Living outside, sleeping outside as 'treatment' for reactions to indoor air

[JanisB]

I'm not sure this is the right section for this thread, but I'd really like to hear from people who feel better outside than inside, and hear what you have done about it.

I moved outside my house into a tent on July 5 because we fogged the house with a product that I turned out to be sensitive to (it was supposed to be safe for people with MCS, but we are all different.) I found that I felt much better living outside. Then we took a 3 week trip in August to the Rockies. We tried various hotels and motels, but I got sick, so we ended up doing a lot of tent camping in national and state forests, most of them at primitive campsites. I kept improving, feeling stronger and more energetic. By the end of the trip, I found myself wanting to take hikes! I couldn't tolerate a friend's apartment, and also got sick one day that we went into 5 stores in a small, Colorado town. But I was also bothered by the dust out west, and I had a constant nosebleed from the dry air.

Now I'm back home in Ohio, still unable to tolerate my house, but not doing great, especially since I came inside last night and the night before because of rain with lightening and thunder.

If you've had similar experiences, please reply. I don't really want to be camping but I hate feeling as symptomatic as I am now when I know my body is capable of feeling so much better.

Plus, I'm trying to find a campsite in a semi-arid region that is warm enough for late September and all of October to be outside all the time and close enough to stores where I can buy organic food, and that has hot showers and flush toilets and wifi on the premises, but is also far enough from pollution that I'll feel okay there.

 

[rwac]

Try to figure out if it was the altitude. I live in CO, and I feel like I get sick everytime I take a trip ...

 

[kurt]

I'm not sure this is the right section for this thread, but I'd really like to hear from people who feel better outside than inside, and hear what you have done about it.

I moved outside my house into a tent on July 5 because we fogged the house with a product that I turned out to be sensitive to (it was supposed to be safe for people with MCS, but we are all different.) I found that I felt much better living outside. Then we took a 3 week trip in August to the Rockies. We tried various hotels and motels, but I got sick, so we ended up doing a lot of tent camping in national and state forests, most of them at primitive campsites. I kept improving, feeling stronger and more energetic. By the end of the trip, I found myself wanting to take hikes! I couldn't tolerate a friend's apartment, and also got sick one day that we went into 5 stores in a small, Colorado town. But I was also bothered by the dust out west, and I had a constant nosebleed from the dry air.

Now I'm back home in Ohio, still unable to tolerate my house, but not doing great, especially since I came inside last night and the night before because of rain with lightening and thunder.

If you've had similar experiences, please reply. I don't really want to be camping but I hate feeling as symptomatic as I am now when I know my body is capable of feeling so much better.

Plus, I'm trying to find a campsite in a semi-arid region that is warm enough for late September and all of October to be outside all the time and close enough to stores where I can buy organic food, and that has hot showers and flush toilets and wifi on the premises, but is also far enough from pollution that I'll feel okay there.

Hi Janis,
Sounds like your life has gotten complicated

The adjustment to a dry climate takes time, I made that shift three years ago and had to get used to both the altitude and dryness. But things did improve after a few months, quite a lot.
Since you need to be outdoors, have you considered part of that might be EMF sensitivity? Your comment about doing better in national and state forests, that is low EMF territory. Also, people with EMF problems do better when literally grounded, on the ground. You might try using a grounding wire if you have to be in a house (see lessemf.com). In my case I have found I do better in my basement, with feet on the cement floor, so that is where my computer and I live now much of the time...earthing.

 

[fla]

I would also suspect low EMF areas might help but they are hard to find in developed countries. Even the basement might have slightly lower EMF... how's the cell, radio, TV reception down there? If EMF's are causing an immune insult, how long would the EMF need to be removed/reduced for the patient to feel better? A hint comes from the rituximab trial which I believe took six weeks for patients to improve after the immune reaction itself (rather than the immune insult) was violently removed by rituximab.

 

[JanisB]

not sure about EMFs

I do have some EMF sensitivity here in Ohio -- I feel it in my hands from computer and in ears from cell phone -- but amazingly (to me at least) on the camping trip I had to use my cell phone one night for 90 minutes, and I used my laptop at wi-fi places, and didn't have an iota of sensitivity.

