#but my lungs stop working around too much smoke and allergens

[nokingsonlyfooles]

I hate to say it, but in the spirit of preventing people from thinking, "I have one simple thing I do and if you don't do it, it's your own fault if you get hurt," here comes the nuance. If it doesn't apply to you, OK, but it will apply to someone.

First, there are reasons for people to cough that have nothing to do with a respiratory infection or difficulty and will not be improved by a mask. I happen to have pretty severe acid reflux. Sometimes, I will cough because stomach acid has gone into my lungs. And, during the pandemic, I had to deal with people telling me, "PEOPLE WHO ARE COUGHING SHOULDN'T EVEN GO OUTSIDE!!" Mask or no mask, as if acid reflux means I shouldn't be allowed to buy food. Coughing doesn't mean sick and spraying viruses around, and not coughing doesn't mean well.

And, if you're able to afford the N95 and wear it all the time, that'll work for you. What works way better for herd immunity is everyone wearing something - but they won't. They just won't do it anymore. They're tired, they can't afford a good one, they've been lied to, and the majority won't put up with the inconvenience to help the immunocompromised people who'd be safer. (Even my goddamn doctor is refusing to mask, and I can't make him.) We're also beginning to see that keeping all the viruses away from your immune system might frig up your immune response for certain viruses. RSV is kinda having a field day. Masking and then stopping could be a part of that (we don't know yet!), and RSV can kill you too. Again, if you can afford to stay in a new, legit, working N95 all the time, that'll work for you, but we really need a solution that scales.

If you're in a standard, non-fitted, 500-in-a-box medical mask, or a cloth one, and that helps your allergies (like mine!) that's one thing. If you're telling yourself, "Haha, secretly, I am being more responsible about covid than everyone around me! Because I am being safe, it's cool for me to do [x risky behaviour], and I don't need to worry about OTHER people deciding not to be safe" slow down and check your situation. Allergens are fuck-huge compared to a virus, they are not the same. Even a cloth mask helps a little, but in a risky situation it will not make you safe. And those other people who aren't being safe? They're a reservoir, and they may at any time kick out a mutation that gets around everything you're doing to be safer.

Either we all mask, or we all do something else that works better (advanced ventilation systems that can deal with smoke and pollution too? please? also vaccines!!), or we're just messing around with stuff that kinda works and will fail spectacularly, without warning. Partial solutions only work partially. They're pretty much offering only partial solutions now, and that's scary to think about. But it's not going to help anything to sink into denial. Get out there and bother a politician, they're in charge of this. It sucks, but they are.

Nobody fucking believes me that putting on a mask helps the wearer stop coughing and sneezing.

Coughing and sneezing are generally caused by the body trying to clear irritants. And very frequently, this irritation is exacerbated by dusts and pollens in the air. So by wearing a mask, you can cut down on the thing that is further triggering your cough and sneeze. Further, masks also condition the air and make the air you're breathing in moister, which reduces further irritation of the lungs.

If you were dusting, and the dust was making you sneeze, you could put on a mask and make the sneezing stop. (Note: a startling number of people also refuse to believe this, even though it's really obvious that "keep the dust out of your face" reduces "sneezing because there is dust in your face".) If you're already irritated, you can end up getting triggered by a lower threshold of dust.

When I have a cough, one of the first things I do is mask up, even when I'm entirely alone. Because if I'm not actually sick, the mask will often cut the coughing to zero (especially if my cough is asthma-based). And if I am sick, it'll cut it dramatically (and reduce post-nasal drip, which causes more coughing).

I have convinced exactly one person of this. Yes, masking is uncomfortable. (It helps a lot if you have a comfortable mask, though.) But also, so is coughing a lot, which also happens to spray gross stuff into the air.

For your own sake, put on a mask and stop complaining about how uncomfortable you are because you keep coughing.

I promise, it really works.

