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Is your home secretly harbouring toxic health hazards like mold, EMFs, and harmful chemicals? 

It’s not nice to think that where you live could be hurting you and your family, but according to today’s guest, Nicole Bijlsma — a world leading expert on building biology and environmental exposure — many of our homes are like ‘loaded guns’ when it comes to the toxic burdens they place on our bodies.

Luckily, there are LOADS of simple, doable, inexpensive things you can do to identify and fix toxic problems in your home — as well as to prevent them from taking hold in the first place. So in this episode, Nicole is here to walk us through everything we need to know to ensure our living spaces are as happy, healthy and allergy-free as possible.

Tune in to hear what REALLY causes mold and what to do about it, the horrifying number of health issues linked to common household items and building materials, the scary truth about the EMF radiation coming from your cell phone, what every parent MUST know before buying a baby monitor, what wifi is *really* doing to your body, how to design and build your dream home to ensure it’s as healthy and allergy-free as possible, what to do when there’s a mold outbreak (all my Aussie friends MUST listen to this bit especially!) and how to ensure that your bathroom and kitchen aren’t secretly hurting your health.

About Nicole Bijlsma

Nicole Bijlsma — PhD (pending), ND, BHScAc(HONS), Grad Dip OHS, Dip. Building Biology — is a building biologist, bestselling author (Healthy Home Healthy Family) and founder of the Healthy Home (Building Biology) movement in Australia. She established the Australian College of Environmental Studies in 1999 to educate people about the health hazards in the built environment.

Nicole has lectured at tertiary institutions for 30 years, has published in peer-reviewed journals and is regularly consulted by the media to discuss mold, electromagnetic fields and toxic chemicals, and lectures in Australia and abroad about environmental health issues. Her research explores the impact of environmental exposures on human health and their ramifications for clinical practice.

In this episode we chat about:

• The unexpected path that led Nicole to become an expert in environmental health (05:47)
• Unpacking the real root causes of mold in your home — and the serious health risks of leaving it untreated (11:08)
• The FIRST thing you need to do if you suspect a mold problem in your home (19:53)
• The best ways to proactively prevent an outbreak — especially when the weather is humid (24:09)
• Epic tips for anyone — especially Aussies — living in a mold-friendly climate (29:12)
• Important info about air filters and dehumidifiers (listen to this before buying) (34:02)
• The ultimate guide to a healthy home for anyone building or renovating. (Do NOT miss these tips — especially for bathrooms!) (41:13)
• Do this one thing after every shower to prevent mold (bonus: it’ll make cleaning SO much easier!) (48:40)
• Essential things to keep in mind for a healthy, mold-free kitchen (53:29)
• What WiFi is doing to your body and the steps you can take to protect you and your family right now (55:10)
• EVERY parent needs to know *this* about baby monitors (01:02:02)
• The scary truth about the EMF radiation coming from your cell phone and other items in your home (1:05:09)
• Crucial things to remember about power points and EMFs when building your dream home (1:08:41)
• What’s the deal with electric blankets — are they safe? (1:17:13)
• Simple steps to radically reduce the chemicals you use at home (1:19:25)

Episode resources:

• Healthy Home, Healthy Family: Is where You Live Affecting Your Health? By Nicole Bijlsma (book)
• Find A Consultant | Australian College of Environmental Studies (website)
• Mold Testing Technician | Australian College of Environmental Studies  (course)
• Advanced Diploma of Building Biology | Australian College of Environmental Studies  (course)
• Designing a Healthy Home | Australian College of Environmental Studies (course)
• Humidity Reader (shop)
• Pro Clima | Healthy Living (website)
• Bebcare | Zero Radiation Baby Monitor (shop)
• Conversations With God by Neale Donald Walsch (book)
• 32: Conversations With God And Neale Donald Walsch | The Melissa Ambrosini Show (podcast)

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that you’re here and would be SO grateful if you could leave me a review on Apple podcasts, that way we can inspire and educate even more people together.

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