The
Hidden Epidemic: Chemical Sensitivity and MCS
A
SAFE HAVEN
Home
is where the heart is. Unfortunately it’s also where
a lot of pollution is, too. Living in a house
that is constantly out gassing toxic
fumes will
only make you sicker. A house built for chemically
sensitive people is your best choice if you have that option.
In this
chapter we will
look at the building materials that are best
tolerated by people with MCS. We
will also look at ways to improve your current residence.
The
information may feel overwhelming the first time you hear it,
so remember that you can take this one step at a time. Doing
the changes
gradually over a set period of time is an option that works
well with people who find it stressful. Just remember that
you are investing
your time and energy in your health.
THE OASIS ROOM
Consider this room your healing room. The majority of your time will
be spent in this room, so begin here and the rest of the house plans
will revolve around this room.
As
we sleep, our bodies heal and detoxify so it is important that
you sleep in the oasis room. This gives you at least eight hours
of healing
in your toxic-free area. Given the right tools, your body
will naturally respond by healing itself therefore the oasis
room is a powerful tool for healing
CS and MCS.
Creating
Your Oasis Room in Ten Steps
Step One
The
Flooring
Choose a room that has natural flooring. Avoid carpet, vinyl, synthetic
wood and any other materials that are synthetic. As these
products outgas toxic fumes you take them into
your body every time
you breathe. Your best choices are tile, natural stone,
wood and cement. If you are putting in new flooring be sure to
check the chapter on building
materials.
Many homes today have wall-to-wall carpet. If this is your situation
consider doing one of these things.
-
Remove the carpet from the oasis room and replace it with natural flooring.
If you are renting, some landlords will allow this if you share in
the cost. They know that investing in a durable floor such as tile
increases the value of their property.
-
Use
the garage. This is only if there are no odors in your
garage. If it was previously used as a workshop where toxic
chemicals were used
or if it has a lot of oil or gasoline smells this may
not be an option. When you choose to use the garage as the
oasis
room it will have to be aired out or use an ozone machine
to remove any remaining combustion by products.
- Only
if there is no other option, keep the
carpet in place. Have it steam cleaned without any chemicals
added
to the water. There are companies
that don’t add the chemicals into
the water vats but add them in the cleaning
equipment that they bring into homes.
Speak with the owner
of the company and be sure to explain
that they must wash out the cleaning
tools prior to doing your carpets. If
they are willing to work with you,
they will schedule your home to be early
in the morning so they can clean the
equipment and do the work at your house
first. Always check to see if you detect
any residual
chemical
odors on the equipment
before you allow them
into your home. By telling the owner
of the carpet cleaning business ahead
of time that you will be doing this,
it may keep you from any fees in case
they don't
pass the sniff test and leave without
doing any work. Allow several days of
drying time to let the
carpet
outgas and dry completely.
Afterwards, you can place many natural
cotton or wool throw rugs on top of the
carpet, which will reduce some of the
out gassing.
Step Two
The
Clearing
If you had new flooring put in, you've already done step two
and are ahead of the game. Step Two is to take everything out
of the
room. Hire someone if you have fatigue, but
it’s
important that everything be removed. I’ve
noticed that when people try to just remove the things that aren’t
allowed in the oasis room that they have a harder time letting
go of things that
outgas. The room never becomes a true oasis room and it doesn’t
get the cleaning that it needs either.
Even
though it is a lot of work, it’s worth the effort and it’s
easier in the long run to simply remove everything and
start with a clean space. If you do any
type of energy work or are sensitive to energy, you will
notice a major shift for the positive when you complete
steps two and three. It clears
old stagnate energy and allows a new flow of positive energy.
Step
Three
The
Cleaning
By now you’ve learned about cleaning
products, so be sure to only use ones that are natural and that
you know you don’t
react to. The purpose of step three is to get rid of pollen,
dust, dust mites, molds, pollution brought in on shoes and other
residual chemicals.
If
you are very chemical or dust sensitive or you have fatigue,
have someone do this step for you. Start with
dusting the ceiling. If there’s
a ceiling fan be sure to dust and then wash it. Next wash
the walls. Test a small section to be sure that the paint
won’t be damaged,
if you’re using natural cleaning products this isn’t
likely to occur. Don’t forget the inside of your closet.
If
pesticide was used in the room, use alcohol along the baseboards.
This is best done by someone who isn’t
chemically sensitive, but if you have no other option than
to do it yourself, always use gloves
and a respirator as isopropyl alcohol is toxic and the pesticide
residue will break down and outgas. A couple of people told me
that they used Vodka or Everclear
instead of rubbing alcohol with good results. Let the alcohol
work on breaking down the pesticides for an hour
or more, then wash off with hot
soapy water and rinse well. If your home was treated frequently
with pesticides then repeat this process at least twice.
Clean
the floors with sudsy hot water. If you can tolerate herbs,
use an organic source, not extracted with
solvents, of essential oil of lavender,
thyme or oregano to disinfect. Don’t use commercial
disinfectants as they contain chemical biocides.
