sageofthewest

[sageofthewest]

Was “Vape-Illness” COVID?

    Last year ICU Physicians and the CDC indicated the suspicoun of a mysterious "Vaping Illness", and in response to the suspicion legislation to ban flavored vape pens was adopted and people were discouraged from using vape products (especially black market vapes with suspect additives and impurities). This year the CDC is warning us all of the Coronavirus epidemic and dealing with the crisis we now all face; and the two illnesses have the exact same symptoms and m-o.

  Throughout history whenever there is an epidemic: Bubonic Plague, Smallpox, SARS etc.; there exists a timeline to the discovery of the disease itself and that timeline goes something like this; “Mystery Diagnoses which cluster”, collaboration or communication between physicians about what they are seeing, and identification of the new pathogen or cause. We are in stage 3 with the current Pandemic. We have identified the pathogen as the microbe Sars-CoV2; the official name of the Coronavirus strain that can lead to the deadly COVID-19 disease. Physicians described the very deadly and aggressive nature of the “vaping illness” with characteristics virtually identical to COVID. Radiologist describe a type of lung opacity on x-rays of "Vape illness" patients (bilateral and peripheral glass) that is also identical to x-rays of the most tell tale, and fatal element of COVID-19 patients; Pneumonia. The actual cause of death for COVID-19 patients is a total body hypoxia brought on by sever Pneumonia in the late stages of the disease, since it is the symptom which leads to ARDS. But before you consider this relation, or question the details, let us pause for a moment:

   The CDC also reported last year; “a record increase in the number of Pneumonia deaths resulting from Flu-like symptoms”, many of them in the later part of the year towards our seasonal spikes which exceeded the threshold for "epidemic" status of that disease group for the first time in years. The spike actually began in 2018. Death caused by Pneumonia, especially in patients with comorbidities or who are elderly are expected, although tragic. It is something physicians expect to see occasionally, but easy to see how a new pathogen might slip by unexpected and misidentified prior to the protocol to test for such an illness. The "mystery vaping illness" attributed to unexplained cases of Pneumonia (especially amongst young patients), and the rise in the death toll of "pneumonia" cases in the year past, would seem to indicate that the initial stage of a new infectious pathogen (identification) was grossly miscalculated.

   Not only should the families of those who unexpectedly succumbed to pneumonia-like illnesses last year (especially those given the possible scapegoat explanaition of vaping) reconsider the epidemic we now face and seek to explore a connection of the two for the sake of their own personal solace in clear understanding of what truly happened to their loved one, but the truth needs to be scientifically and accurately presented to the public and most importantly the scientific community. The Surgeon General even commented on a possible connection between vaping and COVID so I figured; of course I’ve been scooped by the top doctor of the land none the less! But on air, Surgeon General Jerome Adams only suggested (as a mere conjecture, and with no data) that the high number of deaths in the US and Italy may have been related for those countries’ citizens predilection for vaping (hooey I tell you). He made no mention of the mysterious “vape-illness” media outlets warned us about months before noticing the Coronavirus Outbreak that presented with the same symptomology or; how likely misidentification of such an illness may have occurred prior to testing and awareness of the Sars-Cov2 and COVID-19.

    It is incubment upon any medical professional who dealt with such cases, and who has dealt with covid patients or will be soon to make a careful and earnest re-examination of the vape-death illnsess phenomenon we all heard about on the news last year. Other pneumonia deaths should also be examined as the number of cases would suggest misidentification of this new illness being clumped in with our legitimite average number of flu-pneumonia deaths per year(~50,000). In all likelyhood, the number of Coronavirus deaths in the United States alone has been grossly underestimated. The outbreak of vaping illnesses which killed hundereds, if not thousands of patients last year was noted by the medical communitty as early as June of last year with almost 100 patients in Wisconsin alone between June and August of 2018. This means that thousands of North Americans were likely infected with COVID-19 last summer already and the disease got to work taking the lives of Americans as early as June of 2019. Only after an unknown but very large outbreak in Wuhan, China did we begin to notice and examine the possibility of a new illness here in America and auhorities are still not putting two and two together. The incubation period, and its dormancy, as well as the pervasiveness of Coronaviruses' infection upon the human race, may all be completely askew with this missing data. Thousands of Americans likely died last year of COVID-19, before we knew what to look for. 

