As we prepare for the colder months in Australia this year we are being bombarded with news of the Coronavirus and the idea that there could be a pandemic. This morning we heard that in some of the States the law as been changed to allow pharmacists to give flu injections to children as young as 10 years old. At first we were puzzled about this – as the flu vaccine will not protect you from the Coronavirus. But then the logic was presented. Medical professionals are concerned that a bad flu season combined with an outbreak of the Coronavirus will place too much pressure on the health system. So, they are thinking of ways to be proactive! Being proactive about health is something I can get behind!!! Sadly, proactivity is a rare thing with human beings, so we are ready to help you change your mindset. We would like to offer simple suggestions to change your habits to healthy ones!

Let’s all do our bit to reduce the load on the health system this year!

Firstly, we just want to mention that we published a post last year on being proactive about your health during winter: 3 Tips for Staying Healthy During Winter. You might like to take a look at this post as it provides a recipe for what we call ‘Immune Bomb’ which is a blend of Essential Oils that will help you with your immunity, particularly when you are most vulnerable i.e. during the colder months.

* Before I go on I just want to let you know that I have added some links to my doTERRA webpage at the end of this post so you can check out any of the oils I mention.

So what can you do to gear up for what is coming? How can you be proactive about your health?

Here are some ideas for you:

1. Start moving now. If you don’t like to exercise then the idea of taking a walk or even swimming in winter may not be appealing. So find an exercise buddy, set some exercise goals and make your exercise into fun! Why is this important? There are lots of reasons why exercise is important – including strengthened heart and circulatory systems, regulated blood pressure, strengthened lungs, weight control etc. All in all, keeping up a healthy exercise routine will result in you having a healthy body and you should be more able to fight off those winter infections!

On a personal note, I would rather swim on a cold winters morning than walk because the water temperature is much higher than air temperature at that time of year. Swimming is also great for strengthening lungs and clearing the sinuses! I have not had a serious respiratory illness for at least 10 years i.e. since I started regularly swimming! Why not try it now before the temperature starts to drop?

Tip: Ask your exercise buddy to keep you accountable. If you need help setting and keeping goals read our goal setting post.

2. Get the flu vaccine. Why put yourself at risk, particularly if you are in a high risk age category? We will certainly be doing this soon.

3. Clean up your eating habits. Are you eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables? If not, get into the habit of doing so before winter arrives. A healthy diet combined with exercise will help you fend off the winter bugs. Reducing your alcohol intake should also help your overall health!

4. Use Essential Oils. An essential oil is a natural oil typically obtained by distillation and having the characteristic odour of the plant or other source from which it is extracted. Essential Oils are used in aromatherapy and are more and more being included in personal health and beauty products as well around the house e.g. in a range of cleaning products. They are used as alternative solutions to a range of human ailments including the treatment of stress and anxiety, insomnia, scrapes and cuts, inflammation etc. A number of oils have antimicrobial properties and others are known to support immunity and can be used to help fight infection. When it comes to preparing for the colder months I stock up with a number of different oils to help with immunity and to avoid the spread of infection. Here are my ideas for you to consider:

• Try the Immune Bomb Recipe I mentioned above. I used this last year when I had a sore throat when I was away on holidays (without easy access to a doctor). I took one capsule each day for a week and rubbed my throat with a blend of Frankincense and Oregano Oils to fend off the infection. I avoided antibiotics and recovered quickly. This is not a guaranteed outcome of course but I will always try using Oregano and / or Immune Bomb first before jumping to antibiotics.
• Diffuse On Guard and Tea Tree Oils in your house to purify the air, particularly if someone in the household has a cold or runny nose.
• Make a spray of Tea Tree and Lemon Oils (diluted with water) to clean surfaces that might be touched by sick people in your house.
• Use doTERRA’s On Guard Hand Sanitiser to make sure you keep your hands clean at home and when you are out.
• Clear your nose by diffusing Easy Air or make your own personal inhaler infused with Easy Air. It will keep you breathing clearly!
• You can also purchase On Guard Beadlets and/or  lozenges and Easy Air lozenges to have on hand if you do pick up a bug. They will help ease your suffering!

5. Consider the toxic load in your house i.e. cleaning products, health and beauty products, plastics etc. Could you reduce this load of potentially toxic chemicals? It may seem a bit daunting, but you can make your home a much healthier place for you and your family by making some simple changes.

We have written some posts that will help you with this. Here they are:

DIY with Essential Oils – Why would you?

DIY with Essential Oils – First Steps

Getting Organised for DIY with Essential Oils

Final Thoughts

There are some positive and proactive ways to prepare for the colder months and they do not include watching the doom and gloom reports on the news. Sure, keep up to date with the official warnings but instead of getting anxious, get active!

What next?

If you are ready to enter the world of Essential Oils and you decide to go the doTERRA way, I would love to help you get started and support you if you want some help. Here is how you can do this: go to my doTERRA website to find out about the range of oil and oil based products available for purchase. You can also sign up to become a member on this site. Once signed up you can purchase oils for wholesale prices! But if you would like some more information click on the Contact Me on the doTERRA website and I will respond to your questions.

We hope you will also join us at Helpful by Nature by subscribing to our email list. We would love to hear from you, take your questions and provide answers if we are able.

Until next time,

 

 

Gillian (and Andrew)