by Sophia Ruan Gushée

Volatile organic compounds are chemicals that are emitted from both natural and artificial sources. This article focuses on VOCs from man-made products that pollute your indoor air, especially the sources that are easy for you to avoid.

What are VOCs?

VOCs are released as gases from some building materials and household products at room temperature.

Examples of common sources of VOCs in an average home include:

• Nail polish and nail polish remover
• ...

Podcast intro by Sophia Ruan Gushée

Sick building syndrome (SBS), or sick house syndrome, consist of various nonspecific symptoms that occupants of indoor areas experience. 

Symptoms of SBS include headaches, dizziness, chronic fatigue, nausea, irritation (of eye, nose, throat, or skin), difficulty concentrating, sensitivity to odors, allergies, cold, flu-like symptoms, increased incidence of asthma attacks and personality changes.

Author of Organic Lifestyle Made...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée

The scent of coffee invigorates me, and gets me excited for a sip.

The scent of essential oils relaxes me.

The scent of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg are ones I associate with Thanksgiving and the ensuing holiday season.

The scent of baby powder conjures images of darling, delicate baby clothes and even an image of a baby. Sometimes, I can even almost hear a baby coo.

And the lingering "baby smell" of my six-year-old daughter leads me to smell harder...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée

If you're not sick or suffering from known allergies, what might a stuffy nose or runny nose be trying to tell us?

The nose can communicate many important things to our brain and body. It can signal alarm from the smell of fire or something burning; stimulate our appetite and taste buds from the smell of a delicious meal or baked goodies; and it can trigger symptoms to get us to avoid toxic chemicals or toxic food.

Symptoms from...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée

Over the upcoming decade, you will hear a lot more about 5G.

So, what is 5G?

5G

5G describes a type of wireless communication network that is supposed to work even better: faster, including greater speed for a greater bandwidth of data transmission. It could substantially decrease the demand for cable connections because it will operate on the "cloud."

The "G" in 5G refers to "generation." Starting with 0G in the 1940s, 1G became popular circa...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée

I suffer from extremely distracting dry skin. If I'm not thoughtful and proactive about moisturizing my dry skin from right after I bathe or shower, then my attention becomes very distracted for the rest of the day by my cracked skin and chapped hands.

In the winter, my sleep is also interrupted by my dry itchy skin: sometimes I want to rip off the dry itchy skin on my back and the side of my ribs! Really.

With sensitive skin, I have been searching...

Would you like to detox your diet, beauty products, and self-care routine? Do you want to learn tips on how to read nutrition labels for healthier choices?

Attend this NYC event to learn from experts, and leave with great swag!

HelloWellness hosts monthly events for like-minded individuals in the health & wellness space. 

Hello Wellness: NYC Nontoxic Living Panel

I'm honored to be included among the 3 experts that HelloWellness gathered to share tips...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée

How often do you think about your nose?

I rarely do. Except when I have a stuffy nose, runny nose, or sneezing fits.

What does the nose do for us? How can we connect with it? Can doing so empower us somehow?

Come on, Let's Get to Know the Nose

The nose works hard for us. By taking the time to learn more about it, we can align ourselves to work with the nose—to guide us towards safety and health, investigate odors, explore chronic...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée

Creating a home base, or technology station, to organize my family's technology is helping to draw some ground rules in my home: all devices to home base at night to charge, power down devices, or even just disable WiFi and Bluetooth for the night.

5 benefits of designating technology to its home base

1. A technology home ameliorates concerns about digital addiction, EMF exposures, and emotional wellness from social media. I find...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée

We live with more EMFs than ever from our wireless and wired technologies. Headaches, nausea, fatigue are some symptoms that could signal that you may have electrohypersensitivity.

Learn more about this by reviewing the transcript below or listening to the podcast (just click above). There are things you can do to help you take care of yourself. You'll learn more about our ability to develop resiliency and recover. I also ask Dr. David O. Carpenter about...