If there is anything that this time of confinement has taught us, then it has to be taking care of your health and overall well being. We’ve had the time to reflect upon our current lifestyle and the kind of changes that are NOW needed.
While Switzerland eases measures, do we relax or panic, or do we lean into all the things that we have learned during this time and put it to test? Taking the time to breathe, calm your nerves, and centering yourself, being a few of them. It is very important that we adopt an attitude of proactiveness towards preventative health. It’s important to take active steps to coexist in a healthy, balanced, and sustainable manner, with the planet and with each other.
Our immunity and natural vitality are resourceful. The more that we nurture and promote a balanced lifestyle, the greater our chance to resist illnesses.
Energetic Medicine
The paradigm of targeting individualized bacteria may have failed us. It has taken us so far in isolating individual parts of the body and individual cells in the body and that of molecules of bacteria and viruses. We have a natural immunity that is built to evolve as we live and build immunity based on our experiences. We need to be more mindful of this fact, and support this with healthy food, and lifestyle choices. We need to find out what these are and nurture our immunity and vitality.
More recently, quantum physics shows us that ancient healing practices along with energetic healing methodologies have proven benefits. These work with our energies and health as they are designed to do.
Homeopathy for Prevention and Treatment
Homeopathy has been clinically proven to be effective in pandemics and was used widely during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 with fantastic results. Physicians who used Homeopathy had a mortality rate of 1.05% while the average mortality rate of non-practicing homeopathic physicians was 30%. Gelsemium was practically the only remedy used.
As you may know, homeopathic medicine is very individualized; therefore the treatment is different for each person with the same condition. Here are some of my go-to homeopathic medicines specific to our current climate:
- Prophylactic – prevention medicine
- Oscillococcinum: take this to prevent flu weekly
To treat symptoms and support immunity:
- Arsenicum album – flu symptoms, restless with sudden onset, fear of contagion, fear of death, anxiety about provisions/economic loss
- Gelsemium – flu with chills
- Bryonia – fever with a headache, dryness without thirst
- Camphora – flu with sudden shivering & chill, state of collapse
- Lachesis – flu, sore throat, worse for swallowing/better hot drinks, difficulty breathing
- Phosphorus – lung affinity, dry cough, headache, difficulty breathing
Consume Medicinal Tea
Here you have an opportunity to cultivate good habits by boosting hydration while providing nutrition and healing benefits from our pharmacopoeia.
It is what we do 80% of the time that defines our health. 60% of chronic diseases are preventable, but they are not necessarily reversible. Drinking organic loose leaf herbal tea is a great way to boost active constituents, antioxidants, and anti-microbial properties; correct nutrient deficiencies; take time to relax and hydrate! By incorporating medicinal teas in your daily rituals, you are more likely to create a positive habit that is sustainable for the rest of your life. A habit that, if cultivated, is good for you and can support preventative health, which enhances life quality, and promotes relaxation. As a Naturopath, I advocate medicinal teas for these reasons and prescribe them in consultation where you get to choose a tea to support different areas in the body from de-stressing, to hormones and to immunity.
Here’s a little break down on some of the ingredients in my Immunity Tea.
- Echinacea: increases white blood cells, modulates the immune system
- Olive leaf: antioxidant, anti-viral, boosts immunity
- Calendula: anti-viral, accelerates connective tissue repair
- Rosehip: rich in vitamin C
- Cinnamon: rich in antioxidants, reduces inflammation, breaks down mucus, is anti-fungal and viral, and is warming. It reduces insulin resistance, lowers blood glucose levels, and is anti Diabetic.
These extracts are certified organic and loose-leaf, in their most potent and natural form. And they taste amazing!
We Are What We Eat, Right?
What is in the soil is also what is inside of our bodies. We need to eat seasonal, local, and organic food or food with limited pesticides in them. Eat a wide range of plant-based foods with different textures and colours and you will rediscover the joy of healthy food while you get on track to preventative health.
Here’s Some that Support Immunity and Preventative Health:
- Vitamin A: carrot, sweet potato, squash, (think orange & yellow fruit/veg); dark green leafy vegetables
- Vitamin C: citrus, red paprika, berries, kale, kiwi, tomatoes, sweet potato, broccoli, parsley
- Vitamin E: green leafy vegetables, raw organic nuts& seeds; & vegetable oil (sunflower, wheat germ)
- Essential fatty acids: chia seeds, flax seeds, raw organic walnuts, deep-sea oily fish
- Zinc-rich foods: raw organic cashews, seeds, legumes, shellfish, oysters
- Protein: consume with every meal
- Probiotics: fermented veggies, fermented yogurts
To summarize, good health and wellness are based on good nutrient intake, adequate hydration and regular exercise. Get a routine going with all three and you are already halfway there to better health.
All the homeopathic medicines and tea ingredients have been prescribed by the author of this post, although safe, reader discretion and professional advice is recommended.
Renée Blanchardt is an English-Australian citizen and has a passion for nutrition, herbal medicine, and Homeopathy. Renée holds a Bachelor of Health Science (BHSc Homeopathy) and an Advanced Diploma of Health Science (Adv Dip HSc Naturopathy) from Australia. Currently, she works in private practice in Enge, Zurich where she blends her handcrafted organic herbal teas. She is available for online appointments to support you with your health goals. Feel free to check out her FB page and Insta feed for valuable tips and workshop announcements.
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