[destroyyourbinder]

dealing with binding damage/pain

I had a reader ask this question a month or two back and I just realized I never answered it! Since I've been on the topic lately I wanted to give them a response:

So I came to terms with my sexuality after identifying as ftm, and binding for three years due to internalized homophobia (luckily didn't change my body more than that because my parents are extremely conservative). Any advice with dealing with chest pain/tissue damage when no longer binding?

Hey there-- I'm really glad to hear that you've come to terms with being a lesbian; it's a long journey for a lot of us, and although it's definitely not over once you recognize you're "just gay" after all, it often opens your life up to possibilities you thought were forever closed. Once you've settled in, in my experience at least I've found it to be a big fucking relief in a lot of ways.

The advice I'd give you is really contingent on what kind of damage you suffered, where the pain is currently and what in particular exacerbates it, what you're currently doing with regards to wearing garments on your upper body, whether you also have posture changes due to slouching/binding, and how far out you are from when you've stopped binding. I'm going to write to a general audience both because I don't actually know what you're experiencing, because you might be unsure yourself or not realize something you're experiencing is related to binding-related (or dysphoria-related) issues, and because I think a lot of female people could benefit from this discussion. One of the resources I want to link you to is a 2017 study that I think I've reblogged a couple times now, called "Health impact of chest binding among transgender adults: a community-engaged, cross-sectional study" which is I think the only research piece that we have to have systematically examined negative health outcomes of breast/chest binding practices. I'd advise anybody binding or with a history of binding to look through this study to educate themselves on the risks and prevalence rates of a number of health issues commonly caused by or associated with binding. Not everyone knows or is willing to admit that certain issues they are experiencing could be binding-related so just simply having this information is a good start. You can find the study linked here for free: https://transfigurations.org.uk/filestore/binding-project-postprint.pdf I also want to preface this with the plea to please take seriously anything you're experiencing; I know it's a chronic myth in the trans community and in gender non-conforming female circles where people might bind that there is a level of binding that is "safe" or at least significantly "safer". Although your problems can escalate the more time you spend binding (whether measured in hours per day, the frequency with which you bind, or how much time total you've spent doing binding practice) or with certain binding practices (like using ace bandages or duct tape, "double binding", or using too much compression) binding can cause certain problems near-immediately, such as muscle aches or other musculoskeletal related pain, shortness of breath, and skin issues. Serious binding-related problems, like rib movement or decrease in lung capacity, can occasionally happen very quickly, i.e. within a few months of beginning binding regularly, even following generally well-regarded harm-reduction practices for binding.  I sometimes read of people who doubt that binding could have hurt them because they "only" bound for such-and-such a period of time or "only" with a commercial binder, and who seem to refer to some mythical lumberjack trans man who wears his binder 12 hours a day in the timberlands and has no problems, or at least just bears them through his beard with no complaint, as the gold standard for binding. I know for many female people bearing the pain and body issues that come with binding is considered a hallmark of masculine identity and that your right to name your distress as gender dysphoria is often in question if you decide that the costs of binding are too high for you. There is a very nasty arms race to the bottom in trans community sometimes about who is the absolutely most dysphoric and the absolute manliest, and if you don't think that any horrible level of nihilistic self-destruction is worth it to ward off the prospect of Really Being a Girl then you run the risk of losing this terrible game. I want to begin my discussion of binding risks and known problems with this because most of us struggle with this mentality in some form, at some point, and choosing to prioritize taking care of our bodies in a very basic way over doing what our dysphoria tells us is necessary to make it go away can be extremely difficult, to the point we may deny that we have anything happening with us that we need to take care of at all. Listening to your body will take a lot of time when all you could hear at one point was how gross, humiliating, disturbing, and wrong it was. It's a lot like learning to communicate with a species of animal you've never had to interact with intimately and that maybe you're repulsed by, like a rat (which are perfectly wonderful creatures, by the way). That all out of the way, the first question I want to ask is this: are you having any problems with breathing, your lungs, or general respiratory problems you suspect are related to binding? This is probably one of the most serious problems some people have with binding and is not something I feel comfortable advising on given that it can be extremely medically serious and life-limiting. Problems frequently cited are general shortness of breath, chronic wheezing or coughing, feeling deprived of oxygen especially when exercising, and feeling like you have fluid in the lungs. These may be more serious if you smoke, are being exposed to environmental allergens, or have a pre-existing respiratory issue like asthma. I did not experience this but would definitely direct you to seek advice from a medical professional if you are having lingering issues of this nature.

