9 THINGS TO DO IF YOU GET A COLD OR FLU

1. Stop eating sugar, which impairs the immune system. There are plenty of studies which shows that even a teaspoon of sugar will reduce the immune system’s killer cell activity in your body for three hours after you eat it.

2. Increase your intake of vitamin C to 6,000-8,000 mg. a day. Reduce this amount if you develop diarrhea. Vitamin C shortens the duration of colds and reduces severity of symptoms.

3. Drink plenty of water, herbal tea and vegetable juice to hydrate the respiratory tract. Minimize or dilute fruit juices, which contain natural sugars that cripple immune function.

NO SODAS and no Nutrasweet or Splenda (which can inhibit the thymus – the main gland for you immune system) or DAIRY (which is a mucus forming food) while you are in recovery.

4. Eat warming, nourishing foods such as organic chicken soup or tomato soup with cayenne. This can help to chase away the cold, damp qualities, Stay warm, eat hot foods and get plenty of rest.

5. Avoid mucus-forming foods. Dairy products, grains and red meat can worsen clogged sinuses.

6. Eliminate coffee, alcohol and cigarettes, which make it hard for the immune system to function, especially when the body should focus on getting well.

8. Rest, stay home and keep your germs to yourself.

9.  Use aromatherapy – Guardian Blend, Lavender, Lemon, Myrrh and Tea Tree are antiviral.  Diffuse oils into the air, put 10 drops in your bath, smell the drops on a handkerchief; rub some on your feet mixed with massage oil, olive oil or aloe vera gel.  Put some drops on a cotton ball and put in your bra ladies. Sleep with a humidifier with 8-10 drops of Guardian Essential Oil in it.

A year ago on the Natural Health Answers Blog

I’ve been a missing blogger. The summer has been a busy one for me but I know I will have more time to share some great stuff with you soon. In the meantime be sure to check out some posts from a year ago that you may have missed. Back soon with posts on Children’s Herbs, Adrenal Health, and some yummy recipes!

Aromatherapy-Part I
Thinking of using essential oils in your health and healing regimen? The be sure and read this introduction to aromatherapy as it will give you guidelines on how to use it effectively and safely. Plus you will learn which two oils are essential to have on hand. Be sure and check out this post on Tea Tree OIl as well.

What Can I Eat for Breakfast?
You’ll find some new ideas for breakfast food plus you’ll find a couple of recipes that are easy and delicious.

Healthy Wishes!

Tea Tree Oil

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and holiday season! I’m just now getting back into the groove after a fun and busy couple of weeks.  I had promised a while back some information on Tea Tree oil so here you go:

Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

Tea Tree has a strong, fresh, camphor-like aroma and is clear in color. The parts used for the oil are the leaves and twigs. This oil is extremely versatile due to its antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal and antiviral properties. This is one of the few oils that can be used undiluted on the skin and is best used in a poultice or other skin cleansing recipes. It can also be diffused, used for massage, used in the bath or shower, inhaled,  used for skin and hair care, and used in household recipes.

This oil mixes well with Lemon, Pine Needle, Lavender Fine, Patchouli, Pink Grapefruit, Rosemary, Roman Chamomile, Thyme Linolol.

Uses:

• fungal infections
• canker sores
• cold sores
• acne
• bruises
• insect bites and stings
• infections and lacerations
• warts
• burns
• lice
• eczema
• periodontal disease
• staff infection
• heat rash
• ring worm
• yeast infections
• stinky  and sweaty feet

*Easy Recipe – Add one drop Tea Tree oil to baking soda for an all-natural toothpaste that will help to heal bleeding gums.

This oil is a must to have in your herbal medicine chest! You won’t want to be without it when you discover it’s wonderful healing properties. 

The emotional effect of Tea Tree oil is cleansing and light.

Contraindications: dried mucous membranes, hypersensitivity to melaleuca oil, or prone to contact dermatitis. Preganant and lactating women. Do not use on babies or toddlers, as little as 5ml would be toxic to a child. Do NOT take internally.

Ready to buy Nature’s Sunshine’s pure, high-quality Tea Tree oil? Click here to read more and purchase this healing oil.

Holiday Gifts

Well we are right in the middle of the holiday season so giving is on everyone’s mind. My mantra for this time of year is “simplify”. Giving a small gift that is meaningful makes me and the receiver just as happy as if I went out to a department store and picked out something fancy and expensive that would break the bank. Don’t get me wrong those gifts have their place! But at this time of hustle and bustle I stick to the simple things in life. For example my friends and family will be receiving these delicious candles from Country Candlelight. These candles are natural, eco-friendly soy candles that are clean burning so no nasty chemicals will be adhering to your drapes or your lungs! Try the Banana Nut Bread, it smells amazing!

Also I will be baking some yummy loaves of Cranberry Nut bread (I use Xylitol instead of sugar to make this bread healthier)and wrapping it up with some organic tea bags. Perfect.

