What actions can you take personally if you are
working in an unhealthy environment?

Personal Air Cleaners
Small, portable air cleaners may be effective if you work in an enclosed space such as an office.

Plants
Studies by NASA and others show that Hydroculture plants (plants without soil) like the Ficus Benjamina and Pothos do a remarkable job of removing interior air pollutants such as Formaldehyde, Benzol, Phenol and Nicotine.

These items are released into the interior atmosphere from the building materials themselves and contribute to the phenomenon known as "sick building syndrome".

Hydroculture plants absorb pollutants such as formaldehyde in large quantities through their leaves. They don't just store these chemical pollutants, but actually transform 90% of these substances into sugars, new plant material and oxygen.

The ficus removes nicotine and breaks it down, while the rapidly growing Potho stores the nicotine in its younger leaves and can effectively neutralize office pollutants. You can substantially improve the plants cleaning abilities by installing a special ventilator in the plants pot. The ventilator draws air over the roots, thereby acting as a natural air filter. These are available from hydroculture suppliers.

Detoxification
The exposure to toxic chemicals leads to toxic buildups throughout the body. After years of exposure to these substances, often the body can no longer keep up with eliminating these substances and they get recirculated into the bloodstream, wreacking havoc thoughout the body, or stored in the liver, body fat or many other parts of the body. Numerous illnesses can result from this buildup.

Useful countermeasures include drinking plenty of clean water, adopting a low-fat diet, and avoiding toxic substances outside the workplace. To clean existing toxins from the body, you will need to undergo a cleansing treatment.

It is important to choose cleansing techniques that are not too extreme for your current condition. It is also important to choose cleansing techniques that are not too subtle, and therefore ineffective, for your current condition.

Cleansing programs include:

Gastrointestinal / Whole Body Cleanses
Skin Cleansing Techniques
Liver Cleansing Techniques
Gallbladder & Liver Cleaning Techniques
Lymphatic System Cleansing Techniques
Lung Cleansing Techniques
Kidney/Bladder Cleansing Techniques

Work closely with a holistic health practitioner who is familiar with detoxification techniques (e.g., Naturopath). The practitioner can help you choose the type and strength of cleansing that meets your needs -- not too extreme, yet not too subtle.

If the practitioner recommends a cleanse that you feel is too extreme for you condition or a cleanse that is not powerful enough, you should definately challenge this recommendation by asking for an explanation. If the explanation doesn't satisfy you, ask to be put on a cleanse that you feel more closely fits your needs. If that isn't possible, seek out a different practitioner. You need to be your own patient advocate.

The practitioner should advise you of any contraindications that may be important for your condition. If any difficulties arise, an experienced practitioner can more easily adjust or stop the program if necessary.

A few of these cleanses take alot of planning and effort. Off-loading some of the planning and effort onto the shoulders of the practitioner will allow you to concentrate more fully on healing, significantly increasing the effectiveness of the cleanse.