EiR Blog

As regular readers will be aware, I was unlucky enough to be struck down with a chronic illness as severe and life-changing as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) at the age of just 11 years old. But was it really just "bad luck" or did environmental factors - specifically toxic mold exposure - play a role? This is something I've been considering carefully lately and wish to share with you.  Being just a child at the time, I obviously wasn't concerned with the "hows and whys" of what caused this annoying and frustrating illness, or the ramifications it would ultimately have for me and my family. All I wanted was my family doctor to give me some medicine to cure whatever was wrong. He had of course done so many times before for the recurrent ear, nose and throat infections I'd experienced growing up (mold-related themselves perhaps?). Surely I'd be back riding my BMX on the...

Jock itch is one of the most common fungal infection of the skin often caused by the same fungus that results in athlete's foot. Though, technically you don't need to be an athlete to get a jock itch, but they are most common among athletes because of one simple reason, sweat! Athletes sweat a lot and often wear those sweaty clothes for a long period of time, which acts as a perfect breeding ground for the bacteria that cause jock itch.  So, let us get into the depth of jock itch and know all about it such as: What is Jock Itch! Medically, jock itch is known as Tinea cruris or ringworm of the groin. It is caused by fungi called dermatophytes that live naturally on the skin. Typically, they are harmless, but under warm and moist conditions they multiply quickly and cause the infection. This is the reason why...

A majority of the humans does the opposite of contributing to the wellbeing of the earth. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to go with the flow. You can start to make a change, you can save the earth for the future generations. Not everyone contributes to the destruction of the earth unknowingly, sometimes, the day to day actions that we involve in will pollute the environment. It is always best find ways in which we can get all our work done without causing any damage. Most of the damage which leads pollution is done by large scale companies. These companies tend to release toxic chemicals into the nature, releases harmful gases in to air and the nature is affected in so many ways. This is not doing anything for the earth and in fact, it reduces the lifespan of the life on earth. A lot of pollution is...

Chances are that you have heard about staph infections, but not all of you would be able to explain much about it. Well, we'll solve the problem for you. Staph infection is a skin infection caused by a bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. The bacteria is a normal inhabitant of the skin and lives there without causing any harm, but when the bacteria find a skin breach, they enter it and cause an infection. Now, depending on the conditions, the type of infection may differ. Here are a few explained with their signs and symptoms: MRSA What is it? It stands for Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus auerus. It is a skin infection caused by the same culprit. It appeared in the hospitals first, but then made its inroads into the community. Initially, it was treated with the antibiotic methicillin, but soon developed resistance due to overuse of the drug leading to bacterial resistance. ...

Follow regular and reliable beauty regimens to keep your skin healthy and happy. We all have heard that! But somehow our lifestyle and other habits born out of lethargy, carelessness can deteriorate the quality of our skin. We all are aware of these skin care tips, frequent moisturizing, exfoliation and wearing sunscreen. I mean, we all know common and old skin care rules. In this article, I am going to reveal some skin care sins, which you committ on a daily basis and make your skin terrible. Let's know about 5 not so known sinful habits which are taking away your glow: Consuming Dairy And Other Inflammatory Foods: It is not about how healthy you eat, it is about how skin friendly you eat. Yes, there are certain foods which are healthy for your body, but not good for your skin. No doubt milk is an important source of calcium...

Introduction Jock Itch usually begins with a mild itching in the groin and it can get worse and, sometimes, even become more unbearable in some cases. Usually, the rash is seen on both sides of the groin. The rash may become too dry, rough and bumpy. Jock Itch is a fungal infection that mostly affects the skin of your genitals, buttocks and inner thighs. Men may develop this infection on the head of the penis, especially if they are not circumcised. And, on the other hand, women may develop a vaginal white discharge and yeast infection. It is most often seen in men and adolescent boys. Besides, many homeless individuals too tend to develop Jock Itch as they do not wash with anti-fungal soap and clean water in the groin and armpit areas regularly.  Symptoms of Jock Itch A few of the most common symptoms of Jock Itch include: Change...

Worldwide, there is a strong belief that sweat is the main cause behind ringworm and avoiding it can save us from ringworm. But if that was the truth, then almost everyone would have fallen prey to this fungal infection. But since it is not so, it proves that sweat is not the reason, so lets establish the reasons which are the main causes of ringworm infection. Know Why it Happens One can get infected by ringworm via skin-to-skin contact or by using infected equipments on bare, compromised skin. So you can get infected from ringworm of the – scalp, body, face, nails, hands, groin, hands or feet. Wanna ditch it, read on... 1. Say Noo to Scratching When one is having ringworm of the scalp, it may inadverdently spread to the other parts of the body if you keep scratching your head. It transfers fungus to your nails and then...

