Hiatus Haze

YOU FEEL LIKE THIS GUY

Dear readers and Eng 1100 bloggers! There has been more than a two week hiatus since my last post because I just can’t shake this cold or throat/ear/sinus thing! Yes I missed some class, but I want to say I noticed a lot of youuuu coughing and sniffling in the classroom as well. Actually, luckily, not so much in my English class, but still in the halls and around campus. It does have me worried because I know the life of a student is sometimes running on little sleep or little [healthy] food, and sometimes on little optimism/confidence. We got through midterms (BE PROUD!), but the stress doesn’t stop there. Especially as we are in the final weeks of our semester, and

YOU WOULD RATHER FEEL LIKE THIS GUY… SUPERHERO GOOD

soon it will be, should I say it?… FINALS. I’m not trying to scare you or put more pressure on you. In fact I want to share some tips for eating right, relieving stress, time management, bringing your energy and joy levels back up, as well as some stuff to get you through this cold and flu season. And seriously, do not have so much pride or ego that you won’t try and help yourself because I know we are all “okay” and we can all “handle” the school work. But it’s nice to give ourselves some relief every once in awhile, and i’ll be the first to admit my struggle is with fear and anxiety and it took me years before I looked outside of myself for help. I’m not an expert and you should definitely look around and try some new things, but I like some of these ways to relax and feel better. I might have to start with cold and flu relief and then finish the rest in a 2nd post.

Whether you are sick or stressed out, or just want to keep your immune system up, than drinking water. Enough water to balance out those energy drinks/caffeine/alcohol)! 6-8 glasses of 8oz of water a day, but some people will need more. I go 2-1 for water to caffeine I drink. It makes up most of our body and we depend on it for survival. Yep, it’s that important! More info… 

http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/food-nutrition/nutrients/hydration-why-its-so-important.html

Sleep is a must. Can’t sleep? Don’t have time for it? They say 20 mins is a cat nap, and 1.5 hr increments to reboot yourself (REM cycle). So I would say in dire situations aim for 3, 4.5, or 6 hours. 1.5 hours is just a nap, not a full sleep. 7.5 or 9 hours is always the most ideal. Some good natural sleep/relax aids that I use are: Melatonin, Valerian tea, Chamomile tea, lavender oil or bath salt, warm milk/soy/almond milk or warm water and honey, and lastly slow breathing. I try to take a moment and shut my eyes, picture a black wall (haha) and breath deeply. Alllll the way in through my nose and out through my mouth. This breathing, along with counting 1-10, is also good for relaxing. Doing it with your eyes close is best, I like to picture my cat or a nice sunny day in Victoria. Avoiding caffeine after 5pm or 2-3 hours before bed can help you fall asleep. As well, resting your eyes from computer screens and TV a couple hours before bed, and even reading if you’re having that much difficulty falling asleep will help.  Also see… http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/conditionsitoq/a/Insomnia.htm

If you’re sick:

#1 TIP: My number one tip to people that are sick is AVOID SUGAR, caffeine, alcohol, and if you can help it, smoking. Sugar because it honestly retards your immune system; just makes it have a hard time functioning. Somebody once told me that when you eat sugar it takes 6 hours for your immune system to bounce back into action, and when you are sick you need it to be working hard for you. Also, the energy it takes your body to break down carbs or recover from eating refined sugar (and other sugars) could be better used to repair and heal your body. You should avoid caffeine and alcohol because you need to keep hydrated when you’re sick, and again you need the energy for your recovery instead of keeping up a dehydrated body and mind. My bf smokes and I know sometimes withdrawal can be worse than being sick. If you can help it than avoid smoking because if you have a sore throat or congestion all you’re doing is sucking your sickness into your lungs even more so, or upsetting your stomach. How sugar affects the body… http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm

