At this midpoint in the year-end holiday season, I thought I would complete the year with a few footnotes and the last of my 5 part series on Environmental Health and the 5 Elements. OK this is ‘an inconvenient truth’ and not light holiday reading but one of the greatest gifts we can give one another is how to keep healthy. So read on!
But first…
I must share with you that I had the most extraordinary birthday in Florence, Italy. Yes, it was a ‘significant’ birthday (ahem). It was my first trip there and OMG! I was in heaven. Walking through history, feeling the chi, experiencing extraordinary art, beyond fabulous food and wine. On my own, open and free to be spontaneous and drink it all in. It was a gift for which I am humbly grateful.
Chinese New Year is January 28th. If you want to prepare for the year of the Fire Rooster, Contact Judith ». If we have worked together in the past, you will need to update your salt cures, and other adjustments. I will be doing my yearly outlook for each of the 12 Chinese signs next month.
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Continuing the discussion of the environmental challenges we face, this is the 5th in my series on the 5 Elements or Agents of Change and health.
In the last 4 newsletters I discussed the elements of Water, Wood, Fire and Earth (catch up if you missed them). Next up is Metal which is analogous with the fall season. Metal is the most consolidated element which in turn produces Water, the least consolidated element (and the winter season) and where we started the series.
Metal element represents the chi of ‘virtue’. To speak up for what is just, right and ethical is Metal in balance. Metal displays itself in excess as demonstrative, self-righteousness. While a very low amount of Metal chi appears in someone as shy, withdrawn or having a ‘choked’ quality. When Metal element is in balance energetically, one has the ability to complete things in a timely fashion allowing oneself to enjoy the fruits of their efforts. Balanced Metal also indicates that one has helpful people (benefactors) in their life and can manifest more when needed.
On a physical level, electronics of all kinds are related to the Metal element. As the purpose of this series is to inform us about health and the elements let’s discuss Electromagnetic Frequencies or EMFs:
An appliance does not have to be turned on for an electrical field but magnetic fields are created only when the currents flows.
Research is not definitive, but there is evidence between EMF exposure from power lines and childhood leukemia + brain tumors.
Stay away from meter boxes which have very high and wide EMF fields.
Actually it is small electrical devices with transformers that are notorious offenders. These include our chargers, clock radios, baby monitors, and air filters, to name a few.
Get a basic Gauss Meter. Appliances with transformers have a 2-3′ range, so move them away from you…especially where you sleep!
Choose a bed with a wooden frame + natural fiber-filled mattress. Iron and steel inbed frames, spring mattresses and radiators close to the bed, can all become magnetic and conduct EMFs.
Although Air is not considered one of the 5 Elements, in the Hindu system Metal is replaced by Air and air quality is a very important aspect of environmental health – so I thought I would discuss it here. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)is related to poor indoor air quality. This is caused from heating, ventilation, air conditioning, out gassing, VOCs, and mold due to toxic products and hermetically sealed buildings – especially of the 60’s – ’90’s.
SBS Can Cause the Following Symptoms:
Headache, eye, nose, or throat irritation
Dry cough, dry or itchy skin
Dizziness, nausea, difficulty concentrating
Fatigue
Sensitivity to odors
Asthma
Changes in emotional well-being
Common Indoor VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds):
Dry cleaning solvents, photocopiers, semiconductor cleaners, formaldehyde in office components, including wood + laminated furniture,shelving, wall coverings and carpet.
Most commercial paint companies like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams now produce low VOC paints and have more eco-friendly lines as well.
There is also a growing market of organic paints, sealants, stains, and preservatives for walls, floors, and furnishings that do not out gas, and allow the environment to breathe.
Household cleaning products and synthetic fabrics contribute to high levels of VOCs, and here too there is a growing market of natural alternatives.
Ions are essential to life:
An ion is a molecule that is positively or negatively charged. Sodium, potassium, calcium, and other ions play an important role in the cells of living organisms. Inside homes and offices, negative ions are depleted by electronic equipment, static from synthetic fabrics and from dust in the air.
We recognize how good we feel at the sea. One of the reasons is that sea air is charged with negative ions. When a thunderstorm approaches, many dogs will start digging a trench in the carpet. They sense that the balance of ions is changing. Before a thunderstorm, the negative ions lose charge, and an excess of positive ions is generated.
Here are a few things we can do for ourselves:
Opening a window.
Get an air ionizer that removes smoke, dust, and some allergens and generates negative ions.
Fill a spray bottle with spring water and a small amount of sea salt and to spray it daily into the atmosphere . Include a few drops of essential oil, such as lavender for relaxation or peppermint for alertness.
Crack open a window! Even an opening of just a ¼ – ½ an inch will create a natural flow of air and help clean the environment.
Get outside as much as possible. Obviously opening a window is not an option in a skyscraper.
OK enough said!
Now go out there and do all your can to provide yourself
and others with a healthy and balanced environment.
Fire Rooster, 
Frequencies or EMFs:
components, including wood + laminated furniture,shelving, wall coverings and carpet.
generates negative ions.
