Healthy Holiday How To
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Between flu season and rising Covid-19 cases, staying healthy this holiday might be more challenging than usual. Here is everything that Kie and I will be doing in order to stay safe and still actually enjoy our Christmas. Feel free to nick some of these suggestions for yourself.
Do the Basics
I know it’s boring and uncomfortable, and I know you’re sick of hearing it, but in order to keep you and your family safe, please don’t forget the basics. Make sure to wash your hands frequently, especially when you’ve had interactions with people or you have just arrived at a family or friend gathering.
The holidays are all about being close and cozy with your loved ones, but you might want to consider doing that a bit differently this year. If your family has been a part of your social circle throughout the year you should be fine, but if you’re going to be traveling, or spending time with people you don’t see often, please be careful about social distancing. Consider how ventilated a space is, how much fresh airflow is happening, the size of the space, and how many people will be there. You may want to think about this ahead of time as you plan your celebrations.
And in order to keep your family and friends safe, make sure you continue to wear your mask when you leave your “safe bubble”.
Celebrate in Moderation
A big part of celebrating the holidays involves food, and it’s important to be able to indulge and enjoy ourselves during celebrations. Even us health practitioners can fall prey to overindulging around this time of year.
But there’s a difference between eating delicious food with our loved ones while enjoying a few celebratory meals, and mindlessly eating ALL the cookies with an entire bottle of wine every night. A few meals of indulgence won’t affect much, but a chronically crappy diet will definitely lower your immunity and leave your body open to infections. In fact, 70% of our immune system is housed in the gut!
So allow yourself a few of those guilt free days to enjoy the extra sugar, fat, and alcohol that comes with holiday dinners, but outside of that, be mindful and moderate. The foods that cause the most inflammation are refined sugar, alcohol, and processed foods. Instead, load up your plate with tons of brightly colored plants, because the nutrients in those are very anti-inflammatory.
And for those times when I know I’m going to be eating things that don’t agree with me, I’ve got a few options for soothing digestion:
1. Bitters before a meal. Taken 15 minutes before eating, bitters will stimulate digestive enzymes and stomach acid to help you digest your food better. My favorite brand is Urban Moonshine, and they make 6 different types of bitters.
2. If you can’t remember to take something 15 minutes before you eat, you might instead want to try digestive enzymes. Take these with food and they have a similar effect to the bitters.
3. If you’ve still managed to overeat and are having gas, bloating, reflux, or abdominal discomfort, I love Digestive Harmony by DAO Labs. It’s really fast acting, and also works for hangovers!
Manage Stress and Sleep
In addition to diet, which we discussed above, stress and sleep also greatly affect your immunity and overall health. The holidays are already stressful enough in a normal year, but 2020 has really thrown us for a loop. A global pandemic and increasing political and cultural division in this country have added to our collective stress levels, and if you’ve got things going on in your personal life as well, you’re going to start feeling overwhelmed before too long. In fact, even in these past few weeks I’ve seen an increase of patients coming in with heightened stress, anxiety, and irritability.
Managing stress is an individualized thing. Some people find a good, challenging workout is just the thing to clear their mind, others prefer a warm bath, candles and a good book. Personally, I use long walks, yoga and meditation daily keep my stress levels from going through the roof.
When our lives get busy, like they tend to do this time of year, these stress management practices are the first to go. But this is the time when we need them the most! So, even if you can’t find an hour in your schedule to book a massage or acupuncture treatment (both great stress-busters!) you can at least find a few minutes a day to focus on taking deep belly breaths.
Both acute and chronic stress can affect our health in so many ways, but one of the biggest things I see in my practice is sleep issues. Just getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep every night can go a long way in combatting stress, building immunity, and just helping you feel good through the holidays.
Here is the absolute best way I’ve found to reset circadian rhythms and get good quality sleep:
1. Check your temperature and light exposure at night. These 2 things signal our body’s sleep and wake cycle. When it’s warm and light, our bodies make cortisol to keep us awake and alert during the day. And when it gets cold and dark, this stimulates melatonin production to make us sleepy. So, make sure your bedroom is very cold and very dark at night, and only use it for sleeping and sex.
2. Along the same lines, you can use light before bed and when waking up to reset your circadian rhythm. For at least an hour before bed, turn off all screens (including the TV, computer, tablet and smartphone) and turn the lights very dim. Find something relaxing to do during this time that calms your nervous system and gets it ready to sleep. And then, first thing in the morning, get some sunlight in your eyes. I love going outside for a walk as soon as I wake up, but you could also take your coffee out on the porch to drink. Even flinging open all the shades and allowing sunlight to flood the house will help a little.
3. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day (even on the weekends). This one is a lot more challenging during the holidays, I know. And there will of course be days when you’re enjoying the company of family and friends and won’t necessarily be able to go to bed at your normal time. But as long as you stick to this plan most of the time, you should be ok.
And if you’re still struggling to sleep after all of that, there are a few herbal formulas that my patients have found very helpful. If you have a hard time relaxing and can’t shut your brain off, try DAO Labs Mental Tranquility. And if you’re a hot, restless sleeper, their Physical Tranquility formula is for you.
Immune System Support
And finally, after you’ve done all the lifestyle stuff; eating healthy, getting good sleep, managing stress, and moving your body, there are a few things you can take to supercharge your immune system.
Vitamin C, Vitamin D and zinc are common supplements for immune health. And I also love adding this company’s Immunity Support for immune protection. You can take it for prevention, and can also take it RIGHT as you feel something coming on. I love that these come in packets, and you can keep one with you all the time just in case you start feeling a tiny bit under the weather. Because if you wait more than a few hours, this strategy won’t work.
Just remember, if you start feeling under the weather, please get tested for coronavirus. While all these practices can keep you healthier and make it less likely that you will have a severe case, the do not treat or cure the flu or covid-19. There are many factors that make it more or less likely that we will contract a virus, and there’s still a lot we don’t know. So stay safe, do what you can, and have a happy holiday season.
Author:
Elizabeth Williams, LAc is an acupuncturist and herbalist in Greenville, South Carolina, specializing in women’s health, digestive issues, psycho-emotional issues and chronic illness. She’s passionate about helping people feel their best and sharing her wealth of knowledge with the community. Elizabeth is the owner of Dragonfly Acupuncture & Massage on Wade Hampton Boulevard. Appointments can be made by calling 864-451-4313 or scheduled online.