Author  :  Nicole Bijlsma

Pages  :  336

Publisher  :  Joshua Books, Qld, Australia

Nicole Bijlsma’s passion is environmental medicine. As a practicing naturopath, she began to realize the extent to which her patient’s homes were affecting their health. This led her to study building biology and then to establish the Australian College of Environmental Studies, which offers Australia’s only government accredited Building Biology and Feng Shui courses.

In this book, Nicole explains in simple terms how our homes can adversely affect our health and offers simple solutions for minimising exposure to a range of indoor health hazards, from chemicals, allergens and plastics to electromagnetic fields, radio frequencies and drinking water. By reading it, you will learn :

• How to create a healthy, low allergy home
• How to reduce your exposure to electromagnetic fields
• Which plastics and cookware to avoid in the kitchen
• Which kettles to avoid and why
• Where the mobile phone towers are in your area
• How to choose a low radiation mobile phone
• The concern surrounding baby bottles and which are safe for your baby
• How to choose a safe baby monitor
• Bubble bath and its connection to urinary tract infections
• Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer worldwide and yet few Australians are aware of its existence. Find out if your house is at risk.
• Asthma friendly vacuum cleaners
• How to effectively kill dust mites and mould
• Why most countries DON’T fluoridate their water supply
• Why you should never use hot water out of the tap for drinking or cooking
• Which water filter to buy if you consume tap, tank or bore water
• How to effectively clean your home without the need for conventional chemicals
• What hazards to look for when renovating or building your home
• Wireless internet and their impact on your health - the concerns raised by progressive countries
• Much, much more!

One thing I found particularly impressive was the detailed checklist provided in Chapter 2 for use by anybody who is looking to buy or rent a home. It covers not only things that we may think about (e.g. the presence of high voltage power lines nearby), but also things that we would probably not generally consider (e.g. signs of geopathic stress; if the home is supplied by bore/well water, asking when the water was last tested to identify contaminants).

The book is well referenced and uses interesting “Did you know” facts and cartoons to highlight important points, break up the text and make it easy to read. It is a “must have” for anybody who is looking to create a healthier home environment.