Staying Healthy During The Long, Hot Summers In The Age Of Global Warming Part II

Essential Oils, Gemstone Essences, Cool Water Hydrotherapies, Cell Salts and Molecular Hydrogen

Please note: This article is intended as an educational tool. It is not meant to replace the services of a health-care professional. Each person is unique and advised to seek the advice of their doctor to determine relevance in a given case. In cases of disease, other health concerns or pregnancy, check with your doctor before applying any information in this article.

This is Part II of a two-part article. In Part I, I provided an in-depth discussion of the detrimental impact upon human health of protracted periods of very hot weather (including a detailed discussion of heat exhaustion). I followed with a description of my personal dietary pattern and additionally discussed the potential benefits deriving from the use of cayenne and unfiltered apple cider vinegar during hot weather.

Here, in Part II, I focus upon essential oils, gemstone essences, cool water hydrotherapies, cell salts and molecular hydrogen. I suggest you read or review Part I of this article before proceeding on to Part II.

In the age of global warming, heatwaves are occurring more often than they used to across the United States and around the world. Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases lead to an increase of both average and extreme temperatures. This is expected to lead to an increase in illness and fatalities from heat, particularly among children, the elderly, and the economically disadvantaged who cannot afford air conditioning or electric fans. Days that are hotter than the average seasonal temperature in the summer compromise the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, thus, encouraging health complications. Loss of internal temperature- control can result in a cascade of heat-related illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia. Extreme heat can also worsen chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes-related conditions. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures has been associated with increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular, kidney, and respiratory disorders. ^​1​

Given this, it is important to have a strategy for staying healthy during very hot weather, and how to respond to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. In this article, I will discuss specific measures that can be taken to keep one from being overwhelmed by the exigencies of hot weather.

Cool Water Hydrotherapies

The initial effect of cold water is to cause blood vessels to constrict, resulting in a slow-down of blood-flow, thus, a depression of the vital processes. However, soon after the application of cold, the body reacts by strongly dilating the blood vessels, which powerfully increases blood-flow to, and stimulation of, bodily tissues.

A short, cold hydrotherapy tones tissues and increases oxygen-absorption and carbon dioxide-excretion as well as the levels of hemoglobin and white and red blood-cells. The tonic effects of cold water derive in large part from the impression it makes upon the millions of nerve endings in the skin, thus, arousing every nerve center. Famed herbalist Jethro Kloss in Back to Eden notes: “The skin may also be called the organ of touch. It is the most extensive sensibility of the body, and is very closely connected with all the great nerve centers.”

The key factor in a rejuvenating cold hydrotherapy is the briefness of the application, because the purpose of the procedure is to bring about the warming, tonic reaction. In fact, if a cold hydrotherapy does not produce a warming reaction, it serves no positive purpose. (Exception: In some cases of injury—e.g., sprained ankle—long, cold applications are used to suppress local vital activity, most prominently, inflammation.) 

When a cold treatment is continued too long, vital bodily activities are depressed to the degree that it may take awhile for normal body temperature and metabolism to be restored.

Some other conditions which may prevent complete reaction include: exhaustion; extreme nervous irritability; unhealthy or inactive skin; obesity (due to reduced blood-flow to skin). In fact, a complete reaction may not occur, regardless of age or relative vigor, if a person is very tired or already feeling cold. In these cases, cool water hydrotherapies are contraindicated. Conditions thatencourage a warming reaction include: keeping the hydrotherapy brief; impact of water upon skin; rubbing with a cotton towel, a skin-brush or bare hands; warm room temperature; vigorous exercise; warm clothing; drinking warmed water.

The Progressive Cool Shower

The Progressive Cool Shower is a cool-water, tonic therapy that helps overcome fatigue, develop stamina and improve tolerance of hot weather. It is a favorite hydrotherapy of mine and one that I begin my day with when I my schedule is going to be particularly grueling. The Progressive Cool Shower, because it elevates metabolism, is beneficial in anemia and obesity but should be avoided by those with serious heart disorders. In general, it is a valuable option for sedentary people whose metabolic powers have declined.

