Sonia Jones ND from the Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Iam not saying for one moment that a building can cause your arthritis, but it can affect your general health, energy and chronic conditions like arthritis. Read on – you might not be aware that buildings have serious problems that can affect your general health and make your condition worse.
There are companies that have far more sickness and absenteeism than other companies – this may not just be down to the management or pay structure or how much stress there is.
Research has revealed some amazing things – some businesses/offices such as large insurance or finance companies have placed a huge amount of plants in the offices – burn aromatherapy – changed the lighting put into place many other measures. They have found over time people were less tired, productivity was up, happier people, and far less absenteeism and sickness!
The things that can affect your building in a negative way -
When I still lived in England we had a house with a cellar. The area in which we lived – under the soil was apparently rocky where radon gas was produced that could fill the cellar and leak up into the house. I remember being given a monitor that was taken a way for analysis, by the local government. As it was thought at over a certain level and over time it could affect you health.
Chemicals – nearly all the furniture today it made from synthetic materials are at least is coated in synthetic stuff. There are carpets, laminates, plastics, fabric treatments, polyurethane surfaces (varnishes but also foams), photocopies and cleaning fluids all giving off fumes.
Electro-magnetism – offices and homes are filled with electrical and electronic equipment These give off significant amounts of electro-magnetic fields that affect us. Some people are more sensitive than others and not all of us will react or get affected in the same way. For instnce most people can wear watches but the odd person can not.
Lighting – it is well known that fluorescent lighting can have a negative effect and make people feel unwell, or drain their energy. Maybe you have just put this down to hard work. The lighting can be changed or turn off the lights and sit nearer the window. Or change the bulbs to fit into the same fittings to be full spectrum lighting instead.
Humidity - humidity on a dry summer’s day is about 50% or so, cold wet days humidity could be as much as a 100%. Without realizing it bacteria, mites and fungi can flush in a building making some people feed quite uncomfortable but have no idea why.
Cooling Towers are part of an air-conditioning system – it is very well known that there have been outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease, this infection can be fatal for about 205 of people exposed. To avoid this problem they run the system at more ‘dry’ than is normal.
Air flow – often offices and homes do not have enough movement of fresh air. So there can be problems with air that can be too dry and or too humid not moved or refreshed or circulated enough, so people can suffer all manor of symptoms.
Carbon dioxide (OC2) - some solutions are added to say cooling towers for sterilizing purposes, the alkaline natural of this, it lowers the carbon dioxide in buildings – apparently the respiratory center loses its incentive to breath quite as much. Lower levels of blood oxygen means more tiredness, fatigue and yawning. People turn to quick fix snacks with sugar and caffeine to help them get over this feeling – thinking their blood sugar levels have fallen.
Think about your office or home and see how you can improve your environment, improve your health, and in-turn help improve your arthritis.
Arthritis & Pain Program at The Haven