 If you have the flu or are nauseated, ginger is a great relief for an upset stomach. You can pour yourself some Gingerale and stir out the bubbles so it’s gentle on your stomach. Or if you don’t want the sugar and want something even more gentle buy some raw ginger from the produce section at the grocery store. Cut the ends off if you want, I don’t cut my ginger skin or anything off, and cut a couple smallish chunks off. The more you use the stronger it will be. Wash the ginger under cold running water, and get some water boiling. Poor yourself some of that hot water and drop the ginger in, or if you don’t want it directly in the cup put it in a tea bag/steeper or in a tea pot of hot water. I would leave it for about 5 mins and then drink when you find it cool enough. You can buy ginger tea too but I like the raw ginger better because it’s more potent and effective. Put it in a to-go cup if you have to go out and endure school or work! Sometimes I even do a big batch and then just add the ginger water to my tea or juice or shake for the next few days. For benefits of ginger see… http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/10-healing-benefits-of-ginger

 Because regular Gravol (from the pharmacy or grocery store etc) is really only great for nausea around bedtime, because it makes you drowsy, try the ginger Gravol instead. Or they even make a multi symptom ginger Gravol if you have a fever/flu! Tylenol is my pick for fevers or minor pain and headaches, and Advil liquid gels for more instant relief of major pain like headaches and sore throats etc.

 Like I said, if possible avoid sugar but also try to avoid taking cough syrup or a lot of pills (acetaminophen, codeine, ibuprofen, etc), especially antibiotics every time you get sick!! Colds and the flu are not bacterial, they are viral, therefor not affected by antibiotics. You should definitely get the doctor to test if a sinus, ear, or throat infection is bacterial before administering antibiotics, and you’ll keep that money in your pocket if it’s not. It’s also easy for you to become too dependent on nasal sprays. Go for the cough drops/lozenges and cough syrups free of sugar, or at least a low amount of sugar. Try to also go for only clear liquids, more so for the flu, and low sugar/sugar free juices. Don’t exceed recommended doses obv, and don’t extend yourself physically, like going out when you don’t have to!. Also, for colds and congestion try and blow your nose as often as possible. Ya it’s one of my biggest insecurities in public too. Constantly sniffing it back can be too hard on your sinuses, and  on your ears too!!

 Gargling and hot beverages 🙂 Got a sore throat? One of the age old tricks is gargling and you can do it with hot water and one of the following: salt (most popular), apple cider vinegar, or honey. Drink hot water on it’s own or with: honey, lemon, tea containing tannin (can use to gargle if you want to avoid ingesting the caffeine), or a lil bit of mint (1/2 fresh mint leaf). It can be soothing and moisten a sore throat and also help relieve sinus congestion!! This site lays it out pretty well… http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/8-tips-to-treat-colds-and-flu-the-natural-way

 This is an easy one: Take a steamy shower to relieve those sinuses and congestion! Humidifiers are useful too if you are lucky to have one. Also for sinus relief apply hot packs to the congested area. See above site.

 Oil of oregano has so many uses when your sick and you can either put a couple of drops under your tongue (don’t worry you can swallow the rest, in your hot water/tea. or in juice/shakes. I did not know how useful this was till my roommate administered it to our entire house because we were all miserably sick! It helps bring you back to health as well as: digestive tract issues, infections (bacterial), headaches and pain, sinus and respiratory issues, and sore throats. Choices Marketplace or the health food store is a great place to get it because you can ask lots of questions. See this site for other oregano info… http://www.yourjoyologist.com/2011/04/13/natures-medicineoil-of-oregano/

 Garlic and onions! Whether you are building up your immune system or are already sick these two can be unbeatable. If you can bring yourself to eat raw garlic cloves or onions than make a soup/stalk with them (bring water to a boil and add a few cloves of garlic and 1/2 or an entire diced onion, stir for 20ish minutes on med, and puree if desired). Or just look for a soup at the grocery store that contains lots of garlic or onion. Here’s an article stating the benefits… http://www.livestrong.com/article/387792-what-are-benefits-of-onion-and-garlic/

 One last site I found that seems to have a lot of good advice… http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/03/how-to-prevent-the-flu-easy-as-1-2-3.aspx

Google: foods to improve immune system, and a lot of sites pop up that are helpful. I will do a 2nd blog post soon with some relaxation techniques as well. If I think of anymore tips I will add them for you, and right now I’ll wish you all excellent health, a good end to your semester, and if you’re already sick then…

GET WELL SOON!!!