bookmark_borderNatural Air Purifiers, Aromatic Plants, and Phytoncides

By Daniel Brouse

Air pollution is: a leading cause of death worldwide, the leading cause of climate change, and the greatest threat to humankind. There is not much an individual can do about the outdoor air quality; however, there is a lot one can do to improve their individual air quality. The EPA reports, risks from long-term exposure to indoor pollution “include some respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable.” In the Spring of 2023, wildfires in Canada made the symptoms noticeable to many residents in the United States. Outdoor air quality measured hazardous for days in a row. When people could see and smell the air quality, it became obvious. Their indoor air quality also became noticeably poor.

With extreme weather events increasingly impacting both outdoor and indoor air quality, a long-term breathing experiment is underway.

No matter where your virgin air comes from, most likely the best way to purify the air is with plants.

The most famous study was conducted by NASA to remove formaldehyde from the air and found spider plants removed 95 percent of the toxic substance from a sealed Plexiglas chamber in 24 hours.

As part of the long-term breathing experiment we have cultivated multiple generations of spider plants. They are a great place for a novice to get started. Spider plants thrive in bright to moderate light. In the spring and summer, once-a-week watering is sufficient. During the winter, the soil should dry between waterings. (Spider plants are almost as easy to care for as cacti.) Snake plants are also easy to grow in all kinds of lighting situations, require little watering, and are one of the best air purifying plants.

Aromatic Plants and Phytoncides
Almost all plants are good for air purification. The spider plant and snake plants are great for taking pollutants out of the air, as well as optimize sustainability. The long-term breathing experiment is also looking at adding to the air quality.

Aromatherapy and Forest Bathing are easy to implement in your natural air purification experiment. Many plants can help take contaminants out of the air while adding medicinal properties to the air. Rosemary, mints, basil, sage, and most other herbs can add anti-bacterial, anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, stress, pain relief and other beneficial properties to air quality.

During the Air Quality Crisis of 2023, the long-term breathing experiment collided with the Tree Extinction Experiment. As part of the tree experiment, we grow a small nursery of trees in containers. Their main purpose is usually outside to act as a windblock for the structure to help reduce heating and cooling energy needs. Luckily, during the hazardous air quality days we were able to bring some (spruce and oak) inside to help purify the air and add phytoncides. The US Department of Agriculture reports, “These chemicals are natural oils that plants use to defend themselves against unwanted pests such as insects, bacteria or fungi. Phytoncides improve the human immune system by increasing natural killer cell activity. These cells respond rapidly to virus-infected cells and tumor formation. Studies show that increased natural cell activity can last for more than 30 days after a trip to a forest, suggesting that a trip once a month would enable individuals to maintain a higher level of natural killer cell activity. Other benefits from phytoncides include an increase in anti-cancer proteins; a reduction in blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones; reduced test scores for anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion; and increased scores for vigor.”

Trees known to produce especially high levels of phytoncides include the evergreen trees (Cedars, Spruces, Conifers and Pine) and Oak trees.

Read the full article.

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bookmark_borderAlternative Solutions For Health Problems

Dr. Ronald Dushkin
250 West 49th Street
New York, NY 10019

Holistic Medicine, often called “Alternative or Complementary Medicine,” is an approach to medical care that focuses on treating the whole person – physically, emotionally and spiritually – and it encourages patient participation in one’s own healing process. Many people seek Homeopathy and other Holistic modalities simply because conventional medicine has not been effective for them.

Dr. Dushkin treats people using alternative, natural, and safe Homeopathic remedies. These FDA approved natural medicines are made primarily from plants and minerals, and stimulate a person’s own natural healing mechanisms to create health and balance from within.

Some of the conditions Dr. Dushkin has successfully treated with Homeopathy include:

ACNE, ADHD, ALLERGIES, ANXIETY, ASTHMA, CHRONIC EAR INFECTIONS, DEPRESSION, ECZEMA, FATIGUE, HEADACHES, HYPERTENSION, INSOMNIA, IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS), MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS, MENOPAUSAL PROBLEMS, PANIC ATTACKS, PMS, PSORIASIS, SINUSITIS, STRESS RELATED CONDITIONS

Contact

Member of the Wellness Network

bookmark_borderAcupuncture for Infertility and Post Partum Treatment

The Berkley Center For Reproductive Wellness & Women’s Health is the only acupuncture and herbal medicine practice completely devoted to treating infertility.

The Berkley Center is world renowned in treating reproductive disorders with acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, yoga and massage. We take a comprehensive approach to increasing your fertile wellness.

The Berkley Centers’ focus is on healing the root causes of infertility. Our approach is straightforward: first we help you to achieve greater overall health; then we focus on greatly enhancing your reproductive function.

The Benefits of Acupuncture Treatments
The acupuncture protocols and techniques, herbal medicine prescriptions and nutritional guidance which have been refined at The Berkley Center For Reproductive Wellness & Women’s Health over the past nine years continue to be effective in accomplishing these nine goals:

Improve the function of the ovaries to produce higher quality eggs
Regulate the hormones to produce a larger number of follicles
Increase blood flow to the uterus and increase the thickness of the uterine lining
Relax and de-stress
Prevent uterine contraction post IVF embryo transfer
Reduce the side-effects of IVF medications
Strengthen the immune system/Increase energy
Improve sperm count, motility, morphology and reduce sperm DNA fragmentation
Increase chance of conceiving
Decrease chance of miscarriage

Mission Statement
At The Berkley Center For Reproductive Wellness & Women’s Health we understand the enormous emotional, physical and spiritual impact that presents as a result of conception difficulties.

Our mission is to help you achieve your goal of conception and full term pregnancy.

We provide a safe, warm and compassionate environment offering a personal and caring relationship for each and every one of our patients. We understand that caring and nurturing are just as important to your success as medicine and procedures.

In addition to providing expert treatment through the administration of acupuncture and customized herbal medicine, we work very closely with a wonderful nutritionist and two excellent Reproductive Endocrinologists. We know from experience that a team oriented approach always works best.

It is our philosophy that through an integrated approach to reproductive wellness, encompassing acupuncture, herbs, nutrition, counseling, compassion and, when necessary, Western reproductive intervention, our patients will have the best outcome possible.

We invite you to join our family so we can help you start yours.