Hello Everyone,

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.

Given this, it is important to have a strategy for staying healthy during very hot weather, and be able to respond to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. In this newsletter, 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 that encourage 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 75oF while for more vigorous individuals it may be as low as 60oF. 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 as 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 an antihidrotic 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.

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.”

For more information on Cell Salts, get my book, Berkowsky's Synthesis Materia Medica of the Twelve Cell Salts, and to learn about integrating cell salts with essential oils, herbal medicine, acupuncture, molecular hydrogen and other traditional naturopathic remedies.

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 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.

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.

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. 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 this 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.

Please feel free to write to me if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy reading the articles in this newsletter and find the information beneficial in your journey to wholeness of being while improving your practice and skills. There's a lot more in store for my readers and students, so stay subscribed here!

We look forward to hearing from you. 

Shalom,
Dr. Bruce

About Dr. Berkowsky

Dr. Bruce Berkowsky (N.M.D., H.M.C., M.H.) has devoted himself as a teacher and practitioner of the art and science of natural healing for over 50 years. He has constructed a dynamic system of health creation from a synthesis of the complementary aspects of traditional naturopathy, classical homeopathy, western science, traditional eastern healing arts and anthroposophical science. He applies modern physiological and biochemical knowledge into a context that acknowledges the unity of human life with the fundamental elements and rhythms of nature. And for the past 30 years Dr. Berkowsky has devoted much of his attention to the development of the art of Spiritual PhytoEssencing (SPE), a system of deep, soul-level healing work with essential oils.

Enquiries for sponsorship, course development and articles are welcome. Simply contact us with any questions and we’ll get back to you asap!

DISCLAIMER: All content is intended as an educational tool, and not as a prescription. Readers are advised to seek the advice of their healthcare providers before discontinuing any medication and/or trying any new remedy or technique.

© Dr. Bruce Berkowsky