The holiday you’ve been planning and looking forward to for so long is only days away...so how do you make sure you enjoy it not crash and get sick?
Preparation is key.
So you can’t expect to be working 70 hour weeks, eating processed foods, not exercising and not sleeping well then expect you’ll have boundless energy to enjoy your holiday. It is quite likely you’ll be open to all sorts of bugs especially if you are in a tropical environment.
- Practice good health habits year round. Pace your workload and minimize stress, meal plan so you eat healthy with loads of vegetables, get to bed before 10pm (no devices an hour before bed either!), get regular exercise even if it’s a walk around the block daily, take your supplements.
- I recommend a good magnesium, a good quality multi-vitamin and fish oils to plug those nutritional gaps.
- Practice good hygiene. Good old soap and water leave the hand sanitizers behind as they tend to kill all the good and bad bacteria.
What to pack?
Boosting the immune system is critical to fighting off the bugs, so you want to ensure your white blood cells such as lymphocytes and phagocytes are doing their job of mopping up any invaders.
- Vitamin C is my number one go to for assisting the immune system, it is thought to help in the production of white blood cells. We don’t produce vitamin C so it’s important to get it from our fruits and vegetables and if needed in supplementation. At first sign of infection you can take up to 1000mg every hour or until your reach bowel tolerance or when you feel a “rumble in your tummy” (this is different for everyone).
Choose a lipospheric vitamin C or a powdered vitamin C with zinc combination has been shown to be significantly more efficient in the treatment of rhinorrhoea (stuffed nose).
Vitamin C is also a great antioxidant to mop up those free radicals in your body caused by flying and airport radiation. - Virogone by Artemis is a fantastic antiviral liquid herbal formulation with Echinacea, Olive leaf, Thyme, Angelica and more. Start taking at first sign of any viral infection.
- Activated charcoal
A must to take travelling if you are heading somewhere tropical. It has long been used for gastric upsets, as it mops up the bugs by binding to them and eliminates them. Fantastic for tummy bugs that cause diarrhoea, gas and bloating. - Probiotics
In case of that tummy upset, it’s important to re-populate your gut bacteria. Keeping your microbiome diverse is key to maintaining a healthy gut. If you get caught out and end up having to have anti-biotics on your trip, it’s important to take your probiotics immediately. Always take your probiotics 2 hours away from your anti-biotics. Make sure you have one that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. - Saline Spray
Keeping your nasal passages moist is the trick to a healthy holiday. Typically during air travel your nasal passages dry out leaving the door wide open for bugs. So use during the flight as a preventative measure.
A saline spray can also be helpful with hayfever and congested noses. - Skin Salve
For cuts, scrapes and sun damage I recommend Phytocare papaya ointment. You can easily mix in essential oils such as tea tree for an antiseptic, lavender and peppermint for sunburn. - Essential oils
I only recommend doTERRA essential oils as they are certified therapeutic grade and are 100% pure. You can pack pre-diluted roller bottles or mini-vials of undiluted essential oils plus a carrier oil. When applying topically always dilute with a carrier oil. If you’d like to order doTERRA essential oils through me click here
My go to oils for travels are:
On Guard: A blend of wild orange, clove, cinnamon, rosemary & eucalyptus. For an immunity boost, rub on soles of the feet and across chest.
Easy Air: respiratory blend, to keep the airways open and clear. A drop on the palm of your hand and inhale.
Lavender: for sleep and calming any flight nerves or anxiety. Rub onto pulse points, soles of the feet and behind the ear.
Digestzen: a calming digestive blend, either dilute and rub onto the tummy or one drop in your water bottle, shake and drink. To ease bloating, gas or nervous tummy, also great for motion sickness.
Tea Tree: natural antiseptic
Frankincense: an all-rounder for cellular healthy and great anti-inflammatory. Great to add to your moisturiser.
Wild Orange: An uplifting aroma and natural boost to the immune system, and perfect to ease anxious feelings
Peppermint: Wake you up and clear the jet lag, eliminates headaches, combine with lavender for after-sun, anti-nausea.
If you would like a naturopathic consult with me I’d love to assist you with your health journey; click here to book