Binding is also known to cause permanent rib changes-- serious and/or chronic chest or back pain should probably warrant a trip to the doctor. Broken and cracked bones are possible from binding practices, or from becoming injured while binding. If you're experiencing intense or odd pain you may have also pushed your ribs out of alignment to hit an internal organ or compress a nerve. Some symptoms, including ones like gastrointestinal issues, can indicate that you have altered the position or function of organs contained inside your rib cage or that compression is affecting their ability to work properly. If you suspect this is going on I also don't feel comfortable advising you to do anything else but seek medical advice.

Costochondritis is a common symptom that people who bind experience. It is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects your ribs to your sternum (the center bone in your chest) and is something that I experienced even when just wearing tight/multiple sports bras. I had it off and on the entire time I wore bras or used a binder and it ranged in painfulness from mild to so-intense-I-had-trouble-breathing. It is usually a temporary condition, but it can reoccur continually over time to various degrees of intensity. I usually waited out the times it occurred more mildly, but if it's severe you may need a course of steroids to decrease inflammation (as I did twice in my late teens/early twenties). You can usually tell that you have it instead of some sort of more medically serious chest pain if you poke your ribs towards the center of your chest and the pain feels both external and shoots up dramatically. If you aren't sure whether the pain is located in your ribs or elsewhere, you should probably get things checked out to make sure you don't have a heart or lung issue from binding or otherwise. Another thing I want to mention is that you can very easily sprain or pull muscles from getting in and out of binders or moving around in them, especially if you're moving around vigorously or exercising. This should also generally be temporary and can be treated in the same way you usually would treat any muscle injury (rest, heat/cold, gentle stretching and movement) but even if you stop binding, look out for continuing symptoms from any serious pulls or strains you might have incurred while binding. Wrenching your neck in particular can result in lingering issues. It might make you feel stupid to admit or think about, but "dumb" injuries like pulling your shoulder while getting a stuck binder off are mechanically the same as any other injury, so keep an eye out. A lot of pain you might experience while binding or even years after binding has to do with your muscles-- this can be from binding directly from the way a binder/bra exerts force on your chest and shoulders, from range of motion issues from being constricted in a binder or from compensating for binding pain, or from chronic posture issues from hiding your breasts. I also want to note, because they're so common in trans and gender non-conforming female people, that autism in particular but other neurodevelopmental disorders can change your posture in weird ways, and your sensory feedback is likely atypical or not fully integrated so you might have odd ways of moving that aren't necessarily mechanically optimal. All these things together can lead to chronic pain throughout your body-- obviously most people talk about pain in the upper back, chest, shoulders, and neck-- but chronic jaw pain or headaches are a potential issue from tightness or referred pain from lower down, and compensating for upper body tension, motion issues, or pain can lead to changes in the position or motion of the lower back, hips, or legs which can lead to tightness and pain. I unfortunately have both lingering issues in my chest, shoulders, and back and a host of posture-related pain issues even over two years after stopping binding, due to ways that I compensated for wearing compression constantly on my chest (I would wear sports bras even to bed) and ways I changed my body posture to prevent "looking female". I have a slouch about as bad as what’s-her-face, as most trans men I have met also do regardless of whether or not they're post-mastectomy, and although it’s gotten better with mindful practice and lack-of-binder I am still totally not where I want to be. There are many physical therapy resources out there that are now publicly available online-- on resource websites as well as YouTube-- and regularly stretching using these strategies has basically held my body together this whole time through several physically intense jobs. I personally use a set of stretches for headaches, and a number of sciatica stretches, calf stretches, and trapezius-focused stretches that I found all over the internet. There is also a tumblr thread here (not all of which is posted on my blog, please check the notes) where another woman who experienced binding damage solicits advice and many people offer suggestions for binding-pain related stretches and exercises. I also made a DIY foam roller out of a 2-ish foot stretch of 3 inch PVC pipe and some squishy shelf liner that I glued around the outside, and I have a DIY rice bag I pop in the microwave for use as a heating pad. I have also found that regularly taking omega-3 oils helps mitigate the level of inflammation and pain my muscles can reach; I take algae-based oils because I am vegetarian but if you eat fish, regular fish oil pills will work just as well. If you are still wearing a supportive bra or have chosen to deal with stopping binding by stopping everything your muscles will not have learned to support your chest yet, especially if it's large. If you quit all chest-supporting garments cold turkey or go