Wildfires and air quality have been taking over the news as of late. You may be wondering, "How can I protect myself?"
With good reason... study results from earlier this year in The Lancet Planetary Health showed that nearly every place on Earth has pollution levels considered unsafe by air quality standards - only 0.001% of the world's population has safe air quality.
What's the Concern?
Burning trees and bushes give off solvents like benzene, formaldehyde, toluene and xylene, harmful gases like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and sulphur dioxide and respiratory irritants like acrolein.
Wood smoke also contains arsenic, mercury, and PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), all known carcinogens and DNA-damaging toxicants.
Know Your Levels
If you are interested in finding out what the levels of these toxins are in your body consider ordering the Total TOX Burden test. (contact candice@enhancedwellness.ca for more information)
A Few Practical Steps
This may seem obvious, but if the air quality is really bad, this is not a time for outdoor activities. Although it can be incredibly healing to walk by the ocean or in the forest, the determinants outweigh the benefits when the air quality is low. Find ways to move your body inside like doing yoga, stretching, or taking an aerobics class online.
Also, make sure your windows and doors are closed as the outside air could seep in and contaminate your indoor air quality.
If you have central air in your home, make sure that it is set to the “on” function as opposed to “auto.” When it’s set to “on,” it will continuously move the air, as opposed to intermittently with the auto function. Also, be sure that your home is equipped with high-efficiency air filters that capture fine particles from smoke.
Air filters can help clear your home of common toxic air pollutants like mould, dust, formaldehyde, and pathogens. When there is smoke from wildfires in the air, using a high-quality air filter can give you peace of mind that at least one room in your home is being recirculated with clean air.
If you only have one air filter, then designate that room for sleeping, exercise, and any leisure activity you can. The goal is to bathe yourself in clean air as much as possible.
The air purifier I recommend and use in my home is from Austin Air.
One simple way to soothe your lungs is to inhale essential oils. In particular, Eucalyptus has been found to have an anti-inflammatory effect on lung tissue.
Simply add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to hot water and inhale the steam for five to ten minutes. You can also add a few drops to your bath or shower.
Supplement Protocol for Wildfire Smoke and Air Quality
HM-ET Binder by CellCore Biosciences is my recommended go-to for dealing with wildfire smoke as it focuses on removing environmental toxins like mercury, arsenic, aluminum and lead.
Add CT-Minerals to provide cells with the building blocks they need to carry out critical detoxification, energy and healing, along with Advanced TUDCA to support the liver in its essential detoxification function.
I provide all my clients with a 15% discount when purchasing CellCore products. (contact candice@enhancedwellness.ca for more information)
I hope you find the above information helpful. I believe there's a way to approach these types of "threats" from a centred place. Let's support each other to create a healthy balance between proactiveness/preparedness and fear.
Dr. Candice Esposito, ND (retired), CFMP
Functional Medicine Practitioner
candice@enhancedwellness.ca
