Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

• Source of water
Bottled water comes from either a natural source such as a spring or well OR from an approved potable municipal supply (tap water). History shows that natural sources are susceptible to periodical contamination from pollutants generated from agriculture (pesticides, fertilisers, and nitrates), industrial contaminants, algae blooms and bacterial issues. Just look at the worldwide recall of Perrier bottles in 1990 due to high benzene (a carcinogen) levels. Regular testing is crucial.

• Microbial growth
Your saliva harbours bacteria that can grow in the plastic itself. As such, it is important that you do not reuse plastic PET water bottles.

• Environmental concerns
Whilst PET (polyethylene terephtalate) bottles are 100% recyclable AND that Australians have one of the best participation recycling rates in the world (good on us!), in reality, only around 37% is actually recycled (ABWI, 2004; Vic EPA, 2006)

• Plastic bottles
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) is the most commonly used plastic for disposable water bottles. It is 100% recyclable, does not impart a taste into the water and unlike PVC and polystyrene, does not leach hormone altering chemicals aka phthalates into the water. However recent reports indicates that phthalates maybe found in some PET bottles if they have been recycled from personal care products (Pinto and Reali, 2009). A better alternative is to use glass (I love the Grolsch beer bottles with the flip cap), or stainless steel).

• Cost
You pay up to 2,000 times more per litre of bottled water than you would if you filtered your own tap water. This is one way you can save money…

Read more..

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

Despite inaction by our regulatory authority, some major Australian retailers are voluntarily phasing this type of plastic baby bottle from the shelves – thats great. However its presence in food tins is not even considered. The manufacturers tell you BPA has been used as an epoxy resin lining our food tins for 50 years… thats interesting because in that time men’s sperm count has declined by 50%, the age of puberty has dramatically declined, breast cancer has almost doubled and obesity has become an epidemic!

Here’s some food for thought…

A toxic chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA) found in plastic baby bottles have been banned in Canada, France and Denmark and are soon to be banned in most states throughout the USA. Disturbingly, this chemical has also been found in the majority of our food and beverage cans according to an investigation by the Consumers Union (2009) and more recently by Choice (2010). Even cans that were certified ‘organic’ contained BPA in their tin linings.

According to the Consumers Union (2009), BPA is linked with a heightened risk of
* breast and prostate cancer
* heart disease
* diabetes
* obesity
* early puberty
* reproductive delays with boys being particularly susceptible

In 1998, Japanese manufacturers were the first to voluntary restrict this chemical from canned food, using a PET film lamination instead. In July, Denmark made it illegal to sell infant feeding bottles, feeding cups and packaging for baby food containing BPA.

It is concerning that there is sufficient evidence to prove this chemical is not safe for infants, and yet our authorities fail to act until there is ‘conclusive’ proof. Consumers have a right to be aware of the risks and to know what safer options are available. Spread the word.

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

More than 50% of Australians are overweight or obese (ABS, 2008) which is similar to stats in other western countries. Diet and lifestyle however does not sufficiently explain the 70% increase in infant obesity in the past 20 years. There is a growing body of evidence and scientific researchers investigating the impact of obesogens – endocrine disrupting chemicals that are suspected to program us to be fatter. The accidental discovery was made by several scientists investigating the impact of hormone disrupting chemicals commonly found in foods and household products, only to discover they were causing an epidemic of fat lab animals. Stay tuned – we are going to hear alot about this! Watch the trailer for the new documentary: Programmed to be Fat? by Dreamfilm Productions.

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

As I wrote in my book, I personally believe it is only a matter of time now that we see health warnings on mobile phones. In time, it will mean a ban on buses, trains and trams as the microwave emissions bounce in metal carriages creating ‘hotspots’ exposing unsuspecting commuters to high doses of microwave radiation.

Tips to reduce your exposure
1. Use a landline phone (cordless phones use the same radiation as a mobile phone)
2. SMS whenever you can
3. When making or receiving calls, keep your head away from the phone: use the loudspeaker or an air-tube airpiece

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

It was therefore welcome that the government announced today that it will be enforcing new vehicle standards to reduce the emission of toxic gases and ultrafine particles from car exhaust. Living within 300 metres of a major arterial route can dramatically increase your chances of developing allergies. These emissions are responsible for heart attacks and asthma which is estimated to cost $ 1.5 billion in the public health sector. The first of these standards will occur with new cars from November 2013. Australia is one of the last western countries to adopt the standards.

Read more.

Tips to reduce allergies and asthma
1. Reduce dust mite exposure
2. Implement a chemical free pest control program to get rid of cockroaches and rodents (a common asthma trigger).
3. Avoid pets in the house. IF this is not possible, wash the pet weekly and brush them outside before they enter the home. Air their bedding in full sunlight as often as possible
4. Dont smoke in the house.
5. Get rid of the mould as it is a MAJOR trigger for asthma.

For tips on how to reduce all of these triggers, refer to my website.

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

Within an hour of being at home she experiences itchy red eyes, difficulty breathing, and her nose starts to run. At first she didn’t make the connection that it was her home, until she started noticing that it didn’t happen in other people’s homes. However it wasn’t until she came back from a holiday in Europe recently that she realised how bad the problem was. Once again, within an hour of arriving home, the symptoms began. After countless visits to doctors and naturopaths and thousands of dollars in medication to no avail, I was called in to see if her home was making her sick. During the audit, I discovered that her symptoms began after they completed an extension to the living room in 2008. An examination of the crawl space in the renovated section revealed no damp proof course, pooling of water, lots of clutter and no ventilation. Surface samples revealed exceptionally high levels of mould (Penicillium and Aspergillus niger) on the underside of the floorboards. These species of mould release chemicals (mycotoxins) that can trigger hayfever, asthma and other lung problems. Air sampling in the living room immediately above revealed these moulds were three times higher than what is typically found in the outdoor air.

Most doctors and natural therapists have little understanding of the cause and health effects of mould, so unfortunately many asthmatics end up relying on prescriptive medication when it could be something as simple as mould in the home.

As fungi is ubiquitous throughout our environment, the only time mould becomes a problem in the house is if you give it food and moisture. As most building materials are the perfect food for mould, dampness is always the key to addressing mould problems. Dampness generally comes from condensation build-up as a result of poor ventilation, living in humid climates or flooding (plumbing issue, poor drainage…). When cleaning mould, use an 80% naturally fermented white vinegar to 20% water solution. Don’t use bleach as it provides some species of mould with a food source! If the area exceeds 1m2, a mould remediator maybe required. For more information, click here.

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

In order of highest were apples (my 4yo son eats 6 a day!), celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, grapes, capsicum, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce and kale (EWG, 2011). What do you do? buy organic when it comes to these foods. To find out where pesticides are in your home, click here.

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru

Nicole Bijlsma – Healthy Home Guru