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How to improve your home's indoor air quality.

As a naturopathic doctor who tries to practice holistically, I often find myself giving advice to patients beyond what one would typically get from a health care practitioner. I've had to do some detective work with patients trying to suss out the root cause of allergies or skin reactions. I remember one patient whose skin reacted negatively to a new brand of detergent she had begun to use.

I've also given advice on matters relating to household and indoor air quality. A few friends of mine have even laughed at some of the advice I give. For example, I advise patients with outdoor allergies such as pollen to brush their clothes and hair off before they enter their home. It seems simple, but how many people with allergies actually do that? Doing so will help to decrease the amount of allergens one brings into their house.

Here's an interesting article I found about ways to improve indoor air quality:
http://www.canadianliving.com/life/green_living/healthy_home_how_to_improve_indoor_air_quality.php

In addition to these tips, I would also recommend that families air out their homes once in a while by opening the windows. Studies have shown that indoor air quality is often worse that outdoors, so take the time to air out your residence even during the cold winter months. Of course, I don't recommend doing so during smog days and during allergy season if you have allergies.

If you have any good tips, I'd love to hear what you do to improve your indoor air quality.

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