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This blog is another opportunity to feel grateful and thank you dear Universe: You continue to bless me with recovery and overall health.
The more plant-based food you eat, the more likely you are to stay healthy: My childhood was full of such anecdotes but as I grew up, I also realized, the more likely we are to recover from a disease, the healthier our body and mind will become.
There is an interesting childhood story which was narrated by my grandfather towards building a stronger relation with nature and teach some important lessons: The story goes that, once upon a time there was a wise Chinese king who shared story of a Bamboo plant with his sons as the sons were constant failures in whatever they did and gave up easily.
The king showed them two plants and mentioned that the seeds of both the fern and the bamboo plant were sowed together and were well taken care. The fern started growing quickly whereas the Bamboo did not grow until the fifth year and in the sixth year it grew as tall as 90 feet in no time. The king further explained how the Bamboo plant was taking time to nourish itself below the soil and developed a strong foundation.
The life lesson is to be persistent, recognize potential and work towards our failures to build a strong character that could help overcome life challenges.
That was about childhood and my early association with nature however I have always been inquisitive about discovering a panacea that could drastically alter my recovery from Isaacs’ Syndrome (a neuromuscular condition stemming from muscle hyperactivity. It is also called Neuromyotonia, Isaacs-Mertens syndrome, continuous muscle fiber activity syndrome, and Quantal squander syndrome) and membranous glomerulonephritis (a progressive kidney disease) apart from Lyme disease (a bacterial illness transmitted by ticks) and glaucoma (which damages the optic nerve).
While such a search may not prove easy, going back to our roots can help us find viable alternatives, provided we find a reliable guide. Every morning I woke up to check on my lovely room-mates: Cher the English Ivy, Spiderman the Spider Plant and Bud the Peace Lily. They just made me happy and feel healthier.
Equally motivating are initiatives like celebrating World Environment Day on 5 June as a global event, aimed at restoring the ecosystem and addressing issues such as global warming and wildlife conservation. While planting trees can help improve human wellness globally, I decided to start small, with a few homegrown plants. My ayurvedic doctor suggested some tips that he applied to maintain his farm with plants like the Red Butterfly Wing, and the Syngonium Red Spot with arrow-shaped leaves. The tricks worked for me as a beginner’s guide and started to show results within a few weeks.
Nature has instilled many plants with medicinal properties and healing capabilities that can help negate the ill effects of modern living. I kept the following easy-to-maintain plants on my bedroom’s window to add zest to life and bring in a feel-good factor.
- English Ivy: I used it as a hanging plant in my room. While it is suggested as an air-purifying plant with some ethnomedical properties, its berries have historically been used for treating cough and bronchitis and are used in some modern cough medications as well.
- Spider plant: the common spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is known for its air-purifying properties. The NASA Clean Air Study highlighted its ability to remove air pollutants like formaldehyde and xylene, often present inside homes. Breathing cleaner air, in turn, impacts our health positively.
- Peace Lily: a beautiful plant that also has some air-cleaning effect, especially acting against pollutants like benzene and formaldehyde. Although called so, it is not a “true lily”, but even so it became the center of attraction and an icebreaker for many conversations.
Thanks to these plants, apart from adding to the home decor and conferring medical benefits, these plants gave me a sense of bonding. Their elegance, beauty, and tenderness are mood enhancers. Never in their presence did I feel alone. They added much more than colour and became a channel for expanding my horizons toward appreciating the smaller things in life. Besides, I found it exciting to observe them grow, which was also an exercise in engaging my mind and becoming mindful. My room’s ambiance became more positive and enhanced my sense of being there, alongside offering the health benefits of living in an invigorating space.
They were also an opportunity to start breathing fresh again, something for which, since childhood, we have been encouraged to go into the open. A couple of my doctors recommended that I breathe as much fresh air as possible, which would help calm my mind, strengthen my immune system, reduce fasciculation and stress levels, and eliminate many other health issues.
My ailing health gave me the chance to live through one of my most enriching experiences, associating with Mother Earth and learning to be responsible, caring, and sensitive towards all life.
Although I am still a beginner in this aspect, I would be happy to hear about your experiences on the subject.
DISCLAIMER
The views expressed above in this article are the author’s own and do not represent any kind of medical advice.
