The Canary Report

Why my life is better because of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

Posted on Apr 07, 2010 by Susie Collins in Amy Ludwigson, Blog, MCS

Through all the pain, I have found a sense of peace and contentment.

By contributor Amy Ludwigson.

It took me a long time to realize how much I had been blessed because of the experiences that I have gone through with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. If I ever saw this statement when I was really sick, I probably would have cursed the person that wrote it.

Yet, through all the pain, I have found this sense of peace and contentment that I do not believe you can find without a little bit of pain in your life.

The most important thing was that I learned to love:

I always thought that I loved, yet when faced with all the comments and laughs from people who think you are crazy, you are really tested. I was tested and I failed. I became so angry with the people around me for not only not understanding, but also for being ignorant and doing things around me that made me sick. And it still happens: my best friend came over just the other day smelling like Bounce.

Yet, over time I learned to love. I learned the kind of love that doesn’t require anything in return. I felt the power of love rise up within me. They say that love cures all and it really does.

When my friend wore Bounce over here the other day, it physically affected me, yet my emotions did not add to the symptoms. Instead of getting angry, judging her for not understanding, and taking the situation personally (which is what happened the first years I had MCS)– I just accepted what happened. I accepted it and loved her.

I also learned acceptance:

Acceptance does not mean that it is ok, it just means that it is what it is. This was one of the hardest things for me to wrap my head around. I worried that if I accepted something, it meant I was saying that it was ok. But that isn’t what acceptance is. Acceptance is just seeing things as they are with no judgment. You come to realize that it is our interpretation and reaction to things that make us suffer.

I used to suffer because I believed that if my friend wore Bounce-smelling clothes, she didn’t care about me. Was this true? No. It was my interpretation of the event that made me suffer.

Still a lot to learn:

Even though I have learned these things, I am constantly tested. I do not always pass, yet I feel that my life has become infinitely better for what I have learned thus far.

My life is also better because…

1. I save a lot of money on personal care products.
2. I have learned that life is more then the material things that I had piled up.
3. I have met a lot of amazing women that have shared these same experiences.
4. The world is always greener, after going through seemingly hell.
5. I have learned what truly matters.
6. I have learned to appreciate the small things.
7. I have learned that happiness is free.
8. I have learned that home is not a place, it’s a state of mind.
9. I have become closer to God.
10. Sensitivity to fragrance has kept me away from boys that I shouldn’t date, fortunately all the bad ones seem to love cologne.
11. It has lead me to seek out some of the most pristine locations in the world, to heal my body and soul. I have stayed at beautiful monasteries in Japan, lived where I have breathed the cleanest air in South Africa, stayed on the beach in Bali and many more beautiful experiences because of the drive this illness has given me.

There are many more… how is your life better because of this experience?

I know that this question can sound ridiculous at times, yet it is easy to become caught in all the negativity and fear that surrounds having MCS. I know that I did, and it did not make the disease any easier to deal with.

Yet, there are experiences and lessons that we have all gained from this disease. Perhaps celebrating those together will help to lift us all?