The best example of professional predisposition to toenail infection can be seen in runners. Training or participation in big events – both can lead to fungal infection which is most commonly known as toenail infection. The causative agent as we all know is a fungus, namely, dermatophytes. We thought you may be interested in knowing, so... Why are toenail more susceptible than fingernails? Bloodflow to our toes is less than our fingers, which makes difficult for our immune system to detect and cure the infection. Toenails remian inside the shoes for a long time hence provide an apt environment for the fungus to grow. The two reasons runners get this infection include excessive sweat and occluding footwear. Now, coming to its cure... One must remember that before treating the toenail fungus with any topical ointment or homne remedy, it is important to remove the thick layer of fungal biofilm. Only...

The importance of physical fitness cannot be overlooked. In today's society, which is moving towards a more deskbound lifestyle, there is a greater need for regularly exercising to maintain body weight and cardiovascular fitness. Regular exercising or workout can benefit you in several ways. It helps decrease your risk of cancer, stroke, diabetes and high blood pressure. Exercising is something that gives you pleasure and contentment, as well as relief from stress, depression and anxiety. De facto, no matter how fit you think you are;   One-arm push-up  can prove to be one of the greatest exercises for developing reasonable upper body strength. Though one-arm push up is damn hard to learn and practice, yet it greatly helps in strengthening your muscles and making them stronger. It builds strength in your shoulders, chest, triceps and core muscles. Requiring a huge amount of practice and serious efforts, One-arm push up is...

When it comes to make-up looks, the eyes and lips are the most important elements. There are a million different how-to videos out there that demonstrate complex ways to maximize these areas. What all this tells us is that it has to be complicated to get the look of large and luscious lips and bright and sexy eyes. This is so far from the truth. There are very simple and easy to do methods to achieving the perfect natural glamour look and it wont take you half an hour to accomplish, rather just a few minutes can get you to this goal.  There are two things that are essential to quick and easy application that ends in natural glamour results. The first is the quality of the application brushes you choose. Like an artist working with a canvas, the brushes create the texture and subtlety of the look, if you...

The joy of finding out you are pregnant can quickly be overshadowed by the debilitating effects of severe morning sickness. Some women are really lucky and never experience the overwhelming nausea and frequent vomiting that can accompany the creation of a new life. Others suffer only for a few hours a day, while the worst cases can be ill from morning to night and often wonder why it is called morning sickness. There are many traditional methods for dealing with these symptoms, and modern pharmaceuticals have come up with a few great additions as well.  •    Saltines and ginger ale, though this is an old one, it is often one of the few things that can be kept down during these difficult times. No matter what other remedies you choose to add to the mix, having these on hand is a great idea.  •    Try Elevit morning sickness relief tabs,...

It wasn’t a 100% victory and there’s still a long way to go, but Public Health England dropped a bombshell in August. Seemingly out of nowhere, one of the most important health bodies in the country declared that not only are e-cigarettes 95% less harmful than tobacco, but could also become an important weapon in fighting smoking by being dispensed as a licensed medicine. Veteran vapers enjoyed a wry smile and carried on – because it was not really news to them. Anti-tobacco campaigners, cancer sufferers, health practitioners and e-cigarettes traders and scientists have long held the belief that replacing a stick that contains several thousand toxins with one that contains far fewer can only be a healthier option. Surely? What the PHE statement did do was bring vaping back into the public consciousness, or introduce some people to it in the first place. BBC Radio 5 live ran a...

Laser eye surgery is also referred to as laser corneal sculpting. It’s actually a medical procedure that normally makes use of a laser in order to reshape the surface of the eye. The main aim of undertaking this kind of surgery is to improve or actually correct hypermetropia (long sightedness), myopia (short-sightedness) and astigmatism (uneven curvature of the eye’s surface). Those individuals who undergo laser eye surgery still need to wear glasses or contact glasses regardless of the fact that their natural eye sight will have improved to greater extent. Laser corneal sculpting procedures were for the first time performed over 30 years ago. The cornea is basically the transparent tissue that cover the front of the eye. It aids in control focusing. During this surgery, a computer-controlled excimer laser is normally used to remove microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea. The ultimate aim of this is to restore...

