HS-ACUPUNCTURE.COM's STRATEGIES & TOOLS for COLD & FLU SEASON

 

By frequent request, and in time for cold weather, I have compiled my favorite Cold and Flu prevention and treatment tips and created convenient little care packages that are available in my office. 

Each package contains the asterisked items below, as well as my Top Ten recommendations, also below.... These little packages could make great gifts, so let me know if you're interested in ordering a few.

*1) HERBS -

Pour contents of 1 silver packet into a mug of hot water & drink (repeat 3xday)

a) if your cold starts with a runny nose, start with the bag marked GZT (Gui Zhi Tang)

b) if your cold starts with a bad sore throat, start with the bag marked YQ (Yin Qiao)

*2) ESSENTIAL OIL -

Drop 3 drops of Eucalyptus EO into a mug of hot water (do not drink). Put a towel over your head, as a tent, with the mug under your nose, and breathe in the steamy vapor. Alternatively, use EO as a chest rub.

*3) LOZENGES -

To soothe a sore throat, or at the first sign of a cold, try a manuka honey and bee pollen lozenge (1-2xday, or as needed, but no more than 5xday; it's medicine, not candy)

4) DRINK HOT LIQUIDS -

Sip throughout the day: herbal teas, hot water with a slice of lemon, miso broth (ideally with chopped scallions), or chicken soup 

5) GARGLE WITH SALT WATER -

This old-fashioned technique can soothe a sore throat and cleanse the throat tissues

6) USE A NETI POT -

With slightly salted warm water in order to clear and soothe the nasal passages

7) KEEP YOUR NECK & FEET WARM -

Wear a scarf or turtle-neck shirt and double up on warm socks

8) SWEAT -

Breaking a slight sweat at the early stages of a cold, especially behind the neck, can stop the cold from progressing

a) Take a hot bath (consider adding epsom salts) & make sure to keep hydrated/drink fluids

b) Wear extra clothes & put additional blankets over you

9) SLEEP -

Rest and more rest; getting sick is often an indication to slow down and catch up on self-care

10) GET ACUPUNCTURE -

Make an appointment. Getting a treatment can help stop a cold or help you heal from it faster. (Gua Sa technique can be key. If you have a tool at home, consider this a reminder to use it.)

Plus, there are additional herbs that may be better suited to your specific symptoms, whether a cough, fever, nasal or ear congestion, or laryngitis.

Other things I like:

- Elderberry tincture

- Airborne – includes Chinese herbs, vitamins, minerals and amino acids (it's available almost everywhere)

For questions, appointments, or to share your favorite strategies, call/text: (207) 266-8633.

Be & stay well this season!

Winter Reflections

One of my favorite things to do at the start of each month is to turn over the calendar* that celebrates the life and vision of Maine native, Bill Coperthwaite, sometimes known as the Yurt Man.

I met Bill long before I knew I wanted to be an acupuncturist, and later had the good fortune to hike out to his Downeast waterfront property with a good friend one golden Autumn afternoon. We spent a couple of hours together in amiable conversation encompassing ideas, design, travel and conscientious living. Bill died the following year, and it feels a blessing to have had that time with him.

During acupuncture school, I felt similarly inspired by one of my teachers of herbal medicine, Joe Hollis. Joe personifies the Daoist tenet of living amidst nature, and his commitment to the knowledge and cultivation of Chinese medicinal herbs in this country is a testament to their healing potential. His gardens** amidst a sufficiently rugged mountain landscape make for a memorable visit.

Both men are inspirations to me, and it probably should not have come as a surprise for me to learn that they were in fact friends of one another. Examples of Bill's yurt designs sit on both properties, and the land on which these yurts sit both possess a stillness that comes from being loved and serving a special purpose.

The friendship of these two men also seemed a personal validation of my love of Maine and my calling to help people with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

As we look at the weeks and months of winter that span before us, we are presented with an opportunity to ask ourselves, what inspires us?

Maybe this source of inspiration will come from a book, a movie or even picking up the phone and reaching out to a friend whom we may not have talked to in a while. Maybe this time of investigation can even plant a seed for a plan in warmer weather to make a journey that fills our heart.

Such time for reflection is the gift of a New England winter, and I wish you joy and revelation in yours.

*For more information about Bill Coperthwaite, as well as how to order the calendar honoring his life and work, click here: http://www.insearchofsimplicity.net/dickinsons-reach-calendar.html

**For more information about Joe Hollis and his work in the mountains of North Carolina, click here: http://mountaingardensherbs.com/index.php/workshops/

(Photos courtesy of http://www.insearchofsimplicity.net/stills.html ; and http://mountaingardensherbs.com/)