Perking Up Your Immune System for the Holidays

Yesterday, I came across this article:

Flu Shot Effectiveness

Apparently, the flu predictions weren't very accurate this year.  Whether people chose to have the flu shot or not, we all need to enhance our immune system.  This is especially important with the holidays when we are busier than ever and want to enjoy it in full health.  We can perk up our immune system in a lot of ways.

Some things that might be hurting your immune system during the holidays include:

1.Skimping on Sleep

This is one that I am definitely guilty of quite often, even when it isn't December. I put my kids in bed and go back to work emails.  Mount Sinai School of Medicine has found that less than 7 hours of sleep causes sluggish T-cell (white cells that defend against infections).

2. Eating too Much Fat

I am not saying to cut fat out of your diet, it certainly has benefits.  However, high-fat diets make certain immune system cells more sluggish and functioning at a lower capacity.  Researchers at Tufts University studied the effects on the immune system of diets containing 38% fat (which is a typical Western diet) compared to diets with 28% fat.  People with the lower fat diet had enhanced T-cells, which is a type of white blood cells.

3. Stress Overload

This one, of course, is difficult to avoid. Bruce McEwan, PhD from Rockefeller University said "ongoing stress suppresses circulation of immune cells, as well as inhibiting the activation of the immune response, which is key to clearing viruses and bacteria."

4. Repressing Feelings

Quite a few people complain about spending time with their dysfunctional families.  I think family time is great.  I never get enough of it.  If family time is stressful for you, remember that repressing your feelings isn't healthy either. "Writing or talking about an unresolved trauma helps you put the event into perspective, organize it, and ultimately get through it" according to the author of The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us.  If discussing it with the person that you have the issue with doesn't help, talk to someone else or even write it down in your journal.  The author also said, "Afterwards, people sleep better, feel and think better, and have richer social lives."

5. Drinking too much alcohol

I don't happen to drink at all, so "too much" isn't a problem for me.  If you do, you might want to consider cutting back.  Besides the fact that it is never bad advice for down-playing your drinking at company holiday parties, there are also health benefits for not over-doing it.  According to the University of Massachusetts Medical School who reviewed studies from 2000 - 2008, "Too much alcohol can leave you vulnerable to infections, poor wound healing, and heart, liver, and pancreatic diseases."

In addition to avoiding the five things listed above, there are some proactive measure we can take using essential oils.  The Top 5 Oils I am using are:

1. Protective Blend

This oil blend contains wild orange, clove bud, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary.  These oils have been studied for their abilities to combat bacteria, mold and viruses.  It is commonly used to support bladder function, cleansing, colds, coughs, gum issues, halitosis, mold, and more.

2. Respiratory Blend

This oil blend contains laurel leaf, peppermint, eucalyptus, melaleuca, lemon, and ravensara. These oils have been known to soothe the tissues of the respiratory system.  It is commonly used to support anxiety, congestion, cough, respiratory system, sinus issues, and more.

3. Holiday Blend

This blend includes wild orange, nutmeg, pine, cassia, cinnamon bark, and vanilla absolute.  It lifts your mood, which is good for your whole body.

4. Melaleuca 

This oil is more commonly called Tea Tree Oil.  It is commonly used for pimples, colds and flu, gum problems, skin disorders, and more.

One of the ways that I like to use it is for throat tickles. Just a drop in your mouth does wonders.  It tastes awful for a little over 60 seconds, but the taste quickly disappears. Every time we feel a little tickle in our throats in the evening, we put a drop in our mouths. When we wake up in the morning, there is no sign of a problem.  Despite the taste, my kids ask for it when their throats are scratchy.  

5. Grounding Blend

This is known as the grounding blend. It contains spruce, rosewood, blue tansy, frankincense, and fractionated coconut oil. This is primarily used for anxiety, attention deficit, hyperactivity, nervousness, and balancing hormones. Balance is definitely what we all need more of during the holidays!

Christmas Clips by AromaTools

One of our favorite resources for oil accessories (AromaTools) has 2 cute little Christmas clips:

Santa Clause:

Scrooge

 

I don't make money from AromaTools. I just like their products.

The Puzzle of Wellness - Lyme Disease

I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease (chronic) four years ago.  In all of the reading I have done in books, on websites, and with others' personal experiences of this misunderstood and complex immune system dysfunction, it can be rather disheartening fighting it.  It isn't just one thing or a few things that will result in any significant amount of change.  I have found this to be true for myself, as well.  My own efforts to improve my immune system make me feel like I am putting the pieces together in a very challenging puzzle.  When I first began my efforts to strengthen my broken immune system, I was discouraged.  My mom (my biggest cheerleader) encouraged me not to just make one effort...but to look at and incorporate multiple immune system building practices into my efforts (not such a good thing if you are a scientist and trying to test variables, but a very good thing if you are interested in being proactive, taking control of your own health, and wanting to just plain feel better). So, I have done just this.  My health and wellness is like a beautiful picture that I want to reclaim.  Some of the pieces are out of place, so I make an effort each day to put them back in place and keep others from getting displaced.  It doesn't happen overnight.  I am perfectly fine with that, because I feel encouragement and enthusiasm in the tremendous progress I have made so far.  My list of immune system efforts has grown since the time I begun working at it.  But, I have picked one thing at a time to incorporate into my health until it has become habitual and a part of my daily life.

