Have you noticed a change in the seasons?
While Melbourne may at times have “four seasons in one day”, unlike other parts of this continent our climate does fall into distinctive quarters. Despite that most of us approach our health oblivious to the seasons.
Conventional medicine takes a punt each year on disease trends from the northern hemisphere and for prevention, offer putting our faith in a flu shot. But in traditional naturopathy we mark the seasons differently.
The “energetics” of autumn in both Western and Eastern complementary medicines, attribute this time of year to the lungs. While colds and flu seem rife in winter, it is actually the change of seasons in autumn and spring that tends to see the peak in respiratory infections. If we don’t look after ourselves appropriately in this season, we are more vulnerable to catch respiratory infections and also, in energetic terms, be prone to grief and nostalgia.
Autumn is a time of harvest before nature rests in winter. Over summer most of us expend more energy being in the world. There are music festivals, parties, weddings and picnics. But the body needs a little time to recuperate from all this, before the next cycle begins.
The problem is, we’ve conquered nature. Without the need for natural light to define our waking hours, or cold weather to drive us to bed early, we tend to loose track of our inbuilt rhythms.
Natural ways to protect your lungs this autumn
Cod liver oil: this might seem an old-fashioned remedy but it is a great way to strengthen your body’s first line of defence again airborne viruses and bacteria. Cod liver oil makes your mucus membranes, such as the lining of your nose, mouth and throat stronger and more resilient to passing bugs. It is also a rich source of omega 3 oils as well as vitamin A and D. Luckily cod liver oil is available in capsules so there is no fishy taste. As an added bonus, there is now good evidence based research that cod liver oil can slow the onset of arthritis, heart disease and depression.
Sunlight: in safe doses, is also a great source of immune and mood boosting vitamin D. A deficiency of vitamin D we now know is not only associated with osteoporosis, but an increased risk of cancer, infections, depression and so much more. As the light changes and the temperature drops in autumn, we need to get a regular dose of UV on at least 15% of our skin (unclothed and without sunblock). According to the MJA, in summer a light skinned person might need only 8 minutes of Melbourne sunlight a day to make enough vitamin D (quadruple that for darker skin), as we journey through autumn its closer to 25 minutes at lunchtime or twice as long mid-morning or afternoon.
Vitamin C: boosts your body’s ability to fight disease. It is worth a little daily insurance in the form of a mere 500 mg a day (for adults), increasing the frequency of the dose to 4 times a day if you feel the lurgy creeping up on you.
Wash your hands: It may seem strange but it is true, simply washing your hands with soapy water for at least half a minute stops the common cold from travelling from your hands to an easy route of entry via your eyes, nose or mouth.
Rest: if you are missing your 8 hours of recuperation every night, you are increasing your odds of becoming run down and being unable to resist an infection. Sleep is free, all it takes is a little planning. Book a date with yourself each week for an early night to top up your dreamtime. If you are having trouble sleeping, check out these simply treatments for insomnia
Orange vegetables: Immune-strengthening vitamin A can also be found in humble orange vegetables like carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato. Add an extra serve, a day. If you need inspiration, try this easy and delightful pumpkin soup.
Showing posts with label colds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label colds. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, April 30, 2007
Preventing colds
While winter is associated with colds and other respiratory infections, it’s autumn that heralds the beginning of the cold season. This makes it the perfect time to put a prevention strategy in place.
Colds are not always contained to the cooler months - children clock up on average 6-10 and adults 2-4 bouts throughout the year. Interestingly elderly people tend to have the least of all. Naturopathically speaking it is considered to not be unhealthy for an adult to have 1-2 colds every year. To reduce infections we tend to look at the role of nutrition, stress, food intolerances, allergies, rest and immune system function.
The ‘flu (influenza) is not a bad cold. The reality is you often feel miserable with a cold – suffering from a runny or blocked nose, fuzzy head, fatigue and perhaps a fever. But the influenza virus is different to that of the common cold and the symptoms, though they may seem like an amplified version– will include fever, aches and pains and total debility. Taking a day off work with the ‘flu is not optional – you’ll be in bed for at least a week, unable to do little at all. The flu vaccine doesn’t stop you from getting a cold, much to popular belief. In fact, the flu vaccine effectiveness and protocol has been seriously questioned by a leading medical peer review organization.
So how do we reduce our chances of succumbing to a cold too many?
Number one strategy in both conventional and complementary medicine is very obvious, if not impractical – stay awake from sick people!
We can’t all live in an isolation bubble, so the second strategy of hand washing is important to follow. The “Oprah” tip of not just using soap but rubbing your hands together long enough to be effective, is to sing the ‘happy birthday’ song right through to ensure you are washing them properly. Rubbing your eyes and nose with germy fingers is an assured way to incubate a cold, so hand washing reduces the route between droplet exposure and becoming sick.
Naturopathic options for adults include:
Vitamin C while there is evidence for and against (though none showing a harmful effect) the most popular protocol for cold prevention, taking a minimum dose of at least 500-1,000 mg of Vitamin C a day is worth including. Remember to avoid taking with caffeine of any kind and increase your dosage at any early signs of infection.
Cod liver oil
Sorry, there’s no vegan alternative for this one. The type of vitamin A found in fish is considered to strengthen the mucus membranes against bugs. This is about fortifying the first line of attack. So far there is no significant meta-analysis for this protocol. I would recommend you take 2,000 iu/day as a preventative (this level is safe in pregnancy but more than 8,000 iu/day is considered potentially harmful).
