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The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Mark Bricklin See book keywords and concepts

And it slakes its thirst anyhow and anyway it can— sucking out moisture from your houseplants for starters, and then moving on to your upholstery, carpeting—even drawing moisture out of the glue in your furniture. But thirsty air is also fond of human moisture and doesn't think twice about removing it from your skin and the nice moist mucous membranes in your nose and throat. That's why dry, itchy skin is always more of a problem in the winter than in the summer. The most obvious protective step you can take here is to install a humidifier, or at least set pans of water around your house.

The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy E. D. Hirsch See book keywords and concepts

A knack for growing plants and keeping them healthy: "All my houseplants are in sorry shape; it's clear I don't have a green thumb." green-eyed monster, the Jealousy: "Carl has really been bitten by the green-eyed monster; he gets jealous if his wife so much as talks to another man." This metaphor was coined by Shakespeare in his play Othello. gringo In Latin America, a foreigner, especially a North American or Englishman; usually a term of contempt. gung-ho Extremely enthusiastic or zealous: "He was gung-ho about going on a vacation to the beach.

Gary Nulls Ultimate Anti Aging Program Gary Null, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts

We held in-depth workshops on the advantages of full-spectrum lighting, and taught people how to garden using diamide-rich earth and praying mantises and ladybugs in lieu of toxic pesticides for their houseplants and gardens. We covered shopping for all-organic cotton sheets, blankets, and bedding in place of products made from chemically treated fibers. This became a very popular part of our protocol. Any time we would announce a meeting on this topic, there would be a 95-percent attendance level. We discussed the vital importance of good nutrition.

Alternative Medicine the Definitive Guide, Second Edition Larry Trivieri, Jr. See book keywords and concepts

Common houseplants can be used as filters to remove pollution from indoor air, an idea that first came out of NASA space research in the 1970s. Scientists discovered that not only could plants recycle oxygen, but they seemed to be able to remove air pollutants too. • Filter Your Water—Tap water is a major source of the toxic chemicals that the liver is required to process.The practical solution is to get a water filter for the home and office, or at least to start using commercially purified and bottled water.

The Woman's Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Dr. Gary Null See book keywords and concepts

If the migraines appear to be caused by environmental allergies, the British Migraine Association recommends keeping houseplants. Different plants have the ability to absorb different toxins. For example, spider plants absorb the formaldehyde released from particle board, plywood, synthetic carpeting and new upholstery, while chrysanthemums protects against the toxic effects of lacquers, varnishes and glues. If you don't feel like keeping a lot of chrysanthemums around the house, the same effect comes from drinking an herbal tea made with this flower." migraines caused by hormonal imbalance.

Natural Prescriptions: Dr. Giller's Natural Treatments & Vitamin Therapies For Over 100 Common Ailments Robert M. Giller, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

Limit the number of houseplants and terrariums in your home and office. • Vent your clothes dryer to the outside. • Install a bathroom fan that's vented to the outside and use it whenever you bathe or shower. • Don't let damp clothes sit in the washer; dry them immediately. If You're Allergic to Dust I've noticed that people whose symptoms are worse in the morning are usually allergic to dust and house dust mites. In addition to the things I've outlined, there are steps you can take if this is your problem. • A mattress cover can be of enormous help in avoiding dust mites.

The Healthy Home: An Attic-to-Basement Guide to Toxin-Free Living Linda Mason Hunter See book keywords and concepts

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has shown that the leaves of philodendrons, spider plants, and other common houseplants absorb formaldehyde. Dr. Bill Wolverton, senior research scientist at NASA, told Practical Homeowner magazine (September 1987) that about 15 to 20 such plants should completely remove the formaldehyde from an 1,800-square-foot house. Ventilate. Increasing ventilation is an easy solution, but this allows heat to escape, as well. Heat-recovery ventilators (HRV, or air-to-air heat exchangers) are helpful in summertime.

Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine Elson M. Haas, M.D. See book keywords and concepts

And what about houseplants that surround smokers? It would be interesting to see research on the changes in growth and health and the chemical makeup of common plants; they may indeed do better than we humans. The 22nd Annual Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and, Health focused on "sidestream" or secondary smoking. Since tobacco is used by more than 30 percent of Americans, it is a major concern.

Safe Food: Eating Wisely In A Risky World Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., Lisa Y. Lefferts and Anne Witte Garland See book keywords and concepts

You don't have to waste the water—save it for cleaning, watering houseplants, or other uses. Fill your kettle and drinking water containers with cold water in the evening after washing the dishes, since by then any lead will have flushed out of the pipes. And since hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead, use only cold water from the cold-water tap for drinking, cooking, and especially for making baby formula. Private well water and water from small utilities isn't tested by the government or is inadequately tested— so testing is up to you.

