Our air quality is not what it once was. We need to find good ways to protect ourselves from the filth we are breathing on a daily basis. We are inhaling 23,000 breaths per day, inhaling thirty-two pounds of oxygen and airborne pollutants per day. To me these are staggering numbers.
Dust is all throughout our homes and no matter how often we clean, dust is going to be found. Did you know that seventy percent of dust is dead skin cells? This makes dust a haven for dust mites. Dust mites feed on the dead skin of humans, animals, and other organic material. Forty-two thousand dust mites can live in one ounce of dust. A fifteen hundred square foot area can generate forty pounds of dust in one year. Dust mites are second only to pollen in causing allergic reactions, dust mites are the number one allergen in seniors and children. It is not the dust mites themselves which cause the nasty reactions in humans – the allergic reactions are caused by their feces and when they shed their skin. Dust mites can cause many types of symptoms including: itchy noses and eyes, severe asthma attacks, fatigue and depression.
Bacteria are found in your heating and cooling systems, on your house pets, in your garbage, in your bathrooms, and in fact just about everywhere in your home. Most people are under the impression that bathroom toilets and sinks harbor the most bacteria, but studies have found otherwise. Researchers found more fecal contamination (poop) in the kitchen than in the bathroom. A study showed fecal material in sixty percent of sponges, fifty percent of kitchen sinks, and twentyfive percent of countertops. To avoid such contamination Chuck Gerba, a University of Arizona professor, suggests to sterilize your sponges by wetting them and microwaving them for thirty seconds, or to use a bleach-based cleaner on your sponges. Mold is a fungus. There are more that 100,000 known species of mold. Mold can survive in cold and in hot temperatures. High spore levels of mold in the air can have health effects on people.
Mold can cause many types of symptoms including: allergies, sinus headaches, irritability, fatigue, and depression. Mold spores can be found in heating and cooling systems, in damp clothing, in cleaning materials, in ceilings, in walls, in carpets, in drapes and in most warm damp areas. Just because you don’t see mold doesn’t mean that it is not there.
After getting new carpet in my office I felt “under the weather” for a couple of weeks. After a colleague brought to my attention the new carpet chemicals, I brought in an air purification system by Ecoquest and regained my health within days. I mentioned to my brother about making an investment for his daughter’s night-time cough. After two days of the air purification system in her room she began sleeping through the night, and within a week her symptoms completely disappeared. This was after multiple visits to the medical doctor with my niece and trying over the counter medication with no benefit. There are many choices when it comes to purifying your air, be sure to do your research. There is only one air purification system that is certified space technology. This amazing technology was made for commercial use and has been adapted for residential use. In our on-going education to better serve our practice members, we formed an alliance with the largest manufacturer of air purification systems.
The problem in most cases is not the dust mites, the bacteria, or the fungi. While these and other allergens are often singled out as the culprit, it is actually the person, not the allergen. If the allergen was the problem, everyone would have an allergic reaction. The obvious problem is the person’s ability to accommodate to the allergen. Do you know someone with allergies? Introduce them to chiropractic. Chiropractic isn’t a treatment for allergies, but perhaps we can help them increase their ability to adapt! If you know someone that suffers from allergies, or has odor problems in their house or place of business, contact Hunt Spinal Care. Call 918-459-0333 or e-mail info@huntspinalcare.com for a free information packet, be sure to put allergies in the subject line.
