4 Ways a Humidifier Can Improve Your Health

4 Ways a Humidifier Can Improve Your Health

Claremont Colonic Center
Used correctly, a humidifier can help with nose bleeds, allergies, dry skin, sleep quality and more
Static in your hair and sparks flying when you touch things are sure signs that the air in your house is too dry. And an arid home can negatively affect your health.

“When the air is dry, your respiratory system just isn’t happy,” shares pulmonologist Sobia Farooq, MD. “Even if you have no medical problems at all, you can feel the effects. Your skin and nasal passages get dry — all the way down to your lungs.”

But are humidifiers the solution? Oftentimes, the answer is yes. Dr. Farooq highlights their health benefits. She also shares essential tips on proper care and maintenance to ensure safe and effective use.

Are humidifiers good for you?

“Dry air can irritate your nose and lungs, potentially aggravating existing conditions,” Dr. Farooq explains. “A humidifier is one of the best ways to improve indoor air quality and support better breathing.”

She emphasizes that everyone can benefit from having a humidifier at home.

“Think of humidifiers as a preventive measure,” she states. “When the air lacks proper humidity, it becomes uncomfortable. Investing in a humidifier is an investment in your health. If you use one — and use it correctly — you’ll notice the difference and feel better.”

Here’s a breakdown of the most common types of humidifiers:

  • Central humidifier. Installed directly into your home’s heating and air conditioning system, this type controls humidity levels throughout the entire house. While it’s the most expensive option, Dr. Farooq notes that it’s also the most effective.
  • Evaporator. This device uses a moistened filter to create humidity that a fan then disperses into the room.
  • Impeller humidifier. This option produces a cool mist by using rapidly rotating disks to push moisture into the air.
  • Steam vaporizer. Powered by electricity, this device heats water and cools it before releasing vapor into the room. Vaporizers are portable and can be easily moved from one room to another.
  • Ultrasonic humidifier. Like an impeller humidifier, this type generates a cool mist using ultrasonic vibrations to distribute moisture throughout the room.

How humidifiers help

They’re not complicated machines, but humidifiers can seriously improve your life … and even your living space. That’s right! They’re even good for your furniture!

Dr. Farooq explains the health benefits of using a humidifier.

1. Improves congestion and cough

Keeping your upper respiratory tract properly moisturized can help it function more smoothly. A humidifier also helps thin mucus, making coughing or blowing your nose more effective.

2. Reduces asthma and allergy flare-ups

Adding moisture to the air can soothe irritation and reduce inflammation in your airways, helping them become less reactive. But it’s important to maintain indoor humidity below 50%. Also, ensure your humidifier is kept clean to avoid potential issues. (More on that in a bit.)

3. Betters sleep

Running a humidifier at night can help promote restful sleep in several ways.

When your airways are dried out, you’re more likely to snore. You’re also at a greater risk of waking up coughing or having your sleep interrupted by unpleasant symptoms like nosebleeds and dry mouth.

4. Moisturizes your skin, hair and nails

When the air has just the right amount of moisture content, Dr. Farooq says that it makes a difference you can see. Your skin is less likely to crack, itch and chap during the cold winter months.

Upping the humidity can make your hair similarly resilient, reducing split ends and static, improving texture, taming frizz and upping the shine factor. Some people even find that it makes their hair care products more effective.

And let’s not forget about your fingernails and toenails. During the wintertime, they can become dry and brittle. Using a humidifier can improve their strength, thickness and flexibility.

How often to run a humidifier

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends keeping your home’s humidity level between 30% and 50%. So, plan to run a humidifier whenever your household falls below that metric.

How often you run a humidifier depends on many factors, including:

  • The type of humidifier you have
  • How large the space is
  • How low the humidity is
  • The symptoms you’re experiencing
Your best bet: Check the operating instructions for your humidifier. You may need to run yours for as little as two hours. But some units are most effective when they run for 10 or 12 hours.

Can you add essential oils or anything else to it?

If you enjoy aromatherapy, you may be wondering if you can add a few drops of fragrance to your humidifier.

The (unsatisfying) answer is: It depends. But it’s usually not a good idea!