The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Resource for Healthy Eating Rebecca Wood See book keywords and concepts

House-plants are also superior filters of common environmental pollutants such as ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene. "Houseplants," writes Dr. Wolverton, "are no longer luxuries, but essential to health. They are nature's 'eco-friendly' living air purifiers, with years of documented scientific evidence to prove it." grain, quinoa.) Farther north, Zuni legends relate that amaranth had been brought up from the underworld at the time of their emergence.

It suffered the same fate as did the Incas' revered THE BEST PLANTS TO SLEEP WITH— ORCHIDS AND ALOE Most houseplants release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide during the day; aloe, orchids, snake plants, and bromeliads, however, do the opposite. By upping the oxygen while you sleep, they make ideal bedroom companions. In addition, they remove toxins. Dr. B. C.

When our homes are overly dry, we can create equilibrium with a humidifier or an abundance of houseplants. With diet we can support balance by minimizing the use of drying foods and increasing the use of moistening foods (see above). Wind is associated with the liver. While a spring breeze is conducive to energy movement, a strong wind often agitates a person with a stressed liver and heightens irritability. Such people do well to avoid being in a strong wind, to use sour-tasting foods, and to avoid foods that stress the liver.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know James Trefil, Joseph F. Kett, and E. D. Hirsch See book keywords and concepts

A knack for growing plants and keeping them healthy: "All my houseplants are in sorry shape; it's clear I don't have a green thumb." green-eyed monster, the Jealousy: "Carl has really been bitten by the green-eyed monster; he gets jealous if his wife so much as talks to another man." This metaphor was coined by Shakespeare in his play Othello. gringo In Latin America, a foreigner, especially a North American or Englishman; usually a term of contempt. gung-ho Extremely enthusiastic or zealous: "He was gung-ho about going on a vacation to the beach.

The Healthy Home: An Attic-to-Basement Guide to Toxin-Free Living Linda Mason Hunter See book keywords and concepts

The average family of four produces about 6 gallons of water per day. houseplants add to this total, as do firewood stored inside, humidifiers, and vaporizers. The structure itself can also be a major source of moisture, particularly if it is built over a dirt-floored crawl space. Houses that are somewhat "leaky" or drafty may have a problem of foo little moisture in winter. Low relative humidity indoors is caused when warm, moist indoor air leaks out and is replaced by cold, dry outdoor air.

The Woman's Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Dr. Gary Null See book keywords and concepts

If the migraines appear to be caused by environmental allergies, the British Migraine Association recommends keeping houseplants. Different plants have the ability to absorb different toxins. For example, spider plants absorb the formaldehyde released from particle board, plywood, synthetic carpeting and new upholstery, while chrysanthemums protects against the toxic effects of lacquers, varnishes and glues. If you don't feel like keeping a lot of chrysanthemums around the house, the same effect comes from drinking an herbal tea made with this flower." MIGRAINES CAUSED BY HORMONAL IMBALANCE.

The Healthy Home: An Attic-to-Basement Guide to Toxin-Free Living Linda Mason Hunter See book keywords and concepts

Of course, the cheapest, most natural air cleaners are houseplants. Many of them soak up air pollutants. (The spider plant is particularly effective.) THE YARD The plot of land on which your house sits is an integral part of the total home environment, as important in its own way as the electrical, plumbing, or any other building system. A healthy yard is free of debris. It has trees and shrubs, a grassy place where children can play, an outdoor living area for adults, a storage shed for paints and equipment, and a sunny spot for a garden.

Here are some suggestions: ¦ Store firewood outside and limit the number of houseplants. Often, this is all that is needed to reduce moisture content in indoor air. ¦ Spread a sheet of 6-mil polyethylene over a dirt-floor crawl space. This can dramatically reduce the amount of moisture evaporating into house air. ¦ Cover pans when cooking. ¦ Ventilate right at the source to deal with moisture from cooking and bathing. Bathroom fans and vented range exhaust hoods are extremely useful. These should always be y_ented to the outside, not simply into the attic.

Hormone Deception D. Lindsey Berkson See book keywords and concepts

Add houseplants to help neutralize toxic indoor air. They take up carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. Breathing In Trouble The following is only one example of endocrine disruption brought into our homes and lives through the air in our houses. From the 1950s through the 1980s, the pesticide chlordane was used to kill termites. In more than 30 million American homes, chlordane was poured into the soil before the foundational concrete slab was laid—hundreds of gallons of pesticide per 1,000 square feet per home.

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