Orlando Chiropractor, Dr. David Nahali….Indoor air quality is becoming an increasingly important issue these days, with the increase in pollutants not only from the outside environment, but also from common items inside your home, such as carpets, furniture made with particle board, household cleaning products, paint and even air fresheners. So what can you do to help ensure that the air you and your family breathe every day is as clean as possible? Plants are actually excellent air purifiers, and NASA has come up with a list of the best ones for absorbing harmful gases and helping to keep the air in your home fresh.

In a 2-year study conducted by NASA in partnership with the Associated Landscape Contractors of America, researchers found that many common ornamental household plants were highly effective at removing indoor air pollution and combating what is known as “sick building syndrome,” the symptoms of which are irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and skin, and general flu-like symptoms. Some of the gases and airborne microbes these plants are found to be effective at removing are formaldehyde, benzene, carbon monoxide, trichloroethylene and mold.

Many of the 15 plants they tested were able to remove up to 87 percent of indoor air pollution in only 24 hours. The plants included in the study were:

• Hedera helix – English ivy
• Chlorophytum comosum – Spider plant
• Epipiremnum aureum – Golden pothos
• Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’  – Peace lily
• Aglaonema modestum – Chinese evergreen
• Chamaedorea sefritzii – Bamboo or reed palm
• Sansevieria trifasciata – Snake plant
• Philodendron scandens ‘oxycardium’– Heartleaf philodendron
• Philodendron selloum – Selloum philodendron
• Philodendron domesticum – Elephant ear philodendron
• Dracaena marginata – Red-edged dracaena
• Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’ – Cornstalk dracaena
• Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’ – Janet Craig dracaena
• Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’– Warneck dracaena
• Ficus benjamina – Weeping fig

According to lead NASA researcher Dr. Bill Wolverton, who conducted the study and has written a book on the subject called, How to Grow Fresh Air—50 Houseplants that Purify Your Home or Office, the houseplants that are most effective at removing pollutants with the least amount of care are the peace lily, areca palm, lady palm, ficus alii and golden pathos. These not only cleanse the air, but also add a healthy amount of humidity to the environment.

In addition to improving the decor, homes filled with houseplants have been found to have between 50 and 60 percent fewer bacteria and mold spores. English ivy is a particularly good mold remover, eliminating up to 60 percent of mold in the area in only 6 hours.

In order to optimally purify the air in your home, it is suggested that you allow for 1-2 plants in an 8 to 10-inch pot for every 100 square feet of living space. Be aware that some plant leaves are toxic, in case you have animals or young children. Plants can be a quick, beautiful and natural solution to reducing the effect of air pollutants in your home.

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Orlando Chiropractor, Dr. David Nahali….If you are currently suffering from back pain, or have experienced it before, you’re not alone. The statistics on the prevalence of back-related pain are nothing less than shocking:
• According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1994, at any point in time over 31 million people in America are experiencing lower back pain. Up to 85% of people worldwide will experience back pain at some point in their lives.

• 50% of Americans in the work force report symptoms of back pain every year. One third of them over the age of 18 have had back pain severe enough to require professional help within the last five years.

• Back pain has been reported as the second most common reason (second only to upper respiratory infections) for visits to a healthcare provider, and is one of the most frequent reasons given for having to miss work.

• The primary cause of disability for those under the age of 45 is back pain. The yearly cost of care for back pain has been estimated at 50 billion dollars, surpassed only by the cost of care for cancer and heart disease.

Interestingly, most cases of back pain are mechanical, as opposed to being caused by more serious medical conditions such as infection, arthritis, fractures, or cancer. Some are caused by sports injuries or accidents, but others can be triggered by nothing more severe than bending down to pick up a dropped pencil. Still others are caused by misalignments of the spine, neck and joints that have built up over many years, as opposed to being caused by a single trauma.
Most of these conditions can be successfully treated by Doctors of Chiropractic, who use manipulation of the spine and other joints to relieve not only the immediate pain itself, but the underlying causes of it. Over time, chiropractors can help to return your spine and whole body to a more normal state of health, in which reoccurrences of back pain are less likely to appear.
In other words, if you are one of the four out of five people who will experience back pain in your lifetime, you can do something about it. This is important to know, because a survey conducted by the American Physical Therapy Association found that although two-thirds of Americans experience low back pain, over a third of them don’t seek professional help for it.
Chiropractic care is a safe, effective, and above all – because it is non-invasive and uses no drugs that may have potential negative side effects – conservative approach to the treatment of back pain. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research conducted a study of all available care for lower back problems and recommended spinal manipulation as the safest and most effective initial treatment of lower back pain in adults. So if you’re experiencing back pain, ask your friends or your primary care physician for a referral to a trusted Doctor of Chiropractic; all you have to lose is your pain.

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