Springtime in the beautiful Southern Appalachians of western North Carolina is a wonder to behold, particularly viewed from any of our area’s exceptional hiking trails or waterfalls. Unfortunately, for those of us with allergies or asthma, there’s also nothing like a high pollen count to drive us indoors. From early April to mid-May, pollen counts […]
9 Asthma and Other Illness Triggers and What You Can Do About Them
According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 7.8% of Americans suffer from asthma. Many folks come to us over concerns about mold. And while it is certainly a problem that could affect one’s health, there are other irritants, allergens, VOCs, toxins, and pollutants that can be just as harmful. […]
5 Holiday Plants That Can Put A Damper on the Season’s Festivities
Let’s take a look at Appalachian traditional plants used to decorate during the holidays, and see how safe and healthy these choices are for children and pets. In WNC, Thanksgiving marks the week that many families bring out the decorations in earnest for the holiday season. The scent of evergreen and spice simply cannot be […]
How ElectroMagnetic Radiation Affects Your Health and Safety At Home
Everybody from building biologists to home health scientists are talking these days about electromagnetic radiation frequency. To simplify the discussion, we are going to refer to the issue as Electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs). Health decline related to electromagnetic sensitivity is considered to be an issue for society as a whole. Let’s check in about this increasing […]
Mountains and Mold: Are You Experiencing the Symptoms of Toxicity?
Recent years in the southern Appalachians have been warmer, wetter, and more humid. Dew point temperatures have been higher for longer periods. All very uncomfortable! As we’ve run our air conditioners more often we’ve chilled our downstairs, basements, and crawl spaces. Couple that with the draw of outdoor humidity through our air-leaky duct systems and […]
Indoor Grilling Has Its Ins and Outs: Top 6 Things You Need to Know
If the quality of the air you breathe inside your home is important to you, then you’ll want to know what to consider if you’re thinking of bringing grilling to the great indoors. More folks are spending quality time at home than ever before, due to changes in our lifestyles over these last couple of […]
Unhealthy Chemicals Find Their Way Into Our Homes
Here’s how to clean up. Are you aware of the extent to which chemicals are used in cleaning and personal products? Maintaining a healthy indoor air quality is a priority, to keep your home environment safe. Let’s take a quick look at the chemicals found in many homes. Chemicals may already be on your radar. […]
Get the Lead Out!
We hear a lot about the importance of good nutrition, clean production practices and organics when it comes to our food, but one contaminate that is often overlooked is LEAD. Lead is inert and needs us to send it airborne or waterborne to get into our bodies. And it does. Think about it. Over 80% […]
Healthy Home “How To’s” to Refresh Your Home for Spring
Home is the place where we heal ourselves. Think about that for a moment. Whether we need a quiet oasis after a hectic work day, a hub of activity for nurturing children or grandchildren, or something else, home is where the magic happens. Right now, outside our windows, another kind of magic is happening. The […]
Clutter and How It Affects Health
Clutter can cause a variety of health and emotional problems. It can affect our stress levels and make us anxious or depressed. It can affect our relationships with our families and friends, affect our sleep, and even trigger physical and mental changes that cause problems with digestion or lower our immune response. Just seeing clutter […]