441. Sick Buildings make people sick: Changing the air with Michael Rubino

Clean air is something we think more about in the context of pollution from cars and factories, but in the low tox community we know it to also include pollution from synthetic fragrance, VOCs, excess carbon dioxide and of course, mould. In the built environment mould can become excessive in the indoor environment due to either humidity, poor builds, waterproofing failures, water leaks, flooding, materials that easily decompose in humid climates, trapped moisture under interior material choices… After today’s show you will know more about: What some of the major players are in homes becoming sick and making us sick.Stories where people are experiencing horrendous things before they find out their ailments and surgeries are due to mold in their homes. Progress being made in public military housing in the USA. Growing the conversation of modern building “success” beyond energy efficiencyHow mold is prime for having its moment, following the footsteps of lead and asbestos before it. How a brand new home can already be contaminated with moldHow to better build and maintain home - material and climate considerations. How we can build a health-utopia - healthy homes and people! Learn Michael’s “utopia wish list”.I hope you get as much value out of the show as I always get speaking with Michael. To hear more shows we’ve done on mold, learn my story and find resources for support, head to https://www.lowtoxlife.com/so-you-think-youve-got-mould/Alexx Stuart, your host. Want to learn more about this week’s guest? + https://www.themichaelrubino.com/+ https://homecleanse.com/+ https://www.instagram.com/themichaelrubino/Thank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps! 15% off site-wide @blockbluelight_official with code LOWTOXLIFE to help you with your lighting, health and skin goals enhanced by light - or lack thereof! When Daniel the founder felt awful at work and wanted to figure out why, he realised it was the fluorescent lighting and started to block it out - he was shocked, and you will be too! Enjoy! https://bit.ly/blockbluelight_lowtoxlife@ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimateBe sure to join me on Instagram @lowtoxlife and tag me with your shares and AHAs if something resonated! I love to see your thoughts, genuinely!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would your dream grocery store look like? Chances are, like many, you see a lot of injustice in the land of ‘food giants’ with corporate CEOs paid millions and large percentages of families skipping meals due to food insecurity: Is it hopeless? Will it all just get worse? It doesn’t have to. That’s why this podcast is here with you today. My guest, Jon Steinman, author of "A Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants," and I discuss the history and evolution of the food system, with a particular focus on the rise of low-priced food culture and its societal implications (Did you know we used to spend 30% of our wages on food?). Steinman advocates for food co-ops of all shapes and sizes as a more equitable and resilient alternative to corporate-owned grocery giants, highlighting their community ownership, fair practices with suppliers, and positive contributions to local economies and well-being. The food prosperity economy. We explore the realities of the Grocery Giant downsides while painting a picture of all that can be - and in some cases IS and how you can have this in your community, too. I hope you love this conversation as much as I didAlexx Stuart, your host. Want to learn more about Jon’s work? https://grocerystory.coop/ Book: https://bit.ly/3Y2SB70 Thank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps! @Pureearthaustralia - a wonderful Aussie low tox brand to put on your radar with a commitment to local, closed-loop production, the purest, simplest of effective formulations and an accessible price point. Did I mention their incredibly well-considered packaging? This is for the ‘all of it matters to me’ low toxer. 20% off until July 15 with code LOWTOXLIFEINTERNATIONAL: 15% off site-wide @blockbluelight_official with code LOWTOXLIFE to help you with your lighting, health and skin goals enhanced by light - or lack thereof! When Daniel the founder, felt awful at work, he eventually realised it was the fluorescent lighting and started to block it out - he was shocked at the results, and you will be too! Enjoy!@ausclimate our major partner gives you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if our lack of understanding about our inner mamma selves was what was holding us back from living more fulfilled lives. Loretta Breuning, PhD was frustrated as a professor and a mom, about how we were studying, teaching and applying learnings on motivation and happiness, and so she retired early from academia to study the mammalian brain and see if we might better optimise our natural wiring - what she found has seen her produce 10 books, translated into 16 languages and today we explore: Tribe: Myths and misunderstandingsSafety in numbers? Well, for some, yes, for others, it can mean death. Happiness: If we get it for free, or chase someone else’s version? No good!Motivation and reward: What is the ease of access to each other and technology doing here? So fascinating. It gave me a great deal to reflect on and challenged some of my previously held understandings. I hope you love the show and discuss it with a friend - or me on socials! AlexxWant to learn more about Loretta’s work? Website: https://InnerMammalInstitute.org Thank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps! @Pureearthaustralia - a wonderful Aussie low tox brand to put on your radar with a commitment to local, closed-loop production, the purest, simplest of effective formulations and an accessible price point. Did I mention their incredibly well considered packaging? This is for the ‘all of it matters to me’ low toxer. 