Step
Four
The
Bedding
The first thing that goes into your oasis room is your
bed. Mattresses are required by law to have chemical flame
retardants
added to them.
Some commercial mattresses also use pesticides and
all of them are made out of synthetic chemicals. You don’t
want any of these toxic products in your oasis room.
In
the reference section there are some 100% organic cotton
and wool mattress companies that will let you test
their materials before you
order a mattress. Just ask for the samples to be sent to
you. Place the material on your skin and if you don’t have
a reaction, tuck a bit of the material into your clothing where
it makes contact with your
skin. The waistband of your pants or the strap of your bra
works fine. Keep the material against your skin for a day and
check for any reaction.
If
the purchase of a new mattress isn’t
possible, then you have a couple of other choices.
-
One
is to buy an organic futon and place it
on the floor. Another way is to contact a mattress
company and buy just the metal frame with the springs of
a mattress and lay your futon
on
top. A word of caution is that some companies
coat the metal with oil. Either have them wash it off, you
wash it off outside or find another
metal frame.
- Another option is to stack blankets and quilts made of natural materials
on top of each other for a make shift bed until you can afford something
more comfortable.
- If
you can’t afford either of those
options, your body pain won’t
allow you to sleep on the stacked blankets
and your mattress is older and
has had time to outgas then wrap it in
a barrier cloth (see
resource section) mattress cover and layers
of natural blankets. Just use this until
you can save up to purchase an organic
mattress.
Now
for your oasis room you won’t have any furniture
constructed out of synthetic materials, so if your bedroom
set is made from wood check to see if
it has
layers of wood in the construction. This will outgas formaldehyde
and adhesives. Most wood furniture today is made from this
type of construction
even when it’s sold as solid wood. The telltale sign
is the layers of wood that have been glued together. Check
the areas that aren’t
visible like underneath or around the joint areas.
The
best choice is metal or a 100% solid wood with a natural finishing
product. It’s
better to place your mattress or futon on the floor than
to try and seal out gassing furniture in the oasis room. You
have a little more leeway
in the rest of your home if you aren’t too chemically
sensitive.
All
metal bed frames can be purchased at most home furnishing stores
and online. Many of them have matching glass and metal night
stands that work nicely in an oasis room.
Bed
linens need to be 100% natural fibers like cotton, linen and
silk. If you can afford organic sheets and blankets, they
are the best. Whatever types you choose make certain that they
are not permanent press. A long lasting formaldehyde and chemical
mixture is often used in permanent press fabric and these chemicals
will outgas
as well as be absorbed through your skin.
Invest
in a good organic pillow and use an organic pillowcase. Your
face is next to your pillow for eight hours and you should be
willing
to invest in as healthy of a pillow as your budget will allow.
Some pillows found in specialty shops, catalogs and online are
100% organic wool, 100% organic cotton, organic buckwheat (a
bit hard for the typical American, but widely used in Japan
and other countries) and 100% organic silk. Even if you aren't
allergic to feathers, they use chemicals and biocides in the
cleaning process and therefore down pillows and bedding should
be avoided.
Step
Five
The
Windows
Hopefully your oasis room has at least one window if you
live in an area that has good outdoor air quality. You do
want to
have fresh air and
an air cleaner. When you open the window remember that
pollen and the fumes from passing cars will come in your
room, so keep the air cleaner on
at all times even when the window is open.
If
you live in a very polluted area or next to a high traffic area
you may need to seal the window. Run some foil tape around the
window where
it meets the window frame. Avoid covering
the entire window so you let the sun in and you can enjoy the
view. I've seen several MCS patients cover their entire windows
and
the
result is that they feel imprisoned or depressed. You can keep
the pollution out
but
let
the sunshine
in by just sealing the area where air comes in.
Window
treatments need to be made of natural materials. As the sun heats
up synthetic material, such as vinyl blinds or rubber backed
drapes, they will outgas into your room. Metal blinds or 100%
organic cotton
curtains
are good options to
use for window treatments. Be sure to wash them before you
put them up.
Step Six
The
Air Temperature
Seal off the air ducts. You don’t want to bring the air
from the rest of the house into your oasis room. After you
close the vents, use heavy duty aluminum foil with foil tape
around
the edges to seal it off.
Your
best heating options are to use portable ceramic heaters
or to
install a baseboard ceramic heater. They are the easiest to
keep clean. Never use any type of gas or open flame heating in
your
oasis room or any other room in your house. The electric coil
types tend to trap dust inside the wire coils making it
a source of fumes as the dust burns. Steam radiators are fine
and most people with MCS tolerate the sealed oil type of electric
heaters, too.
For
cooling, use metal fans or a window air conditioning unit.
Find air conditioners
with
carbon
filters
and
a HEPA filter and keep the filters changed frequently.
