by: Julie Genser (NaturalNews.com)
April 9, 2008
The concept of home is universal, shared among not only the cultures of the world but much of the animal world as well, from nesting birds to burrowing rodents, to sea creatures to snails that are born with a home on their back. For most of us, animals included, home is a place to rest our weary heads, raise our young, and stay protected from the elements.
It is human nature to create a sense of home, even when transient or homeless. When I backpacked the world, a photo from home, a colorful scarf, and a small cup with a flower were enough to mark my new territory as home. Our sense of home makes us feel safe, comfortable, and grounded in our identity. Without it, we can feel uncertain, vulnerable, uncomfortable, unsettled. Nothing in life will feel exactly right if we don't have that home base to start from.
So what about the growing sector of our population - now estimated to be between 12.6 percent and 33 percent1 - that suffers from some form of environmental illness, which can include sensitivities to chemicals found in everyday products and building materials, mold, sound, light, electricity, vibrations, and extremes of temperature? Reported as the "new homeless," 2 those with severe chemical sensitivity often find themselves living on the fringes of a chemically addicted society - in refurbished Airstream trailers, tents, and cars, in long-forgotten fields, miles from civilization.
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