to only very minimal chest support after binding you might have a lot of pain initially. My general chest and breast pain has substantially decreased after 2+ years of being without a bra or binder, so it's worth a shot or two to learn to do this, but you will have increased pain initially until your body adjusts. It was both my actual chest muscles, wall, and ribs that hurt as well as my breasts (something that might be obscured by dysphoric-friendly language about "chests") but once my chest and shoulders became sufficiently built, my breasts "sagged" appropriately to hang where they were comfortable, and I adjusted to the sensory input of feeling the weight on my chest, I was ultimately more physically comfortable than I ever had been in bras or binders. The pain was not easy to get through-- it was sometimes excruciating-- but now I can do anything I could do previously with a bra or binder without one, including run. If you are in this position I recommend upper body exercise or introducing regular upper body work into your daily life; this will help you build muscles appropriately and learn to move your body in a mechanically optimal way. It does simply just take time if you are attempting to adjust to minimal or no compression on your chest, and stepping down more gradually can help (such as by wearing athletic compression wear, which I have a guide about here). But it took me probably about a full year before I no longer had this sort of pain, and about another year or so before it felt fully "normal". I talked more about the process of stopping wearing bras and what it felt like in this thread, if anyone is interested in knowing more. On the topic of changes to skin and tissue: sores, infections, skin damage, and so on are common from binding, especially if you are large-chested. I still have some mild issues with this in the summer, as many people do, when I sweat a lot and various fungal and bacterial microorganisms can easily proliferate. This should resolve itself over time if you wash regularly with a gentle antibacterial soap or cleanser, keep the area between and under your breasts dry, change your clothes daily, and try to wear loose-fitting clothing. But as always, anything that won't go away for weeks, or that is resulting in skin breakage, swelling, or sores, should be addressed by a doctor. My breast tissue did change from binding with a binder, and my breasts became more "floppy" and "soft". I gained more stretch marks than I had already had. I suspect I am more prone to breast pain than I was previously, and my nipples and breast skin have little conscious registry of sensation, but I don't know if that came from binding, either with a binder or bras. But to my knowledge most changes to your breasts from binding are largely "cosmetic". I have not heard word from anyone that this damages your breast as an organ, but then again most people who bind usually do not breastfeed. Stories by trans men who kept their breasts and became pregnant indicate that their breastfeeding is relatively normal, but we simply do not have the data to know how binding might affect breast function. I do not know either if you're more likely to do something to the breast tissue by binding which could increase the likelihood of any medical issue in particular or create the opportunity for pain. Mine are definitely "saggier" to some extent and have gotten even "worse" post-binding, but as I've noted this has not been a bad thing, because I do not wear a bra any longer and my breast tissue now hangs in a way that allows me to move without pain. Finally, I just want to mention there are a lot of emotions that you might feel from having binding damage in a similar way that anyone who did something to themselves in the name of transition or dis-identification might. I sometimes personally feel extremely stupid for having done what I did, and that makes it even harder to deal with pain or other physical issues, even though it was understandable that I reached for binding to cope with my feelings at the time. I also feel extremely stupid and conflicted about my values a lot of the time given that I still have impulses to go back to binding even though I know that it hurt me and I don't actually want to begin again. I feel really angry about how my body was sexualized at a young age and how my family and doctors dealt with my early puberty, about how my family chose to humiliate me for being neurotically "modest" instead of supporting me through something difficult. Sometimes I feel really bad about quitting binding or for having to quit because of pain because I feel like I was "proving" right people who criticized it or my impulse to hide my breasts for the wrong reasons, or even that they are right because I "deserve" the pain I feel as a result of trying to avoid my body. I feel exposed and ashamed a lot about my breasts, and it's been hard to cope with the effects of binding damage realistically in a way that values my not-being-in-pain when I'm also trying to manage dysphoric feelings. I feel messed up that I felt "validated" about having and using a binder and that I tried to ignore how much pain it put me through in favor of hoping that it would facilitate me some day achieving some ultimate male-like body state where basically I couldn't suffer anymore. These are all varieties of normal feelings to feel, and I just want others to know that it makes sense if you feel stuff like this. Re-centering on taking care of yourself and your body takes time if the feelings are really intense, but it's worth getting back to focusing on what you actually value-- your health, your functioning, and so on-- even if it takes a while, and you don't have to immediately ignore or push past what you feel to "get better".

