Self Care to Keep Well

Worth repeating – 2 years on from when I first posted this…. as it helps to have something you can do for yourselves to help you keep well at anytime! And I have added a few more things:

Garlic and Ginger Tea with lemon and honey – simmer chopped pieces of garlic and root ginger (about 2 cloves and 1 inch cube of ginger) in about a pint of water for about 15 minutes. Strain and serve with lemon and honey.

Oregano oil – a couple of drops in food daily, to support the digestive system and control bugs. Available from Tullivers in York

Vitamin D – get some sunshine every day. Also in mushrooms and eggs! Artificial sources – one of the best is the Better You spray one in Tullivers in York

Propolis lozenges – available from Tullivers also – from local suppliers in Scarborough

Chinese cough syrup – from The Regency Supermarket in Rougier Street, York – can be made into a soothing hot drink. Best more diluted for young children and pregnant mums.

Five Flower Essence / Emergency Essence / Rescue Remedy – all good at helping people stay calm. From Healing Herbs online, or a personal flower essence from me at Wellbeing in York.

Drink warm drinks, not cold – it is better to flush any virus / bacteria into the stomach where they can be digested rather than working their way into the lungs.

Avoid eating too much sugar, rich, cold, raw foods, and cut down or cut out cow’s milk and cheese – these all contribute to creating Damp and Phlegm in the body and are a bad idea as they weigh down the body’s defences, so the less you have the better. Sugar, alcohol and coffee are all heating and need to be reduced / cut out if you are suffering from hot type symptoms.

Foods that can help: Almond, Apple Peel, Black pepper, Button, Shiitake mushrooms, Celery, Daikon (and other radishes), Grapefruit, lemon, orange and tangerine peel, Licorice, Marjoram, Mustard leaf, Olives, Onion, Pear, Pepper, Peppermint, Persimmon, Plantain, Seaweed, Shrimp, Thyme, Walnuts, Watercress. Reduce Heat in the body by tonifying the Yin with: Asparagus, Egg, Honey, Kidney bean, Lemon, Malt, Mulberry, Nettle, Pea, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Pork, Seaweed, Sesame, Spelt, Spinach, String bean, Sweet Potato, Tofu, Tomato, Watermelon, Yam.

Elderberry Syrup – available ready made up, but you can make your own in the autumn – excellent for helping resist the flu.

Thyme Tea – take 1 tsp of thyme and brew in a teapot for 15 minutes. Helps support the lungs.

Raspberry Vinegar – ¼ kg of raspberries, ¼ litre of apple cider vinegar – mash and soak in the fridge for 3 – 4 days, strain through a cloth or a sieve, add ¼ kilo of sugar (I prefer coconut sugar), boil until syrup. Mix in olive oil (half and half). Store in the fridge, and give ½ teaspoon to small children, up to 1 teaspoon for adults,

Water – when you are feeling tired or hungry, instead of reaching for a stimulant like coffee or chocolate (but they can also be nice treats – dark chocolate is particularly good for you actually!)

Stay grounded by controlling screen time and getting outdoors, do some gardening or make something creative, sing, dance. Drumming and percussion workshops at Wellbeing in York.

Emotional Stress Release, from Touch for Health: when anxious, frightened, angry, worried – just hold your forehead and breathe deeply (gently and steadily), until you feel calmer. Come to my classes to learn more.

Tapping on your breastbone – in a clockwise circle, around the thymus area – to balance your immune system.

Switching – from Touch for Health: a) Rub the top and bottom lip while holding the navel at the same time – for up / down balance, b) Rub under the collarbones while holding the navel – for side to side balance, c) Rub the tail bone area while holding the navel – for front to back balance.

Eye Balance – from Touch for Health: for when you are on the computer or reading or driving for a long period of time, the eyes can get tired and this will just wake them up: Hold your navel with one hand and rub firmly under the collarbones, while focusing the eyes up, then down, then left, then right, then at the end of the nose and then far in the distance.

Ear Balance – from Touch for Health: Rubbing all around the ear lobes to raise your energy when you are having a bit of a slump. Also improves the hearing.

Crosscrawl – from Touch for Health: crossing over the left hand to the right knee and the right hand to the left knee, walking, dancing, skipping

Moxa / moxibustion – can help the immune system. I use it regularly myself and with my patients: burn a small amount near a specific acupuncture point on the leg (both sides) and it warms and nourishes the digestive system, circulation and the immune system. Available from me, with holders for using safely if you want to try it.

Magnesium flakes – even better than Epsom Salts because more easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Very good for relaxing tense muscles, supporting the circulation and aiding sleep as well as helping the body to clear any excess cold that might have crept in from being in a draft or cold wind.

Cramps – feathering along the muscle fibres, from each end into the middle at the same time. Thumb at one end and fingers at the other. For example: the calf muscles – put the thumb behind the knee and the fingers down towards the Achilles heel. Draw them together at the same time, lightly stroking over the area – no pressure needed. Repeat until the muscle relaxes.

Steaming -old fashioned but still good. Get a bowl of hot water and lean over it with a towel over your head. You can add one drop of essential oil if you want an extra bit of support: lavender or eucalyptus can be helpful. But consult an aromatherapist before using any oils in case they are contraindicated for you personally.

Crushed garlic on a plaster on the soles of the feet, with a little moisturiser / lotion on the foot first. Leave for 1 – 2 hours, or longer if feels comfortable. The warmth from the garlic will rise up through the body and is great for clearing the lungs.

Any questions about these things or other Chinese Medicine / Touch for Health methods for helping you stay well, please do get in touch