   Either news outlets and the CDC (who still list information on the “vape illness” with nearly congruent descriptions and statements it now posts regarding COVID) along with other government agencies have some directive to mislead us about the truth here or no one else has noticed this yet. But the reality is clear when examining the data at a glance or in depth. The real number of Coronavirus deaths in the US should reflect the hundreds or thousands who were likely misdiagnosed last year for accurate examination and a more clear understanding of what really happened, and what is happening now.    

   As journalists, scientists or Medically Trained Professionals; we owe a duty to the truth and its dissmeination for the sake of the greater good. In this case inaccurate information may be misleading enough to turn what is already a tradgedy, into a disaster. I believe we can now clearly identify the patients killed by the mysterious vaping illness, along with many of the Pneumonia deaths of last year as the USA's first Coronavirus victims, who were taken before we understood what happened to them. There has been NO empiricle evidence to suggest vaping causes any such illness, and every indication that Coronavirus deaths were misidentified as such an illness. It is not only time to give truth to the families of the vaping death illness for closure (or should we now say; the initial and unidentified Coronavirus victims) but this information resets the data curve, actual death toll and initial cases spotted throughout the US and pehaps the world. It is time to re-evaluate the scacpegoating of e-cigarettes and vaping as a cause of death from a sudden illness and recognize that the vape illness phenomenon of last year which was all over the news, is the same phenomenon we see all over the news today, now given its proper designation.

   PLEASE! Keep your social distance, don't go out unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary, take precations to not contract or transmit the elusive Coronavirus (Sars-Cov2). Take care of yorselves, those who love and your fellow humans, even the ones you don’t necessarily like. As wise Governor Cuomo of the great state of New York recently encouraged us: “When this is all over, we can go back to having differences.” until then; keep calm and vape away.

[sageofthewest]

Know Your Magical Astronomy

Know Your Astronomy!

