Survive The Summer

From allergies/ hayfever to bites, sun-burn to prickly heat, where do we turn? Many of us have or currently use herbal treatments, nasal sprays and essential oils in our daily life. We may well eat foods which may be causing (or accentuating) the runny nose and sneezing, but can we pin point a cure???

I thought I'd share some of my tips with you......

Uneasy traveller/ sickness.

Peppermint oil has an excellent calming effect on the stomach- you could put one drop of peppermint oil into a cup of hot water (it is very strong so really only use 1 drop!) with sugar or honey to taste. Or use peppermint tea. (This will also help during flights to avoid bloating and extended tummy's)

Ginger is another great oil for alleviating sickness. 2 drops of ginger oil placed on a handkerchief and inhaled works well, or a cube of ginger seeped in some hot water (sugar or honey added to taste) works well. You could also use 1 drop in a teaspoon of oil and rub into upper abdomen.

Sea sickness is helped (bizarrely) by eating a green apple slowly.

If you take 200mg of magnesium 3 times daily for 2 or 3 days prior to travelling it will help as it is known to be natures tranquilizer.

Alertness on long journeys (particularly aimed at the driver)
2 drops of basil oil in the morning bath (emulsify in a very small amount of milk or the oil will just sit on the water) or, 2 drops on a face cloth after washing in the shower and rub over the body- this will sharpen concentration.

Sun or wind burn
Hopefully the high factor lotion you have used will have worked (I wont preach here). But if you have caught the sun this could be as severe as blistering and peeling or simply a feeling of tightness and soreness.

The most effective treatment for this is the miraculous Lavender oil. But, (CRUCIALLY), as with any burn you MUST get the heat out of the skin. So fill the sink or bath with cold water (add ice if possible) and immerse the area (or yourself) as soon as you can. Keep the affected area under water for at least 10 mins then apply neat lavender oil over the burnt area- bearing in mind that 1 drop will cover quite a large area.
The following two days you should be sensible and stay out of the sun even if it looks as though the area has completely healed.

Pine bark extract has been proven to reduce skin inflammation caused by UV rays.

For hives (small itchy inflamed bumps- often caused to heat and sun exposure) can be treated using aloe vera plant (break 'spiny leaf' and rub onto affected area, or use urtica cream. The brand Vogel is my personal favourite and they research very heavily the effects of plants/ remedies on the body www.nutrisun.co.uk

For eczema or psoriasis sufferers whilst a little sunbathing is good, spend more time in the sea as the saltwater will help the skin.

Bruising
Being jostled around the airports, queuing for cabs etc hours later you notice you are covered in bruises- remember to take your arnica cream.

Hay fever / allergies.
Gosh at the time of writing this mine are in full swing, and I can assure the following has proved extremely useful during the past few weeks...
Stinging, running and itchy eyes, dripping, bunged up nose are all too familiar at this time of the year. You may have noticed that it is worse some times than others and probably logically assume it's the pollen count or high fumes of city life, however, there small changes to make around this time of year to ease the burden of your suffering.

Firstly, avoid all mucous forming foods- these are full-fat dairy products, cheese and (sadly) chocolate. Alternatives to dairy include rice, soya, goats, sheep or oat milk, however, soya can trigger excess mucous production in some people.

Wheat (white flour & pasta) are obvious triggers to allergic reactions so do avoid during the pollen season but another trigger which often is less known of is bananas!

Pineapple can help! (or 500mg bromelain) Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain which has an anti-inflammatory effect as well as being able to break down mucous.

A spray called Euphorbium Spray is very useful and effective particularly to relieve headaches, congestion and runny noses.

For hives (small itchy inflamed bumps- often caused to heat and sun exposure) can be treated using aloe vera plant (break 'spiny leaf' and rub onto affected area, or use urtica cream. The brand Vogel is my personal favourite and they research very heavily the effects of plants/ remedies on the body. http://www.nutrisun.co.uk

Lastly, nettle tea 3 times daily helps relieve the symptoms.

Prickly heat
1 cup of baking soda mixed carefully with 4 drops of Lavender oil added to a warm (not hot) bath will help alleviate the itchiness of this common complaint. Also see hives treatment above.

General (suck eggs time, but do read on, I left this bit in for the funny side of things!)
Having asked many intrepid travellers of their tales, I realise many of them have never had travellers tummy! The advice I received (for my first holiday and ever nearing trip to Thailand) is as follows;

Only drink bottled water with the seal unbroken and to brush your teeth.
Never have ice in your drinks, no uncooked food, eat local food.
Take a Swiss army knife to remove skin from fresh fruits. (Personally, I am concerned that I won't leave the airport on the plane, perhaps in hand-cuffs, so my advise is 'pinch of salt' with this suggestion, but for humor value, I've chosen to leave it in!!)

However, if a bout of diarrhoea does afflict you, re-hydration is the key, you need to keep water intake up and incorporate sugars and salts to replenish lost ones.

Diarrhoea/ dehydration replenishment recipe
1 litre of bottled water
8 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
(8 drops of lemon oil if you have some)

or drink flat cola

Bites

If there is anyone in a crowd of people to be bitten it is always me (or should I say was!) I worked out that having the sweet tooth that I do increases the amount of sugar in the blood- therefore I attract all the midges and mozzies straight too me like a beacon!

Rule number one- reduce sugar in your diet, and if you are going to the tropics, rule number two avoid sugar for at least a week before your holiday.

Garlic is a great deterrent to stinging insects ? the smell is less appetizing to them- great for your heart too.

Lemongrass or citronella is the greatest deterrent but a great blend is;
Thyme                       4 drops
Lemongrass             8 drops
Lavender                  4 drops
Peppermint               4 drops
Mix together and carry in a bottle, shake well and add 2 drops to your body lotion or sun lotion as a deterrent.

Another blend is:
Lavender                   10 drops
Orange                       10 drops
Eucalyptus                 5 drops
Citronella                   5 drops
Neem oil                     10 drops

Mix the above carefully into a base of 50mls apricot oil (or if your are allergic to apricots use grapeseed)