Famed 19^th century naturopath Sebastian Kneipp in My Water Cure says of the cool shower: “It hardens [i.e., strengthens], increases the circulation of the blood and raises individuals poor of blood and shy of [cold] water from their excessive sensitiveness.” During the cold shower, the breathing and heart rate quicken, blood pressure increases and the brain and nervous system are excited. It also stimulates lymphatic drainage and blood-flow from the digestive organs to the liver (the liver neutralizes digestive and metabolic toxins and prepares them for excretion).

The important thing to remember about the Progressive Cool Shower is that it is not a purely cold water therapy in that it is always preceded by a warm shower. Accordingly, rather than starting with cold water, one starts with a warm shower and then gradually makes the water progressively colder. This allows the body time to adapt to, and readily accept, the cold challenge. In this reference, Kneipp writes: “A person feeling cold should not take any [cold] shower until the proper natural warmth has been restored.”

Devitalized, chilly individuals who wish to use the Progressive Cool Shower as a means of tonifying their blood circulation, should not only start with a warm shower but always exercise and then perform the Vital Chi Skin-Brushing routine before beginning the Progressive Cool Shower procedure. Also, they must be judicious regarding the length, and water-temperature, of the shower’s cold phase. Of course, the Progressive Cool Shower is pleasurable and helpful during the hot months of summer. However, it can prove to be an equally rewarding therapy during the colder months of the year, so long as the bathroom is kept warm during the entire procedure.

Instructions

1. Perform Dr. Berkowsky’s Vital Chi Skin-Brushing routine.
2. Plug shower drain. Shower with warm water for 3 to 5 minutes until thoroughly warmed and standing in 2 to 3 inches of warm water. Plugging the drain is to facilitate the build-up of this pool of warm water. Standing in warm water during the subsequent cool water phase increases tolerance of the cold challenge. 
3. Over the next 3-4 minutes, make the water progressively cooler.
4. Finish with 5 to 30 seconds of cold water which is at your maximum limit of toleration. For some this may be 75F while for more vigorous individuals it may be as low as 60F. As the weeks and months go by, your tolerance for cold water increases. 
5. Unplug shower drain and step out of the shower. Towel rub vigorously by an open window, rubbing the various areas of the body in the same general directions used in the Vital Chi Ski-Brushing routine.
6. Rub in essential oils as described below and then dress.
7. The Cool Shower is a relatively moderate procedure which can be used as much as 3 to 4 times per week. More frequent use of this procedure, while not usually harmful, may cause the body to “get used to it” and so not respond to its stimulus with the desired level of vigor.

Essential Oils

Note: SPE has recently established an affiliate relationship with Lotus Garden Botanicals (https://www.lgbotanicals.com) because they offer a wide selection of fine-quality essential oils.

SPE members receive a 10% when using a special discount code. If you are an SPE member, and would like to receive this discount code, please send us a message.

Some essential oils contain natural cooling biochemicals such as menthol, one of the main natural components found in peppermint oil and, to a lesser extent, spearmint oil. When menthol contacts the skin, it activates a protein called TRPM8 found in cold-sensing nerve cells. Upon application, menthol effects a cooling sensation. It also stimulates blood circulation, encourages the discharge of toxins and reduces inflammation.

In general, citrus oils such as orange, lemon and lime, as well as conifer oils such as Douglas-fir, pine, tamarack and white spruce exert a cooling effect. Other oils noted for being of benefit during hot weather include: blue chamomile, eucalyptus, geranium, lavender, palmarosa, sandalwood and vetivert.

Some of the oils listed in the Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke rubric in the Spiritual PhytoEssencing Repertory of Essential Oils (see below) are relevant for specific circumstances relating to heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEATSTROKE

Angelica; bitter orange; blue chamomile; cayenne; celery seed; Douglas-fir; eucalyptus; frankincense; geranium; green myrtle; lavender; lemon; lemongrass; lime; peppermint; eucalyptus; palmarosa; peppermint; pine; sage; sandalwood; seaweed; spearmint; tamarack; vetivert; white spruce; wild orange; yarrow

Heat exhaustion symptoms may include: dizziness, light-headedness, blurred vision, and headache, all of which may be due to blood and lymphatic congestion in the head. Other symptoms include: rapid, shallow breathing; fatigue; weakness; fainting; low blood pressure upon rising from a seated position (i.e., orthostatic hypotension); excessive sweating, yet with cold, clammy skin; swollen ankles or swelling of the feet and hands.