Peace and Love,

~~~

Amy Ludwigson blogs at Pure Habitat: Live Consciously where she writes about the things that bring joy, that inspire, that make us laugh, and make our lives better for knowing. She is getting ready to launch an online store that sells everything that you need to live consciously – celebrating fair trade, healthy living and environmental responsibility.

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Tags: Healthy Living, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

The jar test

Posted on Dec 05, 2009 by Susie Collins in Amy Ludwigson, Blog, MCS

When testing new products, something that has proved very helpful for those with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is the jar test.

Post by Amy Ludwigson.

All of us that have environmental illnesses are sensitive to different things. What may cause confusion and disorientation for one person can cause breathing problems for another or even no symptoms at all. We learn to be very aware of seemingly small environmental triggers because if we do not we may find that what was seemingly safe in a small amount is something that puts us over the edge in its normal application. So how do we figure out if something is safe for us to use? Something that has proved very helpful for those with environmental illnesses is the jar test…

Take an empty jar. I use one from jam that I have cleaned out. Then take a small sample of the substance that you are testing and place it in the jar. This will concentrate any toxins in this small amount of air. Leave for a couple days and come back and open it and see if you notice any smells and/or any symptoms. This may sound like suicide to some of you, and when I am feeling really sick this test is completely unreasonable. I just avoid nearly everything no matter what. Yet, when you are feeling well and trying to fix your home and make it an even safer place for you to be this is very helpful. You do not want to bring wood floors in that sound completely safe and then install them and find out that they were transported in a truck that had pesticides in it. This test can save a lot of expensive and time consuming mistakes when fixing your home. It is not fool proof, yet it is a great precautionary practice.

This post was originally published on my blog Pure Habitat.

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Tags: Chemicals, Healthy Living, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity

My healthy home search checklist

Posted on Oct 10, 2009 by Susie Collins in Amy Ludwigson, Blog, Home & Garden

This is the checklist I developed and used while I was looking for a healthy home over the past year.

Post by Amy Ludwigson.

When you have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, creating or finding a safe home can be one of the hardest challenges you have to face. As you become aware of the toxic chemicals in your environment, it seems like everywhere you turn there is something that could be contributing to your illness. You feel vulnerable, afraid, and helpless. People do not believe you, so you feel as if you are alone. As you are awakening out of your previous ignorance about chemicals you begin to realize how little you still know. You start making changes. Some you feel make a dramatic improvement in your health, some make you feel even sicker (which you never thought was possible). This was my story. This is my story.

I have spent the last 10 years of my life working on creating a safe home for myself. I have made plenty of mistakes, yet I have learned a lot in the process. I have studied with many of the experts in healthy home design, getting certified as a Building Biologist on the way. I have also traveled and studied forms of Feng Shui and Space Clearing, which both look at the energetic health of our homes. This checklist that I have created is by no means exhaustive, yet it is something that you can use as a guide to create your own when you are looking for a home.

This is the list I developed and used while I was looking for a healthy home over the past year. After each item I had a column for no concern, slight concern, severe concern and extreme concern. This really helped me to break down the places that I was interested in and make sure that I was not making any compromises. I sure had a lot of deal breakers, which my realtor sure got a kick out of. Yet, I was so fortunate to find a realtor that found me fascinating and not crazy! And I am happy to say that I found a beautiful studio in my favorite neighborhood in Chicago, I have been here for a month and couldn’t be happier.

So here is the checklist:

Proximity to:
Industry
Highways
Parking Lots
Golf Courses
High Tension Power Lines
Substation
Transformer
Cell Phone Tower
Radar/FM/TV station

Site Assessment:
Sprinkler system
Site drainage pattern
Rain gutter
Basement/crawlspace
Air conditioning unit
Water entrance
Electricity entrance

General Building:
Age
Remodeling
Pesticide Use
Neighbor Habits
Building Orientation
Garage Location
Materials – Inside
Materials – Outside
Insulation
Flooring Materials
Wiring (knob and tube?)
Laundry

Kitchen:
Electric or Gas Appliances
Adequate Ventilation
Age/Outgassing
Location of Appliances

Moisture:
Windows
Bathroom
Ducts
Kitchen

Indoor Air Quality:
Heating System
Cooling System
Ventilation
Duct’s Clean?
Return Vent
Combustible Gases
CO2
Humidifier
Leaks
Crawl Space, Vapor Barrier
Refrigerator Drain Pan
Plants, Mold
Exhaust in Bath/Kitchen
Filter

Other IAQ:
Asbestos
Lead
Radon
Mold

Pesticide Use:
Yes?
Storage
Neighbor Habits

Water Quality:
Age of Building
Filtration System
Local Water Report

Cleaning Supplies:
Which ones?
Storage

Electromagnetic:
Antennae Search
Visual Cell Phone Towers
Circuit Breaker Location
Geopathic Stress
Wireless (Neighbors)
Cordless Phones

Work Habits:
Computer Use
Printer Use
Hobbies

Other:
Lighting
Sunlight
Noise

I know this checklist can create a lot of questions, and probably needs a book to explain. Yet, I hope it will be a good guide for any of you looking for a place right now.

What else would you add to the list?

Come visit me at my blog Pure Habitat.

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Tags: Air, Chemicals, Children's Health, Healthy Living, Home, Indoor Pollution, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Organic, Pesticides, Products

The importance of pure water

Posted on Jun 02, 2009 by Susie Collins in Amy Ludwigson, Blog, Home & Garden

If the water we drink is contaminated with chemicals, how can we detox from the other chemicals we are exposed to?

Post by Amy Ludwigson

Pure water perhaps more than anything else is essential to our health and to our well-being.  Our bodies are composed of more than 72% water.  Water and air is what gives us life.  We always say that you are what you eat, but how about what you drink?  Our bodies need water to detox the chemicals that we are exposed to, yet if our water contains said chemicals than how are our bodies going to catch up with detoxing the chemicals that we are exposed to?

Over 2100 chemicals have been found in our water ways, and essentially all treated water in the US contains chlorine.  Ignore all the other chemicals for now and let’s look at chlorine.  Chlorine alone, when it interacts with the natural compounds in water, produce  trihalomethanes (THMs),  THMs are cancer causing compounds. THMs are also linked to kidney, liver, and nervous system damage as well as birth defects. Read more at my previous post Water Toxins: Chlorine.

Not only do you need to drink pure water, but you also need to drink quite a lot of it.  It has been medically proven that if the body fluid level drops 5%, that it will cause a decrease in energy anywhere from 25-30% in most people.  It is also thought that nearly two thirds of the population is dehydrated.  Imagine how much better we would feel if we drank enough water.  Our bodies need at least eight glasses of water every day to carry out its daily functions.  Drinking more than this will allow our body to have the water needed to flush out the toxins that we are exposed to on a daily basis.

Think about it.  How much water do you consume a day? Is it pure water?

This post was originally published at Pure Habitat Design.

Photo credit.

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Tags: Chemicals, Environment, Environmental Health, Healthy Living, Home, MCS, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Nontoxic, Pollution, Products, Water

Organic soapnuts are good alternative to toxic laundry detergents

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Susie Collins in Amy Ludwigson, Blog, Products

Soapnuts are a natural, 100% nontoxic way to wash your clothes.

Post by Amy Ludwigson.

One of the headaches that I came across when detoxifying my home was finding a healthier, non-toxic laundry soap.  Even the “green” ones that are out there today do not often tell you exactly what is in them, and they often times still contain perfume or fragrance.  We all know the amount of chemicals that labels can hide.

So when I came across Soap Nuts, I was quite excited.  Yet, I was a little confused as well.  How is this nut suppose to wash my laundry?  I realized that I have fallen into the conditioning that tells me I need all these fancy things in my laundry soap to create clean clothes!  This could not be further from the truth.

Then I was even more confused when I realized that this was not even a nut but really a fruit.  This fruit has a substance in its shell called saponin.  This 100% natural substance really is brilliant at cleaning your laundry.

All you do is put a few of the nuts or fruit in a small washing bag and put it in with your laundry and you have clean clothes!  It is even unscented! Or you can always add a few drops of your favorite essential oils.

So really no reason to be confused!  Soap Nuts even has a 100% money back guarantee so there is no reason not to try something so brilliant and so simple!

This post was originally published at Pure Habitat Design.

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Tags: Home, Organic, Products