Questions remain, however, what is the Connection Between Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases What is an Autoimmune Disease? An autoimmune disease is a disorder in which the human body treats certain healthy tissues as if they were a threat. Our immune systems are designed to recognize substances according to the antigens they present. Antigens are molecules specific to those substances that our body can “read.” The majority of our bodies know the difference between its own antigens and those that come f...

In honor of the upcoming MCA awareness month in May, we have asked Debra Lynn Dadd to write a guest post about her personal battle with MCS and more importantly discuss her road map on How To Recover from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) (MCS) and Other Environmental Illnesses. For those who are unfamiliar with Debra’s work, it is quite remarkable. Debra Lynn Dadd brings more than thirty years of research and real-life experience to her work as a consumer advocate for health and the environment. The author of Toxic Free, Debra was the first to alert consumers to the toxic chemicals present in everyday household products and reveal both the short- and long-term health effects, as well as safe alternatives. The following post was written as a road map for Debra Recovery and offers great insight on removing toxic exposure from your environment to lead a healthy life.  Recovering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities In 1978 I had the worst experience of my life. At the young a...

Hidden Dangers of Moving into a Newly Built Home Moving into a brand-new home may seem like a dream come true—fewer maintenance issues to worry about, and nothing needs to be updated. A newly built home may not be all its cracked up to be, however. Recently built or remodeled homes can pose many health concerns, the majority of which involves exposures to indoor toxins that you and you family may not be aware of. Can a New Home Make You Sick? Many families opt to move into a brand new house versus purchasing an older one. Being a part of deciding what kind of features your dream home will have from the ground up can be very exciting. The final product of new construction appears clean, unworn, and contemporary. A lot of people get caught up in the lure of designing a new home, however, and don’t consider the health consequences and toxic exposures that can come along with construction or remodeling. Often, residents of newly built homes begin to feel ill within days of moving in. ...