   We all know a little about the universes astronomy; the sun is the center of the solar-system, we live in the Milky Way galaxy, The Big dipper is a constellation, Alpha Orionis is an early class-M Supergiant… yada, yada.   But we need to focus on our own astronomy to get the big picture and see the solutions that may be initiated to solve our personal and localized problems. Every day technology is moving at such a pace, that it challenges us all to keep up with it and find ways to prosper and cope with its intensity. Justin Bieber was able to tap into astronomical tool of today’s technology and the internet and the industry he is now a major part of did the rest of the work. Astronomy is all about numbers ...EXTREMELY large numbers, and extremely small measures. So what we need to do is evaluate our own astronomy to tap into the infinite, and find avenues of solutions with seemingly boundless ends. We all are right around the corner from some astronomical and incredible capabilities. Knowing this and believing this can set us up to better find those astronomical solutions. It is a numbers game and the trick is to understand and believe how numbers and large numbers work. Exponential miracles await us all, and all we need to do is find the key starting point to begin the unfolding of our own astronomy, and it is all around us, always. That is the way this universe works. The entire known universe and all the galaxies (supposedly) erupted out of an expansion of a fairly small space of energy, and this energy still permeates the universe as we know it and it is constantly expanding and causing changes that are colossal in size, and in intricacy.    Exponential growth is a facet of the world we live in and remembering this will help to maintain the mindset of the miraculously huge, and wonderful. When something begins to expand exponentially, there is no end to its expansion and the swiftness with which it will dominate our world as humans. Some of you may be familiar with the Tony Robbins’ famous example of playing a ‘skins’ game of golf where we bet something like 14 cents a hole to begin with and then double it each successive hole. Sounds like a cheap gamble but when you do the math you will see that things shift dramatically. Exponentially this game becomes colossal. Let’s say we square our previous bet on each hole. Starting with 14 cents, we go to $1.96 for the 2nd hole, then $348.16 the 3rd hole and then hole 5, we are already at $21,779,533,378,093,711.36!?!?!?!  Yes that is exponential expansion for ya’. Start with something small that has the potential to multiply against itself and sooner or later, even trillions ain’t really nothin’ big. That’s the way this universe works. There is no real big difference between the incredibly small and the incredible. That’s the truth.       Justin Bieber started by sharing his music with thousands of fans on you tube. Several of those thousands ended up being powerful music industry moguls who jumped on the opportunity to help the expansion. At the same time each of those thousands spoke to people around them about this amazing kid and before he had signed a record deal, millions of people worldwide knew of him and within years he went from being just a kid with a video, to a multi millionaire many times over with the exposure and capability to reach BILLIONS of people on this earth. He started with something very small and seemingly docile and now billions of people know who he is and millions of dollars are at his fingertips. Now we can’t all sing like Justin Bieber (and we don’t all have haircuts quite that ridiculous, I hope) but we all have access to the same type of exponential growth in our lives and if we are not open to it and looking out for the exponential solutions, we will never see them and the game of golf will go on for 14 cents a hole and that’s only $2.52 cents a game. It is not how small you start, it is how exponentially you can expand so we need to have an exponential mindset and we need to take action that has potential for exponential growth. So here are some tips on harnessing this awesome energy.      People around you and people you can reach. Think of the best and most unique ways to reach AS MANY people and avenues as you can. You will probably be amazed at the type of exponential potential they will impart since ALL people have access to this infinite substance. By reaching the correct people in the initial rounds of this kind of sequence, we may be shocked to see how some of them are able to catalyze the process and become multipliers themselves. Reaching out to whoever you cam, whether they be someone you know personally or someone you saw on TV will be a tremendous revelation of assistance to your endeavors, whatever they may be. There are many people whom you could probably reach that are right at the next stage of exponential potential for you and they will lose nothing by offering their astronomy, in fact they will almost surely gain from it and be surprisingly eager to help you. Explore all avenues to find these people and remain open throughout this process so you don’t sell yourself short. Start believing there is someone out there who is not only capable of helping you make you dreams come true, but who wants to and they are eagerly awaiting you to tap into your astronomy and reach them, right now!      Technology definitely doesn’t have a problem with you using her astronomy as she is eagerly awaiting you to exploit her capabilities. That is what she is there for. Technology doesn’t profit or lose, gain or ‘take a cut’ and we all have access to some kind of technology. My first book was created entirely on a completely outdated laptop with a fried battery and faulty, slow hardware but there is nothing evident about that in the print-ready document I created and the world and technology doesn’t care, or distinguish between my manuscript having been created on such a device, or someone like Bill Gates who probably uses an National Security Agency-secured Super-computer built by NASA and custom installed into his helicopter or his brain-implanted hardwired super-chip processor and memory processing unit that Steve Jobbs hardwired into his Forehead. J/k Bill uses an iPad we all know that. (Did you know he had one of those?)  I am joking of course, but my point is this: The music superstar Usher didn’t care that Justin Biebers’ first YouTube video wasn’t shot in HD or recorded in one of Sony’s major production studio. Justin and his family used the technology at their fingertips (look at him now!) to get to the next sequence and then moving on to the next step in technology is reachable.      There are so many avenues and methods of technological expansion that it is impossible to even keep up with them. YouTube, Datpiff, Kindle, fiverr, Twitter, facebook, email, mobile devices, websites, Google, fax machines, even Kinko’s where you can get thousands of copies of marketing tools to distribute for very little money; to name a few, are all capable of reaching millions, sometimes right off the bat! And they will most certainly have the potential of getting you to the next stage of astronomy. And did you notice the kicker?  FREE ASTRONOMY! Yay! YouTube- FREE, email- FREE. If you are a US Citizen, you can go to your local library to use email and the internet even if you don’t own a computer! How wonderful for us in this day and age. I recently had a photo taken and I wanted to retouch it digitally but wasn’t interested in spending any money on this as it was only personally important to me. A friend of mine almost laughed at me. “Just Google ‘Photoshop like programs’ and a bunch of totally free software is out there to download. Where have you been?” There are so many shareware programs and sets of software out there today that are free and offered freely to everyone without infringing or taking away from anyone else. It may not be top of the line for today but who cares! It is still amazing. Most of the software programs I have gotten for free, legally and easily, would blow away ANYTHING that top companies in those fields would have had access to just 15 years ago. It is truly a gift, and we need to take advantages of all these gifts in the world of astronomical potential, and hardships outnumbered.  