To be safe, check the manufacturer’s instructions before adding anything to the water in your humidifier. And keep the following out of the reservoir:

  • Essential oils. While some humidifiers are designed to diffuse essential oils, most aren’t. And using essential oils in a device that’s not built for them can damage the humidifier. “Certain essential oils can have implications for indoor air quality and could potentially impact respiratory health,” Dr. Farooq adds. “So, it’s crucial to exercise caution.”
  • Vinegar. Regularly sanitizing your humidifier with vinegar is a great way to keep it clean. But that means using vinegar during the cleaning process, not adding it to the water and running the unit.
  • Decongestant rubs. Avoid using humidifiers to disperse products like Vicks VapoRub®, Mentholatum® or Vaporex® into the air. These ointments can damage your humidifier and may contain ingredients that are unsafe for some people. In certain cases, they can even worsen specific medical conditions. (Note: Some decongestant brands offer steam vaporizers designed to safely disperse their products. Always review the ingredients and consult a healthcare provider before trying these options.)
What to keep in mind

You need to keep tabs on your humidifier to ensure it’s clean and in proper working order, Dr. Farooq says. Here are some basic rules to ensure your humidifier works for you, not against you:

  • Find the right spot. Don’t place humidifiers in confined spaces because excessive humidity can cause mold, mildew and bacteria to flourish.
  • Use the right water. The EPA recommends using filtered, demineralized or distilled water in humidifiers. This helps prevent the release of impurities and organic materials often found in tap water into the air in your room.
  • Refresh the water. Room-sized humidifiers use a gallon of water every 24 hours. Dr. Farooq recommends changing the water daily to avoid any mold or bacteria growing in standing water.
  • Clean your humidifier regularly. Wash and sanitize any buckets or filter systems every two to three days.
  • Change your filter. If you have a central humidifier, change the filter at least as often as the manufacturer recommends, or once a month.
  • Check the humidity level. Check your home’s humidity level every few days, because too much humidity (that is, over 50%) can cause lung problems, too. High moisture levels in the air can trigger allergies and asthma, as well as promote the growth of mold, bacteria, mildew and dust mites.
  • Consider purchasing a hygrometer. These devices monitor the amount of moisture in the air circulating throughout your home. (Keep in mind that some humidifiers come with humidistats built into the unit.)
  • Know when it’s time to replace your humidifier. Does your humidifier have stuck-on mineral deposits that are difficult or impossible to clean? Then it’s time to put it out to pasture and get a new one.
If you have any concerns that your humidifier could be negatively impacting your health — especially your respiratory health — Dr. Farooq urges you to stop using it and contact a provider.


Contributor: ClevelandClinnic.org

Top 3 Blood Pressure Reducing Minerals

Top 3 Blood Pressure Reducing Minerals

Claremont Colonic Center
High blood pressure is often referred to as a “silent killer.” Unlike many other medical conditions, there are no warning signs or symptoms that indicate something is wrong. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease, with over one billion individuals affected worldwide.
Seventy-two million Americans are diagnosed, yet millions more go undiagnosed each year. Medical experts estimate that 90 percent of all Americans will more than likely develop high blood pressure before the age of 65, thanks to the high-sodium and low-mineral diets so popular in America.

High blood pressure doubles the risk for experiencing a heart attack and increases the likelihood of stroke fourfold. It is also a factor in a myriad of medical conditions including dementia, kidney failure, osteoporosis, vision loss and other degenerative diseases and chronic illnesses.

For decades, health experts preached the importance of a low-sodium diet to help maintain healthy blood pressure levels. However, researchers now know that it takes more than reduced sodium intake to lower blood pressure. While lowering sodium intake will help, adding these three minerals to a balanced diet will aid in bringing blood pressure readings down into the safe and healthy zone.

Potassium. Potassium plays a key role in blood pressure, as it works to balance out the effects of sodium in the body. A recent study noted that the optimal ratio of potassium to sodium intake is a more effective means for lowering blood pressure than simply reducing sodium intake.

The 2:1 ratio would require the average person to consume 4,700 mg of potassium daily, while at the same time keeping sodium levels to half that amount. Increasing potassium alone doesn’t have as beneficial an effect.

The study authors noted, though, that a majority of Americans fail to meet either the sodium or the potassium requirements, consuming far too much sodium and not nearly enough potassium.

Calcium. Just about all (99 percent) of the body’s calcium is stored in the bones and teeth, but that one remaining percent plays a very important role in cardiovascular health. Calcium helps blood vessels to expand and contract. When blood calcium levels are low, the vessels can grow rigid, thereby increasing the pressure required to efficiently pump blood throughout the cardiovascular system. The body will also start to look for other sources of calcium to aid in this process and will ultimately draw from the bones, which can lead to osteoporosis over time.

A recent study indicated that those with low calcium intake lowered their blood pressure once calcium intake was increased. However, health professionals recommend food sources over supplementation, as the bioavailability is greater from whole sources.

Magnesium. Magnesium is an often overlooked mineral, yet it plays a number of very important roles in the body. Magnesium allows for both potassium and calcium to efficiently pass through cell walls.

This mineral also aids nitric oxide in allowing artery walls to relax, resulting in more efficient blood flow. A recent study found that a magnesium intake of 500 mg to 1,000 mg aids in reducing blood pressure, yet works most efficiently when the potassium to sodium levels are at the optimal 2:1 ratio.

