MAKING WAVES WITH FENG SHUI

Healthy Bedroom Tips For Insomniacs And The Autistic

 by Dennis Fairchild

There is a test to find out if your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.

Richard Bach

The Japanese, Chinese, aborigine, Eastern and Native American Indians – some of the world’s oldest and most spiritual cultures – believe that every rock breathes. And not just stones and plants, but your home too. Our homes are more than an address: they are directly hooked to our life. A person and their habitat are one.

The ancient global philosophy of Feng Shui (pronounced ‘fung schway’) incorporates world-wide folklore, common sense, astrology and intuitive venues in the hope of creating the healthiest, happiest and most prosperous place to call home.

For a change, many recent letters to Making Waves were not concerned about the almighty buck. Instead, several were from parents of autistic children and folks who just plain can’t sleep. What follows are some tips from my friend, author Karen Rauch Carter, author of the popular Feng Shui title Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life (A Fireside Book; ISBN 0-684-86604-8).

Dear Dennis,
I’m a big fan of your column and phenomeNEWS. My query is about my 9-year-old son, Nick. A few years ago, he was diagnosed as having autism. Since then, I’ve become quite educated on the subject but am curious what Feng Shui has to say about it. Nobody in our household has had a good night’s sleep for years. Help!
Sharon F; Chicago IL; internet

Windy City Sharon:
Yours was the 13th letter concerning autism that I received within four weeks. Interestingly, on the day that I read yours, my Feng Shui associate’s newsletter addressed it. What follows are some nuggets. The author’s e-info is at end of the piece.

Over stimulation affects everyone. And, among the many theories out there about the cause of autism, both genes and environment are on the tops of many scientists’ lists. For example, a July study released by The California Department of Public Health suggested a connection between autism and exposure to pesticides while in the womb. Since environments, not genes, are my forte, I’ll give you some ideas from that point of view. For both aggression and “over-stimulated” symptoms, try to tone down the stimulation in the room and then you can work your way out into other parts of the house as needed.

A. Remove Wi-Fi, or any other wireless technology such as cordless phones and baby monitors and keep them away from the crib and all beds, please, as they are believed to generate aggressive behavior.

B. Remove electro-pollution as much as possible. That means getting everything that plugs in, out of the bedroom. Heating blankets, waterbed heaters, lights built into the headboard or anything else plugged in near you while sleeping is a no-no for optimal health. Shutting down the entire home’s circuit board while the family sleeps or at least the circuits that run electricity in the walls of the bedrooms, is also an option.

Yes, you’ve got to get wind-up alarms and yes, your food will stay cold in the fridge if it has to unplug for the experiment, but you may learn something about you son’s behavior in relation to “dirty electricity environments,” and sleep better than ever before! I might suggest testing this first, before you make any other changes to anyone’s room or environments, to give it the X-factor test so you’ll know whether this is a factor or not. (If you do this for 30 days and see no improvement whatsoever, then go ahead and turn it all back on and work the other things.)

C. Remove synthetic wall-to-wall carpet as it releases toxins into your breathing air. Use natural, hard-surface flooring with removable natural (like organic wool, cotton, sea grass, coir, sisal) rugs instead. If you meet this tip with resistance, read this article: http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm?fileName=030601a.xml#sidebar-1

D. Remove synthetic wallpaper with natural material and non-toxic paint and avoid as many plastic products as possible.

E. Avoid ionization-type smoke detectors (that have radioactive material in them if you can believe it).

F. Remove any toxic cleaning or pest-controlling chemicals from the home and yard. There are many organic and natural substitutes out there these days if you just look.

G. If you’re going all out I’d suggest getting a natural latex “no springs” bed mattress and natural pillows and natural, untreated bedding fabrics. Also, do not use a water bed or a metal bed frame. The best bed for all is a full wooden frame, preferably with untreated, unsealed wood. Are you starting to get the connection between the chemicals and synthetics in the home and a not-so-healthy environment yet?

