Podcast music by Chris Robertson.

Podcast Intro

Home should be a safe haven where you can reflect, check in, get grounded, and find a way to become your best self.

In April 2020, Dominique Silva invited me to participate in her online summit, Healthy Home Habits: How to Promote Health, Reduce Toxins, and Create a Home that Keeps People Healthy. 

Just from her initial email and subsequent phone call, I was impressed. And after learning about her healing journey, I was inspired to share her story with you! 

A California native and Environmental Health & Safety Specialist, Domonique Silva started her career at the NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center and has been learning and working in the field of Environmental & Occupational Health for 10 years. 

Given her expertise in environmental health, I thought it was particularly interesting to learn what helped Dominique's personal struggles with allergies, eczema, bloating, fatigue, and depression. They were healed by changing her diet, detoxing her household products and drinking water, and making her home healthier. 

We spoke during an unprecedented time. Our conversation for the Practical Nontoxic Living podcast was recorded on YouTube Live on June 11, 2020. Not only had we been in a global lockdown for the Covid-19 pandemic, but there were also global protests following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. 

With this greater context, it was an honor not only to learn about Domonique’s expertise in her field and her healing journey but also her personal experience as a black woman in the United States of America. During our conversation, we discussed the Black Lives Matter Movement, physiological responses to law enforcement presence, and being the only female in a male-dominated environment. 

I was very appreciative of our conversation because as Domonique beautifully said, “We need to be educated and have the access to the information that is going to promote the change”. 

You can listen to Practical Nontoxic Living podcast episode 45 by clicking below, or through your favorite podcast platform.

Please send your feedback, questions, and recommendations to [email protected], or via DM on Instagram @ruanliving.com.

Podcast Show Notes

[5:09] Introduction of Domonique 

[6:51] Struggling with Skin Issues

[8:09] Changes Made of Domonique to Help Her Symptoms

[9:09] Health Improvements With a Change in Diet

• Being a Very Heavy Dairy Eater

• Pesticide and Herbicide Overload on the Body

[11:00] Noticing Improvements When Cutting Out Dairy in the Diet

• The Stress Causing to Break Out More

• Daily Stress Management

[9:01] Waking Up Feeling Tired

• Getting More Energy When Switching Bedtime Routine at Night

• Doing Self-Care Practices

[14:38] Switching Off the Wi-Fi at Night Helps Improve Sleep

[16:31] Challenges Among People From Different Ethnicities and Belief Systems

[15:21] Being the Only Black Woman

[22:25] A Physiological Change Based on Past Experiences or Stories Heard

• Growing Up in the City of Los Angeles

• Having a Different Perspective of Viewing Men in Uniform

• The Need to Address a Systemic Problem

• Learning About History to Understand What's Going On Today

[26:22] Being the Only Female in a Male-Dominated Environment 

[28:40] No Matter What We Look Like, We are All Connected

• The Willingness to Take Steps to Make a Change

• Less of the Talking and More of the Doing

[31:26] The #Black Lives Matter

[33:05] To Acknowledge Equality Among People

[35:37] Home Should Be a Safe Haven

[40:17] Products Affecting Psoriasis

[42:49] The Biggest Revelation in Oral Health 

[45:20] Practical Nontoxic Living Tips from Domonique 

• Starting and Ending Your Day With Something Relaxing

• Taking a Moment to Do Yoga and Meditation 

• Being Mindful of Electronic Use and EMF exposure

• Trying Some Personal Care Products

• Always Keep Hydrated

[49:07] What Do You Do With the Flaxseed Gel? 

[51:20] The Healthy Home Habit Summit

Recommended Practical Nontoxic Living Podcast Episodes

• E44. Tips to Protect Your Body from 5G with Daniel DeBaun, author, engineer, co-founder & CEO of DefenderShield

• E43. Milk's Magnetic Powers with Jody Levy, founder of The LabElymental Milk Cleanse

•  E42. Detox Your Hormones with Sara Jensen, co-founder of Hugh & Grace

• E34. "Sick of Being Sick" with Nita Ewald, Functional Health Coach for Women’s Health & Fertility
• E18. Essential Features of a Healing Home with Esther Sternberg, MD is Research Director and Chair at the Andrew Weil Center Integrative Medicine