MetaHealing: Just Call Me A Canary

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Just call me a canary!
by Susan Eskdale

The canary, such a sweet little bird. Tweety sitting in a tree and singing his heart out, that is what most people think of when the word canary is mentioned, but there is a more important meaning to those suffering from environmental sensitivities

If I ever had to choose a bird to symbolize my life, it certainly wouldn’t be a canary. My first choice would be a hawk that could see for miles when soaring high above the ground or perhaps an owl that wisely watches its prey and determines a plan of attack.

Canaries may sing beautiful songs, but outside of that I never felt any affinity with the little yellow bird until just recently.

In the days of old coal miners used to take canaries down into the pit while they worked. It wasn’t for the beautiful songs that they sang, but instead for a far life threatening purpose, to detect odourless gases. Being in an environment with any level of gas present quickly overwhelmed the canaries systems. The canaries would die from the exposure and would serve as a warning to the coal miners to vacate the shaft.

Perhaps now you can understand why being a canary has never really struck me as being an attractive option. Now, in the prime of my life I have gained a new respect for the canary after going through trials and tribulations regarding my environment.

For me the canary syndrome started with the occurrence of asthma, which was not easily controlled by inhaled steroids and rescue remedies. My lungs reacted much like those of the canary, choking in an attempt to stop the “dangerous” from entering my lungs. My allergies became more pronounced along with developing a new set of sensitivities to the most common household items.

I have since started to appreciate the ability to have the early warning system in tact; it helps to keep me from remaining in environments that would prove hazardous to my health. Now being a canary is more than just being able to sing, it’s being able to provide your own map to health.

Many individuals with environmental sensitivities can be classified as canaries. The numbers are increasingly dramatically year-by-year. The reason why is anyone’s guess, but it has been linked to mental as well as physical causes. Do you wonder if you might be a canary? Well, maybe it is time you ask yourself some questions.

1. Do you fall ill due to exposure to fumes from paints or other chemicals, when others don’t even seem to notice the presence of these fumes?

2. Do perfumes overwhelm you to the point where you find it difficult to breathe or even end up with a migraine because of the scent?

3. Do the smells of mould linger in your nose and at the back of your throat?

4. Are you developing allergies and sensitivities to items that are commonplace in your present environment?

If you feel that you might be a canary, embrace the thought. Learning to adjust your lifestyle will help to keep you away from untold dangers that threaten your health and well-being. Join the flock of canaries and sing the praises of having an early warning system all of your own.