Angelica oil is a specific for general debility, vascular insufficiency, heart weakness, circulatory debility and/or congestion and lymphatic congestion.

Frankincense is also a good lymphatic drainer. Additionally, frankincense slows and deepens the breath, and so is a specific for a variety of respiratory problems, including rapid, shallow breathing.

Importantly, one of the key differences between heat exhaustion and heat stroke is that, while the former is associated with heaving sweating, someone presenting with the latter has dry, often reddened skin, and no perspiration. Angelica has long been used to treat fever because it stimulates sweating.

The same holds true for yarrow. I have often used yarrow herb in cases of fever. One of yarrow’s most notable qualities is its diaphoretic property (stimulates perspiration and increased excretion via the skin). When administered as a hot tea it raises the heat of the body, equalizes the circulation and produces perspiration. It also causes the skin pores to relax and thus encourages the free discharge of waste matter by the skin. Yarrow oil may prove of value in the treatment of congestive headache, heart weakness, poor circulation, low blood pressure, high blood pressure and fever.

On the other hand, sage is anantihidrotic herb (prevents or reduces sweating). Seemingly paradoxically, it can also be used in cases of fever to stimulate sweating. Sage also exerts febrifuge (helps reduce fever), and vasodilating actions. Modern herbalists consider sage potentially valuable in the treatment of the following conditions: weak nerves; stroke (as a preventive medicine); nervous excitement that accompanies certain brain and nerve disorders; night sweats; excessive perspiration; fever (to induce sweating); cold extremities; atonic skin.

In aromatherapy, sage oil is considered to be potentially useful for fatigue; lymphatic congestion and sluggishness; fluid retention; circulatory weakness; low blood pressure; excessive perspiration.

Cell Salts

In the 19^th century, a German medical doctor and homeopath named W.H. Schuessler (1821-1898) made an important discovery. Schuessler, by way of analyzing the ash of cremated human remains, discovered the prominent presence of twelve proportionately occurring mineral salts.

Schuessler’s twelve cell salts are: calcium fluoride, calcium phosphate, calcium sulphate, iron phosphate, magnesium phosphate, potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, potassium sulphate, sodium chloride, sodium phosphate, sodium sulphate and silica.

He discovered that certain of these same twelve mineral salts were more prominent than others within specific tissues and fluids. For example, while potassium phosphate and magnesium phosphate are strongly present in muscle and nerve tissue, potassium chloride is more prominent in mucous membranes and calcium phosphate in bone.

Based upon these discoveries, Schuessler theorized that these mineral salts were the essential building blocks of life. He felt that the function of the trillions (the latest estimate are that there are approximately 50 to 100 trillion cells in the human body) of body cells hinged upon the presence of these mineral salts in proper proportions. Therefore, said salts became known as the “cell salts.”

Schuessler believed that the salts had to engage directly with diseased or devitalized cells. Thus, being a homeopath as well as a medical doctor, he prepared his cell salts using the homeopathic method of sequential dilution and potentization. The resultant high dilution enables the few remaining molecules of the mineral salt to bypass obstructions in the body and to then be utilized by the cells independent of the processes of digestion and assimilation that are often weakened and inefficient in an ill or devitalized individual.

Among these 12 cell salts, Natrum muriaticum (Nat. mur.; sodium chloride) is the principle remedy for heat related illnesses, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke and headache due to excessive sun exposure.

Relevant Nat. mur. Deficiency Keynotes: great thirst; excessive dryness (e.g., suppressed perspiration) or moisture (e.g., excessive sweating) in any part of the body; craving for salty food.

Modalities: general aggravation from the sun; symptoms either worse or better by the sea; worse in the morning; worse at 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.: better in the evening; worse for heat yet may be chilly; worse for exertion; better for cold bathing; better for open air, deep breathing, rest and fasting.

