If you’ve ever been in a position of learning how to heal your body, you know there are often several routes you can start with. The truth is, healing is never linear. In fact, healing comes in multiple steps, it can be in the form of a lifestyle change or it can be all of it together.
But one thing that we do know about healing is that you cannot heal your body fully and completely if your body is living in a harmful environment. This could mean lots of things, of course. It could be an environment of stress, it could be an environment that harbors mold, it could be an environment with high levels of VOCs and chemicals.
Whatever the environment around you contains, it will impact your body in some way. Whether you’re trying to prevent disease or illness, or whether you’re thick in the weeds, learning how to heal from something major, your house can actually be used as a tool.
Unfortunately when we’re not using our home as a tool to help and benefit our wellness, it often becomes a space that can burden us down. Come along with me as we uncover just how to heal your body with the help of your home.
WHY OUR ENVIRONMENT IS SO CRUCIAL TO OUR WELLNESS
Over time all of us likely are spending so much more time inside our homes. With the beauty of technology we can do so much of our work and our tasks from a phone or computer, meaning we’re staying put more often than being outside in nature.
Not to mention the fact that our society is overworked in so many ways. We work more hours than we play, we’re running kids around more hours than we’re focusing on caring for ourselves and we’re constantly looking for ways to make our day to day life more efficient and convenient.
All of these things over time have begun to impact our health and our wellness. And that doesn’t even cover the fact that our physical world has actually changed too. Our building materials and items we bring into our home are very different from the ones we used even 20 years ago. And while it’s not all bad, we haven’t addressed the fact that our indoor environments have changed because they’re more closed up and airtight than ever before.
If you think about your body, whether you’re wondering how to heal or not, as a glass, you’ll begin to see how this glass can only hold a specific amount of liquid. Anything else begins to overflow and spill outside the cup.
Now imagine that the cup is slightly tipped, so some water can pour out before it fills to the top. This is just what our amazing bodies can do. We have so many systems within our body like the liver and kidneys that filter out toxins and other items that we come in contact with throughout our day.
But now imagine the water is being poured in faster and faster. The cup can’t get rid of enough of its current water to make room for the new water. This is exactly what happens when we live in an environment that has a number of toxins. Our bodies can’t get rid of or detoxify the toxins and chemicals fast enough before we are exposed to more of them.
This is what starts the harmful cycle of body burden and will either stop healing in its tracks or start to impact your overall wellness.
HOW YOUR HOME IS PREVENTING YOUR HEALING
Unfortunately, when you start looking around your home, it’s often a place that doesn’t support your body’s wellness. In fact, when you start creating a plan for how to heal or support your wellness, I’m guessing you’ll find quite a few things around your home and space that are actually impacting your health in some way.
There are four BIG ways the items we bring inside can impact our health and wellness, and ultimate halt the healing process in its track. These areas are KEY to know about when you’re looking at how to heal or how to even just support your body so it doesn’t become burdened down by toxins in your space.
Endocrine Disruptors: Endocrine disruption is at the top of my list because not only does it impact our natural balance of hormones, our unbalanced hormones have been linked to all kinds of health issues such as developmental malformations, reproductive problems, immune function disturbances, and increased cancer risks(SpringerLink)(US EPA).
The items in our home that contain phthalates, bisphenols and pesticides have been shown to mimic or block natural hormones, which in turn leads to the disruption of hormone regulation. (SpringerLink).
And you’d be surprised where the items are found in your home too. In fact, phthalates have been found in 100% of the house dust tested in a recent study. Bisphenols that are currently replacing BPA are highly unregulated and unfortunately more harmful. Anything that claims to be BPA free likely has other bisphenol toxins used to create that item. And any textile that isn’t organic likely has pesticides inside. All of this together is creating an environment that is truly impacting the entire hormonal system within our bodies.
Impacts to the Nervous System: Neurodevelopment of kids and our aging nervous systems have also become impacted by the toxins inside our home.
Flame retardants are one of the biggest contributors to the nervous systems when we start looking at culprits around the house. Research has shown that they can hinder the maturation of oligodendrocytes, a type of cell essential for maintaining neuron health and function. Disruptions in these cells can lead to cognitive and motor impairments, particularly concerning during developmental periods(Earth.com)(US EPA).
Furniture, textiles and mattresses can all contain flame retardants that impact our health and wellness.
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds are another toxin in our homes that can impact neurodevelopment in children. These are widely used in disinfectants and personal care products. Studies have identified that they can harm oligodendrocytes and potentially lead to neurological issues. (Earth.com).
Microbiome Disruptors: Phthalates, used in many household products such as plastics, cleaning agents, and personal care products, have been shown to alter gut microbiota composition. One study highlighted that exposure to phthalates can reduce the diversity of gut bacteria, which is a marker of gut health. Alterations in gut microbiota due to phthalates can affect immune system function and may be linked to metabolic disorders like obesity and insulin resistance.
Pesticides, which can be brought into homes through residues on produce or from nearby agricultural activities, have also been associated with changes in the gut microbiota. A study published in Frontiers in Microbiology demonstrated that exposure to certain pesticides could alter gut microbiota composition, leading to dysbiosis, which is an imbalance that can contribute to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Research also indicates that bisphenol exposure can disrupt the balance of the gut microbiota. For example, a study published in Environmental Pollution found that BPA exposure can reduce the levels of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus while promoting harmful bacteria, potentially leading to inflammation and gut barrier dysfunction.
