Namaste and Happy New Year to my fellow

Yogini’s and Yogi’s!

Now a month into the winters season, no doubt you or someone you know has been exposed to the flu virus.  In this month’s article I’d like to share with you some ways to protect yourself from exposure and/or ease the severity and duration if you happen to start feeling run down.

Self-Care

Hand hygiene:  Probably the most effective way to reduce exposure to the more than 200 viruses that cause cold is warm water, lather and friction.  It’s easy and cheap.  I carry around a small bottle of Dr. Bronners castile soap, ensuring I always have a natural soap with me.  No pink liquid soap for these hands!  15 seconds is the rule for most effective washing, so try repeating your favorite mantra as a way to keep time!  Also, make sure you’re using a paper towel to open bathroom doors in public.  Germs love hanging out on doorknobs!

Neti Pot:  Something you probably already have in your medicine closet, rinsing your nasal passages and throat with saline water is so simple and powerful.  Since pathogens enter through the nose, mouth and eyes.  Saline rinses wash them away before they can infect other tissue.  Use your neti daily (it’s great for dry nose’s too!) and increase to three times per day if you feel the sniffles.

Sleep:  Is there a way for you to reach the golden eight hours per night?  Well if not exactly, try heading in that direction.  Sleep helps your body repair cells.  Go to bed; turn off the lights and sleep!

Warmth brings circulation:  Body awareness is the key to knowing when to raise your defense shields at the first sign of an invader.  Spend time soaking in a hot bath.  Add Epsom salts to soothe aching muscles.   Also, place a hot water bottle over your kidneys for 20 minutes to bring warmth to the adrenals to aid in healing.

Aromatherapy:  Essential oils are the lifeblood of the plant, distilled to concentrated oil.  Essential oils can play a vital role during flu season.  Your oils can be diffused to clean the air, added to your Epsom salts for the tub, inhaled to clear your lungs, or placed on the bottom of the feet for best absorption. Make sure your oils are therapeutic grade, ensuring the highest quality oil for best results. Some of my favorite antimicrobial herbs are rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, clove and eucalyptus.

Yoga, breath and movement.  Need I say more?  When feeling under the weather, try a restorative practice for deep relaxation and healing.  Pranayama will help air exchange in the lungs and rid them of unwanted bugs.

Nature’s Medicine’s

In winter, ingesting herbs, which are body heaters, will aid in circulation and increase warmth. Generally, avoid taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) for a fever (unless prescribed by your doctor).  A fever is part of the healing process because it delivers heat and white blood cells (your immune system defense team) to the infection.  Rather than attempting to stop this natural process try using the following herbs and teas known to make your pores more open and increase sweating.  Make sure to keep dry and warm.

Cayenne pepper is a good natural stimulant.  Ginger root is a tonic for the stomach, aiding in digestion.  When drunk as a tea, ginger facilitates sweating, helpful for fevers and colds.  For an awesome immune booster, make a tea of fresh squeezed lemon, chopped ginger root, honey and a pinch of cayenne.  Let steep for 10 minutes and enjoy.

Garlic has strong anti-viral, anti-bacterial properties and was nature’s first penicillin.  For a powerful antimicrobial soup, combine 4 cups of water or vegetable broth with 10-15 whole cloves of garlic.  Cover and cook over low heat until the garlic is very tender.  Add nutrient dense greens like kale or collards and enjoy.  Make sure to eat the garlic, too!

Supplements

Add probiotics to your diet, either through supplements or by eating foods with live active cultures like yogurt, kefir, tempeh, miso, raw sauerkraut and kombucha.  Our GI tract plays a major role in protecting our bodies from infection and immune health.  If purchasing in supplement form, look for a refrigerated product and ensure the label states 10-15 billion live strains.  Take twice per day.

Vitamin D:  Deficiency in this vitamin can weaken the immune system and lower defenses against intruders.  Vitamin D in the blood stimulates the body’s production of a naturally occurring anti-microbial called cathelicidin, which either destroys or inhibits invading microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and funguses.  Recommended intake is 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. Ask your doctor to test your levels next time your in for your physical exam.

That’s if for now!  Be well, eat healthy and take out quiet time for yourself during this darker time of year.

Namaste,

Yoginurse

‘let your breathe breath you’