In this post, I share five healthier home tips to make your home your safe haven from environmental triggers. If you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), or another chronic illness, then conventional building materials, technology, and cleaning products are problematic for people with sensitive constitutions.
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Table of Contents
What is MCAS?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. MCAS is serious and disabling and people with MCAS experience often significant and debilitating symptoms daily, including anaphylaxis, which can be fatal.
MCAS is often found in combination with other chronic conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
Frequently healthcare providers do not know about MCAS, and the tests for MCAS are problematic because they are not uniformly reliable. MCAS can be difficult to manage. Treatments include blocking mast cell mediators with anti-histamines and mast cell stabilizers, as well as avoiding triggers.
Check out this post on how to manage MCAS.
Five useful healthier home tips
- Don’t remodel – If you are in the midst of a new chronic illness, a symptom flare, or even if you are starting to feel better after being sick — think twice before beginning any remodeling products. New carpets, paints, flooring, window coverings, and blinds can all contain materials that give off toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Being exposed to these chemicals can trigger or re-activate MCAS symptoms. See more in this post.
- Be careful with furniture purchases. Mattresses and furniture can off-gas VOCs too. One workaround is to buy the floor model of your chosen furniture — meaning that it had extra time to off-gas before it comes into your home. For mattresses, organic choices can be better tolerated, but it is wise to unpackage it and allow it to sit in a well-ventilated area for a week or two before use. Another option is to buy used furniture because the off-gassing has already theoretically happened. However, used furniture and mattresses can bring along unwanted mold spores, pet dander, dust mites, and fragrances, especially if they were sitting in a home with air fresheners, a basement, or a moisture-laden area, or if the former owners had pets.
- Speaking of fragrances, don’t use them. Those with MCAS and MCS cannot usually tolerate air fresheners, scented candles or wax melts, essential oils, and the like. Some essential oils can be therapeutic for those with MCAS or MCS, but it’s best to take a cautious approach to them, like putting one drop on a cotton ball outside, taking a sniff, and waiting 30, 60, and 90 minutes to see if you are having any symptoms before using more.
- Clean the air with a HEPA filter (this post lists my favorites). It’s especially important to have clean air in your sleeping area, where you spend the most time. If you live in a newer construction home you can add a HEPA filter to the HVAC system as well, to clean the air in the home. Also for new-construction homes, it is helpful to have an air exchanger on your furnace to mix fresh air into your home.
- Limit your exposure to EMFs in your home. This post covers some of the basics. Instead of cordless phones use landlines. Connect your computer and peripherals with wired connections. Don’t use Bluetooth or wifi in your home. Shield yourself from wifi when you can’t control your environment.
Know your typical symptom progression
Knowing your symptom progression in a symptom flare is the key to developing your own rescue plan. In this post, I discuss how to determine your own symptom progression. Once you know what typically happens in your symptom progression you can design a rescue plan to address those symptoms.
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What are your healthier home tips?
I’d love to hear your comments below!
