Tips For Staying Healthy This Winter    ~    The Healing Power of Honey    Women & Whiplash

Tips for Staying Healthy This Winter

As summer comes to an end, cooler temperatures are on the way, and that means another cold and flu season is approaching!  The body’s immune system is designed to fight off thse unhealthy bacteria and viruses, but if your immune system is suppressed or overwhelmed, illness can set in.

Now is the time to build up your immune system because prevention is the best medicine!  So what can you do to stay healthy this winter?

1. Good food is essential for  a strong immune system.  Eat a balanced, healthy diet by choosing whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and high fiber foods like beans and legumes. And whenever possible go organic (less toxins for the body to process and eliminate!). Avoid processed foods, sugar, white flour, fatty foods, artificial flavors & colors, and soda – all of which can weaken the immune system.

2.  Stress is inevitable, but finding ways to reduce stress in your life will not only strengthen you immune system, but your mental health as well.  If you are looking for ideas check out these HWH articles:  Stress, Breathing Exercises, Meditation, Relaxation Techniques, Visualization

3.  Exercise daily.  Even a 15-20 minute walk each day can have a positive impact on your health.  And as long as the weather permits roll-up your sleeves and get your Vitamin D quota for the day, too! And when the weather doesn’t allow you to get our for a walk, and you aren’t a gym person, put on your favorite CD and dance around the house!!

4.  Get adequate rest.  Do you best to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  Not only is this important for immune health, but the body does its healing  and restorative work when you are sleeping.

5.  Taking a good probiotic will help to keep your intestinal tract in balance which supports overall immune health by preventing bacteria and viruses from taking hold in the body. Eating live culture yogurt is another way to keep the balance of good/bad bacteria in the intestinal tract.

6.  Consider supplements such as Vitamin C which helps to protect the cells and has anti-viral properties. Cod Liver Oil is a great source of heart healthy Omega 3 Fatty Acids, as well as Vitamins A & D.  Zinc is also considered to be an immune booster that may help to prevent and lessen the severity of colds.

7.  Cook with lots of garlic, ginger, oregano and other spices – research continues to show that many spices have great health benefits, and strengthen the immune system. And try using coconut oil as it has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

8. Above all:  WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN!  This is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of illness and stay healthy.  Remember to rub vigorously for approx. 30 seconds to be sure you wash away all those germs.

The Healing Power of Honey

A few weeks before coming down with a bad cough and flu last winter, I had read about a study that compared the effectiveness of children’s cough medicine to natural honey.  It turns out the honey was actually more effective in reducing a cough than cough medicine!  Another surprising result was that the children who used honey to calm their cough also healed more quickly.  So when I got sick I decided to try honey to soothe my cough…and sure enough it did a great job of easing my suffering and aiding in my healing!   The more I learn about honey, the more amazed I am at the many health benefits of this sweet food! In addition to its healing properties it is also a source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as well as having antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal properties!

ABOUT HONEY
Honey is a sweet yellow to rich amber colored viscous fluid produced by bees. As an alternative to sugar, honey is a sweet, dense flavorful food which can vary widely in taste and color, depending on what the bees are eating. The social structure of a hive of bees is actually quite complex, and naturalists have devoted extensive study to the lives of bees and the ways in which they communicate.

Worker bees travel outside the hive to collect nectar from flowers. When they return to the hive, the bees convert the nectar into honey, and store it in waxy combs which are designed to keep it stable until it is needed. Bees use the honey they produce as a food source when they have difficulty finding other foods. Humans have also been taking advantage of honey as a food for thousands of years. (source: WiseGeek.com)

A  MIRACLE FOOD?

The uses for honey appear to be unlimited…it is even suggested it can aid in weight loss! I don’t have personal knowledge that all of these will work, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did! 

ANEMIA - Honey is the best blood enricher by raising corpuscle content. The darker the honey, the more minerals it contains.

ANTIBACTERIAL & ANTIFUNGAL PROPERTIES: Honey has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties and hence it can be used as a natural antiseptic.

ANTIOXIDANTS: Honey contains nutraceuticals, which are effective in removing free radicals from our body. As a result, our body immunity is improved.

ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE: Recent research has shown that honey is an excellent ergogenic aid and helps in boosting the performance of athletes. Honey facilitates in maintaining blood sugar levels, muscle recuperation and glycogen restoration after a workout.

BED WETTING: A teaspoon of honey before bed aids water retention and calms fears in children.

BOOST  IMMUNE SYSTEM: Whereas sugar shuts down the immune system, a good quality honey will stimulate it into action.

BURNS:  Apply freely over burns. It cools, removes pain and aids fast healing without scarring. Apart from being a salve and an antibiotic, bacteria simply cannot survive in honey.

CONJUNCTIVITIS:  Dissolve honey in an equal quantity of warm water. When cooled, apply as a lotion or eye bath.

COUGH MIXTURE:  Combine 6 ounces (170 grams) liquid honey, 2 ounces (55 grams) glycerin and the juice of two lemons. Mix well. Bottle and cork firmly, and use as required.  (Note: I used honey straight from the jar for my cough!)

DIGESTION:  Mix honey with an equal quantity of apple cider vinegar and dilute to taste with water. This is also wonderful for the joints – and promotes weight loss.

ENERGY SOURCE: Honey is also used by many as a source of energy as it provides about 64 calories per tablespoon. One tablespoon of sugar will give you about 50 calories. Further the sugars in honey can be easily converted into glucose by even the most sensitive stomachs, hence it is very easy to digest.

FACIAL DEEP CLEANSER: Mix honey with an equal quantity of oatmeal, and apply as a face pack. Leave on for half an hour, then wash it off. Great as a deep cleanser for acne and other unwanted blemishes.

FATIGUE:  Dissolve a dessertspoon of honey in warm water or quarter honey balance of water in a jug and keep in the fridge. Honey is primarily fructose and glucose, so it's quickly absorbed by the digestive system. Honey is a unique natural stabilizer: Ancient Greek athletes took honey for stamina before competing and as a reviver after competition.

FOOD PRESERVATIVE:  If you replace the sugar in cake and cookie recipes with honey, they'll stay fresher longer due to honey's natural antibacterial properties. Reduce liquids in the mixture by about one-fifth to allow for the moisture present in the in honey.

HAIR CONDITIONER:  Mix honey with an equal quantity of olive oil, cover head with a warm tower for half an hour then shampoo off. Feeds hair and scalp. Your hair will never look or feel better!

HYPERACTIVITY: Replace all use of white sugar with honey. White sugar is highly stimulating with no food qualities. Honey provides the energy without the "spike."

INSOMNIA:  A dessert spoon of honey in a mug of warm milk aids sleep and works wonders.

LONGEVITY: The most long-lived people in the world are all regular users of honey. An interesting fact, yet to be explained, is that beekeepers suffer less from cancer and arthritis than any other occupational group worldwide.

MIGRAINE: Use a dessertspoon of honey dissolved in half a glass of warm water. Sip at the start of a migraine attack, and, if necessary, repeat after another 20 minutes.

NASAL CONGESTION: Place a spoon of honey in a basin of water and inhale fumes after covering your head with a towel over the basin. Very effective!

OSTEOPOROSIS:  Research has shown that a teaspoon of honey per day aids calcium utilization and prevents osteoporosis – probably not a bad idea for anyone over 50.

REPIRATORY AILMENTS:  One Bulgarian study of almost 18,000 patients found that it improved chronic bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, chronic and allergic rhinitis and sinusitis. It's an effective treatment for colds, flu, respiratory infections and a generally depressed immune system.

SKIN CARE with Milk and Honey: Milk and honey are often served together as both these ingredients help in getting a smooth soothing skin. Hence consuming milk and honey daily in the morning is a common practice in many countries.

SORE THROATS:  Let a teaspoon of honey melt in the back of the mouth and trickle down the throat. Eases inflamed raw tissues.

STRESS: Honey in water is a stabilizer, calming highs and raising lows. Use approximately 25 percent honey to water.

WEIGHT LOSS:  When consumed with warm water honey helps in digesting the fat stored in your body. Similarly honey and lemon juice and honey and cinnamon help in reducing weight.