Before I had a diagnosis, I learned from micro-nutrient testing I had completed, that I had a very deficient level of glutathione.  Glutathione is produced by the body to fight the free radicals roaming our bodies, which cause oxidative stress.  However, a body burdened with too much of a toxic load cannot produce the necessary glutathione to "keep up", thus resulting in chronic illness or disease. To boost glutathione, certain foods are encouraged as building blocks to the body making the necessary components of this master antioxidant.  I also learned I needed to avoid chemicals...to use natural cleaning products for home and body, natural make-up, etc., and to reduce exposure to harmful environmental chemicals.  So, the first piece in my puzzle led me to research essential oils, as these gifts of the earth are a very beneficial solution for toxicity, for restoring health, or for maintaining continued wellness. At this time, I also met with a doctor who planted the first seeds of essential oil usage.  Thus began my family's connection and relationship with essential oils.

Out of a very significant trial in my life has come a tremendous blessing for myself and my family...and those I have the courage to share with.  While I work on my own puzzle of wellness, I daily try to teach my own children and extended family members how to preserve or improve their own picture of health.  It is my long term goal to reach out to all I can and to share what I have learned in putting our "puzzles of wellness" back together.                                                      

Why the Holistic Quest?

Five years ago my daughter, Tiffany, began having unexplained pain in her joints as well as suffering with incredible fatigue.  This began shortly after the birth of her fourth baby.  She could no longer run or exercise and was frustrated with her inability to "keep up."  In a search for answers we began a journey of trying to discover, through the medical profession what might be wrong.  We visited various medical specialists, including a Gynecologist, an Orthopedist, a Rheumatologist, and an Oncologists; none of whom had an answer for her.  For two years, we went from doctor to doctor, but no one could identify her problem.

Finally, we found a doctor who was an amazing diagnostician.  She did blood work that had never been addressed before and ultimately came up with a diagnosis of Lyme Disease.  She prescribed antibiotics, including six weeks of infusions three times a week.  After a year of antibiotic therapy, there was no change for the better in her blood work.  During this year Tiffany did lots of reading and began to make dietary changes and to identify issues associated with depletion of good gut bacteria.  She believed her crucial good bacteria was being destroyed by antibiotics.

We decided she would quit the antibiotics and we would look for another answer. I found a medical doctor who had a more holistic approach for us to consider.  He spoke about a combination of supplements, lifestyle changes, balancing hormones, nutrition deficiency correction, and dietary changes.  He happened to also mention essential oils, explaining that in ten years he felt the use of essential oils would greatly surpass that of western medicine.  He went on to explain why he believed what he had just said.  It was at that moment I believed we had an answer to prayer and something we could do to take the place of the antibiotic therapy that had thus far yielded nothing positive.

It was at this time we began researching essential oils and the companies that sold them.  We were the most excited about what we saw in one brand, and then our real journey began taking us to where we are today.  Tiffany's blood work has continued to improve and her symptoms are diminishing.  As we experiment with alternative solutions for other conditions, we continue to be amazed at their effectiveness.

We have done lots of research into many health promoting practices that strengthen our immune systems. We hope to use this blog to share the things we're learning on this journey towards wellness.

Oil Pulling for Beautiful Teeth

My friend, Tiffany, who introduced me to essential oils, is a huge fan of oil pulling and loves to get other people to try it. You might have heard about oil pulling before. It seems to be popping up everywhere, like here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNnOqbUSViA
WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/oil-pulling
PubMed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18408265

There are plenty of more places like blogs, fashion magazines, and holistic websites, but I thought I'd link some of the more mainstream websites. I have read quite a few articles about it. The most positive sites claim that oil pulling can rebuild cavities or completely improve your overall health.  The PubMed site refers to a study saying that oil pulling reduces Streptococcus mutans, which causes cavities and is linked to heart disease.  

I am pretty sure Tiffany does it almost every day and she feels it is worth it. My mom has a friend who lives near us that swears by it too. Over a year ago, she was visiting her daughter overseas when she suddenly experienced a horrible toothache. Not wanting to find a dentist there, her daughter googled holistic remedies. Oil pulling came up and she gave it a try.  Her toothache stopped being painful and she has been hooked ever since. She told us that it has helped her in many ways including giving her amazing relief of her horrible dry mouth. Her problem sounded quite severe.

When I've done it on a regular basis I had random people compliment me on my white teeth.  How often does that happen? Apparently more when you are oil pulling.

Trying oil pulling is rather simple, you don't need anything special just one of these oils:

sunfloweroil
sesame oil
coconut oil

I happen to prefer coconut oil even though in the cooler months it has to melt in your mouth before you can swish. I also like to add a drop of essential oils mostly for taste enhancement, but they have therapeutic benefits as well.  I like peppermint and Protective Blend. After swishing for 10 to 20 minutes, I spit it into a paper cup and throw it away. Next, I brush my teeth and that's it.  My friend often does her oil pulling in the shower to knock it out while she is busy doing something else.  20 minutes of oil pulling does seem long if you aren't distracted.