Nat. mur., part of the composition of every fluid and solid of the body, is the water-distributing cell salt, and thus, one of the major cell salts regarding the operations of the body’s fluid organization.

Both sodium and chloride are essential electrolytes. Electrolytes are substances that ionize in solution, and thus, attain the capacity to conduct electricity. A balance of electrolytes in the body is essential for normal cellular function.

Sodium (Na+), the major positive ion (i.e., cation) in intercellular (located between the cells) fluid, helps regulate the total volume of water in the body. Sodium’s movement into and out of cells is critical to the generation of the electrical signals required for intercellular communication within the brain, nervous system, muscles and other organs. Accordingly, deficient or excessive sodium results in systemic cellular dysfunction, and so, extreme shifts in the blood sodium levels can be fatal.

In The Biochemic System of Medicine (1932), George W. Carey, M.D. presents a case-study of heatstroke treated by one Frank Miller, M.D. Miller reports: “On a stifling morning last July, I was summoned to see a young man who had been ‘sun-struck.’ Patient unconscious; general convulsions; face flushed; breathing deep and labored; pulse rapid, though feeble. Inhalations of amyl nitrate resuscitated him, and I then gave him Nat. mur. every two hours for about one week. He recovered completely, with none of the usual unpleasant after-effects.”

Gemstone Essences

Note: The Dr. Berkowsky’s SPE Gemstone Essences Collection (52 essences) is made available only to SPE members and professional practitioners (for non-SPE member practitioners, a 30 minute instructional phone session is required before purchase; minimum order of 8 gemstone essences).

Gemstone essences are powerful vibrational healing agents extracted from gemstones that can resonate with, and help vitalize, the human bioenergetic field. Skillfully prepared, they can provide invaluable benefit on both the deep psychospiritual, and the physical, plane. In SPE, gemstone essences (all personally prepared by myself using my Natural World Method) are used to reduce psychical resistance to, and amplify, the action of, deep-acting customized essential oil blends. They are also used on a daily basis to help maintain emotional balance, and connection to higher consciousness.

I have been preparing flower essences and gemstone essences for over 40 years. I use carefully selected, unprocessed stones and have developed a sophisticated method for mother essence preparation that begins with purification of the stones via placement among wild plants and trees, or by the forest creek and also utilize the purifying and strengthening elements of the natural world including sun, rain, wind, patches of wildflowers or wild berry bushes buzzing with bees, etc.

Gemstones store energy within their crystal matrices. The purification of the stones eliminates extraneous energies picked up during their mining, storage and transport. This allows their natural, vibratory characters to once again radiate without foreign wave-form interference.

By “clearing the memory” of the stone, the purification process creates a vacated space for new vibratory impressions to be received and stored. In this regard, the stones are placed in a protected open area surrounded by woods. Throughout the gemstone mother essence developmental process the stones, while immersed in their distilled, mountain rainwater medium, are receiving and storing the energies of sunlight, surrounding wild plants, wild animals, birdsong, wind, passing clouds, rain (some of the SPE mother essences experienced rain showers during their development), moonlight and starlight.

The gemstone essences are prepared over a full day/night cycle for two reasons. First, this facilitates the inclusion of the night energies derived from starlight, moonlight, the nocturnal creatures and the plants in their state of nighttime consciousness.

Secondly, the bowl remains outside until the early morning light illuminates it for at least 2 hours. This early morning light helps integrate the energies received during the night into the matrix established the previous day. Then I bring it back into my plant room and expose the bowl to a powerful full-spectrum Tesla induction grow light (immersing the bowl in the equivalent of strong sunlight). While exposed to the full spectrum induction light, I introduce specific frequencies of pulsed electromagnetic fields that fall within the range of those produced by the Earth’s magnetic field (either from the Earth’s core or from its upper atmosphere). Certain of the gemstone essences are also exposed to a scalar light wave field.

