About

Ruth’s Story – Why I Became an Advocate for Healthy Interiors

Before moving to Austin, I lived with my family in a lovely apartment in Nantes, France. It had everything we wanted: high ceilings, French-door windows, plenty of light and working fireplaces. But, those beautiful surroundings held a big surprise — within a week of living there, I couldn’t sleep, was constantly tired, my normal high energy level waned, my body ached for no apparent reason, and yet my doctors insisted everything was fine. They could’t explain my symptoms.

A subsequent consultation from a healthy home expert rendered unexpected, but very sound advice:  Move. She insisted that recommendations and solutions were not usually so radical, but that the huge electrical cable box for the entire street was attached to the balcony outside my bedroom window and created a highly charged, toxic, electromagnetic field 24/7.

I read and re-read the report and discovered a lot of new words and ideas about the negative impact electromagnetic radiation can have on the human body. It became clear how one could have a healthy lifestyle — eating right, exercising, taking vitamins, getting proper rest– and still wake up tired and achy.  We were also seriously worried about how our young child was being affected by this environment. We took the advice, moved to a healthier building and within a few weeks, my health issues improved. Nothing in my lifestyle had changed except the environment.

This led me to study Le Bien Être Chez Soi from France (Wellness In Your Home) and Bau-Biologie from Germany, or “Building Biology.” Both are practices that study the effects of environments on the human body and offer solutions on how to create nurturing spaces.

I became a passionate student of multiple disciplines that coalesce to create healthier homes and working environments and subsequently added Feng Shui to the mix by becoming a certified Feng Shui Practitioner (AMANF).

Feng Shui is a 3,000-year-old complex body of knowledge that teaches you how to balance and harmonize with the energies in a given space. However, some of the principles are not practical in today’s modern world, whereas Building Biology provides guidelines based on science and measurable evidence. When these two traditions are combined, powerful results can be achieved.

Since returning to the U.S., I continue to learn and to practice multiple disciplines that lead to healthier living and am inspired by the abundance of natural, healthy products and information that’s available. However, I’m also shocked by the abundance of chronic illnesses, obesity, respiratory diseases and prescription drug dependency. What I’ve seen and learned since starting this journey has convinced me that prevention is the best cure, and that to make a difference, I must become a stronger advocate for Healthy Living. Creating this Module with Guidelines is one more step forward in an ongoing project. The learning process that began as a means to improve my health is not complete unless I’m able to share it.

MY MISSION is to make a difference and to promote Healthy Living practices that show conscientious persons how to create healthy interiors that support, honor and nurture their families.

Who should care about creating Healthy Interiors?  

In an ideal world, architects, designers, contractors and buyers would work with a “Building Biologist” as a first step. This is the expert that would provide guidelines to ensure the building would be a healthy one. Other than common upgrades such as granite cabinet tops and flooring and other decorative items, most buyers have little to say about the building materials. Building materials are where many health problems begin. Those concerned about their family’s health should care about creating Healthy Interiors and should investigate how health goals are supported or challenged by daily interior environments.

Creating a healthy home requires a close, targeted look at the elements you surround yourself with to understand how those elements support and nurture you, or how they undermine your efforts. This includes the way you’ve organized your rooms with modern conveniences:  smart meters and televisions, stereo systems, voice-controlled personal assistants, cells phones, cordless phones and more. Individual rooms, like nurseries and bedrooms, demand specific attention to provide elements needed to protect babies and to create spaces conducive to good, sound sleep.Guidelines in the Module help you discover and understand the existing conditions in your home and provide solutions to correct, or, at least mitigate some of the causal factors.

Guidelines also consider products you use in your homes — good smelling fragrances that can be toxic, body and house cleaning products, deodorants, or the type of bed frames and mattresses you sleep on. Special care should be given to children’s and babies’ rooms, people with chronic health problems and older people, because their immune systems are either not fully developed or are weakened.

Sometimes, unhealthy, toxic homes have extreme issues that require on-site consultations and various expert inspections to identify and remedy the problems. When needed, healthy building practitioners can, and should, provide on-site expertise. However, regardless of where you live, there are numerous things you, the private individual, can do to prevent, or correct, certain issues. This module can help you understand what constitutes a Healthy Home. The solutions-based Guidelines can help improve your indoor environment and create healthier, nurturing spaces for you and your family.

We can’t control the world, but we can change how we live it.

The opinions and views on this site are based on my own personal experiences as well as current scientific evidence. Content on this site or in the module is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified expert with any questions you may have regarding a medical question, condition, or safety concern.