Don’t take a summer vacation from health

Alternative health expert provides tips

Nothing’s more important than the air you breathe and the water you drink, and it’s worth spending some money on them, says alternative health expert Bryce Wylde.

Wylde, who’s a clinician, author and TV host, has been touring the country delivering summer tips on how to be more healthy, indoors and out.

“Purify your air, purify your water the right away, get a great night’s sleep,” he said. “The outdoor (advice) would be, use the right sunscreen (some sunscreen is so effective it keeps us from getting enough Vitamin D) because skin cancer is a serious problem, eat and hydrate safely, and some tips around barbecuing.”

First, air. Wylde says most of us breathe worse air indoors than we do outdoors, especially given things like scented soap, hairspray and perfume.

“Even when you bring your dry cleaning home and unbag it in your walk-in closet, there are things we can breathe in that are cancer causing. And since we spend 90 per cent of our time indoors, it’s important that we have the tools to improve the air we breathe,” he said, recommending home owners have their home checked for radon gas.

“Radon is a really harmful gas that you cannot see, smell, taste or otherwise detect, but which is known as the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking. It’s just not talked about enough, and increasing ventilation is the solution — it seeps up through the bedrock, even percolates through our toilets and the drains in our sinks.”

He also advocates the use of HEPA (highefficiency particulate arrestor) filtration, ideally for the whole house, though that’s quite pricey, but at a bare miminum in the bedroom. Wylde also advocates regular cleaning of household ducts, especially if you have pets.

Now, water. If your house is old enough, there may be lead in the water pipes, which can leach into your water. And he says municipal water is safe, but not pure.

“There’s a huge difference. Most treatment systems use chlorine to kill things like parasites and viruses that are found naturally in freshwater sources. The unfortunate reality is not all particulate matter, not all pharmaceutics (are removed). Using a reverse osmosis system in your home, if you can afford it, is the way to go,” said Wylde, listing things that can be in tap water but shouldn’t be, including hormones.

“You see these young boys developing man boobs, I see girls that are starting to mature at the age of nine, even eight, they’re getting their period ... Every time we pop a pill … traces of it come out in urine, and of course urine eventually finds its way back into our tap water.”

The HEPA filter in Wylde’s bedroom cost $650 and a reverse osmosis water system is $1,200-$1,500, but “your health is an investment, not an expense,” and if you stop buying bottled water, a RO system should pay for itself in 12 to 18 months.

When it comes to barbecuing, Wylde’s advice is a little more esoteric, but at least it’s cheaper.

“When we’re grilling meat, there are some issues to be concerned about when it comes to over-charring. Whether you’re grilling vegetables, tofu or red meat, or chicken or fish for that matter, what I highly recommend is try not to exceed 500 degrees Fahrenheit,” he said, suggesting glazing meat with avocado oil or red palm fruit oil from Malaysia because of their high smoke point, and using spices or herbs like rosemary, basil, thyme, sage and oregano.

“Just the right oils and the right spices and the right grilling temperature, and you’re turning that possibly pro-carcinogenic steak into something that’s a lot safer.”