VOCs from household cleaners, paints, and air fresheners are another source of concern. Studies have shown that chronic exposure to these compounds can alter the gut microbiota, potentially leading to increased inflammation. A study in Environmental Science & Technology noted that individuals exposed to higher levels of VOCs had a different gut microbiome composition than those with lower exposure, suggesting that these compounds might contribute to gut dysbiosis and related metabolic and immune issues.
Weakened Immune System: The same toxins we talked about earlier are also impacting the immune system as well.
A review in Toxicology Letters highlighted that chronic low-level exposure to organophosphate pesticides could suppress the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to infections and autoimmune conditions.
A study in Journal of Immunotoxicology pointed out that pesticides like glyphosate could alter immune cell function and inflammatory responses, weakening the body’s ability to ward off disease.
Research published in Environmental Research suggested that chronic exposure to VOCs in indoor environments might reduce the production of certain immune cells, such as T cells, weakening the overall immune defense.
A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives examined the impact of phthalate exposure on immune function. It found that phthalates can reduce natural killer (NK) cell activity, which plays a crucial role in the body’s defense against infections and cancer.
HOW TO HEAL BY FOCUSING ON SPECIFIC AREAS IN YOUR HOME
But the great news is that you can start to heal your home, which will ultimately allow your body to flourish. Once you know how to heal some of these areas and remove the toxic products or mitigate the toxins that ARE going to remain, you’ll see that your home will become the healthy space you want it to be to heal your body.
Indoor Air Quality: One of the best places to start is to address your indoor air quality. This can help reduce VOCs, pesticides, phthalates and formaldehyde inside your space. And the best news is that improving your indoor air quality just isn’t that difficult. It’s the first and most efficient step as you learn how to heal your body and home.
First, make sure you have a plan to get rid of as much dust as possible. Dust contains pesticides and phthalates and other toxins like flame retardants that can end up getting into our air and impacting our health and wellness.
Another step to take is to invest in a high quality air purifier, which will help not only reduce particulate matter like dust, but it can also reduce things like mold spores and even VOCs in some cases. It’s an excellent way to improve your indoor air quality in an even bigger way.
And finally, make sure you care for your HVAC in a healthy way too. This means using high quality filters that contain carbon in them to help reduce VOCs and catch as much dust as possible. I recommend a MERV 12, which catches a lot more dust and debris than other filters. But it will ultimately help you reduce toxic house dust from everywhere in your home.
Potential Mold and High Humidity: Mold is a huge burden to your body and many of us are more sensitive to it than we realize. While the sad fact is that most homes do have mold present, it doesn’t mean it’s a normal part of owning a home.
Reducing mold exposure is an extremely important part when you’re learning how to heal your body and home. It’s an extremely toxic part of our homes that can impact our health in a variety of ways from fatigue to chronic illness.
The best course of action is to create an environment that does not allow mold to thrive in your home. Using a simple hygrometer will give you the insight you need as to what your indoor humidity levels are in different spaces of your home. Without knowing what your current humidity levels are, it’s impossible to know how to adjust your habits and change the levels in your home.
Keep your humidity levels indoors between 35% and 40% to maintain the healthiest climate indoors.
EMF Exposure at Home: Exposure to EMFs is an often overlooked area of a healthy home. In fact, it’s been negatively linked to sleep disturbances, oxidative stress on the brain, reproductive issues and neurological disorders.
And while we live in this super connected and technology driven world, it’s important to use it in a healthy way. One of the best ways to achieve this balance is to opt for wired internet in your home wherever you can instead of relying on wireless technology.
Wireless technology emits harmful radiation throughout your home as it connects devices to your router.
Another huge area of focus when you’re focusing on how to heal is paying attention to your bedroom or sleeping area. This is an area that you’re likely spending the most amount of time in when you add up the hours every day, and it can be a great place to be free from electromagnetic radiation and radiofrequency radiation for long periods of time, allowing your body to actually heal.
Some easy changes to make in your bedroom include charging your phone in a different room (like an attached bathroom or in the hallway). It’s also a great practice to move all electronics in your room as far away from your bed as possible. The more space you have in between your body and your electronics, the more space you have for the EMFs to drop off and lower before they get to your body.
Control the Items You Bring Inside: When you’re learning how to heal in your home, there are so many things out of your control. The good news is that the items you bring into your space is one area where you have 100% of the control. You just have to know what to watch for and what to look for before you purchase it.
You can do this on such a small scale to start and focus on just one item, like personal products or cleaning products. And while knowing what to look for is the biggest first step in making a healthy change, it’s not impossible.
Learning how to heal can also mean learning how to be a more conscious consumer too. You can make healthy choices each and every time you buy something for your home.
Take a peek around this site net time you’re researching what to buy, and you can probably find a recommendation that is healthier and less toxic for your space.
GOING DEEPER: HOW TO HEAL BY USING YOUR HOME SPACE:
These steps are just the tip of the iceberg, really, when you’re learning how to heal your body with the use of your home. There are so many avenues you can take and so many things you can try. And not all of the ideas for creating a healthy home will apply to you — and on the other hand, some will be a PERFECT solution.
The Google rabbit hole can be long and treacherous when you start to enter the world of healthy living in your home and how to heal your body in space. It can feel overwhelming as you don’t really know quite what to do or when or in what order. I completely get that.
If you want to learn more about how to use your home to heal in a really practical way, I’d love to have you join me for my free class in a few weeks where I’m going to be breaking down even more ways you can have a really positive impact on your space.
