We all get sick but what can be done to shorten the length of an illness? First, consider the fact that stress has an immediate impact on your overall wellness and illness susceptibility. Evaluating your stress levels of:
Physical (hydration, activity, toxic burden, sleep, etc.)
Emotional (relationships, lack of relationships, thankfulness, worry, etc.)
Phycological (mental strain, etc.)
Observe how you would rate your stress levels on a scale from 1-10 in each of these categories. We won’t address all of these categories in depth, but we will scratch the surface so that you can support your body and thus decrease the duration of an illness.
Physiological:
You have probably heard the phrase “laughter is medicine.” There is some truth in that! Mayo Clinic shares: “Laughter isn’t just a quick pick-me-up. It’s also good for you over the long term. Laughter may: Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.” (1) So picking up the comics, turning on a funny movie, or reading a light book is a good idea when you are dealing with illness.
Emotional:
Your emotional health is something that should be addressed daily. Another phrase you may have heard is “how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” When it comes to emotional health that saying is true. Because the little choices and emotionally healthy habits add up to be a big impact on your emotions.
Working on your relationships, practicing daily thankfulness, being a good friend, helping someone else when they have a need; these things all add up and help you to find and build your community of people and thus support your own emotional health. When you are emotionally healthy then you are under less stress. This plays a huge part in supporting your immune system and preventing you from getting sick in the first place.
Physical:
What is one thing that a human can’t live without? If you said water, you’re right! But did you know that water that is deficient in minerals can be dehydrating? It will flush the electrolytes out of your body. Still, water is so essential to good health and is supportive during an illness. Consider: “Water makes up about 60% of the human body, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that hydration has a significant impact on overall health and your ability to combat illnesses. Doctors and medical experts believe approximately 75% of Americans don’t drink enough water each day. Drinking water is one of the best things you can do for your health. It helps prevent sickness and speeds up recovery if you do fall ill.” (2)
To increase the supportiveness of drinking fluids, drinking an herbal tea can be more than supportive of hydration. Some herbs have been shown to have antiviral effects. The Bee Well tea that you can find in our online market is a great option for supporting any kind of illness since it is made with herbs that have antiviral effects, minerals, and supportive effects for those experiencing a fever.
You can find the Bee Well tea here: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product/bee-well-loose-leaf-tea/
Also, the Focus herbal tea blend would be very supportive to anyone experiencing congestion since it is made with herbs that contain menthol.
You can find this tea blend at: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product/focus-loose-leaf-tea/
When supporting illness recovery and prevention, sleep is another essential element. It is so important that if there is a chronic lack of sleep then chronic disease is more likely to onset. Mayo Clinic states: “During sleep, your immune system releases proteins called cytokines, some of which help promote sleep. Certain cytokines need to increase when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you’re under stress. Sleep deprivation may decrease production of these protective cytokines. In addition, infection-fighting antibodies and cells are reduced during periods when you don’t get enough sleep.” (3) The physical benefits of sleep are obvious but the whole human support that it gives is essential also to maintain good blood glucose levels and emotional health.”A key study showed that adults with insomnia, compared with normal sleepers, have higher levels, over a 24-hr period, of cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which are hormones released by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis after stress exposure (Vgontzas et al., 2001). The 24-hour pattern of cortisol and ACTH secretion is different, however, from that in individuals who are chronically stressed. Cognitive factors, such as worry, rumination, and fear of sleeplessness, perpetuate the problem through behavioral conditioning. Other perpetuating factors include light exposure and unstable sleep schedules.” (4) Bad habits like phones in the bedroom and going to bed late can impact the immune system negatively.
But how much sleep is enough sleep? Yale researchers state: “Studies have shown that those who chronically get less than seven hours of sleep a night are three times as likely to develop the common cold compared to those who routinely get eight hours or more of sleep,” Dr. Chu says.” (5)
Some ways to support sleep:
Go to bed by 10 pm to help you get enough deep sleep (which usually happens before 12 pm).
Use red light or red-lensed glasses to prevent exposing yourself to blue light once the sun has gone down.
Take a detox bath, an oatmeal bath, or an herbal bath, to relax before going to bed and support the body.
What is a supportive bath?
A bath is supportive for illness since it can help build up heat in the body to fight the illness, it helps relieve stress, and keeping the body warm during illness allows the body to put its energy into fighting the illness rather than use energy to stay warm. To prepare a detox bath you will need Epsom salt, Sea Salt, and essential oils if you would like them.
