Here in the Phoenix Valley, most of the people I interact with are experiencing some type of respiratory symptoms. We commonly attribute symptoms like congestion, nasal discharge, and coughing to the flowering of plants during the spring season.

Although this is a source of these symptoms, there are many air pollutants that also heavily contribute. With the steadily increasing population of the Phoenix Valley, we have a lot more exposure to harmful chemicals, with less access to clean outdoor spaces. According to the WHO (World Health Organization) and the PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), air pollution is the largest environmental risk factor to health. We can include many preventative steps at home to decrease our exposure and limit our symptoms.

Sources of Air Pollution:

Typically, indoor air is more toxic than outdoor air. This is a major problem considering most people spend 90% of their time indoors—women in low-income areas, children, and elderly people are the most susceptible groups. Indoor air is affected by a variety of factors, but the highest exposure sources are the use of air deodorizers, washing dishes, washing clothes, cooking on a gas stove, smoking, painting, and having carpet floors. There are both chemical and biological sources of air pollutants that range from solvents to mold growth.

Urban areas are known to provide the highest exposure to harmful chemicals in the air—especially in valleys and cities located against mountains. Out of all the types of air pollutants seen, solvents are present in the highest amounts. Exposure to solvents (more specifically benzene and benzene by-products) commonly causes skin rashes, confusion, fatigue, decreased concentration, allergies, headache, anxiety, muscle weakness, and depression. The most prevalent exposures come from gasoline. Pumping gas or even turning on your car are the highest times of exposure. Delivery drivers, truckers, airport workers, flight attendants, frequent fliers, commuters, and gas station workers have the most severe exposures. Other sources of air pollution outdoors include ozone, blooming plants, smoke, and industrial by-products.

Ways to Avoid Indoor Pollution:

1. Avoidance of smoking and cooking at high temperatures in addition to increasing air circulation is key to limiting exposure to these pollutants.
2. Opening windows to bring in outside air dilutes the amount of emissions from indoor sources you are exposed to.
3. Transitioning to cleaning products that are unscented, organic, and non-toxic can help with this as well.
4. Introducing air filters is a great option. Especially in the living room and bedrooms, as this is usually where people spend most of their time at home. HEPA and ULPA air filters remove between 99.97-99.99% of all air pollutants. They can be quite pricey, there are options ranging from $50-$3,000, important things to consider are: what size room the filter is rated for and how often you need to replace the filters.
5. Adding as many plants as you can take care of, can be a more sustainable and budget-friendly option. Plants to consider adding include Boston fern, peace lilies, English ivy, snake plant, lady palms, golden pothos, wax begonia, red-edged dracaena, rubber plant, bamboo palm, and pygmy date palms. If you have pets, please check if any plants you add are toxic!

Powerful Lifestyle Support:

In addition to the changes you can implement in your home, supporting detox pathways through diet and lifestyle can make a major impact on the severity of your symptoms.

1. High protein intake is necessary for supporting the liver in metabolizing toxic chemicals. Including leafy greens high in chlorophyll can also be beneficial for antioxidant activity and decreasing inflammation.
2. For symptom relief, cooking with aromatic foods like onion, garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cumin, clove, mint, and cardamom can open the nasal passages.
3. Green tea is a good consideration for increasing antioxidant activity and tonifying tissue. Tea made with Urtica dioica leaf (nettles) is also useful for decreasing histamine responses.
4. Lifestyle changes to include focus on increasing physical activity, sweating, and pooping. Any movements, including walking, swimming, or dancing are great sources of exercise. The use of saunas (especially far-infrared saunas) is great for increasing sweating.
5. Constitutional hydrotherapy, a procedure performed in-office (the use of alternating heat and cold applied to the chest) is beneficial in increasing circulation and stimulating sweating.
6. Nasal lavage and steam inhalations can decrease congestion, especially when paired with botanicals like eucalyptus or lemongrass.
7. Colon hydrotherapy, or colonics, is an application where water is used to flush out waste products from the colon. This procedure is useful for most patient populations, whether they experience constipation.

Helpful Resources:

There are organizations with more information on environmental pollution, please keep in mind that many of these organizations do have partnerships with other companies so there may be biases present. The Environmental Working Group (https://www.ewg.org/), The Green Guide (https://greenguide.co.uk/), and The Organic Consumers Association (https://organicconsumers.org/) contain useful information on cleaning and food products that are harmful, most commonly seen pollutants in your area, as well as recommended air and water purifiers.

Overall, supporting whole-body health will make the most long-term difference. Most commonly, addressing any problems with digestion and elimination. Working with a practitioner that focuses on holistic care will help you make the most appropriate decisions for your situation. Schedule a consultation for more information on what you can do to support your detox pathways and decrease your environmental exposures.

Dr. Anna-Maria DeCarolis, NMD

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