Environmental toxins (heavy metals, electromagnetic radiation [EMR], mould, tick borne illnesses to name a few) is one aspect of health that is not talked about all that much.
These can cause many different effects to different people, some of the more common presentations are symptoms like: fatigue, headaches, allergy type responses, immune imbalance, carbohydrate craving.
Much of the research around the negative effects of environmental toxins is in preliminary stages when it comes to the potential harm that these factors are doing to our health.
With all of potential environmental factors that can affect your health, this can be anywhere up to 10% of the population that are affected by any of these the single most useful thing that you can do is to avoid more exposure to the factor that is affecting you. This might mean that a physical change of location (if it is mould) or becoming aware of ways to reduce the quantity (see ideas of this for EMR below).
In some cases, avoidance of some of these environmental factors is not practical, the question then arises then how do we deal with the day to day exposure. The word to think about here is RESILIANCE, allow me to paint a picture here for you.
Imagine you are locked out on your house on a cold winter night, understand that some people will feel the cold more than others to start with. There are things that might make your stay in the cold more bearable (like an extra layer of clothing would keep you warmer, or a sheltered area that blocks the cold breeze from you). Resilience to external factors means that some people would really make it through the night well and others would really struggle.
There are from a naturopathic point of view (herbal medicine and nutritional medicine) that will assist to build your resilience to external factors. If you need some support in this area then book in for an appointment.
Here are some ideas that can help in the reducing the effect of Electromagnetic radiation (Adapted from Belyaev 2016 & Bijlsma 2018)
Inside the Home or Workplace:
• Choose hardwired Ethernet cables instead of wireless communication where possible
• Avoid the use of cordless phones or headsets, cordless mouse, printers or keyboards, wireless baby monitors and home entertainment systems
• Avoid working or sleeping within two metres of Smart Meter panels and power boxes
• When working with computers or laptops, keep computer hard-drives at least 30 cm away from your person, and keep laptops at least 10 cm away from reproductive organs
In the Bedroom:
• Avoid using electric blankets. If you do choose to use these, turn off and unplug before going to bed
• Ensure you place the bed head a minimum distance of 30 cm away from power cords
• When considering the positioning of the bed in the bedroom ensure the bed head is not sharing a wall with the Smart Meter/power box, fridges, televisions, Wi-Fi routers or other appliances in the adjacent room, and is positioned at least two metres away
• Make the bedroom a mobile phone free environment. This means no charging and turn it off or on flight mode while you are sleeping.
• If you use an alarm clock, keep digital alarm clocks at least one metre away from the bed. If you wish to have one located closer then choose a battery operated or wind up option
• Avoid reading from a light emitting device before bed, such as your mobile phone or laptop
Mobile Phones:
• Reduce the length of time on the phone, and keep conversations under 30 minutes
• Use a hands free function or headphones when speaking on your mobile phone. If you choose to use headphones ensure that they are not Bluetooth connected
• Avoid keeping your mobile close to the body, for example in your pants pocket
• To reduce the exposure to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth switch the device on to flight mode when not in use