Your Immune System is impacted by your everyday environment and it is key to long term health and optimum wellness. Environment is the third of the Seven Pillars of Wellness and it is more important than ever during the current pandemic.
We are all bombarded with toxins each day, either from our own poor lifestyle choices or from our environment.
Did you know that your home has its unique microbiome? Often you may notice that households have a distinctive smell or feel this is all part of each home’s microbiome. Not only is it key to reduce your toxic load from your environment and what you ingest, but it is also vital to boost your internal microbiome and the microbiome in your home. Your home microbiome comes from the cleaning products you use, the number of plants you have, if you have pets, if you spend time in the garden, if you wash all the dirt off your organic veggies or if you leave a little to boost your microbes. Be mindful in all these things.
Improving our immune system means being aware of what we can do to regulate this fragile balance. Several environmental factors count towards your toxic load and have a significant impact on your immune systems.
Consider the following when it comes to your Immune System and Environment:
- the air you breathe
- the water you drink and clean your food with
- your hygiene habits
- how much plastic you use
- the water you bathe in and wash with
- the clothes you wear (if they are non-organic ingredients)
- the cleaning products you use in the home
- the makeup, creams, deodorants and lotions you use on your skin (the skin is like our third kidney)
Use this time of social distancing to clear out your cupboards, discarding items past their use-by date and any non-organic hygiene products and toothpaste.
During food preparation, fill up your sink and add a cup of vinegar or veggie wash as per instructions and soak your produce for five minutes before drying and storing as usual.
Invest in a good home water filter, consider an air purifier, investigate potential black mould in your home and take a close look at the quality of your mattress (you should ideally replace it every seven years.)
Turn off all electrical connections and wifi in your bedroom, including switching lights off at the wall, so that electrical currents cannot affect your immune system.
Move your mobile at least 3m away from your body so it doesn’t affect your melatonin/serotonin levels because it will emit radiation which you cannot see or feel. With many working from home and homeschooling, also turn off the wifi for an hour a day, take a lunch break, play, laugh and get out into the sunlight in your garden if possible – all these factors will benefit your immune system.
Review your home layout, moving furniture around to make your space work for you. Declutter one room you can work from to create a healing and positive environment.
Immune System Environment Internal Toxic Load Culprits
- Coffee/ tea
- Alcohol
- Junk / rich/ fatty foods
- GMO foods
- Pesticides
- Hormones in our food
- Poor water quality
- Plastics that out bleach onto our foods
- Mercury amalgams
- Blackened or smoked foods
Solutions to Reduce the Toxic Load
- Choose organic fruits and vegetables.
- Limit red meat to once a month (all four-legged animals) and chicken once a week. Always choose organic.
- Get a whole house water filter, so you drink and shower in clean water.
- Drink out of a glass container when possible
- Choose organic foods that say non-GMO and hormones free
- Find an excellent biological dentist to replace your mercury amalgams
- Choose wild, not farmed, fish and always eat it with green leafy veg to hoover up all heavy metals such as mercury
- Limit alcohol to four drinks per week & red wine is best for your health & vodka or gin plus soda & fresh lemon, lime & mint is best for fat burning.
- Limit to tea & coffee one each per day but avoid cows milk and always drink a minimum of two litres per day to combat the dehydration effects of the caffeine
External Toxic Load Culprits
- Pollution
- ESmog, wifi & EMF’s
- Non-organic skincare & haircare
- Non-stick cookware
- Toxic/mould laden air conditioning systems
- Geopathic Stress
- Chemicals in our laundry detergents, washing up liquids & cleaning products.
17 ways & ideas to Reduce Your Toxic Load
- Cookware: Only cook with cast iron, glass & stainless, no non-stick cookware.
- Cooking oils: Use grape-seed or coconut- do not cook with olive oil, only use cold.
- Distilled water is excellent to drink plus a shower filter.
- Only use Organic skincare products; shower gel, moisturiser, sunblock, makeup, organic & natural products like WelleCo (Welleco.com) and Temple Spa (TempleSpa.com) – both free from PBA’s, petroleum and other nasties. Your skin is your third kidney, so a good rule is; if you can eat it, it is safe to put on your skin.
- Natural fluoride-free toothpaste (Kingfisher or Lavera are quality brands)
- Get a glass jug & mix up 2-3 litres of water with one whole organic lemon – no skin & drink this over the day.
- Turn off all WiFi at nights & only use the wifi in the day when needed. Best is to get a plug fitted & plug your laptop directly into your computer from the wall.
- Get anti-EMF devices for the home & your mobile phone like the microdot.
- Have a home health check done on your house to determine geopathic stress and lay lines.
- Sleep on grounding sheets to negate WiFi & EMF overload.
- Oxygenate; Laugh on purpose each day/ fun people & breathe on purpose each day.
- Five to ten big inhales per day & exhale as much as possible & do this on the grass with no shoes on
- Acupuncture, reflexology or massage each week
- Sweating to detox – far infrared sauna every other day (get portable one for the home) or use a dry sauna at a local health club.
- Magnesium / Epsom salt foot baths or actual baths 3-4 x week- see link for amazon to purchase & leave feet in for 45-60mins
- Don’t wash all the dirt off your organic veggies! Because a little bit of dirt will boost your microbiome, and therefore, your overall health and immune system.
- Get out in the garden, put your hand in the soil, fill your home with plants and play with pets if possible for this too will improve your internal microbiome and the microbiome of your home.
