Health
Slow down you're moving too fast!
WENDY BIRD
Fall 2007 |
Paying attention to what you eat, how you feel, what you do and think are all important pieces of the puzzle that makes up good health.
“The fall is usually a very busy time for people, when really it is a time that we should be slowing down,” she said.
“When the temperature gets lower and there is less light, we should pay attention to our environmental cues and try to follow the seasons.”
Unfortunately most of us don’t. When we begin to feel sluggish and tired, we brush it off, drink another coffee or pop or eat a piece of sugar-laden pastry. We continue to work long hours through the fall and winter months, burning up our precious stores of energy and the very nutrients we need to help fend off all those nasty germs and viruses that threaten to reveal themselves as nagging coughs, body aches and congestion.
Rebellato offers up several other tips for preventing colds and flus:
Rest
“People need to program more rest time into their schedule, not just more sleep time,” she said. “The blood in our body changes composition in the fall to prepare for winter. The body needs to be still for this to happen.”
That’s why it’s important to spend some time at home nurturing yourself and encouraging your loved ones to do the same.
Good nutrition
People of Chinese descent sometimes make a batch of “change of season” soup — a warm and comforting brew that includes Chinese tonic herbs. Most people often find the classic chicken soup (made using the broth from chicken bones) to be a restorative dish that hydrates them and provides them with good nutrition. Use flavourings such as garlic, ginger or cinnamon in your cooking — all of which warm and invigorate the body as it naturally goes into this more dormant season. Garlic is also a potent antibiotic and helps to boost the immune system.
Have a glass of wine — red wine, specifically. In Rebellato’s Italian culture, drinking a hearty red wine has long been a practice during the later months of the year. The wine helps to fortify the blood as it changes in the fall.
Fall Fast
“Even a fast for one day can be beneficial,” Rebellato said. “Like a car, our bodies need oil changes.”
Fasting allows the body to purge itself of toxins and renew itself after overindulging in summertime food and drink.
Rebellato said some people may also benefit from a liver cleanse or a yeast cleanse, two other types of fasting techniques she recommends to her patients.
Vitamins and Minerals
Get in the habit of taking a good multivitamin. Taking 500mg of vitamin C daily will also help to stave off colds and
flus. Quarterly or monthly B12 and folic acid injections help to prevent the flu, combat fatigue, and treat a host of other ailments.
Herbs
There are various herbs and tonics that people can take as a preventative measure. Examples include licorice root, panax ginseng, and astragalus. Rebellato said none of these should be taken without first consulting a naturopathic doctor, as they could have an impact on certain medical conditions or interact adversely with other medications.
Homeopathy
Look into what’s available at your local health food store. For example, mucoccoccinum and allergiplex are two products that some people swear by to prevent colds and flus.
Reconsider your general lifestyle and exercise
“Make sure to pay attention to your mental and physical balance,” Rebellato said. “Just as we need to exercise daily, we also need to laugh every day too. Laughing helps us to stimulate endorphins that make us feel good.”
As the adage goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” but sometimes, no matter how hard we try, ailments seem to gain an upper hand over our poor, stressed immune systems.
“The day you start feeling bad, take that day off work. Don’t wait. Otherwise you’ll be taking a week off,” she said. “Rest is critical when the body is fighting off an illness.”
Rebellato also cautions people to never suppress a fever unless it is life-threatening.
A fever is good
“It’s the body’s intentional temperature spike against virulent cells. A fever will kill off many of the germs that cause colds and flus,” she said. “We have to be patient. The body can ultimately heal itself.”
Fasting during a fever will also help the body to rid itself of the toxins built up by those nasty bugs.
As a naturopathic doctor, Rebellato can offer many tried-and-true remedies for those suffering from colds and flus. The list is not unlike the one she uses for prevention, except it is kicked up a notch. For example:
• Get some sleep — as much as you need, for as long as you need.
• Rest — scale back activities and commitments.
• Vitamins and Minerals — Take 3,000 to 10,000 mgs of vitamin C per day, in divided doses, with food. For sore throats, take 60 to 90 mg of zinc per day, in divided doses, with food.
• Herbs — Try a 10-day treatment course of echinacea and/or goldenseal. (These herbs should not be taken for prevention. Echinacea is contraindicated in people with HIV/AIDS.) For severe infections, try myrrh. For stubborn coughs, consider using drosera (sundew), grindelia, coltsfoot, elecampane and thyme.
• Homeopathy — Check the health food store for helpful remedies such as aconite, ferrum phos and belladonna.
• Try the Wet Sock Treatment — First, soak your feet in hot water for 20 minutes; next, put on cold, wet cotton socks; then cover them with dry wool socks and go to bed. This treatment encourages good circulation, a critical factor in relieving colds, flus, head congestion and sore throats.
• Bathing — Soothe your aching body in a tepid bath mixed with epsom salt, eucalyptus or lavender.
• Nutrition — Stock up on soups. Try a variety of different soups, including vegetable, chicken, or carrot-ginger made with orange juice. To help alleviate flu symptoms, infuse hot water with ginger, cayenne, cinnamon and lemon.
• Look at your lifestyle — Resolve to change the stressors that are making you sick.
“People need to be more realistic about their lifestyles,” Rebellato said. “They need to return to nature and support the healing power of the body.”