Consuming adequate amounts of potassium, calcium and magnesium can easily be achieved by eating a diet rich in various fruits and vegetables. Dietary supplements can be of some benefit, but often their bioavailability is inferior to that of whole foods. Opt for organic produce whenever possible to ensure the richest sources of these important minerals.


Contributor: -The Alternative Daily

The Case for Resolutions

The Case for Resolutions

Claremont Colonic Center
Write them with us.
Does it feel like there’s something gauche — maybe a little anachronistic — about New Year’s resolutions? They run counter to the idea that we should accept who we are. That we should give ourselves grace. “Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?” It’s a question that asks someone to believe they are inadequate.

And I get that. My colleague Melissa Kirsch argues that resolutions shouldn’t be so grand that we set ourselves up to fail. Maybe it’s better to admit we won’t improve in the new year — a dose of realism with our Champagne.

No thanks. I love resolutions, and I love hearing what work other people choose to do on themselves. I think there’s a way to be better without believing you are deficient. A New Year’s resolution is an opportunity to give myself a sense of accomplishment. A gift to future me.

I’ve begun writing an annual list of things I want to do in the new year. This morning, I want to write my resolutions with you — and hopefully convince you to craft your own ideas for self-improvement.

That subject — “self-improvement” — is a bookstore section with a million entries. And real scholarship has looked at how people change, or try to. There are techniques that work for anyone hoping to make a change. But for me, I follow three rules.

It has to be measurable. “Eat at home more” might be a resolution, but it’s vague enough that you’ll never be accountable. “Eat at home five times a week” is a resolution.

It has to be realistic. There’s no way I can exercise for an hour every day for a month. Life gets in the way, and everyone needs rest. But exercise 10 times in a month? That’s definitely something I can do.

You have to want to do it. The truth is, I hate cardio and strength training. It wouldn’t be any good for me to write those down as resolutions, because they’re just chores. But I love yoga. It’s fun and relaxing. I feel accomplished and confident when I become more flexible.

Here’s what I’m writing on my paper:

  • Do yoga for an hour 10 times in one month.
  • Don’t bite your nails for two consecutive months. See the dentist twice this year.
  • Paint a painting.
  • Ride a roller coaster.
  • Make a new friend. (This one’s going to be a hard one.)

Then I fold the list up and put it away.

That’s right. It’s gone from my life. I don’t look at it until the end of the year. This isn’t homework. There’s no final exam. A new start is more like extra credit.

If I made my list right, at the end of the year, I’ll find that I accomplished a lot of what I set out to do. Not everything, of course — I’ve tried to quit biting my nails before, but I haven’t yet crossed it off.

Yet my resolutions usually work out. Why? Taking the time to think about what you want to do and who you want to be is the hardest part. Writing it down sets you up to be mindful of yourself and your goals. The satisfaction of crossing your resolutions off at the end of the year (or the self-reflection about why you weren’t able to) will motivate you to keep improving.

Best of all, there’s no pressure. We have an entire year to work on them. In fact, I can cross off something from my previous list right now: Publish an article in The New York Times.


Contributor: Lyna Bentahar – The New York Times

Major Discount Retailer Announces Massive “Going Out of Business” Sale

Major Discount Retailer Announces Massive “Going Out of Business” Sale

Claremont Colonic
The struggling chain recently filed for bankruptcy and closed hundreds of locations.
Big Lots—a discount retailer that sells groceries, furniture, toys, and other household essentials—just announced “going out of business” (GOB) sales at all of its remaining stores. The development comes a couple of months after Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming high inflation, interest rates, and a pullback in consumer spending for its financial challenges.

It shuttered hundreds of locations and entered an agreement to sell its remaining assets to the investment firm Nexus Capital Management. But in a Dec. 19 update, Big Lots announced that its deal with Nexus had fallen through.

The company is trying to work out an alternative purchase agreement with Nexus or another company and aims to complete a sale by early January. In the meantime, Big Lots is kicking off GOB sales “to protect the value of its estate,” according to a press release.

“We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale,” CEO Bruce Thorn said in a statement. (In a going concern sale, the buyer is able to continue operating the business.)

He added: “While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB process.”

The Big Lots sales are taking place both in person and online, with the website advertising discounts of up to 50% across the entire store. The company does not believe these sales will prevent it from finding a buyer, according to the press release.

Big Lots isn’t the only major retailer whose financial situation became extremely precarious in 2024. Earlier this year, the regional discount chain 99 Cents Only Stores announced that it was closing all 371 of its stores across Arizona, California, Texas, and Nevada. It attributed the decision to persistent financial challenges like inflation and shifting customer demand.

“This was an extremely difficult decision and is not the outcome we expected or hoped to achieve,” then-interim CEO Mike Simoncic said in a statement at the time. “We deeply appreciate the dedicated employees, customers, partners, and communities who have collectively supported 99 Cents Only Stores for decades.”


Contributor: Zoe Strozewski – Eat This, Not That!