EiR Blog

Bags are considered to be our trusty allies. And we don’t just call them trusty for nothing; they should aid us in carrying our belongings without causing us pain in the long run. Heavy packs can usually cause spine problems, and we don’t want that to happen— not to us and most especially not to our kids. We tend to bring an extra pair of this and that when in fact, we don’t use them on a daily basis. It’s true that packing an additional piece of something makes us feel safer but do we really need them? Well, that’s one question we have to keep asking ourselves until we learn how to pack lightly— a lesson we can eventually pass on to our kids someday. You know what they say, always teach them young! Here are some tips on how you can save you and your kids back from...

People nowadays tend to look for places where we can spend a day or two for soul searching. Oftentimes, we find ourselves atop a mountain and feeling the fresh breeze on our faces while traversing mountains after mountains.  Well, if we're after the fact that hiking does our soul some good, then we're looking at the right place. And it's not just good for our souls but also for our whole well-being. We've listed down below the top ten health benefits of hiking. After reading this, you might just find yourself packing up your gears and trekking poles, ready to hike the nearest mountain in your hometown. It Helps You Lose Weight Walking or running around your neighborhood can make you lose weight. How much more if you go hiking for an hour or more while carrying a backpack? The incline adds to the challenge as well, but since hiking...

Most people don’t give massages enough credit. Beauty, pampering and relaxation are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to benefits of massages. They can also be great allies when it comes to improving your mental health. Furthermore, it’s important to know that not all massages are the same and that there are different massage treatments to address any health issues you may have, whether they’re physical or mental. So, if you’re looking for something to help you gain balance and maintain your mental health, here are some massage treatment suggestions you could try. Aromatherapy massage Essential oils are compounds which are extracted from various types of plants, often through distillation or cold pressing. On their own, these oils can affect the part of your brain called the limbic system, which has an important role in your behavior and emotions, but also long-term memory. By rubbing them on...

Addiction is never a stand-alone issue. It stems from and can be worsened by a slew of other physical and psychological problems, trauma, and chronic issues. No matter if it’s alcohol or drug abuse, or even legal substances, addiction is often deceptively slow to arise and seemingly impossible to treat. Especially if you see your loved one struggling with chronic pain and in need of medication, or their health slipping away as they try to find more ways to hide their addiction.  However, there are certain commonalities behind every kind of addiction out there. Whether you yourself have experienced problems with addiction or someone you love is struggling, these are the five steps that every rehabilitation program and plan needs to entail in order to increase your chances of success.  Self-care practices for recovery We all know that the very first step in treating addiction comes from admitting to having...

Fingers are one of the most used external body parts of the human body. Many a times we injure our fingers while working. We all have suffered from some or the other kind of finger injuries in our lifetime. These common injuries of the finger include very small cuts and scrapes and also include very serious wounds which many a times cause permanent damage to ligaments, tendons and sometimes even bones. Such major injuries if don’t get appropriate medical attention at time can lead to permanent deformity of fingers and can result in loss of function. Many of these injuries may require the use of a finger brace to heal. Here we will tell you about the various types of finger injuries that most commonly happen to most of us: Avulsion An avulsion is an injury in which a part of the skin or the soft tissue is torn off....

Coenzyme Q10 was only discovered about sixty years ago, but it took another twenty or so years for scientist to learn what a valuable nutrient it is and how it actually works. This is a compound produced in our bodies, which encourages the conversion of food into energy. This makes it very important for maintaining high enough energy levels. However, as we age, the body’s natural production of CoQ10 drops, which can consequently lead to energy decrease as well. However, through proper diet and with the help of CoQ10 supplements, this problem can be solved to an extent. This is very fortunate for us, since CoQ10 has many benefits on our health. We’ve put together five of the most important ones for you. Take a look. It’s got anti-inflammatory properties In some cases, inflammation is a good thing. It’s a process our body uses to defend itself from infection caused...

Many of those afflicted by environmental and / or invisible illness will have heard of Ashok Gupta or the Gupta Program he created. If you haven't, the Gupta Program is a form of brain retraining that focuses on re-wiring the limbic system (specifically, amygdala) within the brain using what's known as neuroplasticity; the ability of the brain to create new synaptic pathways. In this case the phenomena is used for creating pathways more conducive to health and recovery from complex multi-system illnesses. There is now much scientific and medical evidence that the likes of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) result from hyperactivity of the limbic system. Since this area of the brain is not under conscious control and is responsible for the fight or flight response (more accurately - fight-flight-freeze) and governs the hypothalamic-pitiutary-adrenal (HPA) axis, it is easy to see how hyperactive responses to stress,...

