Mainstream health organizations supply sound advice on how to “avoid” the flu and “prevent” its spread. Aided by modern hygiene and universal precautions these avoidance measures go a long way to obstructing the spread of disease. That being said, primary health providers supply us with almost no advice on how to maintain our natural defenses so that we never become susceptible to the virus in the first place.
Human beings are bathed in disease 24/7 yet we are not sick 24/7. This is because we have an amazing array of defenses, beginning with our skin all the way down to the intracellular level that fight disease. In fact, we don’t “catch” the cold we become “vulnerable” to it. This is self-evident in any situation, i.e a classroom, where some of the students get sick and others do not. In all likelihood, each student has been exposed to the virus, it just that some students were vulnerable and others were not.
Proactive prevention is less about bathing in hand sanitizer every half hour, but about pursuing complimentary care techniques that optimize our already awesome mechanisms for resisting disease. There are many avenues for achieving this and we shall cover a few of the most important ones.
First and foremost is the minimization and management of stress. All humans experience stress but few know that the mostly cognitive experience is also intensely biochemical. Internally, long-term stress causes the adrenal glands to produce a hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol’s primary job is to suppress the function of our immune and digestive systems in order to reroute power to our muscular and cognitive systems. This suppression results in an increased vulnerability to disease and more frequent illness.
Therefore, it is essential for all people to learn to manage their stress. Simple steps like making sure one gets eight hours of sleep and adequate hydration are a good start. More involved steps include adopting a skill like meditation or providing an outlet for stress in the form of exercise, yoga or Pilates.
Massage and bodywork are outstanding methods of managing stress. When one receives bodywork, the nervous system naturally responds to the therapeutic touch of the practioner by switching to the para-sypmathetic nervous system. Also known as the rest and relaxation response, it is the opposite of the stress response people experience everyday. In one session, days or weeks of accumulated stress can be purged. Therefore, regular bodywork not only relieves aches and pains, but nourishes the immune system and makes individuals less vulnerable to diseases like the flu.
In addition to managing stress, we can take other proactive methods to strengthen our body’s defenses. After our skin, our respiratory system interacts with the outside environment the most. While supplying the air we need to breathe, it also continually destroys unwanted bacteria, viruses and toxins that we inhale. If we further consider that the flu is an infection of the respiratory system it is of utmost importance that we nourish it.
Among the various alternative methods to do this, essential oils stand out. Extracts such as tea tree, eucalyptus, thyme and lavender have been both time and clinically tested to destroy bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, some have calming effects like soothing cough and removing excess mucus. In our dry winter climate, the best way to deliver these oils is through steam. By simply boiling water, placing it in a bowl, dropping one drop each of the desired oil, and breathing in the vapor with a towel over the head, one not only receives the therapeutic benefits of the oils, but also a flushing and moisturizing of the entire respiratory system. We’ve been well trained to wash our hands, think of this as washing our sinuses and lungs.
We discussed the lungs first because they are most directly affected by the flu, but skin health is nearly as important. The key to skin health is to keep it moisturized. In the depths of winter dryness our skin becomes brittle and can crack, which is not only painful but increases our vulnerability to disease. Washing our hands frequently does little if the skin on them is already compromised. The maintenance of moist skin requires keeping its natural oils and applying supplemental moisturizers. Therefore, the first step is to minimize the use of soap. Soap is specifically formulated to strip our skin of its oils to make us feel “clean.” That feeling is really the feeling of being robbed of our skins shield. Use soap sparingly.
The best time to apply moisturizer to the skin is immediately after a shower. Our pores are open and warm and receptive to the oil supplement found in creams and lotions. If you have time, taking a hot bath with 2 or 3 tablespoons of baby, olive, grape-seed or jojoba oil is the absolute best way of replenishing our skins shield. If one feels oily afterwards, towel the excess off, do not use soap, it will undo all the benefits just gained. In addition to showing up ones defenses, one will find that their skin feels great and may even experience improvements in appearance.
Practiced with regularity, stress reduction, essential oil steams and skin care can do a great deal to prevent the flu and illness in general. Proactive prevention is a personal choice that says one no longer wants to be a victim of disease but a creator of their own health. By taking concrete steps towards maintaining our health we can increase the quality and enjoyment of our lives. Less time spent being sick is more time spent enjoying the world.