20% off until July 15 with code LOWTOXLIFE@ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimateWant to support the Low Tox Life podcast? No1. Subscribe wherever you listen to it! It makes a huge difference to the reach No2. Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much! No3. Join the Low Tox Club - so many member perks and a wonderful community. Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We think we’re so sure about what we know about science - did you know, though, that there are 48 catalogued forms of bias? There exists, and I was excited to learn this, a catalogue of bias that is constantly tweaked and updated. Which leads me to today’s show with Dr Lewis Ehrlich - one of our most popular guests over the years. When I saw Lewis had been accepted into a one-of-a-kind postgraduate program in Evidence-Based Medicine and Healthcare at Oxford University last year, I was already excited about this conversation I knew we’d have for the show once he completed it!What’s brilliant about this program is that you come together with people from outside your medical field - neurosurgeons, Oncologists, Orthopaedic Surgeons, Cardiologists, Public Health PhDs, and general practitioners- to conduct, analyse, critique, and improve scientific literature. It was a tremendous honour to be accepted into and learn at this historic University.We explore science in today’s show, both generally and as it relates to Lewis’s field of practice, dentistry. You’ll hear about:Bias and how we both form them and become more aware of them in our own lives as we explore topicsNuance - it’s all about who you are and what you need, and our system isn’t built for thatThe need to leave our black and white frameworks in medical practice, while also not throwing everything we know out the windowThe fine line between curiosity and analysis, and suspicion and mistrustFluoride as an example - not always essential, not always ‘bad’ either if you consider all relevant factors in a ‘to fluoridate or not’ debateNew frontiers in dental healthWhat we know for sure helps us keep excellent oral health overall.Enjoy the show. AlexxWant to learn more about this week’s guest?Instagram: @doctor.lewis ; @sydneyholisticdentalThank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps!@Pureearthaustralia - a wonderful Aussie low tox brand to put on your radar with a commitment to local, closed-loop production, the purest, simplest of effective formulations and an accessible price point. Did I mention their incredibly well-considered packaging? This is for the ‘all of it matters to me’ low toxer. 20% off until July 15 with code LOWTOXLIFE@ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimateBe sure to join me on Instagram (@lowtoxlife) and tag me if this one resonates!Want to support the Low Tox Life podcast?Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much!Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month and lots of low tox perks! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are you happy with how your gut feels? What if some of the most common things we thought were ‘right’ about gut health are wrong, now that we have more research findings and peer reviews in the bank? Chances are you want to improve your gut health, and so: Let’s do it!This show with @drbradleech is a must-listen. We cover: The No 1 gut health no no: And it isn’t “food!”Testing relevance and research improvements Supplementation - benefits and pitfallsHow treatment approaches shift as research improves. Terminology myths we need to stop perpetuatingPractitioner finding: How will I know someone is “good”?DIY gut health improvement - can we do it safely? Dr Brad Leech is a PhD Clinical Nutritionist and Herbalist renowned for his expertise in addressing chronic autoimmune conditions and complex gastrointestinal disorders. He provides complete and personalised care to his patients using functional nutrition, integrative medicine and holistic wellness.And much more - Jump in and take a listen! Your host, AlexxWant to connect with Brad’s work? WebsiteInstagramLow Tox Offers this month: Thank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps! @forestsuperfoods - Fancy a free $117 welcome pack as a new customer? This Australian, wholefoods high-grade supplement company with a filler-free range of health-enhancing products has got you covered. In June at www.forestsuperfoods.com.au/lowtoxlife you have a very generous gift of Forest Super Foods’ best-selling duo: Ashwaganda and Lion’s Mane + a gorgeous reusable glass bottle valued at $117 for all new subscriptions - even if you subscribe to just one product! Enjoy.@ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimateBe sure to join me on Instagram @lowtoxlife and tag me with your shares and AHAs if something resonated! I love to see your thoughts, genuinely! Support the podcast? Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much! Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - monthly practitioner live masterclasses, a suite of low tox store discounts from around the world and the most supportive and lovely chat group on all low tox topics on the internet: Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gabriela Rosa realised she was onto something, when her clinic started producing healthy baby after healthy baby in partnership with their patients, when they’d ‘tried everything’ before finding her. That journey has led her to where she is now - in the final throes of her doctorate in Public Health at Harvard University in the USA - also now the epicentre of uncertainty for international students as well as the research funding that many don’t realise benefits millions of people around the world in scientific advancements.On this show, we discuss many aspects to the public health crises playing out in modern day.Fertility challenges and needing to dramatically change the way we support people.Health care access - how we can avoid elitism and the best health care being for the privileged fewArriving at consensus: How is this done? What is involved? Is there the right to question each other in the halls of Harvard?Gabriela Rosa is a fertility specialist, reproductive health educator, and Harvard University-awarded scholar and an accomplished and experienced business leader and entrepreneur. Gabriela created the world’s first entirely virtual and holistic fertility clinic.Enjoy the showYour Host, Alexx StuartWant to learn more about this week’s guest? Website | InstagramThank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps!@forestsuperfoods - an Australian, wholefoods high-grade supplement company with over a decade of providing people with the best quality, filler-free range of health-enhancing products. In June at www.forestsuperfoods.com.au/pages/low-tox-life they’re offering a very generous gift of their best-selling duo + a gorgeous reusable glass bottle valued at $117 for all new subscriptions. The super-flexi sub lets you change and try different products each month!@ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimateBe sure to join me on Instagram @lowtoxlife and tag me with your shares and AHAs if something resonated!Want to support the Low Tox Life podcast? Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much! Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - monthly practitioner live masterclasses, a suite of low tox store discounts from around the world and the most supportive and lovely chat group on all low tox topics on the internet: Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s your relationship with the meditative arts? Tried meditation but gave up because of being ‘too busy brained’? Think Tai Chi and Qi Gong is for the elderly only? Find it hard to keep a regular practice? Maybe it’s just overwhelming as to ‘what’ to exactly do and it’s a worry it’s ‘not working’?On this week’s show I invited Jeff Patterson who has been practicing, studying and teaching in the meditative arts for over 30 years and I can confirm, even just speaking with Jeff, by the end of our time together I was calm, centred and had a super productive day, despite having just moved house! We dive into the benefits of the meditative arts, how to tailor the experience of mindfulness, meditation and movement-based meditative arts to your life, priorities and curiosity. So many golden nuggets!Alexx xWant to learn more about this week’s guest?Jeff Patterson has over 36 years of experience, practicing and teaching the meditative and martial arts. As the founder of Northwest Fighting Arts, Portland Tai Chi Academy, and The Yielding Warrior, where he emphasizes the transformative power of meditative and martial arts practices, particularly the yielding concept.Website or Instagram or LinkedInThank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps!@forestsuperfoods - an Australian, wholefoods high-grade supplement company with over a decade of providing people with the best quality, filler-free range of health-enhancing products. In June at www.forestsuperfoods.com.au/pages/low-tox-life they’re offering a very generous gift of their best selling duo + a gorgeous reusable glass bottle valued at $117 for all new subscriptions. The super-flexi sub lets you change and try different products each month!@ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip - and if you haven’t seen my edu-reels on Insta for managing moisture/humidity and preventing mould head to @lowtoxlife and check them out!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimateBe sure to join me on Instagram @lowtoxlife and tag me with your shares and AHAs if something resonated! I love to see your thoughts, genuinely!Want to support the Low Tox Life podcast?Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much!Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - low cost, low tox group support + plenty of member perks  Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A treat on the podcast this week as we lift this epic class with @healthykidshappykids renowned paediatrician and author, Dr Elisa Song, out of our Low Tox Kids course vault for you.With empowering knowledge and upgraded habits, we can keep medications for when they really do save the day - we’re lucky to have them, but the aim is to ensure a ‘genuine need’, not ‘quick repeat fix’ if there’s a broader piece to work on for a better long game. I never knew with all my migraines in my late teens/early 20s, that burning through a pack of Paracetamol/Codeine combo pills a month was not a great idea for my liver. I also became resistant to Amoxycillin by 28 with chronic tonsillitis - that’s what led me to naturopathy, learning about immune system strengthening, addressing food intolerances and then going onto look at more day-to-day products and BOOM: Founding the Low Tox Life as a blog in 2009 when I saw how any good-better-best options there were to switch to - and even more now 15 years later!Since 2014 I’ve been bringing incredible experts together in more structured ways of learning for specific goals away from the internet noise. We have 10 courses at Low Tox Life to help support your goals. Our in house practitioner, Lisa Waayer, a naturopath and building biologist, has been hard at work with me these past few months, upgrading our 10 courses to ensure they’re 2025-up-to-date. Low Tox Kids is SO helpful and this class with Dr Elisa Song from the course is a topic that a lot of parents want help with: Confidence in a wider range of tools beyond allergy meds, painkillers/fever-reducers and antibiotics for our kids when appropriate. A physician’s guidance is here to help - as powerful and helpful as it was when we recording this for the Low Tox Kids course 7 years ago!Other shows I’ve done with Dr Elisa Song:Immune Health in KidsThe Allergy Epidemic in KidsConnect with Dr Elisa:WebsiteInstagramThank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps!@ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimateJoin me on InstagramWant to support the Low Tox Life podcast?Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much!Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - packed with perks - Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fatigue? Low Resilience when you know deep down you’ve usually ‘got this’? Anxiety? Thyroid problems? (especially conversion issues) On this week’s show, I invite back to the show, one of Australasia’s leading nutritionalBiochemists and 13 x best-selling authors, Dr Libby Weaver to discuss IRON and it is SUCH a helpful literacy-building conversation to help you: Know what to ask for when testingKnow what to do/explore when supplementingKnow what to watch for as a parent with your kids and as a woman going through pregnancy and mid life transitions and how they affect ironKnow how to apply dietary changes to ensure your iron is centre stage on the plate (all diets)Know what cofactors to consider for iron absorption and usageJust. So. Darn. Useful and with a good side serving of Libby’s incredible knowledge, good vibes and desire to help you feel your best. Enjoy - share it with your friends. This is going to help a lot of people, I know, Your Host, AlexxWant to learn more about this week’s guest? Website: https://drlibby.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/DrLibby/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu3rc9NVGa6z7fs6xSvxuUg Their book: Thank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps! @ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for the whole of 2025, with brilliant Winix Air Purifiers, the best Dehumidifiers I’ve ever used and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimate@ediblebeautyau has put together a generous offer for us - 30% off for the month of May with code: LOWTOXLIFE. Seriously. Why not indulge yourself in the ultimate low tox facial, for some self-pampering this month?! Enjoy Alexx xBe sure to join me on Instagram @lowtoxlife and tell me how you enjoyed the show!Want to support the Low Tox Life podcast? Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much! Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - monthly practitioner live masterclasses, a suite of low tox store discounts from around the world and the most supportive and lovely chat group on all low tox topics on the internet: Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cult thinking. Groupthink. Black and white thinking. “Loud, vocal thinkers’ and how extreme sound bites dominate the modern media landscape thanks to algorithms, painting a ‘majority picture’ when most people are not living out those extremes in day-to-day lives.It’s quite a time to be alive, and also a time when it’s very easy to let the fear of something cloud our ability to judge the reality of a situation fully. Is “Apatheism” a new way forward? I’ve always been fascinated by people we turn into our saviours and gurus, as well as charismatic authoritarians who sweep in and seduce us in our personal or collective vulnerable times.. That moment we start rationalising and making excuses for a cult leader, where perhaps a couple of years ago, we’d have been dead against that very thing/person we now defend.On Monday, I explore the murky waters of freedom, autonomy, cults and social systems with Professor of Political Science and Constitutional Law, Adam Scott Kunz, who specialises in cults and political philosophy and has worked alongside the famed Dr Janja Lalich, considered a global authority on cults, until her recent retirement.This show is NOT an attack on anyone, your beliefs, your religion, the diet you feel healthiest on or other held views, but a show to see how we can ensure we are “critical thinking” and not just believing we are, and how we can balance beliefs with values with freedom and come together on common overlaps that benefit us all and how we all struggle with freedom and belonging and ‘others’. One thing I know for sure after this conversation is that the best thing is to know we don’t know anything for sure. So there you go! I hope you tune into this fascinating exploration… Alexx xWant to learn more about this week’s guest? Website: www.adamkunz.com Thank you to this month’s show partners for joining us to help you make your low tox swaps! @ausclimate is our major partner giving you 10% off their range for 2025, with Winix Air Purifiers, Dehumidifiers and their new energy-efficient heating, air-circulating and cooling range. code LOWTOXLIFE (also works over and above their sales - pro tip!) https://bit.ly/ShopAusclimate@ediblebeautyau has put together a generous offer for us - 30% off for the month of May with code: LOWTOXLIFE. Seriously. Why not indulge yourself in the ultimate low tox facial, for some self-pampering this month?!Be sure to join me on Instagram @lowtoxlife and tag me with your shares and AHAs.Want to support the Low Tox Life podcast?Free option: Leave a 5 star review wherever you listen to Low Tox Life - thanks SO much!Paid + Member PERKS: Join the Low Tox Club - monthly practitioner live masterclasses, a suite of low tox store discounts from around the world and the most supportive and lovely chat group on all low tox topics on the internet: Check it out and join here for just the price of a coffee per month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.