In SPE, each of the different gemstone essences are associated with a specific set of essential oils (the listing of these sets of oils can be found in the SPE Repertory of Essential Oils, as well as in the upcoming SPE Gemstone Essences Reference Guide). Accordingly, I diffuse (using an ultrasonic mist diffuser) one to three of these oils over the bowl for varying periods of time.

In conjunction with the lighting described above, and the diffusion of the essential oils (associated with the specific gemstone from which the mother essence is being derived), this component of the SPE Natural Universe Method creates an enveloping atmosphere of healing wave forms that are recorded by the information storage aspect of the gemstone and subsequently diffused into the mother essence.

SPE Gemstone Cooler Spray Formula

Ocean Jasper: (A rare form of jasper found only along the Northwest coast of Madagascar. The deposits of this stone can only be accessed at low tide. Drawing its soothing power from the Water element, it alleviates stress and induces tranquility, and soothes the nerves and increases one’s focus,

Aquamarine: The name aquamarine is Latin for seawater. The characteristic color of aquamarine is due to trace amounts of iron impurities within the beryl structure. Symptoms for which aquamarine may prove of value include: nervous tension; chronic fatigue; fluid retention; glandular disorders (including those involving the spleen, thymus gland and lymph nodes); immunological weakness; inflammation; headaches; breathing difficulties; heart weakness; hot flashes.

Turquoise: Turquoise is thought to assist in tissue regeneration, subtle body alignment and strengthening, psychic sensitivity and connection to the spirit world. On a physical level, turquoise is a general tonic and tissue regenerator, thought by gemstone healers to be useful in the treatment of: damaged tissue; inflammation; pain; spasms; hyperacidity; headaches; muscle weakness especially when due to circulatory deficiency; stress-related skin disorders.

Blue Apatite: Eliminates excess of deficient activity, blockages and/or congestion of all the chakras; is supportive in healing all glands, meridians, and organs; Encourages the formation of new cells; is potentially useful in the treatment of: dizziness; eyestrain; hypertension.

Blue Tourmaline: May prove of value as an adjunct in the treatment of insomnia and disorders of: the brain, eyes, and the neuroendocrine system (particularly the pituitary, thyroid, thymus and adrenal glands); supports the immune and respiratory systems; helps balance the fluid organization; supports the Water element in general and kidneys in particular; may prove of value in the treatment of headaches, including migraines, night sweats and burns.

Add 2 drops each of the following essences in a spray bottle containing 60 ml (2 oz.) of pure water. Swirl well before each use.Mist the face several times daily. Also, spray the elbow- and knee-creases.

Molecular Hydrogen

In the last two decades, research on molecular hydrogen shows that it may be one of the most important therapeutic gases today. Hundreds of peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated the healing potential of molecular hydrogen. When inhaled, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream via the lungs, and circulated throughout the body.

Hydrogen is the lightest element in the universe. As such, human tissues are very permeable to molecular hydrogen. Hydrogen can cross the blood-brain barrier and has the capability of acting at the cellular level, entering the mitochondria, and, under certain conditions, penetrating the nucleus. Since it readily diffuses, free-radical fighting hydrogen molecules can reach places inaccessible to most other antioxidants.

H₂ regulates anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, mitochondrial energy metabolism, endoplasmic reticulum stress, the immune system, and programmed cell death (i.e., apoptosis), and therefore, has applications in a variety of disorders.^​2​

Of course, oxygen, the primary objective of breathing, is absolutely essential for continued existence. Notably, while by weight, the human body is composed mostly of oxygen (which is 8 times heavier than hydrogen), by volume, there is twice as much hydrogen than oxygen.

Molecular Hydrogen Combats Harmful ROS and Free Radicals

The terms free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are commonly used interchangeably as ROS are always free radical compounds. However, not all free radicals are reactive oxygen species in that some free radicals (highly reactive due to the presence of an unpaired electron) do not contain any oxygen atoms. By definition, ROS always contain oxygen atoms.

Both ROS and non-oxygen-containing free radicals tend to react with molecules of body cells in order to bond with an electron so that their own unpaired electrons stabilize. In other words, in order to stabilize, free radicals are atoms or molecules on the hunt for a spare electron, and they rob these from, thus damaging, cellular structures.

