Avoid Air Pollution

[CoachDD]

CoachDD, thanks for mentioning the Air Doctor. My husband and I ordered the IQ Air Health Pro Plus (two of them), but the status of "processing" remains unchanged several days later. We'll look into this one and see if we want to cancel the other order. I do see that the Air Doctor removes particles down to .003 microns in size. It's $599 vs. $899 per unit (though we got 10% off that price using our Lowe's credit card).

For what it's worth, I decided to go with an Air IQ product for two reasons: they have been in business a long time, and have a 10 year limited warranty. It's possible that the Air Doctor company has similar features - I didn't check. I'm skeptical about the number of products that Dr Mark Hyman is advertising (for lack of a better word), and the discount I was offered for the Air Doctor filter was through his auspices. Many be trivial concerns, but they swayed my decision. The $299 sounds pretty good though!

Interesting - I'd love to hear more about your skepticism. . . my thought is that he's very careful about what he DOES endorse (which isn't much, I think). I actually purchased the water purifier (from the same company) for that reason - and it's working great! At some point, I'd like to install a whole-house water filtration system though. Yes, considering it's only $299 compared to the original price of $599, it's even more appealing to me as well. Now, it's onto convincing the hubby to spring for one (or two!) once the income tax return is in! I'm going back and forth on the air filtration system or home sauna - suggestions??

[TheBrain]

Slacker & Circular, I understand your concerns. You have to do what works for you. Circ, I suspect the VOC feature in the Air Doctor is not as robust as the most expensive model that Slacker is going for, but I don’t know about the Plus model. You’d definitely need to do more research, but here’s what the Air Doctor web site says about VOC filtering:

The Carbon/Gas Trap/VOC Filter combines two types of media, one to remove gas and odors and a second to deactivate certain volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde.

Most important to me is the removal of particles down to .003 microns in size. The Air Doctor does that.

We decided to cancel the order for two IQ Air Health Pro Plus and order two Air Doctor air purifiers. They offer just a 1-year limited warranty, though we could have paid a bit more for a longer warranty. We never pay extra to extend warranties. Of course, I’d rather it be a 10-year limited warranty.

The Air Doctor filters all of the air in a 2400 sq. ft. room once every hour. The two filters that need to be replaced periodically cost $59.95 a piece, and the third filter is washable by hand. The Air Doctor has a digital display and an auto-sensor and will adjust the filtering accordingly.

I’ve been on Dr. Hyman’s email list a long time, and I’ve heard him speak (in interviews, webinars, summits) many times. I have a lot of respect for him, and I don’t have an issue with him making affiliate income on products he endorses. He’s one of those doctors who started off conventional, became quite sick, and ended up finding answers through discovering and resolving his root causes. Now he’s the director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.

I’ll report back later on what I think of the Air Doctor. We usually get what we pay for, but sometimes we get a deal. I could use the $1K I’m saving on other healthcare expenses. Or how about on a vacation?

[TheBrain]

I'm going back and forth on the air filtration system or home sauna - suggestions??

I think whether you go with an air filtration system or a home sauna depends on your particular health concerns and goals.

In my case, I found out I had extraordinarily high levels of two mycotoxins in my urine using the Great Plains' GPL-MycoTox test. Mycotoxins are the toxins from mold. In fact, because I have two mold-susceptible haplotypes, my functional medicine (FM) practitioner suggested I do three far infrared (FIR) sauna sessions prior to collecting my sample to help mobilize the toxins and get them out into my urine. If I hadn't done those sessions, it's very possible I would have gotten a negative result, showing that I had no mycotoxins at all.

My FM practitioner ended up recommending I buy a FIR sauna as part of my treatment plan, specifically the High Tech Health brand. I have a High Tech Health TR-2 model, which is a two-person FIR sauna. Keep in mind that saunas are expensive, unless you buy a tent-like model.

