How the recent fires in California affects your health and what to do about it

The wild fires in California has been a real tragedy for many.  Many have lost their homes, precious memories and their spirits.  My thoughts are with you.

A patient recently came in who was in the middle of the fires and complained of difficulty breathing.  The fires were literally a mile or so away from her home.  Her garage was covered with ash and soot.  Her house and car smelt like smoke.  If her home was covered in ash and soot, just imagine what she was breathing in.

I live about 20 miles away from some of the fires and it affected my breathing.  I can’t imagine what it would be like if I lived closer.  One of the first things that comes to mind regarding these fires are the chemicals released into the air from the burned homes.  Even more significant are the chemicals used in the fire retardants that are dropped from planes.

“It’s fairly well known that it’s toxic to aquatic organisms, to fish,” said Sue Husari, the fire management officer for the Pacific West region of the National Park Service. “In a lot of cases, we prefer to limit its use, but it’s definitely one of the tools we use.”

The use of the most common type of retardant, a fertilizer-like, phosphate-based compound, can vary by state or by who oversees the land where a fire is spreading. Among federal agencies, the Park Service is relatively cautious with retardant because part of its mission is to protect natural and cultural resources for public use. The State of California, however, has the largest aviation fire operation of any state and uses retardant aggressively not only to contain fires — retardant’s intended purpose — but also to try to extinguish them before they reach populated areas.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/us/16wildfires.html?ref=earth

Tips to help if you’ve been exposed to the fires:

Note: if you live anywhere in the vicinity of Santa Barbara or Southern California, you’ve been exposed.

Increase your detoxification mechanisms. Your lungs and liver are the most heavily impacted and both are primary routes of detoxification.  (If you are having serious respiratory issues due to the fires, please consult with your physician before beginning any self/home therapy).  I usually recommend 1,000 mg N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and 1,500 mg buffered vitamin C with bioflavanoids per day.  These will seriously kick up your detoxification mechanisms.

Drink lots of water. 1 liter for every 50 lbs of body weight.

See your local Chiropractor and have them adjust your rib cage to help increase your lung capacity.  When you’re exposed to airborne toxins your rib muscles and diaphragm go into a spasm and decrease your lung capacity.

If you have any questions please email me