How your workplace appears is how your employees, as well as other stakeholders, view your office space. This is why one should never forget to have the office cleaned.   Cleaning your workplace on a regular basis is a good sign of professionalism and care for the well-being of one’s employees. According to MaidSailors, leading Office Cleaning Service NYC provider, It is important to do this regularly so as to avoid germ and dirt build-up.   If you’re looking to have your office cleaned, then it is important that the dirtiest areas or spots are covered. Read on to find out which parts of the office are the most happening spots in town for germs everywhere. 1. Desk One’s office desk is perhaps the most frequent place one sits at when they’re working. This is why it is no surprise that the desk should be the top of the list...

  It’s always hard to step away from your regular exercise routine after you’ve encountered an injury or illness. However, you mustn’t take this a drawback, but an opportunity to rest and recover your body. Sometimes, our minds can’t take in all the information our bodies send us, so we tend to overestimate ourselves and push the limits harder than we can manage.  For this not to happen, it’s important to take things slow and have a recovery plan. Follow these steps to a full recovery, and keep in mind that it doesn’t matter how fast you get there, it’s the ride that counts, so you should try to enjoy it as much as possible. Listen to your body  No pain no gain is a motto that isn’t going to do you any good in this case. There are different types of pain, and if you have ever had an...

The greatest concerns healthy folks deal with on a daily basis cannot compare to a basic checklist of anyone living with a chronic illness – sometimes the wrong ingredient in the food can cause severe health consequences, while disturbing your routine for a single day can result in a chaotic week ahead. It’s no different for those who live with kidney disease and need regular dialysis as well as strict dietary guidelines, medical checkups, and specific lifestyle adaptations. However, even if you’re dealing with a chronic illness of this nature, there is still so much you can do to preserve and increase your quality of life, enjoy every moment of it, and make sure you’re in good health as much as possible. To a great extent, you have ample control over your situation, and in that case, you can infuse your life with joy, excitement, and thorough planning to support...

Clutter is one of the main reasons why some homes look unsightly. An old stack of magazines here, an empty bottle of perfume there, and before you know it, you’re settled in a messy living space. However, the moment you start being surrounded by a pile of unnecessary stuff, you’ll feel cramped and it’ll affect your way of life as well. Therefore, it’s time to turn your cluttered home into a neat and tidy place, where you’ll feel amazing. Stop producing clutter It’s always better to prevent the problem in the first place than to work on solving it. Therefore, if you wish to have a clutter-free home, stop creating clutter. Hoarding is a sneaky and horrible habit, but also it is often a sign of depression. Storing unnecessary magazine issues, old perfume bottles, or piling up on figurines will only turn your home into an unpleasant living space. So,...

The new comprehensive World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness has revealed that an increasing portion of our sky is being polluted by the artificial sky glow – atmospheric light scatter reflected from the electric lighting below. Apart from Milky Way being no longer visible to one-third of the population, the problem with light pollution goes much further than stargazing. Epidemiologists who have taken interest in the problem say that numerous conditions may derive from the disrupted circadian rhythms – our inner day/night clocks, while ecologists point out the adverse effects of artificial light to migratory birds and mammals. But what can we as individuals do to reduce it? Is there anyone in the room? The simplest, cheapest, and the most obvious way of fighting light pollution is to start turning lights off when no one needs them. While outdoor lighting has its time and place, illuminating dark areas like...

If you're an individual who's recovering from alcohol abuse, you know that managing alcohol cravings can be a struggle. The first step in the road to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. However, confronting the situation head-on isn't always as easy as it appears to be. Excessive drinking can have a negative impact on your life in the long term. If you've lost the ability to control your alcohol intake, then you've probably developed alcoholism or alcohol dependence. There will always come a time wherein cutting back isn't enough. You need treatment options and other ways wherein you can make a change and give up alcohol entirely. Start with your doctor Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is a type of alcohol use disorder. One of the very first steps that you need to take is to consult with your doctor, acknowledge your problem and talk more about your goals....

Fears are something that every person has. Some people are afraid of spiders, others fear heights, and so on. However, there are people who are afraid of firearms, and many would say rightly so, but if they are your friends or family members who you wish to protect, you can do something to help them. Although it seems simple, it can be tough seeing someone crawl into a dark corner when you’re cleaning your unloaded gun. If you try to reassure them that everything is fine, the chances are that they won’t listen and will come with a reason for their fear. Still, it can be important to help them so they are not affected by these anxieties. The debate of gun control will always rage in the US but many people see them as essential self-defense. If you are one who holds this view, here are some suggestions that could...

