Healthy Home Healthy Family

In the past 20 years childhood allergies and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have increased by 400%, 1 in 4 children have asthma, breast cancer has more than doubled since the 1960s, the age of puberty is dramatically declining, sperm count has dropped by 50% and IVF is where you go to have children.

Could these conditions be linked to our homes?

Building Biologists certainly think so! In Healthy Home Healthy Family, you will discover:

• Which chemicals to avoid if you have sensitive skin
• Where the allergens are in your home
• Which plastics to avoid in the kitchen
• How to reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields
• Why most countries DON'T fluoridate their water supply
• Does bubble bath cause urinary tract infections?
• Buying an asthma friendly vacuum cleaner
• What household products to avoid if you are pregnant or have breast cancer
• Much, much more!

Nicole's Story

In recent years, ADHD and childhood allergies have increased by 400%, one in four children now have asthma (300% increase), and autism has increased from one in every 10,000 live births, to one in every 166 births, breast cancer has more than doubled, the age of puberty is dramatically declining, sperm count ha dropped by 50% and IVF is where you go to have children. Could these conditions be linked to the homes in which we live?

Despite completing eight years training at university to become naturopath and acupuncturist as well a pursuing further training in China, surprisingly the environment was not covered in my studies in any great detail. As such, I had little awareness of the impact of buildings on my patient' illnesses.

Two events occurred simultaneously in my life that would take my career in a radical new direction.

The first was a house visit to two young brothers who I had been treating for two months for recurrent cold and flus. Upon entering their home, I was greeted by the smell of dampness which was the result of a serious mould issue in the boy's bedroom. Upon relocating to a new home, their symptoms dramatically improved and within three months the boys were free of the illness that had afflicted them since birth. I subsequently began to ask my patients about their home and their proximity to source of electromagnetic fields, mould, pollen , dust mites and chemicals, and was surprised at how often their condition was influenced in some way by their home.

The second event, or series of events, centred around moving into our first home. Within days my husband and I had difficulty sleeping and within twelve months I experienced my first miscarriage. Of course I hadn't even considered that our home could be the problem - why would I? Over the years the number of miscarriages continued to rise. Within seven years, I experienced ten miscarriages and the numerous specialists we saw were at a loss to explain why this was so. We were simply told to keep trying. Coincidentally I also discovered that no one had successfully had children in this home despite the fact that it was built in the early 1960s. My circumstances changed when I was diagnosed, by a reproductive immunologist in the USA, as having an immune disorder. In short, my immune system would wipe out a foetus in much the same way it would keep cancer cells at bay. During this time I discovered that we were sleeping in a high level magnetic field arising from the meter box on the wall on the other side of our bed head, and that there was geopathic stress directly beneath our bed. We subsequently relocated to back bedroom. When I next fell pregnant, I undertook a course of treatment to suppress my immune system - it worked and I gave birth to my twins in January 2007. Later that year we sold the house and relocated her suburb. In August 2009 after sustaining a 'normal' pregnancy without the need for any treatment, I gave birth to my third child - my daughter Charlotte.

As a result of these experiences I subsequently went on to investigate the way in which our buildings can influence our health. As I sifted through research, two things became apparent: firstly, much of the data about hazards in the home had been around for decades and secondly, there were several progressive countries who were addressing these issues - Australia did not appear to be one of them.

The Australian College of Environmental Studies was established in 1999 educate people about the health hazards in the built environment.

Healthy Home Healthy Family is a compilation of 10 years of research. Within its pages you will discover how your home can affect your family's health and, most importantly, what you can do about it. Come with me on a journey of discovery, and together we can make a difference!

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