Because of the widespread swine flu outbreak, President Obama declared a state of national emergency. And in many communities, people are standing in lines for hours to receive flu shots. In some areas, the shots are only available to people deemed at high-risk of contracting the swine flu, such as those 24 years old and younger. However, there are steps people who either can’t get or don’t want the shots can take to help them stay healthy during the flu season.
I consulted my friend Naomi Caspe, a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese herbal remedies. She gave me the following five tips for staying healthy during flu season. Her first tip is also at the top of her recommendations for healthy travel, found in “Naomi’s five tips for healthy travel” published in May 2009.
1. Use White Flower Oil under the nostrils. We all know that hand washing helps to kill germs, but germs also enter through the nose. White flower oil is a mixture of lavender, eucalyptus, camphor and wintergreen oils and is used to stop the spread of germs and prevent colds and infections. White flower oil comes in small, easy-to-carry bottles and is sold at Chinese groceries. It’s also available at Oliver’s Market. In addition to dabbing a drop at each nostril, you can put some on your hands to kill germs. Use it any time you’re going to come into contact with a lot of people. Also, if you have a headache, you can apply a drop at each temple and at the back of the neck where the skull mets the top vertebra. This increases circulation and promotes healing.
2. Supplement a healthy diet with Emergen-C. This is easy to use and available at grocery stories everywhere. It comes in a variety of flavor packets and has good absorbable vitamins C and B, as well as zinc, all of which help boost the immune system during stressful times. Both children and adults can use this product. Of course, supplements work best when you’re getting proper nutrition in your diet, so remember to eat plenty of green, leafy vegetables and whole grains, and limit your sugar intake because bacteria loves sugar in the human body. Bacteria thrive on glucose.
3. Use astragalus. Among Asian herbal medicines, astragalus is known as Huang (yellow) Qi (energy). Yellow is associated with earth energy. Astragalus, an inedible root, is know to increase the white blood cell count. Soak it in water before cooking and then use the water to cook your rice or soup, or put it in a filtered bag in soup while cooking. You can also buy it in tincture form, but using it in your cooking in the winter time is a convenient way to boost your immune system. It’s best to get high-quality astragalus. It should be yellow, fresh and pliable, not dark, stiff and old. If it looks like dark wood, it’s been on the shelf for years, and it won’t be effective. Herbs have to be fresh, just like your spice.
4. Try acupuncture, which helps the body get out of stress and strengthen organ systems. If you’re in a state of stress or sympathetic overload, your body has difficulty fighting infection. It’s the state your body is in when running from danger (a bear in the woods, perhaps), but in modern society, we are so overstimulated, many of us are chronically in sympathetic overload. To heal, the body must be in parasympathetic mode, which is out of stress and in balance, so you can sleep well, digest your food properly and fight infection.
5. Gargle with salt water. This good old grandmother’s recommendation works because salt repels bacteria. Salt is a natural dehydrator used in food dehydration. A sore throat is usually inflamed due to bacteria and other germs wreaking havoc on your soft tissues. The inflammations are typically filled with water, and the salt draws out the edema fluid and kills the bacteria, which requires a warm, wet environment. Salt doesn’t act as a cure, and too much salt can harm the mucosa, so gargle in moderation. And remember to get lots of rest and keep drinking plenty of fluid.
The short slide show accompanying this article pictures fresh astragalus, as well as Naomi at work. To contact Naomi, email qiwizard@gmail.com.
Comments
Good tips, and I'd add this important but often overlooked one- Even in the worst plagues that ever reached civilization, such as the bubolic in Europe in 1350 that killed off a third of the population, (nothing like this situation), but worth noting is that there were always a large number of people that were untouched. Little focus is put on that. Not much money in it is one suspected reason, but it's too bad most people don't learn how to optimize our inner-terrain to discourage illness and bring about better health.
waterremedy.net
Intereting thoughts, T.W. Masaru Emoto has written books about the healing qualities of water—and how water is affected by our emotions, for good or ill. It's something that intrigues me, but I keep forgetting to delve into it further.
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