Diagnosing a sick house

Q. How do you diagnose a house as 'sick'?

Houses are 'sick' when at least one of the occupants can relate the onset of their symptoms to it. A "sick house" diagnosis considers a range of environmental exposures that interfere with the body's natural systems both during the waking hours and during sleep. The 'sick house' can often be 'healed' by reducing the exposures that disturb the body's natural balance.

Q. Why doesn't a sick house affect the whole family? After all we're all breathing the same air!

Everyone in the family has a different 'personal environment' made up of their exposures to chemicals, electromagnetic fields, stresses, sleep, exercise, sleep locations etc. The sick house reflects an imbalance in the personal environment and it's that imbalance that provides so much scope for remediation.

Q. I'm thinking of moving to a new house. Are there any external risk factors that I should look for. (S.A. Canmore, Alberta)

The main risk factors are (1) heavy load power lines - the kind supported by pylons. Your house should be no closer that 150 meters and more if you already have any sensitivities, (2) Cell phone transmitters - your house should be no closer than 300 meters and more if you have any sensitivities, (3) A high water table, (4) radar transmitters, (5) wind direction blowing from industrial areas, (6) tree lined avenues.

Q. Since we moved into our house the whole family's been sick. We're so frustrated we're ready to sell.

Selling a house that you're sick in may take you from the frying pan into the fire! Use the exposures you have now to define what your new house shouldn't be.

Q. My son struggles with allergies whenever we visit friends. Are all their houses sick?

People tend to think of sick houses and sick buildings in terms of structural issues that impact air quality rather than as an envelope of their lives. I'd be inclined to think that your son's allergies are present at home too but he's used to feeling that way. The added excitement of an overnight at someone else's house probably has an impact on how well he sleeps. This can impact the level of reparation and preparation that his immune system achieves in getting him ready to take on the exposures of the new day. That would make him more vulnerable to unfamiliar exposures giving the appearance that the friend's houses must all be sick.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to replace the advice of a well chosen medical doctor.