[sageofthewest]

Finding The Best Solutions

      The term ‘finding solutions’ denotes positive results, accomplishment and success, but it is often easy to overlook the root instigator of a solution or think of it negatively: A problem. As a mathematician, problems are often ‘fun’ and ‘good’ things to me. I can recall a number of times in class when we would say things to each other like, “You do problem #34 from the differentiation exercises? It is hilarious!” And I can even remember a number of my “favorite problems” (a phrase you might only hear literally from a mathematician) One of my favorite basic differentiation problems in early single-variable calculus was differentiating (with respect to x) the function f(x) = x^x^x which is really a cool problem and I’ll explain why (you don’t need to understand calculus to see why this is interesting)  To solve this problem you use ‘substitution’ to start off with to reduce the function to a more solvable form. The same thing is often done in life’s problem, make some kind of change or take some action that reduces the dilemma or problem into a more workable obstacle or series of ‘do-able’ tasks in the given predicament. To do this in our math example, you can go two routes: make a substitution for the 2nd two x^x’s and solve that or use a substitution for the first two x^x’s and when you apply either of these methods, you end up solving the problem in two fairly different ways. The difference is subtle but one route is seemingly more easily intuited so you either begin by creating an easier problem or making it look more difficult than it is. The other reason this problem is cool is the way it looks in standard notation:

    ...Now that’s pretty funky lookin’ for a math problem right? The point to be made here is this: the methods we use to solve problems can make them more simply solved, or compound the approach significantly. A teacher I knew from the math department at UWM, Professor Schwengels once stated: “The difference between being a mathematician and being a great mathematician is that a mathematician might work hard solving a difficult problem that takes several pages of work to get through while the great mathematician realizes the quickest and most effortless way to solve the same problem in half a page.” (He may have added a comment about quickly factoring several beers into working the problem) Some have also stated this analogy with the idea that a good mathematician solves a problem with the most powerful tool available, but a truly great mathematician can fix the same problem with a much simpler, weaker tool and by using less energy:

                                   See:  www.mathwithbaddrawings.com for great illustrations

    Very often the solutions to problems are right in front of us or around us but by not remaining open to new ways of thinking and unorthodox approaches, we can compound the problems. What I want to be taken away from this is that all solutions are initiated by a problem so getting excited about problems (especially complex or apparently difficult ones) is the best attitude to have to remain open to ALL solutions, not just the ones you are thinking of, or have already begun to work out. Sometimes you must go back, to go forward, and sometimes the way forward, is also the way back.

   In order to get a better sense of what solutions may be resolved out of whatever problems you are trying to work out, it is important to have an idea of what it means to be presented with a problem and how it can be a good thing. This will help put your mind in the right positive attitude of accomplishment and confidence going into the problem solving situation. In the Chinese language, the written symbol for the word opportunity is essentially the same as the symbol representing the word crisis. More accurately the term is “opportunity shrouded in crisis” so when making a statement the context helps to define which is being emphasized but the words are not different to the Chinese and this displays how the language represents the brilliant and open way of thinking that Asian philosophy is often built upon. It is vital that we open our minds to the idea that crises actually present opportunity or we will miss out on the solutions at hand and suffer the effects of the tragedy only, and that is the only true tragedy of difficult situations.

     Now,  I don’t know that there was a crisis presented to the following person or family but I know of a child named Justin who was living with his mother, a single parent, and no doubt, struggling with the everyday crises that arise from the kind of devotion single parents often face. But in whatever situation they were in they looked to the positive and possibilities of endeavoring to take a chance on attempting to bring attention to a unique gift Justin had harnessed. He is a musician and singer who made a YouTube video to FREELY share his gift with the world. Maybe you’ve heard of him, his name is Justin Bieber, and when he created the YouTube videos that would send him skyrocketing on a journey into stardom and wealth, there was no reassurance whatsoever insight that anything would come of it. And that brings us to the subject of my next post which will give you some amazing tools to solve any problems you encounter in life, especially the big and challenging ones facing many of us today who are looking to make dreams come true, attract wealth and abundance and generate exposure and marketing for anything you seek to share with the world. Check back soon to learn about how to tap in to your own personal asset of individual Astronomy! Some of my blog posts are simply entertaining or inspiring but this is going to be invaluable to those of you trying to build business or harness the power of the world we live in to support your goals, and that my friends is a promise.