Balance
Have you ever noticed that you come down with a cold after a period of increased stress? While we are in the thick of it, our natural cortisone levels are slightly protective against infections such as colds but when these levels drop a little we become more likely to succumb to infection. To prevent wrecking your next holiday by spending it nursing a cold, stress management is needed now. Reduce alcohol and sugar, do some regular stress busting exercise (as simple as a daily walk), take a B or multi vitamin (with at least 50 mg of B6) and get a minimum of 7 hours sleep every night.
Up the vegetables
Almost as simplistic as hand washing is aiming for at least 5 different vegetables, especially the darker orange and green coloured ones and a couple of fruits every day. Contrary to popular myth, a supermarket bought orange has very little vitamin c left in it (compared to one freshly picked). For some people, drinking orange juice with a full blown cold increases the yucky mucus!
While on the subject of mucus – cutting right down on dairy and flour containing foods may make it flow a little more freely. Sugar is also known to encourage infections.
The rest of the dispensary
Everyone has their favourite remedy for the prevention or treatment of colds.
A new kid on the block is Vitamin E, which performed well in a placebo controlled trial of elderly residents in nursing homes.
A perennial favourite is the immune boosting properties of zinc.
2 herbs that are top of the pops are Echinacea and Astragalus. While I tend to think of Astragalus as a herb for convalescence and general debility, the Echinacea debate amongst herbalists is interesting. Many swear by its preventative properties while traditionalists suggest it is best used to treat acute infection. There is no evidence to suggest that taking Echinacea on a daily basis is harmful but there’s no proof that it is effective. However, quality of product is a huge issue in the efficacy of Echinacea and there is room for better research into this.
Some interesting information and statistics on the common cold at wrongdiagnosis.com
Colds are not always contained to the cooler months - children clock up on average 6-10 and adults 2-4 bouts throughout the year. Interestingly elderly people tend to have the least of all. Naturopathically speaking it is considered to not be unhealthy for an adult to have 1-2 colds every year. To reduce infections we tend to look at the role of nutrition, stress, food intolerances, allergies, rest and immune system function.
The ‘flu (influenza) is not a bad cold. The reality is you often feel miserable with a cold – suffering from a runny or blocked nose, fuzzy head, fatigue and perhaps a fever. But the influenza virus is different to that of the common cold and the symptoms, though they may seem like an amplified version– will include fever, aches and pains and total debility. Taking a day off work with the ‘flu is not optional – you’ll be in bed for at least a week, unable to do little at all. The flu vaccine doesn’t stop you from getting a cold, much to popular belief. In fact, the flu vaccine effectiveness and protocol has been seriously questioned by a leading medical peer review organization.
So how do we reduce our chances of succumbing to a cold too many?
Number one strategy in both conventional and complementary medicine is very obvious, if not impractical – stay awake from sick people!
We can’t all live in an isolation bubble, so the second strategy of hand washing is important to follow. The “Oprah” tip of not just using soap but rubbing your hands together long enough to be effective, is to sing the ‘happy birthday’ song right through to ensure you are washing them properly. Rubbing your eyes and nose with germy fingers is an assured way to incubate a cold, so hand washing reduces the route between droplet exposure and becoming sick.
Naturopathic options for adults include:
Vitamin C while there is evidence for and against (though none showing a harmful effect) the most popular protocol for cold prevention, taking a minimum dose of at least 500-1,000 mg of Vitamin C a day is worth including. Remember to avoid taking with caffeine of any kind and increase your dosage at any early signs of infection.
Cod liver oil
Sorry, there’s no vegan alternative for this one. The type of vitamin A found in fish is considered to strengthen the mucus membranes against bugs. This is about fortifying the first line of attack. So far there is no significant meta-analysis for this protocol. I would recommend you take 2,000 iu/day as a preventative (this level is safe in pregnancy but more than 8,000 iu/day is considered potentially harmful).
Balance
Have you ever noticed that you come down with a cold after a period of increased stress? While we are in the thick of it, our natural cortisone levels are slightly protective against infections such as colds but when these levels drop a little we become more likely to succumb to infection. To prevent wrecking your next holiday by spending it nursing a cold, stress management is needed now. Reduce alcohol and sugar, do some regular stress busting exercise (as simple as a daily walk), take a B or multi vitamin (with at least 50 mg of B6) and get a minimum of 7 hours sleep every night.
Up the vegetables
Almost as simplistic as hand washing is aiming for at least 5 different vegetables, especially the darker orange and green coloured ones and a couple of fruits every day. Contrary to popular myth, a supermarket bought orange has very little vitamin c left in it (compared to one freshly picked). For some people, drinking orange juice with a full blown cold increases the yucky mucus!
While on the subject of mucus – cutting right down on dairy and flour containing foods may make it flow a little more freely. Sugar is also known to encourage infections.
The rest of the dispensary
Everyone has their favourite remedy for the prevention or treatment of colds.
A new kid on the block is Vitamin E, which performed well in a placebo controlled trial of elderly residents in nursing homes.
A perennial favourite is the immune boosting properties of zinc.
2 herbs that are top of the pops are Echinacea and Astragalus. While I tend to think of Astragalus as a herb for convalescence and general debility, the Echinacea debate amongst herbalists is interesting. Many swear by its preventative properties while traditionalists suggest it is best used to treat acute infection. There is no evidence to suggest that taking Echinacea on a daily basis is harmful but there’s no proof that it is effective. However, quality of product is a huge issue in the efficacy of Echinacea and there is room for better research into this.
Some interesting information and statistics on the common cold at wrongdiagnosis.com
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