It seems to me that EMF may play a role, but it is a small role in comparison to mold, solvents, VOCs, and other chemicals. If I end up someplace without EMF, and then start reacting when I'm around it in a nearby neighborhood, I'll be convinced. But I think a lot of EMF reactivity arises from high osmolality, which I don't seem to have despite my abysmally low ADH.

Anyway, I appreciate the suggestions. And when I get into a drier climate, I hope to be far from the cell phone tower that was put up on my neighbor's property in 2005 1/4 mile from here. That can't be helping me, although ironically, I had a fabulous period of 9 months of almost complete remission in 2007 during which I could exercise vigoruosly and put in a full day before I had my big crash. Sigh.

 

[Nielk]

I had once tested the air inside my house as compared to outside and they found more mold spores outside than inside.
I stay indoors with an air filter working all the time. I don't feel well but, when I spend time outdoors, I feel worse.
I guess each situation is different and it also depends what pathogen you are sensitive to.

 

[Wayne]

Camping in Ashland, OR

Plus, I'm trying to find a campsite in a semi-arid region that is warm enough for late September and all of October to be outside all the time and close enough to stores where I can buy organic food, and that has hot showers and flush toilets and wifi on the premises, but is also far enough from pollution that I'll feel okay there.

Hi Janis,

Just wanted to mention that Ashland, OR would seem to fit the bill for your criteria. Falls are generally quite mild and sunny here. There's a campground on a reservoir only about five miles from town (not sure if they have wifi) and lots of organic foods in town (which do have places with wifi). Also, lots of national forest camping within just a few miles.

I can give you more details if you're interested. Not sure if Oregon might be too far west for you. Southern Oregon has a nice rural feel to it. Plus there's always the ocean a couple hours away. I also feel better when I get out and enjoy the countryside, so I think the air is generally good. A friend with mold sensitivities feels this area is generally quite good.

Ashland is also quite progressive regarding various alternative health care practitioners and eclectic spiritual orientations. I think probably half the people here meditate or do some kind of daily spiritual exercise. Makes for a nice "calm" and friendly atmosphere; people here are generally quite open and welcoming.

Hope you can find what you looking for.

Best, Wayne

 

[fla]

I wouldn't dismiss EMF just because of the absence of a short term/instant "allergic to EMF" type reaction. Long term EMF exposure may well stress the immune system of the genetically predisposed into a place where falling into the M.E. state is more likely the next time a virus/biological stressor comes along.

 

[kurt]

Don't forget the role of oxygen either. The O2 levels are probably significantly higher in a forest, or outdoors in general, as long as you are away from roads, highways, etc. I suspect O2 levels are lower indoors almost univerally.

 

[caledonia]

I've had about a 90% reduction in MCS by doing a partial version of Rich Vank's protocol (taking the active forms of B12 and folic acid).

If you're not already on some sort of similar protocol, I suggest trying it out. It raises glutathione in the liver so you can deal with chemicals better.

Remember to start low and go slow because it will also make you detox (ie feel worse if you go too fast).

I don't know how much progress you could make in the time that you're away. It took me about a year before I noticed a difference, but I had to start with extremely tiny amounts and the progress I was making was masked by neutralization drops I was taking.

Which reminds me - if you're in central Ohio, it wouldn't be that far to see my doc in Akron. He's an environmental medicine specialist. That's where I got the neutralization drops from. They work right away and are not expensive.

I will PM you with some info.

 

[JanisB]

Hi Janis,

Just wanted to mention that Ashland, OR would seem to fit the bill for your criteria. Falls are generally quite mild and sunny here. There's a campground on a reservoir only about five miles from town (not sure if they have wifi) and lots of organic foods in town (which do have places with wifi). Also, lots of national forest camping within just a few miles.