[sageofthewest]

Archived Gratitude Post

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Cost of Giving Back and The Price of Appreciation

The Price of Appreciation

     No one can really put a price on appreciation can they? In fact most of us don’t even consider our value of appreciation in things we enjoy we just look at the bottom line. Some of the more enjoyable and easy to appreciate hobbies I have are extremely cheap ones, and some are more expensive, but I don’t know that I can put a price on the appreciation I feel for those hobbies to reflect their cost.

     I enjoy bird watching and spotting other animals and features of wildlife. I don’t know how to calculate the expenses that go along with this hobby (visits to library, purchase of a bird book, state park passes etc.) but I know that they don’t measure up to the monetary cost of stargazing with so many fancy expensive telescopes and binocular sets as well as stargazing programs, star finder computers and accessories for optics. Just last week I saw my first Peregrine Falcons. Two of them! I had to run through some of the forested area near my house and got bitten up something awful (not smart since I hear West Nile is still causing trouble) but I got to see something you just can't put a price tag on in any way. To see an animal free in their natural habitat is a marvelous thing.    I also enjoy golfing (freakin’ expensive!) And Frisbee golf (cheap as heck!) but I wouldn’t compare one to the other or even say I get more  out of one vs. the other. I get a lot out all of my hobbies, and when we are in situations where every penny counts (and many are in this situation right now) then maybe it’s a good idea to take inventory of the activities you enjoy most and do a cost – to-appreciation price comparison. Maybe focusing on some of those cheaper but also more fulfilling hobbies you will manage to save money and remember what is most important: appreciation and gratitude for what ever you have or are able to do. This is also great for the whole family and should include everyone’s ideas if it’s a family thing.

    This idea and self examination might even force you to do some of those things you’ve been putting off as if the cost of enjoying yourself can’t possibly be met with the hours in the days available or the resources at hand. Re-evaluate, there are several things you probably would take great pleasure and confidence in doing for yourself and if you never make the time, how will you ever have the time?

The Greatest Gift is Giving

       A few years ago my girlfriend Kelly and I rescued a baby bird from certain death. He had fallen from his nest into the parking garage in my apartment building. I was surprised he hadn’t been run over yet and moved him to an area where he would be safe from cars. He had barely any fur on him and no feathers, just sickly skin and an oversized beak. We decided maybe we could rescue him despite being weakened from the fall and having no mommy bird. We took him into our apartment and I spent the next few days waking up at 3am to insanely loud baby bird chirps. I fed him crushed up sunflower seeds and water through an eye dropper. After looking up some info online and figuring out what he needed how old he was and what kind of bird he was we nursed him back to health until the humane society could take him. During the week Heathrow was with us (Kelly named him) he went from being small and almost insect like to having feathers begin to grow out of his skin as the formation of real wings began. I was amazed each day to see how much he had changed and when we finally handed him over, healthy and growing; to the humane society there was a certain kind of sadness in parting with him. We wondered on what level a being like that might perceive that assistance. We wondered if Heathrow would remember his adoptive parents. 

   Some time later, perhaps seven weeks, I was standing near a fence waiting for the bus when a bird appeared and perched near me. I had been thinking of Heathrow just before that moment. Where was he? Where was he going to go, and what was he like now? By now he would be a full grown sparrow like the one on the fence by me now. “Wait a minute!” I thought as I asked myself why this bird who seemed to be interested in me, was acting so crazy and then remembered what I had been thinking a moment before “That could be him.” I thought and smiled, that could be Heathrow and for the next five or so years, anytime I see a bird, especially one getting my attention I can wonder… and rejoice because that could really be him.

    The cost was waking up several days in a row in the middle of the night to nurse the poor guy and a package of sunflower seeds. The price I would put on appreciating the years where I will be able to wonder if the little sparrow I see before me is Heathrow… well I could never put a price on that but let’s just say I value the experience greatly.

      Now I have even more appreciation to look forward to for the rest of my life!