Wiki shared a recipe:
“Add Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate). Soaking in Epsom Salt helps replenish your body’s magnesium level, combating hypertension. The sulfate flushes toxins and helps form proteins in brain tissue and joints. Magnesium is important for combating stress, fluid retention, slowing skin aging, and calming the nervous system.
Calcium is effective at preventing water retention, increasing circulation, and strengthening bones and nails.
Potassium energizes the body and helps to balance skin moisture.
Bromides act to ease muscle stiffness and relax muscles.
Sodium is important for the lymphatic fluid balance (this in turn is important for immune system function).
For children under 60 lbs, add 1/2 cup to a standard bath.
For children 60 lbs to 100 lbs, add 1 cup to a standard bath.
For people 100 lbs and up, add 2 cups or more to a standard bath.
Add 1/4 cup Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt. Composed of magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride, and bromides, Sea Salt helps to replenish minerals critical to our skin’s metabolism.
Add the essential oils to the salt, not directly to the water. Oil and water don’t mix, but the salt will help disperse the oils evenly into the water.” (6)
A detox bath is great for all-around body support for all ages.
Herbal bath:
“A mint and cucumber bath is designed to lower the body temperature and provide a refreshing and soothing sensation.
Pour a mint and chamomile infusion into a bathtub filled with lukewarm water, followed by cucumber slices. 1 cup mint leaves, 1 cup dried flowers of chamomile, 1 cup of cucumber slices.” (7) This bath is great if you are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever.
Oatmeal bath:
“Research suggests that oatmeal possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and its administration is effective on multiple dermatologic inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis, pruritus, viral infections and psoriasis. Its anti-inflammatory effects are exactly why oatmeal baths for hives are so effective. It can help reduce swelling, itchiness and irritation. Oatmeal baths can also help ease sunburn, bug bites, chickenpox, poison ivy and diaper rash. That’s right — it’s safe and beneficial for kids too.
To have an oatmeal bath:
Run your bath with warm water.
Add one cup of finely powdered oats.
Let the oats steep for one minute. They should dissolve and look milky in the water.
Get in the tub, unwind and enjoy.” (8)
Choose one of the baths above to help you relax before going to bed. And if need be, take more than one bath a day. Following a bath applying Sweet Dream sleep balm can help support a good night’s sleep since it contains lavender essential oil and many other sleep-supporting herbs. Research shows: “Lavender essential oil as well as the dry flowers are well known for their relaxing properties. A study revealed lavender impacts the autonomic nervous system, hence the reason it is used to treat insomnia.” (9)
You can find the Sweet Dream balm at: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product/sweet-dreams/
For support for airway congestion check out our Breathe Easy Menthol Chest Rub at: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product/breathe-easy/
After you begin to have some symptom relief, incorporating dry brushing into your daily routine can be supportive to rid your body of any cellular waste and toxins that have accumulated. Dr Axe shares: “A benefit of dry brushing is that it’s similar to massage in decreasing stress, which is great for your health by eliminating anxiety. A study reported that whole-body massage was effective in reducing anxiety and stabilizing vital signs of patients with acute coronary disorders. Dry brushing is similar to massage in helping you relax, yet is far cheaper since you can do it yourself.” (10)
You can find a dry brush at: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product/dry-brush/
We hope these tips will support you and your family when you face the next illness that is bound to occur and that it will have a short duration with the support of the above products and tips.
Disclaimer: Regulations set forth by the FDA prohibit bath and body companies from making health-related claims about beauty products. I am not a medical or healthcare professional and do not claim that using my products may positively affect pre-existing physical and/or mental health conditions. The information in my listings pertains to the properties of specific ingredients used in my products. Please consult a medical professional for treatment of serious skin conditions. As always, I recommend speaking with your health care provider before using any skin care product while pregnant or nursing.
Resources:
1 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
2 https://www.aquasana.com/info/healthy-hydration-pd.html
3 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/lack-of-sleep/faq-20057757#:~:text=Studies%20show%20that%20people%20who,as%20a%20common%20cold%20virus.
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/
5 https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-sleep-affects-immunity
6 https://www.wikihow.com/Take-a-Detox-Bath
7 https://simplybeyondherbs.com/bath-tea-recipes/
8 https://draxe.com/health/oatmeal-bath/
9 https://www.primallyinspired.com/friday-favorites-lavender-eucalyptus-bath-soak/
10 https://draxe.com/beauty/dry-brushing/