Being a veteran can be very tough, and it can leave unseen marks on anyone who goes through such experience. Many veterans suffer from symptoms of PTSD once they return from the military, and this could seriously impact their lives subsequently. If you or someone you know has been a veteran and you have constant feelings of disconnection, numbness or panic, then it’s important to know how to cope with them. You are not the only one experiencing this, as there are many other veterans who are striving to live a normal life. The following paragraphs can teach you how to deal with every symptom that tries you after such a traumatic experience. Causes Veterans often experience PTSD due to events that happened while they were in the military. Basically, it’s known as combat stress, and it happens after you are going through life-threatening events, something that is very possible...

In 2000 I went through the horrible experience, as you no doubt have, of developing multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). It was a familiar story recounted by other 'MCSers' in which I first became sensitive to my family's deodorants and perfumes, I was just 21 at the time and still living at home. After that it was laundry detergent, fabric softener and my dad's cigarette smoke that lingered on his clothes. From that point on, over a period of around three months, I became sensitive to just about everything; all of the chemical products in the house, the gas hob / stove and central heating boiler fumes. I couldn't even escape to the outdoors as I eventually became sensitive to vehicle exhaust fumes and the scents worn by passers by. If you're reading this I have no doubt you can relate! This is not a blog about my struggles and suffering...

The Dynamic Neural Retraining System™ (DNRS™) is a therapy program initially aimed at sufferers of environmental and invisible illnesses such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia, of which Founder Annie Hopper was one, but which has also been found to be helpful to those with a wide variety of conditions. The aim of the program is to "rewire" the limbic system of the brain to get to the root of illness, rather than simply chasing symptoms as medications and other interventions usually do. The basis of this approach is neuroplasticity therapy, since as stated on the System's website (retrainingthebrain.com) it has been found that "the disorganization of neural networks that occur during trauma can cause deep protective mechanisms within the limbic system of the brain to fire more rapidly and inappropriately." The result of the above is a heightened chronic stress response that may affect many systems of the brain and body,...

For a decade or more now a number of therapies variously referred to as brain retraining programs, limbic system therapy or limbic system techniques, have become very popular in the treatment of environmental illness and invisible illnesses from multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Yet often little is explained on program websites about what exactly is involved.     Thankfully, in the case of the Gupta Program (formerly known as The Amygdala Retraining Programme) a number of members here at The Environmental Illness Resource (EiR) who have been helped, or even recovered, by using Ashok Gupta's techniques have been kind enough to share point by point descriptions of the program in our forums.  The program comes in the form of a DVD series available for shipping worldwide, although Ashok also conducts seminars and personal one-on-one sessions to help patients through the program.  In our forums you will find accounts...

Workplace-related hearing loss is one of the most common industrial health issues. Workers can be exposed to dangerously high noise levels in environments such as construction sites, foundries or textile mills. The most publicized effect of noise at work is the loss of hearing, a medical problem observed among coppersmiths as early as 1731. Short-term exposure to excessive noise can cause temporary hearing loss, with the duration from a few seconds to a few days, while longer exposure can cause permanent hearing loss. Hearing loss that occurs over time is not always easy to identify, with workers themselves not realizing their hearing is becoming impaired. Apart from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), work-related noise has other negative health effects.  Noise-induced hearing loss As the most common occupational disease in the developed world, NIHL accounts for about one-third of all work-related diseases, even ahead of skin and respiratory problems. It’s usually caused...

Epilepsy is a chronic ailment which directly affects the brain activity. In this disorder, a person gets attacks where brain cells start working hyper-actively. When a person gets an attack of epilepsy, then it can be mentally as well as physically harmful. CBD Oil is considered one of the best oils to control the effects of epilepsy seizures. Let’s find out how CBD oil works for epilepsy and what are its benefits? CBD oil is considered as wondrous oil because of its medicinal properties. This oil contains 0.3% of THC which balances the endocannabinoid system of the body. Using CBD oil regularly stabilises the cannabinoids which reduce the time and effects of seizures. Benefits of CBD oil for Epilepsy ·         Develop Alertness ·         Increases Appetite ·         Controls mood swings and relaxes the mind ·         Promotes sound sleep ·         Improves Social Interaction   Epilepsy is a life-threatening and dangerous disease which...