Leah Hill, Licensed Esthetician, Owner of Enchanted Esthetics
1. A good rule of thumb to live by: You are what you eat. If you wouldn’t eat your skin care products… you probably shouldn’t put them on your skin. The skin is the largest organ on your body and absorbs everything you put on it the same as if you were to swallow it. Keeping that rule of thumb in mind Eminence’s Facial Recovery Oil is magic in a bottle. This hydrating oil is created with precious herbs and nourishing oils to soothe and renew your skin. This luxurious facial oil is suitable for all skin types and is a great antioxidant for the winter season!
2. Sinus congestion caused by a cold, flu, or allergies can be very uncomfortable. Fortunately there’s a natural treatment: steam, which, used correctly, provides relief without risk. Enchanted Esthetics offers facials that include a relaxing steam treatment while receiving massage at the same time! If your looking for an at home technique, you can use steam from a pot on your stove. Boil water on the stove; drape a towel over your head and the pot, and breathe the steam for 15 minutes, three times a day.
3. Keep yourself and your family healthy during cold and flu season by protecting yourself from contagious germs with the new USDA Organic Tea Tree & Mint hand sanitizer from Eminence Organic Skin Care. Enriched with organic iced mint, organic chamomile, aloe vera and tea tee oil, this chemical-free alternative to harsh cleansers is housed in a handy-sized bottle that can travel anywhere to ensure moist, clean hands.
Krissi Hyland, Registered Holistic Nutriionist & Whole Food Chef, Owner of Nourish Through Nature
1. Many Medicinal Mushrooms! Reishi, Chaga, Maitake, Shiitake, etc! These mushrooms are immunomodulators! Meaning they help regulate and boost your immune system when needed. You can find these mushrooms powdered or in a tea form and add them to smoothies, tea, soups broths and stews!
2. PRO Probiotics: One of the immune systems first defences is the good bacteria (probiotics) in our digestive system. These little guys prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria and form a barrier on the intestinal wall so that harmful bacteria and germs cannot enter our blood and lymph systems. Take a quality probiotic capsule daily and maintain with fermented foods like apple cider vinegar, kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut and organic unsweetened yogurt or kefir.
3. Steer Clear of Sugar: Did you know that 1 tsp of sugar shuts down the immune system for 8 hours! Enough said. If you are going to use sugar, switch to sugars with mineral-rich sugars like maple syrup, raw local honey and lower glycemic coconut sugar. Baring in mind that in large amounts these mineral-rich sugars can suppress the immune system too.
Sue Hutchinson – Life Coach – Owner of Evolve INK Coaching & Consulting
1. Be proactive – stay healthy – eat, sleep, exercise, drink lots of water, keep life balance and manage stress.
2. Expect to stay healthy and to not catch anything. Many people rarely get colds or the flu. It is not accurate that everyone gets the flu or cold every year or every time it goes around. There is no value in expecting you will get sick every time there is something going around. Keeping your mind upbeat is often matched by the body.
3. Know your signs that you are getting run down and take action such as slowing down until you feel recharged. Eliminate unnecessary social engagements where you might get further run down due to late nights, drinking, eating sugar, wearing impractical fashion vs. warm clothes and where you may even catch something else because your immune system is low. Consider slow down time as time well spent with opportunities to have a long hot bath/shower, read a book, watch great movies (the ones that uplift and make you laugh which boost the immune system), make healthy meals etc.Adrien Thibault, Registered Acupuncturist, Traditional Chinese Doctor, Co-owner of Happy Culture Inc.
2. Propolis is wonderful bee product to help protect the body against the flu or cold! Bees put Propolis everywhere around the beehive to protect themselves against all kind of diseases. It is great to take to prevent or during symptoms. Propolis can be found in spray for the throat or pills or liquid form.
3. From the TCM – Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view, winter is the Water season. Qi and Blood move deeply inside the body. To stay balanced, it is important to nourish a little of the Fire phase inside us. An easy and simple way is to eat dark chocolate every day (just a little piece)! Keep warm and Bee Happy!
Cheryl Sherry, Homeopath, Owner of Homeopathica
1. Protect yourself from the flu virus and ward off common colds with Homeopathica’s own cold remedy and influenza homeoprophylactic remedy.
2. The prophylactic remedy can be taken as a single dose once per month during the flu season, and additional doses can be taken if a person is either exposed to the flu virus or develops early symptoms.
The remedy will soon be available in the Cottonwood Tree or you may contact Cheryl directly at cheryl@homeopathi.ca
Michelle Cubin – Owner Healing Hollow
Sue Hutchinson – Decorator – Designer – Certified Home Stager, Owner of Inspired Spaces Design & Decor
1. Love where you live and work because when you feel good – your immune system is stronger. Give a little attention to making your spaces nurturing places that you love to be in will give you pay back in many ways including your health. Ideas might be great art, burning candles, beautiful music, live plants, fresh flowers, a new coat of paint, furniture re-arrangement etc. Bringing Nature inside is always good because it helps us stay connected and balanced and we often can’t get outside but we can always invite nature in.
2. Keep things neat, clean and as clutter free as possible.
You know it – some rooms you walk into and feel at peace and others cause anxiety – another layer of stress. And stress suppresses the immune system. We spend a lot of time in our homes and at our work places. Our physical environments can help lift us up or drain our energy.