Yesterday we were getting out of the car when Kelly exclaimed and pointed out something on the road right in front of where we parked. A turtle! Thank god we didn’t squish him, and no one else did either. There had been a great deal of flooding near our house the previous weeks so I think he took a ride through the sewers to get to our street which is a few blocks from the Milwaukee River-no doubt his backyard. We put him in a container so I could carry him back to where he belonged and as soon as I placed Albert on the ground near the bank, (Kelly named him too) he scurried straight down to the water and plunged back into his home. Turtles live much longer than sparrows. When I am fifty years old I will surely have outlived Heathrow who might live to be 9 years old if he’s lucky. This turtle however will probably outlive me so now anytime I see a turtle who looks like this one, for as long as I live I will wonder…

  Well those are two of the greatest gifts I have been given in life, and their cost was: simply helping.

[sageofthewest]

How own your home is slowly killing you!

Sunday, August 8, 2010

How Your Own Home is Slowly Killing You

House pollution problems 

   One of the topics related to breathing which, along with smoking, is not particularly focused on in my book is pollution. I figure most people already know; it is not good to breathe in either of those things. The less pollution we must process and the better our fresh air quality is and the more time we spend in environments with purified air the better and I guess most people can gather that but I want to talk more about some specific things to consider with home pollution to respond to some feedback I’ve gotten and to help you out.

   Home pollution: referring to the levels of toxic and irritating substances in the air at home, is caused by numerous things we keep and pretty much need around the house in this day and age. This will give some of us who are opening our eyes to a new awareness of our breathing all around and idea of what to look out for and how to deal with it.

   Causes of home pollution are everywhere. From the clothes we wear, the cleaning fluids we use and the materials used to construct the home, there are places where substances simply break down into smaller particles that hang around in the small enclosed spaces we occupy until they’re eliminated.

     First off lets talk about 1) Cleaning fluids. If you are not using some of the better environment and human-safe cleaning products like those made by seventh generation, you are putting harmful chemicals into the air when you clean and on surfaces from which they will linger and evaporate for some time after the cleaning is completed. Substances used in cleaning products like ammonia, butyl alcohol, trietholyne glycol, and countless others are carcinogenic and harmful for any living being to breathe in. Using human-safe and organic cleaning products is one way to drastically reduce these chemicals and making sure that when you clean you do so in a well ventilated environment and give some time for things to evaporate afterwards.

   2) Clothing and fabrics are usually made up of fairly harmful substances when breathed in although they are not harmful to wear as garments, when stored for long periods of time especially, the fabric in clothing often breaks down as it oxidizes and reacts with the oxygen in the air. The same way everything spoils over time, fabrics deteriorate and as they do, they become brittle and begin to break down into tiny breathable particles and these substances are not meant for your body to process- at all.

    3) Dust in general comes from most of the fabric in the household but deterioration of constructive materials of the house (paint, drywall, wood, etc.) can also breakdown and release itself into the air on a microscopic level and this is bad stuff as far as the lungs are concerned

   4) Smoke from cigarettes, incense, cooking, candles and even dust baking on light bulbs (even though you can’t see it) will produce soot and other harmful vapors, some of which will coagulate on surfaces in the household and continue to disperse over time long after smells that humans can detect are gone.

    And finally…

5) Carpet, which is made of fabric, gets its own paragraph here because carpeting is a particularly harmful concoction of industrial fabrics, dirt and grit, which will grind up and wear out carpeting causing the fibers to break up a great deal. This is what causes the worn out pattern in carpet over time and the missing material has to go somewhere so it lingers in the air. Carpet also acts like a magnet for all types of other fabric particles and dust and it is hard to clean these particles since vacuuming often only clears up larger dirt particles but send the smaller more harmful ones back into the air (that’s what causes a nasty smell when you’re vacuuming) Carpeting as a harmful pollutant is responsible for numerous illnesses and is subsequently the subject of many lawsuits over negligently dangerous workplace conditions. Looking into the type of carpeting that you have installed is not a bad idea but no carpeting is safe enough to not need a good deal of maintenance and care to reduce indoor pollution.

   There are plenty of other toxic substances that linger around the home like perfumes, and aerosol sprays but the five mentioned here account for a great deal of the contaminants we can eliminate and are almost always present in modern homes. Some of the things that are best for remedying the situation are simple and require no special equipment but I have also included some suggestions for devices to help clean the air, fabrics and carpet in the house-hold. Cleaning the air is important but one of the most beneficial and often overlooked solutions is really quite simple.

#1 Go outside. This is the best remedy!