Vacuum the outside of it and the interior portions after you
unplug it. Keep it free of mold by cleaning it with hydrogen
peroxide. Be sure
to
follow
the
manufacturers
guidelines when cleaning and changing filters.
Step Seven
The
Electrical Appliances
Electrical devices such as clock radios, TVs and stereos emit
fumes when they heat up. This comes from the plastic construction,
the coating on the wires,
and the electronic circuit boards. They also are a
source of electromagnetic fields (EMF) that
will
interfere
with
your body’s naturally occurring electromagnetic
field that will hinder your healing process. If you
can do without these items it’s best to leave
them out of your oasis room.
Use
a windup or battery powered clock instead of an electric one.
Use a battery operated portable radio, tape player and/or CD
player as far away from your bed as possible. Another option
is a small hand held player with headphones if you aren't EMF
sensitive to the headphones.
If
you are EMF sensitive and want to have a TV in your room, be
sure to use a battery powered TV as it reduces many but not all
of
the
symptoms. If
you aren’t very chemically sensitive and you chose
to bring a TV into the room, keep it as far away
from your
bed as possible and place your air filter next to it.
Just
as a reminder, please use rechargeable batteries. When you
dispose batteries put them in a hazardous
materials dump. Batteries contain toxic heavy metals
that seep into ground water so never throw batteries away
in the garbage can. Rechargeable batteries are more economical
in the long run.
If
you are very sensitive and feel the need to watch TV
in your
oasis room you can place the TV in the adjoining room
on a stand facing the wall into
your oasis room. Install a window at the exact location
of the TV and use foil tape around the edges to be sure that
no fumes
come into your oasis room. Always allow for the width of
the tape and the remote control receiver on the TV when
measuring since the signal between your TV and the remote control
will not penetrate
the foil tape. This can be helpful for some people who
are EMF sensitive as well.
Don’t place your bed next to electrical outlets or
light switches whether the outlet is being used or not.
With alternating current (AC)
the electricity is always flowing through the wiring. People
who are very EMF sensitive find that shutting off the electricity
at the electrical fuse panel help them to sleep better.
Step
Eight
The
Personal Touch
Now your room is ready for your personal touch! Here are the ground
rules:
Clutter
collects dust. Keep it simple and avoid fabrics whenever
possible. Even though the fabric materials are natural they
hold dust. When choosing what to bring into
your room whether it’s something for the wall
or a shelf, remember that it must be made from natural
materials. For example, a ceramic or
pottery art piece that brings you pleasure is a great
addition but one made from plastic or another synthetic
material is not allowed. Of course items like printers
and other pollution sources need to be kept out of
the
room.
Make
the room comfortable and pleasant to be in. Avoid unneeded furniture
and objects. If you want a new look try something Modern,
Scandinavian or Japanese. The sleek and minimalist look goes
well in an oasis room. The rule of thumb when deciding what to
bring into the
room is "when in doubt, keep it out."
Step
Nine
The
Maintenance
Maintaining your oasis room is important. If you have severe fatigue
make cleaning the oasis room your priority at the
expense of doing other things with the little energy
that you
have.
It will pay off in the long run.
At
least once a week sweep, damp mop and damp dust. Wash bedding
and
other
fabric
objects such
as throw rugs often. If you live in
an unpolluted area, place these items and your
pillow in the sun to disinfect them and keep dust mites
to a minimum. If you've opted for an organic futon,
you can place this out in the sun, too.
Always
remove your shoes before you enter the oasis room. It's a good
idea to remove your shoes when you enter your house, but if that's
not an option for your household then at least set the rule
that everyone must remove their shoes before entering your oasis
room. This will keep pollutants like lawn chemicals, pesticides
and commercial floor cleaners from being tracked in.
Whenever
you've been sitting on public seating you run the risk of picking
up pesticides and other chemicals on your clothing. Change those
clothes before you enter your oasis room. Don't let people sit
on your bed in their street clothes. It's best if you can do
your socializing outside of the oasis room.
Every night
before you go to sleep you’ll
have to remove all reading materials and other projects you’ve
brought in during the day. This
will give you eight hours of clean air to breathe. Another
benefit to this habit is waking
up to a well organized and clean room, which starts your
day on the right footing.
Step Ten
The
Oasis Room Appreciation
Relax and congratulate yourself on creating your oasis room.
You’ve
taken a huge and important step to recovery!
Remember
that our
mental attitude greatly influences the healing
process. Studies show that stress, worry and depression
lower the immune system’s
ability to heal and protect the body. They also show
that thinking positive thoughts and recalling happy
memories
boost
the immune system's efficiency. So each time you
enter your oasis room be aware of the
healing
that
is taking
place in your body by simply being in that
room. Be appreciative that you took the time and energy to create
your healing space.
You
can make this a habit by saying a word of thanks each time you
remove your shoes to enter your room. If you don't wear shoes
inside your home, place a bell on the outside of the door going
into the room as a reminder to be appreciative.
Above
all, know that you have created a space for your body to do
its healing. Keep
it positive. Keep it peaceful.