After more recently learning that my house failed the ERMI test for mold, my husband and I decided to buy an air purifier. I just got an email that my two Air Doctor air purifiers have shipped! After a month or so, we're planning to retest with the ERMI. I suspect our test results will improve but that we'll need to hire a mold inspector. Meanwhile, my husband is checking out the HVAC system, setting up filters to see what they catch, etc. He can't find any visible mold or a water leak anywhere.

[circular]

Brain sorry you found mold (!) but great to see you going after it. You're working on so many fronts surely you have thriving days ahead

[TheBrain]

Circular, we actually haven’t found mold in the HVAC system, if that’s what you’re referring to. This home was built in the mid 1980s, and it appears that the HVAC ducts have never been cleaned. So my husband has just finished cleaning them. There was dog hair (from the previous owner’s pet) and sand in all of them. In the addition that was built over 10 years ago, there was sawdust and drywall dust (construction “dirt”), but in one vent in the living room, there were countless huge dead bugs. My husband had sucked one up in the vacuum not long after we first moved in here, and it ended up stinking like a decaying animal. Gross! That can’t be good for air quality! But he hasn’t seen any visible mold or water in the ducts.

If the vent filters show any collection of dust or dirt, the next step wil be to take apart and clean the air changer. We might hire someone to do that.

[Rockalbert]

Best way to avoid is usage of respirator N95.
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infantigo

[circular]

Best way to avoid is usage of respirator N95.

Thanks for that. I think if I were to walk around in a really polluted area I might wear one! It looks like it doesn’t filter ultra fine particles (or at least can’t claim to), but it could help a lot on the go at >.3 .

[LA18]

TheBrain, I just read your post about cleaning the HVAC system. I’m really sorry that your ERMI results were higher than what you had hoped. Were the molds detected ones that produce or ochratoxin or verrucarin A, or do you think that what you had in your system is from earlier environmental exposures, or from food? I see that Dr. Carnahan recommends a mold-free diet, while others who work in this area (including Shoemaker) say that mold in the diet isn’t an issue. Not sure what to make of that, but I avoid most foods on the high/moderate mold list anyway.

If you test your HVAC system, you might consider checking the coil. I had my ducts cleaned, twice, and was told they were fine. Then I had the coil checked, per the advice of a second mold inspector. It was not good, and was re-polluting the ducts and my house. It was a struggle to get this cleaned properly, and I ended up removing my air conditioner altogether, which will have to be replaced.

I have detailed instructions from a reputable mold inspector, who is CIRS-aware, about how the HVAC coil should be cleaned (she doesn’t do remediation). She said this is something that is sometimes overlooked, which can be problematic for sensitive people. The furnace person followed her instructions, at least the second time around. I haven’t tested again, due to lack of funds, but will do so at some point. If there’s a problem, it’s probably with the execution. Let me know if you’re interested and I can forward the coil cleaning instructions.

[CoachDD]

My FM practitioner ended up recommending I buy a FIR sauna as part of my treatment plan, specifically the High Tech Health brand. I have a High Tech Health TR-2 model, which is a two-person FIR sauna. Keep in mind that saunas are expensive, unless you buy a tent-like model.

Thanks, would you mind telling me how much this was?

[TheBrain]

My FM practitioner ended up recommending I buy a FIR sauna as part of my treatment plan, specifically the High Tech Health brand. I have a High Tech Health TR-2 model, which is a two-person FIR sauna. Keep in mind that saunas are expensive, unless you buy a tent-like model.

Thanks, would you mind telling me how much this was?

This two-person model cost $4,145. I would have been fine with the one-person model, but my husband was concerned about feeling claustrophobic (he has a bit of an issue with that). We charged the purchase on our credit card and promptly moved it over to our home equity line of credit.

My FM practitioner said this model is "medical grade." She had done a lot of research on various saunas because she herself has mold illness/CIRS and couldn't tolerate cholestyramine. Initially, my husband and I considered buying a $1,000 sauna that Costco sold, and my FM practitioner said she would leave that decision up to us, but the Costco sauna was not medical grade.