Other gift ideas are the Lemon or Peppermint mints and Cinnamon or Spearmint gum from Nature’s Sunshine. What about some essential oils like Lavender oil for relaxation or Peppermint oil for it’s uplifting properties and then add this diffuser or this aromaball diffuser or massage oil? Another great idea is to buy an aromatherapy kit that has all the ingredients needed to start using aromatherapy for health. There’s the Aromatherapy Product Pack that has everything you need for pampering and home cleaning recipes, the Citrus Fresh Diffuser Kit that has 3 citrus oils and a diffuser, and the Health, Home and Beauty Kit that contains 10 essential oils to get you started and at a great price. Simple yet interesting gifts make giving extra special. And I bet the recipient will be so thankful.

For more gift ideas visit my web site: Natural Health Answers Shopping

“The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.” 
~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteur

If you have other interesting and healthy gift ideas please share!

Aromatherapy – Part I

I gave two Aromatherapy classes last month so I have had essential oils on my mind recently. Researching a topic is so much fun for me, although it can be a bit overwhelming when there is so much information out there and especially on the internet (truth be told I’m an internet junkie…I love it!). Because it’s easy to get information overload I stop and tell myself go back to the basics. It makes everything so much easier. The class was a beginning class so I started with the basics to give a good foundation on how to use essential oils safely and effectively. I thought I would share some of the information with you so you woudn’t feel left out!

A LITTLE BACKGROUND:

Essential oils have been used since ancient times for their many healthful benefits. In Persia and later in India, China, Babylon and Egypt, essential oils were used for medicinal purposes, as well as for anointing, embalming and making perfume.

Fast forward to the development of modern chemistry and essential oils became neglected. The good news is that early this century, a French chemist named René-Maurice Gattefossé began studying what he later named “aromatherapy.”  He accidently discovered the wonderful healing properties of lavender oil when he severely burned his arm in a lab accident and thrust his arm into a vat of what he thought was water but was actually lavender oil. His burn quickly healed without leaving a scar and he was very pleased with his discovery. He spent the rest of his life researching the value of essential oils.

This brought aromatherapy into the spotlight and it became popular throughout Europe. But only recently have the benefits of aromatherapy captured the attention of America. As a result, more and more people are enjoying the benefits resulting from Mr. Gattefossé’s exciting discovery, making aromatherapy a multimillion dollar business in the United States.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?:

Essential Oils are substances that come from roots, flowers, resin, seeds, trees, stems, bark and fruit. They are volatile, highly concentrated substances extracted through a process of cold pressing or steam distillation.  Essential oils comprise between .01 percent and 10 percent of a given plant source. Tons of plant material are needed for just a few hundred pounds of oil. That is why some essential oils can be more expensive. Rose Bulgaria is one oil that is priced higher because it takes over one ton of petals to yield one pound of pure oil.

Essential oils are used to promote health and wellbeing. They affect us on the physical level as well as the emotional level. They can be uplifting, relaxing, soothing and energizing. They also have disinfecting, deodorizing and immune-boosting properties.

WHERE TO BEGIN?

Two oils that I think are a must to have in your medicine chest are Lavender Fine and Tea Tree. They are multi-purpose oils that you won’t want to be without.

Lavender Fine: This versatile oil has long been considered the wonder oil of essential oils. Lavender’s cool, mellow, peaceful fragrance has traditionally been used for its balancing effects and soothing properties. Lavender is good for all skin types, even sensitive skin, and can be used undiluted topically. It mixes well with other essential oils as well.

• use undiluted as an antiseptic on insect bites, stings, and small (cooled) burns.
• use in a bath to calm irritable children
• place a drop on the temples for headache relief
• Lavender baths with Epsom salts (2 cups per tub) are very beneficial for enervation, nervous exhaustion, excess stress, anxiety.
• Lavender baths can also help fight fungal infections in both children and adults
• diluted with massage oil, Lavender oil can be used for a calming massage, applied topically for throat infections, skin sores, aches, inflammation, anxiety, depression and insomnia.
• it can be massaged into the chest, with a little chamomile added, for bronchial and asthmatic spasm.
• add a few drops of Lavender oil to a little water for burns, scalds, sunburn.
• massage diluted oil into the nape of the neck for tension headaches or at the first sign of a migraine.
• dilute in water and apply rinse to hair for lice.

I love this oil for freshening the air. I mix about 10-15 drops in a 4 0z glass spritzer bottle filled with filtered water and spraying in a room that needs deodorizing. I also spray it in my bedroom before I go to sleep to help me to fall asleep. As you can see Lavender oil is used for so many uses and once you start using it you will come up with even more ideas on how to incorporate it into your healing repertoire.

Click here to purchase Nature’s Sunshine Lavender Oil.

WARNINGS

Do not use Lavender oil in cases of depression. Do not expose skin to sunlight after applying as it’s photo reactive and will bleach and blotch the skin.

Stay tuned for information and uses for Tea Tree Oil.