    The Air indoors is hardly ever near the quality of the air outdoors and we forget to make time for this since many lifestyles today don’t require outdoor exposure. There are too many situations where people go straight from being in a car to-being at work to-being back home to-being out at a restaurant or somewhere were something is being done indoors and we forget to just get outside. Until recent steps in society and living conditions, humans were outdoors a whole lot more. Our bodies are used to it and they need this fresh relief more frequently than the modern day encourages.

    Indoor pollution winds up in the lungs and consequently must be dealt with by the same organs responsible for cleaning up most messes in the bloodstream: The liver, the kidneys, the pancreas etc. and these fragile organs become over-taxed and toxic themselves when not taken care of. The levels of indoor pollution in a home can be a contributing factor to reversing, or developing diabetes and other blood related diseases and disorders (hypertension, high cholesterol), yes that’s right I am telling you that the clothing in your closet and the spray for the windows can contribute to diabetes. Let me say that again, indoor home pollution is often a contributing factor in people who develop and continue to suffer from type 2 diabetes. That is how toxic some of these things are even though we welcome them into our home regularly. So here are some things that can be done to eliminate the problem at home, where we all need to be so much, understandably. 

1)      Open windows and doors as often and as wide as is reasonable or possible. Keep this ventilation in mind during times of cooking and cleaning especially. Too often during the winter months when the outside air is so cold we forget this so prepare for I t in the winter and occasionally turn the heat up and open the windows to exchange some fresh air without letting you house get too cold. Some people will note here that this is not especially efficient in terms of saving energy which is such a consideration these days and with many good reasons. I’m not suggesting that your home not be thoroughly insulated winterized and that your heating mechanisms should all not be green and energy-efficient machines- they should, but saving a few cents or reducing energy emissions by such a small amount is hardly worth making ourselves sick over. I think mother Earth would prefer her people healthy even if they have to let some of this precious stuff we call energy float out the window. With so many new breakthroughs and such a focus on the efficiency of energy in homes and cities across America and the world perhaps we can all take comfort in the fact the each day more is being done to make it less harmful to use up energy and electricity so don’t worry so much about your heating bill that you make yourself sick alright? We want you healthy and happy, remember- we already have small rooms with air quality so bad, that it kills people to even breathe in these rooms. They are called gas chambers and they work quickly, but we don’t need to make our homes into the slower-working versions so let’s move onto the next tip to creating a sanctuary of more breathable air in the home.

2)      Vacuum using a super efficient-filtered, high-quality vacuum like those manufactured by the Kirby Corporation. These are not gonna’ be available for purchase at your local store and they will cost more than a “normal’ vacuum but you get what you pay for. A Dyson just won’t do it, I mean I have a Dyson and don’t get me wrong, that ball is fun to play with but a vacuum is not a toy it is a life saving tool! That’s why I recognize my Dyson is only cleaning up stuff I can see but to get the carpet actually sanitary, I use a Kirby which also has a DRY-foam shampooer. Do not use wet-carpet cleaning companies and shampooers. They are dirty, leave behind dirt and most importantly feed mold and mildew by soaking un-breathable fabric in water. Wet-shampooing the carpet creates indoor bacteria plain and simple. To find a high-quality vacuum in general you’ll need to go to a special allergen-reducing products store (if you can find one) or order one through an online site that specializes in air quality and allergen related products like www.achooallergy.com. These kinds of companies also carry products for leaning the air itself and they are a great product comparison and research tool. Always learn more about what you are investing in before you buy it, especially since you should look at these kinds of household machines as life-long appliances that you will live with for as long as they last. Do not use carpet powder or spray on carpet cleaners with chemicals as these will only release themselves back into the air for you to breathe.

