There are many things I’ve had to give up in the quest for optimal health. Wood-burning fires are one, and every winter I mourn the loss again! I loved a nice fire in the fireplace. All combustion products are toxic, whereby producing numerous chemicals that are toxic to humans. Air in wood-burning households has higher levels of toxins, particularly carbon dioxide, toxic oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, and carcinogenic hydrocarbons like benzo (A) pyrene. A study in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that people exposed to wood stove smoke have 2 to 3 times the risk of mouth and throat cancer. The authors of this study estimate that wood smoke may be responsible for up to 30% of all such cancers! In addition woodstoves are linked with nasal polyps and sinus disease. Could your woodstove be causing or contributing to your interstitial cystitis? Although I haven’t heard that woodstoves are related to this particular disease, everything we are exposed to either con…