Holly Robinson Peete

Actress, Mother to Rodney Jackson (“RJ”), Ryan, Robinson, and Roman

“When my twins were born 10 years ago they were both asthmatic. We used nebulizers; we tried aromatherapy, acupressure, acupuncture. They both ended up growing out of it, thank God. But now I’m dealing with my 5- and 2-year-old, and you never know when something is going to trigger an attack.

Sometimes I wonder why this is happening to us. (I should mention that my oldest son, Rodney, is on the autistic spectrum, and there’s lots of discussion in the scientific community about environmental causes for that, too.) I’ve noticed that strong chemical smells can trigger the twins’ asthma, and you never know when it will kick in. They’re also both allergic to wheat and sometimes that causes it. To deal with their illness, we’ve had to make our home as healthy as possible, but it’s been a steep learning curve.”

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Holly and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.