WOUND MANAGEMENT: Honey possesses antimicrobial properties and helps in initiating the healing process in dormant wounds. Honey also helps in promoting moist wound healing.

Sources: Natural Health News article by Kelly Joyce Neff  and Organic Facts.com

Women & Whiplash

by Dr. Jerry Zelm

 Although men hate to admit it, statistics tend to prove that women, under 30, are much safer drivers than their male counterparts.  However, what is not generally known, is that women are also much more likely to sustain severe physical injuries than men, when involved in an accident of equal dynamics.  Why?  Simply because females often have less muscle to protect them during impact, and in some cases, a long, slender neck may actually contribute to the action of the classic “whiplash”, technically known as the hyperflexion/hyperextension injury.

The unsuspecting driver is usually sitting at a stop sign, waiting to accelerate into traffic.  Suddenly she is struck from behind, and thousands of pounds of force smash into her auto, involving her neck and back, and those of her passengers.  In some cases the force is great enough to break the driver’s seat from its frame, as the car is literally pushed out from underneath the person.  For this reason, ignition keys are often found in the back seat following the collision.

When the victim’s head, which weighs somewhere between 7 and 11 pounds, is unexpectedly thrust backward against the headrest, the muscles react with a violent spasm in the opposite direction.  During this process there can be stretching and tearing of the soft tissues of the neck and upper back, along with hemorrhaging of blood vessels, depending on the force and speed of the other vehicle.  In extreme cases bone fracture may also be present.  But in most cases the bones of the neck are just strained and shifted from their normal alignment, causing compression of the spinal nerves, arteries and veins that exit through small openings in the neck.  Chiropractors call this “vertebral subluxation.” Not only do these misaligned vertebrae irritate nerves and make neck movements painfully difficult, they also interfere with the vital messages that regularly travel back and forth from the brain to various parts of the body.

Within hours or days the victim may experience any of the following symptoms:  headaches, neck pain and stiffness, back pain, pain and numbness in upper extremities, nausea, dizziness or vertigo, nervousness, ringing in the ears, mental dullness, bowel irregularities, rapid heart beat, insomnia, fatigue, tendonitis, blackout, loss of hearing, cold hands, shortness of breath, memory loss, depression, and menstrual irregularities.

The first step following a severe accident is to rule out broken bones, damage to internal organs, and other complications that may require emergency medical treatment.  In some cases the injured will be transported to the ER of a nearby hospital.  Once these areas have been ruled out, a trip to your family chiropractor is in order.  The absence of cuts and abrasions is no guarantee that your neck and back have survived the accident.  Recent studies have shown that substantial injuries can be present even when the rate of impact is as low as 15 MPH.  Further, the Doctor of Chiropractic is uniquely trained to evaluate and treat this injury.  Their fingers become highly sensitive instruments capable of detecting even subtle tissue changes.  His or her first goal will be to reduce the pain and swelling and make you as comfortable as possible.  Once the swelling is reduced it’s time to restore structural alignment with gentle spinal adjustments.  This can usually begin during the first 24 hours using soft tissue and low force techniques.  Home-care methods, such as ice applications and mild stretching exercises, may be advised to support the early stage of healing.  Some chiropractors also provide in-house physical or massage therapy methods, or refer the patient out to receive them.

The average treatment program varies with each individual.  Factors such as severity of injury, age and overall health of the patient, daily demands at home and work, and mental makeup, all require special consideration.  On the average, you can expect the recovery program to take anywhere from 2 to 6 months.

Failure to receive appropriate examination and treatment during the first weeks following the injury can allow a temporary condition to develop into a permanent one.  Many arthritic necks, discovered in later life, can be traced to earlier traumas that never were properly evaluated and treated.  Also, don’t be pressured to sign off on your medical coverage until you are released from your treatment program.  Insurance adjusters have a tendency to try to settle early and before your medical bills get a chance to grow.  And finding the right practitioner for you is also of utmost importance.  If you are not feeling better after a couple weeks of care, it’s time for a change.

Dr. Jerry Zelm has been a practicing chiropractor for the last 36 years.  He recently released his first book titled, “What Your Doctor Never Told You,” which can be found on his website www.jerryzelm.com, or Amazon.

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