Winter Wellness
Look after yourself and your loved ones by being prepared with a few natural remedies to keep Winter Wellness
Firstly, for prevention...
Through food…
Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, though frozen, dried and canned all have their place. If you remember to include as much variety of these as you can in all the colours of the rainbow this will ensure you cover a range of vitamins and minerals. Often the best nutritive value is just under the skin, so if you can eat the skin of fruit or potatoes, carrots and so on, just give them a scrub first.
Include protein to support the building and repair of your cells and their metabolic reactions. Protein also maintains fluid and pH balance and helps keep your immune system strong. In addition, it keeps the communication going between your cells, tissues and organs, to help all your systems work at their best.
Keep well hydrated, especially with warm drinks. Fruit and herbal teas, hot water with lemon and honey, and a chunk of ginger root if you like, chicken broth or bone broth are nutritious too. For those of us who love our tea or coffee, simply ensure you are drinking plenty of non caffeinated drinks too.
Through supplements…
If you feel your food is not as nutritious as it could be, and unless we are eating organic most of the time that probably means most of us, you might want to top up on vitamins and minerals in the winter, to enable your body to work optimally. I can vouch for Cytoplan as an ethical supplement company who are based in Worcester. If you would like advice on which supplements might suit you, please get in touch with me.
Vitamin D3 with K2, Vitamin C, and also Immunovite are what I use. If I become unwell then I top up what I am taking to help my body through the symptoms. Taking Vitamin C to bowel tolerance to help speed along an infection or illness, is a strategy to use. This means that you know when your system has enough vitamin C when it loosens your stools! This is when you would reduce the amount a little. We do not store this vitamin in our bodies so it is important we get enough of it every day.
Cytoplan also has a Honey Bee Propolis which is another way of supporting your immune system.
Lastly, I would recommend zinc, which is also known for being good to help with immunity.
With homeopathy…
I have Echinacea as a homeopathic remedy and am going to take this every day if I feel I am getting run down, extra tired etc as this is often when we become susceptible to becoming unwell. It is of course our body's message to us that we need to look after ourselves a bit better! If you would like to have some Echinacea in your home health kit, do get in touch.
Choosing natural skincare
… don’t give your skin added toxicity to deal with when your body is doing its best to keep you well and strong. This goes for all year, but particularly important in cold weather.
We are all conscious of washing our hands more in the season of snuffles and colds. You could look for handwash (soap!) that contains natural antibacterial ingredients such as witch hazel, lavender, eucalyptus, thyme, cinnamon. Gentle natural elements will not dry out your skin as much as those containing synthetic ingredients. The Defend and Protect range from Neal's Yard is gentle and effective, and includes a hand rub spray (convenient for taking around with you), hand wash, hand lotion and hand cream in its range.
Using a diffuser with essential oils such as eucalyptus, pine, orange, lemon or an aromatherapy blend such as Organic Defence (Neal's Yard.) This will make your house smell fragrant, as well as having a naturally therapeutic and cleansing effect.
Soothing products for when you have symptoms...
Elderberry syrup: if you are more organised than me, you may make this in the Autumn when the berries are out! I did make it one year, but these days that activity languishes on my to do list. Currently I have a bottle of elderberry syrup from Neal's Yard in my cupboard and I like to add it to warm water to make a drink. Full of vitamin C and very soothing when you are feeling under the weather. You can add honey to it.
For sore throats, Eucalyptus pastilles are soothing. Look for a natural one, they come highly recommended.
Eucalyptus oil can be applied to the soles of feet and to your chest as a rub to help with easy breathing and to help ward off symptoms of cold and flu.
Homeopathic remedies are great to have at hand when illness falls. There are handy kits to have at home which are also great when you are out and about or on holiday.
Some remedies it is useful to bear in mind are:
ACONITE to take at the first sign of coming down with something, particularly if it is coming on quickly. Often noticed at night/midnight with a feeling of restlessness and fear, and if you have recently been out in the cold or a cold wind.
FERRUM PHOS for when an illness is coming on more gradually. A gradual lack of energy and interest in things, with a pale or flushed face.
BELLADONNA for a raging temperature, with redness to the skin, and throbbing heat, when you can feel the heat wafting from under the bedclothes. Eyes may look glossy and pupils dilated. Feeling better in a warm room but worse at night in bed.
If symptoms develop, then this is a good time to contact a homeopath for further help.
To sum up…
If we are eating healthily, keeping well hydrated, and getting plenty of rest, relaxation, and fresh air, these will go a long way to helping us manage those periods of unwellness and come through them more quickly.
However, we know that at some point we are likely to be susceptible to a period of feeling under par, and this is when being prepared with some simple natural remedies is so useful.
Do contact me if you would like to know more about looking after yourself naturally this winter, and about how homeopathy can be a part of that self care.
Wishing you good health this wintertime,
Anne-Marie Shilling LCCH ARH
Homeopath @Balanced Health with Homeopathy