Pity party got you down? Here are some healthy bedroom Feng Shui tips for everyone who’s been feeling more like a wiener rather than a winner:

A. Avoid an arrangement of having the bedroom connected to the garage (above it or next to it, etc.)

B. Placing the bed in a good position - a solid wall at the head of the bed, being able to see who’s coming in the door but not be in line with it and not having any electrical fields or electromagnetic fields on the bed (or play space for that matter.) Be mindful of what is on the other side of the wall from the headboard. Avoid locations where there is a toilet (or wet wall with water pipes in it,) stove, electronic device or circuit panel on the other side of the wall. Also consider what is above and below the bed and bedroom. If the air conditioner unit or a toilet is directly above the bed on the floor above, try a different location. If unavoidable, hang a round-ish crystal above the center of the bed with intentions of diffusing the harsh energy above.

C. No mirrors in the bedroom.

D. Avoid clutter at all costs. Every surface should have at least 50 percent of its space open and available (i.e., half of the night stand top, half of the floor space, half the wall space, etc.)

E. Colors: Incorporate warm, muted colors – like sage green. Don’t use bright colors – like reds and bright yellows especially. I’d suggest having the floor the darkest color in the room (for more grounding - which is usually needed in these situations), the walls the middle color and the ceiling the lightest color. Avoid painting the ceiling the same color as the walls and avoid having white, extremely light, or blue flooring.

F. Lighting: Use incandescent lighting in a way that creates low light stimulus. Avoid big overhead lights. As far as natural light goes, avoid sky lights in the bedroom, especially above the bed. Do not have the child’s bed in a location where sunlight directly hits the bed. Avoid fluorescent lighting.

G. Sounds: Classical string music works great (it exercises the 8th cranial nerve.) Extraneous noises (a humming computer CPU, bubbly fish tank or desktop fountain, neighboring noises) should be mitigated as best you can.

H. Furnishings: Try to keep the bed area as low stimulating as possible - especially when it’s sleep-time. Soft pillows and unstructured furnishings like bean bag chairs and hammocks and hammock-type swings work best. (Try to get natural fabrics as opposed to all synthetic.) Those yoga balls that people use for office chairs are helpful here too. Avoid bunk or trundle beds on wheels.

I. Toys and knic knacs: Child-wise, things like a sit-n-spin, scooter boards and soft obstacle course-type items work well. Legos, puzzles and other building sets are good, but make sure that they all have a tucked away place to be stored (especially if they are made of plastic – if the toys smell, they are off-gassing toxic emissions in the room. Do yourself and your child a favor and ditch anything made of PVC plastic – it is an assault on the environment and your health. I’ll go one up on you here: Remove PVC plastic shoes from the room. One trip to a cheap shoe store for a quick sniff and you get an idea of what those shoes are doing on a lesser scale in your kid’s room. Check your shoe brand’s company policy on PVC use in their products.)

J. Symbols: Add nature scenes, objects, materials and other items that display natural perfection and order. (But avoid electrically-powered “nature” like a desktop fountain.) Remove any aggressive or ‘on-the-move’ symbols such as action figures, bats and balls, bulldozers, etc. from fabrics and walls. Avoid literally – or visually – sharp objects (like swords arrows, or baseball pennants) and replace with softer-edged or rounded shapes.

K. Food energy tips:

A gluten free, casein free, additive-free diet has been proven helpful in many cases of autism. And, go with organic, preservative-free and additive-free foods. They may cost a bit more in some instances, but in the long run, it could be the cheapest way to ensure your family’s health and in the case of a family with an ADD/ADHD member, a family’s harmony and happiness.  

Thanks, Karen! (And, Sharon.) Ms. Rauch Carter can be reached at www.fengshuipalace.com.

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Often, good fortune is built on misfortune. By losing a race we learn what mistakes to avoid next time we run. Each time a toddler falls is a lesson in how to walk.

Dennis Fairchild is a Royal Oak psychic-astrologer and author of several books. For information about his services, e-mail  DenFairchild@aol.com or call (248) 546-6912.