[simplygreenwind]

Poor indoor air quality? Here is what you need to know about it!

In the last few months, everybody has to spend much more time inside than before. Stay home, stay safe! Right? But what if staying home is not as safe as you think? According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in 2012 around 7 million people died - one in eight of total global deaths–because of air pollution exposure and from these 4.3 million deaths were caused by indoor air pollution. If the air that you breathe in is polluted, it can easily cause cause several health issues either short or long term. But fortunately, there are several things you can do to avoid this. You and your family, friends, or clients do not have to suffer when spending time indoors in your home or office because of the poor indoor air quality. You probably have a lot of questions came to mind suddenly, so let us start at the beginning.

What are the symptoms of poor indoor air quality?

When you are tired, have a headache, or common cold/flu symptoms, you think you worked too much or should not have gone outside barefoot. But what if the bad air pollution in your home can be blamed for your health problems? Poor indoor air quality can cause several health issues. These can be short-term problems such as: - Irritation of the eyes, nose, throat - Nausea - Dizziness - Coughing and sneezing - Shortness of breath, Or long-term issues, for example: - Asthma or allergies - Pneumonia - Lung cancer - Heart disease - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - Stroke As you can see, air pollution is a serious thing that we need to pay close attention to. Everyone is at risk, children particularly.

What causes poor IAQ?

Even if you don’t feel any symptoms, you should still consider doing a big check-up. Ask yourself some question like: Do you smoke inside? This might sound obvious, but one of the biggest air pollutions is smoking. People don not even think about how big a problem they cause by smoking indoors. Even if the doors or windows are open, tobacco smoke remains in fabrics and walls. When did you check your air conditioner the last time? Another enormous problem is deficiently maintained Heating Ventilation and Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Overtime, dust and other pollutants pile up in the filters and other parts of these systems. To avoid circulating these harmful materials back into the air, it is a must to change the filters regularly. What type of cleaning products do you use? Cleaning supplies are one of the most common causes of poor air quality. General cleaning products contain toxins. They have a terrible, potent smell that you feel immediately, and they cause shortness of breath and headaches straight away. As you use them, these chemicals start circulating in the air, and everybody in that indoor environment will breathe that toxic air. Consider using eco-friendly or even homemade cleaning materials. The same applies to perfumes, air fresheners, and deodorisers too. Is carpet the best choice?

Firstly, carpets use formaldehyde as an adhesive, and this chemical is highly toxic. Secondly, carpet is a dust, pollen, pet dander, and dust mite magnet. Even if you clean it regularly, you cannot clean it out properly. Using alternative materials is always a better idea, especially if someone in your household is more sensitive or has asthma. Hardwood floors, laminate floors, or tiles are much easier to keep clean.