Air purifiers are tremendously helpful when it comes to preventing allergy attacks and respiratory illnesses. Not only do they purify the air by eliminating mold, pet dander, dust mites, dirt, and other allergens, they also help keep your home free of odors of all kinds. Air purifiers keep the indoor air fresh and as such, are great even for people who don't have allergies and respiratory problems! But not all air purifiers are right for everyone and you can't just purchase a purifier and sit back expecting it to work its magic! If you're willing to learn how to get the most out of your air purifiers, read on. Purchase the Right Air Purifier If you haven't already got an air purifier or are planning to buy another one, it will do you good to choose one that's just right. You need to consider how big the area you want...

To state that the womb in which a woman carries her baby is yet another ecosystem may sound like an awkward metaphor, but it is actually quite true. In fact it is by far one of the most beautiful ecosystems ever; not only is it responsible for sustaining human life, but is also responsible for bringing one into the global ecosystem. Thus providing a growing fetus with the right environmental essentials is of utmost importance for its proper growth, development and nourishment. And naturally, as every ecosystem is affected by its environment, there are of course three key factors that affect a prenatal ecosystem; a woman’s diet, the state of her health and disease and the effects of drugs. The importance of a healthy diet They say when a woman sets on to her journey of becoming two – or more, she needs to begin eating for two as well....

So here we are folks with the third and final part of my 3-part blog series about my journey linking Helicobactor pylori (H. pylori) infection to my environmental illness. To get up to speed please take a look at Part I (The Science) and Part II (My Personal Pylori Project).   H. pylori and EI The general theme of bad bug overgrowth wasn't new to me – I'd already been dealing with Candida and SIBO issues. Obviously, it won't be new to most people with EI either. It seems that lurking infections of all kinds – Lyme, EBV, herpes, strep, pylori, candida and many others – can often be 'the elephant in the room' that we need to address to fully recover. Maybe sometimes when we work on resolving some of these other infections, we make progress with any lurking pylori issues too, as many herbs and probiotics are effective...

Hi again! In Part 1 (The Puzzle of H. pylori: The Science) I explained what Helicobacter pylori is, how it invades the body, the symptoms it causes - basically, all the science stuff. Here in Part 2 of my trilogy of posts on my H. pylori experience I'm going to talk about my own personal H. pylori project i.e. my experiments with various foods and herbal remedies in my efforts to come up with my own treatment and eradicate the little pest from my body!   My personal pylori project The core of my plan has been the rather fantastic mastic gum, a herbal remedy from a Greek pistachio tree with potent anti-pylori activity. A little goes a long way – my pot of 13g lasted me 3 weeks. I'd just like to run through some more of the details of my plan, to give you an idea of the...

Hi there! I'd like to share my recent experiences with a new healing venture – a plan for dealing with H. pylori. I started this little experiment in November and it's proved to be one of the best health improvement projects for me so far. Believe me, I have done a lot of different initiatives over the past 8 years and this one has produced improvements with quite remarkable speed. OK, don't let's get too carried away now, I'm not 'normal' yet, but when you've been pretty incapacitated, any improvement is cause for celebration! This is a fairly long story folks, but if you're not in the mood to sit through the full details, maybe flip through to The bottom line, where I've provided a summary (Part 3). So what's the problem with H. pylori? Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is an intriguing beast – of the large proportion of people who play host to this bacteria, only some notice any unpleasant...

Anyone who suffers from myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) will have been delighted to see news last week that reliable biomarkers for the disease had finally been found. Essentially, researchers at Columbia University have pinpointed changes in immune function that go a long way to proving once and for all that the illness once dismissively dubbed 'Yuppie Flu' is most certainly a physical, biological illness rather than a psychological disorder. Something any sufferer knows to be the case all too well from the moment it cruelly turns their lives upside down. The key point that makes this study so important is that it was conducted on a large scale with 298 ME/CFS patients involved. In medical science this gives the findings a huge amount of credibility and reliability. It means the findings cannot be ignored and should lead to greater funding from both governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charities for future research and education....

Dear Friends, Over the past 10 years I have grown used to writing for The Environmental Illness Resource with the aim of helping all of you out there, who like me, have had your lives turned upside down by environmental and invisible illnesses. Today I must take my turn and ask you for your help.  For those who might be unaware, I (Matthew "maff" Hogg) have designed, built, maintained and written the majority of the thousands of pages of content on the site entirely by myself. People often email me saying they thought the site was run by a group of volunteers or a company, but no, it's just me! With over 3000 people having registered on the site and a database of over 8000 pages you can imagine that it's a lot for one guy with ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (and the rest!) to handle alone. I can "get by" with the technical side of the site but I...