I can give you more details if you're interested. Not sure if Oregon might be too far west for you. Southern Oregon has a nice rural feel to it. Plus there's always the ocean a couple hours away. I also feel better when I get out and enjoy the countryside, so I think the air is generally good. A friend with mold sensitivities feels this area is generally quite good.

Ashland is also quite progressive regarding various alternative health care practitioners and eclectic spiritual orientations. I think probably half the people here meditate or do some kind of daily spiritual exercise. Makes for a nice "calm" and friendly atmosphere; people here are generally quite open and welcoming.

Hope you can find what you looking for.

Best, Wayne

Thanks. We've actually talked about moving to Ashland. My sister and brother-in-law love the town and often thought about moving there. It's a bit far to drive for now, but it might be a good place to spend the winter -- although my husband wants to go someplace truly warm. He lived in Oregon for 10 years and has wanted to go back there for awhile. We were a bit concerned about the high moisture between the coast and the mountains, and the many foggy and cloudy days in the winter. I hear Ashland tends to have more sun than Portland though, and I do want to see it, as it sounds like a wonderful community.

 

[JanisB]

Don't forget the role of oxygen either. The O2 levels are probably significantly higher in a forest, or outdoors in general, as long as you are away from roads, highways, etc. I suspect O2 levels are lower indoors almost univerally.

Probably a big issue for me, as my CO levels (arterial and venous) are high. Was even thinking of getting a portable oxygen tank to see how I did indoors with one of those wheeling around! I sure felt great in the ER in Colorado when I was on oxygen.
JanisB

 

[JanisB]

I've had about a 90% reduction in MCS by doing a partial version of Rich Vank's protocol (taking the active forms of B12 and folic acid).

If you're not already on some sort of similar protocol, I suggest trying it out. It raises glutathione in the liver so you can deal with chemicals better. .

I've been on methylation protocols for about 3, maybe 4 years, Rich VanK's, full Yasko, then Vinitsky, now a mismosh taking methyl B12 and 5-MTHF, but the MCS just arrived. People say this is TILT or a kind of unraveling that often arises when one removes oneself from a moldy environment.

Waickman can't see me for another 2 weeks. Have an appt. but I may be farther West by then. What a crazy situation!
JanisB

 

[Legolas]

article in Belgian newspaper

I'm not sure this is the right section for this thread, but I'd really like to hear from people who feel better outside than inside, and hear what you have done about it.

I moved outside my house into a tent on July 5 because we fogged the house with a product that I turned out to be sensitive to (it was supposed to be safe for people with MCS, but we are all different.) I found that I felt much better living outside. Then we took a 3 week trip in August to the Rockies. We tried various hotels and motels, but I got sick, so we ended up doing a lot of tent camping in national and state forests, most of them at primitive campsites. I kept improving, feeling stronger and more energetic. By the end of the trip, I found myself wanting to take hikes! I couldn't tolerate a friend's apartment, and also got sick one day that we went into 5 stores in a small, Colorado town. But I was also bothered by the dust out west, and I had a constant nosebleed from the dry air.

Now I'm back home in Ohio, still unable to tolerate my house, but not doing great, especially since I came inside last night and the night before because of rain with lightening and thunder.

If you've had similar experiences, please reply. I don't really want to be camping but I hate feeling as symptomatic as I am now when I know my body is capable of feeling so much better.

Plus, I'm trying to find a campsite in a semi-arid region that is warm enough for late September and all of October to be outside all the time and close enough to stores where I can buy organic food, and that has hot showers and flush toilets and wifi on the premises, but is also far enough from pollution that I'll feel okay there.

2 weeks ago, there was an article in one of the Belgian newspapers "Nieuwsblad" (a common read newspaper) about a women who completly recovered by sleeping outdoor. She fell a sleep once in a couch in the garden on a summer night and when she woke up, she felt almost symptomfree. Ever since she sleeps outdoor, (aldo she has a posh villa) and even when it is -15C at night.

This is the article (in flemish)
http://www.nieuwsblad.be/article/detail.aspx?articleid=QP3FM9US

On the Belgian/Dutch forum most were quite sceptic about it. Some thought she just had some kind of dust mites allergy.