How can you test air pollution?

Well, you don not even need a test to know how polluted your cleaning supplies or floor coverings are. If there is mould in your house, that is quite obvious too. You can smell the musty odour, feel the high humidity in the air and see black spots on the wall, especially around doors, and windows, or wet areas. Of course, an air quality monitor will give you an accurate measure of air quality. These devices can detect and log the inside air of your home. Usually, you can measure the level of dust particles and other allergens, volatile organic compounds, humidity, and temperature.

How can you improve IAQ?

There is plenty of things you can do if you want to improve your indoor air quality. Stop smoking inside, opening the doors and windows to let clean air circulate is good for immediate results. Small things like this can make big differences. Not for long, though. If you want to make permanent changes, you have two options. Improve your indoor air quality naturally or by using devices. Natural air purifiers Using a natural solution is the most budget-friendly and eco-friendly. These include: Air purifying plants:

Plants are natural air cleansers. They convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and remove toxins from the air. Don’t worry if you don’t have a green fingers. Snake plants, aloe vera, peace lily, spider plants, or dracaena are very easy to care for. You’ll need a lot of them, though. During the pandemic, indoor gardening became a very trendy hobby, anyway. Plants also have a positive effect on mental health and productivity! Just what we all need! Natural cleaning products The truth is, we don’t need as many cleaning products as we can find in our stores. If I think about my grandma, she bought only one cleaning product and her house couldn’t have been cleaner. How? Simple. Natural cleaners... if you know the tricks, you will have a natural solution for everything you need. Cleaning the floor, window, getting rid of a bad smell, or removing a red vine stain from your favourite skirt? You can do all this without using harmful toxins. Natural homemade beauty products Beauty products work the same. We use too many products and a lot of them are totally useless. Not to mention how expensive and harmful for the environment they are and how many toxins or noxious gases they contain. Nail polish and hair products for example has a terrible, strong smell because of their ingredients and these contents evaporate into the air that you breathe. Today, you can purchase chemical-free, cruelty free, and eco-friendly makeup, skincare, or cosmetics. If you fancy, you can fill your bathroom with natural, homemade items. These are cheaper than if you’d buy them, and what could be better than a 100% personalized natural goodie? Air purifier devices If you want to be certain that you have nothing to worry about where your IAQ is concerned, look into air purifiers. There are 5 common types: HEPA purifiers

This purifier works with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and can remove about 99% airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. This is the most common air purifier on the market. They are very effective, reasonably price and easy to use. It is important to clean the filters every 3 months. Activated carbon technology These filters are very effective for capturing air pollutants like chemical emissions gases and odours, trapping them so that they are not released back into the air, eliminating recontamination. UV purifiers UV technology is an excellent way to kill bacteria and viruses, but less effective in capturing air particles. Therefore, air purifiers with UV lamps are most often combined with filter systems. These purifiers start with a HEPA and carbon filter to capture larger airborne particles and then, as an ultimate stage, the UV lamp kills the viruses and bacteria. The combination of the technologies makes this type a very effective air cleaners. Ionic purifiers

Negative ion air purifiers attract air particles magnetically. However, instead of getting rid of them, these air cleaners just mask the pollution in the air. When you use an ionic purifier, the clean wouldn’t be cleaner, because the air particles will be dropped and attached to walls and windows, therefore they will probably re-pollute the air. Ozone generators. Ozone generators that are sold as air cleaners that intentionally produce the gas ozone., which is harmful. Ozone does not even remove particles like pollen or dust, so most commonly they are combined with negative ion technology. And we already know that ionic purifiers aren’t the best choice either.

Summary

The thought that the air that you and your loved ones breathe in, is shocking and worrying. But you don’t need to feel overwhelmed, because it can be easily fixed. If you want to have the air tested in your home or office, there are a lot of services you can use offered by companies. You do not need to invest in expensive devices in the first place or make significant changes. Take some of the advice outlined above, and you will see an immediate difference. You can start by opening a window now!

Read the full article