How Do Chemicals Impact Our Health?

We can't always see the immediate effects of toxic chemicals on our bodies, but, nonetheless,our health is being compromised with every exposure. Potentially harmful ingredients can be found in cleaning supplies, makeup, scented products, paint, and other things we use daily. One group of chemicals that has been linked to increased inflammation in the body is VOCs (volatile organic compounds).This increased inflammation sets up the perfect environment for developing symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, skin and eye irritation, tingling and numbness in the extremities, dizziness, and headaches. Increased inflammation is suspected as an underlying cause in autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, and even in some types of cancer.

Some folks don't have an immediate response to the VOCs. But the body is effected on a cellular level with every exposure; and even at low levels of contact, inflammation increases and health starts to deteriorate. 

I read numerous articles and research papers about the possibility that chemicals in our environment, like VOCs, and additives in our food like dyes and preservatives, could be an underlying factor in the onset of fibromyalgia. Even after I found this information, it took months for me to summon up the energy and determination to change my lifestyle.

It was not easy for me to radically change the way I did things each day. I wasn't willing to even try until I was overwhelmingly and completely sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all of the time. Getting rid of the chemicals in my home couldn't hurt anything and resigning myself to feeling horrible all the time was not an option. So,I decided to find out where the chemicals lurked, how to get rid of them, what to substitute in their place, and see what happened.  

I did not expect this to be a quick fix. After all, I had been exposed to hundreds of chemicals every day for decades in the household products I used and in the processed foot I ate. It made sense to me that it would take time, maybe a long time, to notice any difference. But I had nothing to lose and potentially everything to gain.  

I started with what I felt would be the easiest group of chemicals for me to eliminate: anything that has a scent. Scents are created by adding chemicals to products. Even so- called "natural" scents often use VOCs to bind the scent to the product. When the scent is released, so are the VOCs. You breathe in the chemicals when you breathe in the scent.

It is possible to create a scent free environment in your home but it may require that you change almost every product you use. I had to eliminate obvious scented products like perfume, air fresheners, and scented candles.

I read the labels on everything I used on a daily basis and found that there were other not so obvious products that contained scent like makeup, hairspray, deodorant, laundry detergent, bath soap, hand lotion, and more. I was able to find scent free versions of all of these. I changed a lot of other things before I recovered from fibromyalgia. But this was the first small step I took. On December 6, I will celebrate three years of being symptom free.

I suppose it is one of those blessings in disguise things that I have an immediate reaction to VOC exposure. I know from firsthand experience what harm it can do. Other people experience equal harm to their health when they come in contact with VOCs. They just don't connect the dots because symptoms like headache, recurrent sinus pressure, dizziness, nausea, pain, and fatigue don't appear until days after exposure to the scented products laced with VOCs.

Just call me your canary in the coal mine. Years ago, coal miners took a caged canary with them down into the mines to warn them it there were any dangerous chemicals lurking about underground. If there was methane or carbon monoxide in the work area, the canary died before those chemicals reached levels hazardous to humans and the miners were able to escape without harm. 

I thought of that canary a few months ago. I love playing competitive Scrabble. I was playing in a tournament with at least forty other people in the room. I zoomed through the first two games, winning both of them. During the third game I had a sudden onset of headache, nausea, and dizziness.I had difficulty breathing and was finding it hard to concentrate. Everyone else seemed fine, but they weren't. Someone had lit a scented candle and the odor and accompanying VOCs were flowing through the room. 

Chirp. Chirp. Clunk.

You're welcome.

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Painting the House and I'm Still Alive

My husband and I are painting the inside of our house and I am having such fun. I know that sounds a little bit, well maybe a lot, crazy. After all painting involves taping, drop cloths, strenuous manual labor, ladders, brushes, rollers, time, moving furniture, and living in general chaos until the job is done.

But I'm elated nonetheless. Here's why. The last time the inside of our house was painted (ages and ages ago), we had a contractor complete the task. The smell of the paint fumes made me so sick I had to move out and stay with family and friends until the smell was gone. It was almost six weeks before I was able to move back into my home.This time around things are entirely different. Not only am I able to stay in the house while it is being painted, I am able to wield a brush and roller to help paint it.

A lot has happened between our two painting adventures. I had Meniere's disease the first go around. Since then I have developed Fuch's dystrophy of the cornea, multiple chemical and food allergies, and fibromyalgia. All of these diseases are related to malfunctioning of the immune system. I was in so much pain with fibromyalgia that I was desperate to find a way to feel better. I learned that exposure to toxic chemicals contributes to all kinds of autoimmune diseases including fibro. So I got chemicals out of my home, stopped eating processed food that is full of harmful chemicals, and started eating real food rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. I haven't had any fibromyalgia symptoms in over nineteen months. And as a bonus, my immune system in general has improved. My allergies are a lot better. I haven't had a Meniere's episode in two years. My vision is stable. I feel great.

So I was worried when we started planning to paint the house. We are retired now and have plenty of time to do the work ourselves. But I didn't want to rock the boat by risking exposure to paint. Fortunately, paint manufacturers have developed paint that is free of VOCs - Volatile Organic Chemicals. VOCs in paint, cleaning products, scented products, cosmetics and a host of other things people use in daily life are a huge contributor to all kinds of health problems. We bought three gallons of VOC free paint in different colors and painted three different test walls. I had no reaction at all. We have finished painting three entire rooms and I am zipping right along as healthy as can be. 

Here are some quick tips that can make painting the inside of your home a little easier.

Buy paint that contains no VOCs. There are some paint products that say low VOC so make sure to verify that the paint you choose has absolutely no VOCs.

Gather all supplies before you start. Our list included: regular painter's tape, painter's tape with a four foot pull out drop cloth to use on the baseboards, an extension ladder, a step ladder, a step stool, three sizes of good quality brushes, disposable paint rollers, an extension roller pole, roller pans, drop cloths for the floor, and drop cloths to cover the furniture.

Painter's tape with a drop cloth attached works great on baseboards.

An extension ladder helps with the high spots.

Decide on a color scheme. Most companies offer brochures and online resources to help you pick out colors. We used a color palette sheet that shows a range of colors that work well together, got large paint chip swatches of the colors we thought we wanted to use, and painted test patches before buying all of the paint. The color palette sheet also has been useful for picking out accessories to go with our new look.

Prepare the room. Move the furniture away from the walls and cover with drop cloths. Put painter's tape around all baseboards, door frames, and windows. Take pictures off the walls and use spackle to fill in all nail holes. Wash the walls with a damp microfiber cloth. Bring your paint, brushes, and rollers to the room. Go!

For me painting my home has been a special blessing. Nineteen months ago I was too sick and in too much pain from fibromyalgia to even think about doing something as strenuous as painting our whole house. I am so thankful for health and energy and paint that is free from VOCs. I could share more but I've got to run. There are more rooms waiting to magically change color and I hear a paintbrush calling my name.