As you all know, it is the middle of December 2010. I keep hearing repeated stories from friends and patients about being sick right now. I wonder a little bit what is really going on. Is it the cold weather and the snow? I live in Toronto and we have just had our first really frigid temperatures and lots of snow.
Is it stress as well? This time of year is sure a stressful one especially if you celebrate Christmas. The pressure of repeated family gatherings, spending money on presents for loved ones and lots of get-togethers. Just a lot of pressure. I think a lot of issues in our families tend to bubble up during this time of year because there is even more pressure and greater expectations for all of us to get along--even if we don't get along very well.
So, this combination of stress and expectations, cold weather seems to lead to lots of acute illness.
And, let me say this...I hate being sick. I mean I really hate it. But sometimes our bodies have other plans.
The good news is that there are lot of things you can do to prevent and manage acute illness.
1. Get plenty of rest- Are you regularily getting at least 8 hours of sleep per night? Quanitity and quality of sleep are play such a huge role in your quality of life. We need this even more during times of stress and with less hours of light.
2. Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables with lean protein- It is really important to eat healthy foods during the winter and minimize your intake of sugar and dairy.
3. Take Vitamin D- Although some recent recommendations of the Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board recently changed their Vitamin D intake to 600iu per day. There is plenty of research to show that we need much more than this to prevent disease and maintain health. I usually recommend 4000iu per day. Check out the recent article by Dr. Mercola on this topic http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/11/vitamin-d-update-carole-baggerly-and-dr-cannell.aspx
4. Get fresh air and some exercise- In the winter, I want to get outside much less just because of the effort required in getting dressed. This is the time when we all need to get out even if it is just for a 30-minute walk. There are also so many great winter sports to discover.
5. Make a conscious intention to reduce stress-This is really such an important part of health. In addition to cardiovascular exercise, there are a variety of techniques to explore such as yoga, meditation and relaxation techniques ( progressive muscle scans, deep breathing). As a Reiki Practitioner, I also give myself a Reiki treatment when I get into bed at night which I find to be very soothing and relaxing. I usually fall asleep before even completing the whole treatment.
6. Homeopathic Flu Prevention- this is a natural medicine that I use myself to help prevent the development of influenza. I also use this with any interested patients. My patients are generally very pleased with it and people report not getting Influenza and experienced reduced and less severe acute illness.
7. Acute Homeopathic Treatment- If you do get ill, you can always consult a trained Homeopath to treat your cold, flu, strep throat etc. I personally love treating people for acute illness. When I find the correct remedy, it often works like magic. One patient calls Homeopathic Treatment "my little magic pills" because it works so wondrously and often, quickly.
For more information, please visit my website at http://www.redpearlhomeopathy.com/. I also offer Homeopathic Flu prevention throughout the winter for free to current patients and for $10 to the general public. This fee includes both the remedy and a mini-consultation.
If you check earlier blog posts, I have have written extensively about Homeopathic Flu Prevention and Homeopathy for the Treatment of Influenza.
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