3)      Get an Ionizer like those you have probably seen on TV in infomercials. There are a few good ones out there but be careful about grabbing a cheap one especially from any discount store. It’s probably junk that does little to nothing but, the tremendous effect that a good ionizer can have on improving the air quality in the home is priceless. Shelling out five-hundred dollars on one may not be necessary but is probably a good idea.     I’ve always been really impressed with efficiency quality and power of ionizers available from The Sharper Image. Some other decent machines from Sunbeam and Oreck are also quite reliable in my opinion but The Sharper Image seems to have a real edge on ionizer technology. Negative Ions, or negatively charged air, is what makes the outside air fresh and clean most of the air that is near the surface of the Earth where we breathe. Falling water as from waterfalls or rain creates negative ions and really any time water interacts with air it “cleans” the air mostly because it charges that air with negative ions, that is the reason higher pollution levels from industrial companies is allowed toward areas where there are large bodies of water. The stuff is powerful and it can go a long way in reducing symptoms from and reversing asthma, emphysema, allergies, diabetes, even stomach problems and whole list of other ailments. These days many ionizers also contain germicidal elements that kill off viruses and bacteria in the air that cause common colds and flu. They are truly life-saving machines and we should all have them in our homes even more so than we should have furnaces, air conditioners, fans and humidifiers. If you can spend the money on any of those things, you can afford to invest in an ionizer and should get one as soon as you can. Also invest in good sized houseplants as these are extraordinary natural air purifiers and suppliers of fresh oxygen. They are an affordable way to clean the air in the home and beautify your living space with a personal touch.

4)      Monitor and screen some of the things coming into your home more carefully. Once inside many of these things are going to plan to linger and bug you so prevent the problem before it happens. Check into getting some more environment safe products like cleaning fluids and detergents manufactured by seventh generation. Use only these kinds of biodegradable cleaners like simple green and pro-tech solution. They are phenomenal household cleaners and can probably replace most of what’s you have under your sink if you haven’t used them they are amazing. Pro Tech solution is particularly versatile, really powerful, and human friendly. I also use a solution of Everclear and water to disinfect things to replace Lysol type products and I know most people won’t take it that far but isopropyl alcohol is actually a really dangerous poison. It shouldn’t really come into contact with humans much at all, it is just too harmful even though it’s in lots of things and we use it medically to clean things. We shouldn’t inhale the fumes or have it on our skin because it wreaks havoc in the body as it is processed. Now I don’t know how they get away with it but there is nothing natural about anything on a product made by Clorox or Lysol or any of the other major brand name cleaners. In my opinion that stuff is all poison and if you use it right now don’t feel bad, I grew up with the same notions that it was all ok but after looking into what’s really there, it just makes sense to stop poisoning the home slowly. Even Swiffers are manufactured of material that shouldn’t be in the home and I think they do an outstanding job of cleaning up dust you can see, but I’m a little concerned about what we can’t see so I will say I haven’t eliminated using them completely, but I do so sparingly. Also beware of scented candles and room sprays. I would never recommend anything Glade has to offer because of the harmful ingredients, which I was unhappy to find out about because I used to love burning glade scented candles in my rooms. I did it for years and years but now I know better and if you like the same kind of pleasant perfumes in the air like I do I’d say look into essential oil fragrance kits for the home and use products like Pure Citrus Orange Air Freshener. Check out the materials in fabrics you bring into the home. The next time you invest in drapes, carpeting, furniture, comforters or even buy a blanket look into the fabric composition and ask about materials used in them. Avoid acrylic fabrics and synthetic fabrics in general, especially things that appear like softer fabrics or imitate cotton. Materials like Satin are usually less likely to break down as readily as some other natural fabrics like cotton and cotton itself is fairly dangerous because of this; most of the pesticides used to treat cotton on farms, ends up in your clothing. It can’t quite be washed out completely and is almost impossible to detect or maybe we could regulate it better. Cotton that is not organic is always a toss up so whenever possible, only bring organic cotton made clothing, sheets and other organic fabrics into household.

5)      Relax. Stress is only going to cause a more debilitated and shallow form of breathing and will also slow down metabolic reactions that are breaking down toxins so remember to relax at home and outside. Don’t freak out about the idea that your home is poisoning you, but rejoice at the idea that you know so much about how to make your home a haven for clean air and the most effective methods here are the cheapest ones: opening windows more often, switching to “green cleaners” and get excited about how clean your home air can be, it might just be life changing for you. I’ve seen childhood asthma cured because someone invested in a Kirby. I’ve seen people healed from hypertension and diabetes because they simply started going outside more, and kept a window open, I’ve seen people get rid of allergies and asthma with a single ionizer and people with debilitating illnesses like carpal tunnel, arthritis and chronic pain miraculously healed after they got rid of toxic cleaners in the household. I’ve also had my own breakthroughs as well, and if this fresh air in the home can do so much for all of these people, it can work wonders for you, and it will.