Because H₂ is a neutral molecule, it only reacts with the most pathogenic free radicals. Oxidative stress is derived from reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as superoxide anion radical (O₂-), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), nitric oxide, and hydroxyl radical (OH·). Molecular hydrogen selectively reduces the highly toxic ROS hydroxyl radical and peroxynitrite, but not O₂-, H₂O₂, or nitric oxide.

Importantly, some ROS play physiologically important roles in cellular signaling and biological processes, such as apoptosis (i.e., the death of cells that occur as a normal and controlled part of an organism’s growth or development), cell proliferation, and differentiation. Nitric oxide acts as a neurotransmitter that helps facilitate the dilation of blood vessels, thus, increasing blood circulation. Oxygen-derived free radicals play an important role in both natural and acquired immunity. Neutrophil and macrophage (types of white blood cells) phagocytosis (the ingestion and destruction of bacteria or other harmful material by white blood cells) involves certain cellular processes for which oxygen is required to produce potent oxidant, bactericidal agents (i.e., these white blood cells use specific ROS to destroy pathogenic bacteria).^​3​

However, the hydroxyl radical (the strongest ROS) reacts indiscriminately with nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins and is a major cause of the oxidation and destruction of essential molecules, either directly or by triggering free radical chain reactions.

To reiterate: Molecular hydrogen does not impact the beneficial free radicals used in cell signaling and immune function. Instead, it selectively targets the highly toxic ROS hydroxyl radical and peroxynitrite. Additionally, H₂ programs body cells to start pumping out more of endogenous (growing or originating from within an organism) antioxidants, such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD).^​4​

The benefits of molecular hydrogen therapy in hot weather are two-fold. First, H₂ is non-toxic because water is the by-product of its free-radical neutralizing reactions. Each molecule of H₂ neutralizes two hydroxyl radicals into two molecules of H₂O, providing the additional benefit of cellular hydration.

Secondly, free radicals are both a cause and a result of inflammation. Free radical damage causes inflammation. In turn, chronic inflammation generates free radicals, thus, creating more inflammation. This vicious cycle can damage virtually any tissue of the body, including the brain, heart, pancreas, thyroid gland, etc. Metaphorically speaking, chronic inflammation is a forest fire raging out of control in the body. By exerting a powerful antioxidant action, molecular hydrogen cools down “burning fires” within the tissues.

Free radicals injure cells via oxidative degradation of essential cellular components. In addition to promoting cytotoxicity, ROS initiate and/or amplify inflammation via the upregulation of several different genes involved in the inflammatory response, such as those that code for pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Molecular hydrogen and essential nutrients such coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol), NAC and vitamins C and E may protect against oxidant-mediated inflammation and tissue damage by scavenging free radicals and inhibiting the activation of NF-kB, a family of highly conserved transcription factors that regulate many important cellular behaviors, including inflammatory responses. A transcription factor is a type of protein that regulates the synthesis of RNA from DNA during transcription by binding to specific DNA sequences.

All pathways to inflammation pass through the activation of the NF-kB pathway. Molecular hydrogen dampens the NF-kB pathway, thus, directly inhibiting a runaway inflammatory response. By helping to maintain adequate antioxidant defenses, molecular hydrogen provides a novel approach to helping prevent the cellular injury and dysfunction that are consequences of the “fires” of unbridled inflammation.

Hydrogen gas bubbled through distilled water dissipates small amounts of hydrogen molecules in the water. While inhalation provides a much larger volume of molecular hydrogen, I find that hydrogen-infused water has distinct value. One can feel the uplift from it almost instantly. Also, as hydrogen-infused water is swallowed and has direct contact with the stomach and intestinal tract, it has unique value when addressing inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract. However, if the goal is to infuse the blood with a large volume of hydrogen in order to carry oxygen throughout the body, hydrogen-inhalation is definitely the preferred method of administration.

I’m currently using the professional Hydrogen generator by PEMF-devices.com. It produces 600 ml/min of H₂ and 300 ml/min of O2 per minute. The machine can be set up to make H₂ water as well.