Recent Blog Posts

  Is Your Crawlspace or Attic Making You Sick? Crawlspaces and attics are dark, dingy and sometimes damp: all ideal conditions for mold, fungus, and other germs to flourish. If your attic is not ventilated properly, mold spores could be congregating. Mold in crawlspaces is extremely common, and may impact one in three crawlspaces in the United States, according to mold remediation specialist Jim Dobbins. It's usually the result of increased humidity and moisture in the crawlspace, typically from the ground in the crawlspace, a leak, or inadequate ventilation. In attics, meanwhile, mold often forms as the result of inadequate ventilation. Warm moist air, created from the people living below, rises toward the ceiling and enters the attic around light fixtures and other openings. If the attic is well-ventilated, the moisture will pass outside, but if the warm air has nowhere to go, the moisture will accumulate. Both attics and crawlspaces are also rich in the organic materials that molds, fungi and other microbes need to feed on. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Mold grows [...]

  12 Tips to Minimize Allergies During Peak Allergy Season   Over half of Americans (more than 50 million people) are allergic to one or more allergens, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). And never is it more apparent than during the springtime, when seasonal allergies are likely to flare up. As pollen and other allergens peak this spring, those with allergies should stay indoors as much as possible (or if you can't resist venturing outside, at least shower and wash your clothing afterward). Aside from the lousy, cold-like symptoms that allergies provoke (sneezing, congestion, watery/itchy eyes, runny nose, etc.), allergies can cost you days at work and money to seek out solutions. In fact, according to AAAAI, allergies may cost Americans close to $8 billion a year in costs related to direct care and lost work productivity. If you live in the United States, chances are you have allergies. At least, that's the finding from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). It found that 54.3 percent of Americans between the [...]

  Diabetes and Your Oral Health: Facts You Need to Know   Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes, 6 million of whom have not yet been diagnosed. Another 57 million suffer from pre-diabetes, which often progresses to the full-blown disease, and many of these people are also unaware they have the condition. Healthy teeth and gums are an essential part of your overall wellness, as gum disease increases your risk of multiple serious diseases, including diabetes. When you have type 2 diabetes, your body either does not make enough insulin or your cells become resistant to it. This means that when you eat, sugar from your meals builds up in your bloodstream because there isn’t enough insulin to remove it and transfer it to your cells. The resulting high blood sugar that often occurs in diabetics is associated with a range of health complications, some of which you may not expect. In fact, one of the most often overlooked health issue that occurs alongside diabetes is gum disease … and this can be a very serious issue for your overall [...]

  Physical Pain: 8 Non-Drug Tactics to Eliminate Back, Joint & Other Pain   For the majority of Americans, pain -- either chronic or the kind that comes and goes -- is a way of life. More than half of us suffer from physical pain, which means that if you were to stop someone randomly on the street and ask "Are you in pain?" chances are high that they'd say yes. This finding comes from a nationwide phone survey of over 1,200 Americans, sponsored by Stanford University Medical Center, ABC News and USA Today. Back pain was the most common type of pain reported, followed by knee and shoulder pain, joint pain and headaches. The majority of Americans feel chronic or intermittent pain. Have we begun to accept life with pain as inevitable? When pain strikes, about 80 percent of Americans reach for over-the-counter drugs or home remedies to help. 60 percent have also tried other pain-relief methods including prescription drugs, bed rest and prayer. More than 10 percent of adults now rely on prescription painkillers everyday (interestingly, the survey [...]

  Spring Cleaning for Your Body: 10 Steps to Detoxify and Get Healthier for Spring > Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, the ancient healing system from India, both recommend springtime as the ideal season to detox your body. The rebirth of nature that happens during this time harmonizes with a cleansing and renewing of your body. Plus, some of us tend to get lax about our diets and exercise routines during the cold winter months, which means come spring we’re ready to come out of hibernation. Spring is an ideal time to detoxify your body, according to ancient healing traditions. Why Do You Need to Detox? Modern living isn’t exactly pure. Every day we’re exposed to chemicals in our food and water, pollution in our air, and emotional stress in our lives. Over time, these toxins accumulate in your body and can manifest as insomnia, fatigue, digestive problems, aches and pains or even chronic disease. Detoxification gives your body a chance to rest, clear out toxins and become nourished. Generally this is done by first removing and eliminating toxins, then [...]

  Dangers of Fat in Your Blood Vessels … We all have fat in our blood vessels to varying degrees. This buildup of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products and more is called plaque, and most often it’s associated with atherosclerosis, which typically refers to a buildup of plaque in and on the arteries that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart. When fats, cholesterol and other substances build up in your arteries, potentially dangerous plaque is formed. The top artery is healthy, but the middle and bottom arteries show what happens when plaque forms, reducing blood flow, and eventually ruptures, leading to a blood clot or blockage of blood flow. However, atherosclerosis, or fat in your arteries, can impact the arteries anywhere in your body. So while fat in your blood vessels is most often associated with heart problems, it can lead to many other health conditions as well. What’s the Danger of Fat in Your Arteries? Plaque buildup in your arteries results from a very slow process, one that often begins in childhood, according to the American Heart Association. [...]