Tag Archives: Immune System

How do I treat Hayfever naturally in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

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Welcome to spring Melbourne!

Warm windy days are a definite respite from the cold dreary weather that we’ve been experiencing but now we have another health concern to deal with!

Seasonal hayfever is just ramping up as we enter Springtime in Melbourne. Pollens and grass chemicals floating in the air trigger the unwanted symptoms of sneezing, watery eyes, tickling throat, mucous congestion and fatigue.

If you suffer from these seasonal symptoms, now is the time to learn how to fortify yourself from hayfever misery and to help prevent it from coming back.

The body’s allergic reaction to pollens is not a normal, healthy response. It is an immune system over reaction to an everyday substance. While almost all of the symptoms of hayfever are in the upper respiratory area, the root cause is in the gut.

From a Naturopathic/Nutritional point of view, healing the gut and providing the body with tailored nutrition, is the key to successful resolution of hayfever, not just for this season but for life long improvement/elimination.

Diet as always, can have a significant impact on our quality of life. Some foods such as dairy products can make hayfever ten times worse. The increase in mucous production created by the diary adds fuel to the fire.

Reducing this fuel load by having less dairy overall, can have a dramatic impact on hayfever symptoms.

Nutrients such as Zinc and Omega 3’s are also beneficial in supporting the immune system and decreasing inflammation. This can be done with by adding more food sources of these nutrients into the diet as well as incorporating therapeutic doeses of these nutrients into your daily routine.

From a nutritional perspective, it’s about reducing foods which are known to exaccerbate symptoms and increasing foods which are beneficial to fortifying the body against over reactions to airborne triggers.

From a lifestyle point of view, getting a daily dose of sunshine is about the best thing you could do to improve your hayfever. However, the irony is that going ‘outside’ is deemed to be too risky for many people with severe hayfever. Never fear, Vitamin D comes in liquid form and capsules so therapeutic doses can be taken in lieu of actual sunshine until symptoms subside.

Vitamin D has a long list of beneficial uses but it this instance, it’s modulating the immune system by dampening down the over reaction to airborne triggers and it’s also a very powerful anti-inflammatory agent which reduces the symptoms considerably.

Vitamin D also assists with improving mental health which can be affected by having to repeatedly deal with hayfever symptoms.

A word or caution though. You should always consult with a your Naturopath/Nutritionist before self-prescribing any nutrients. Doses depend on your unique circumstances, so please be sure to follow the prescription given to you rather than sourcing these nutrients off the shelf.

While all of these nutrients will create an improvement in your hayfever they only do half the job. Really knocking this on the head comes from working with through your health history and applying a functional medicine approach to addressing the root cause of your allergic/gut problem.

As a Naturopathic Nutritionist who has consulted with hundreds of clients in Melbourne’s western corridor, I can attest to the vast improvement my clients make when they address all of the underlying drivers of this condition.

And as an added bonus, when the gut and immune system is healthy, so too is the rest of the body. Clients report feeling better all over once they follow the advice and recommendations that are provided for them.

Things change, when we change so if you’re ready to tackle hayfever head on, we’re ready to assist you.

We service the entire western suburbs of Melboune including suburbs such as Caroline Springs, Taylors Hill, Taylors Lakes, Keilor, Deer Park, Cairnlea, Tarniet, Derrimut, Sunshine, Brooklyn, Footscray, Moonee Ponds, Essendon, Altona, Yarraville, Kingsville, Williamstown and many more.

Email gettingwellnaturally.com.au to book an initial appointment today!

Ask about our September Hayfever special and save on your initial consult!

Keeping Colds and Flu Away

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How to keep Colds and Flu away and achieve Winter Wellness.

Protect Yourself Naturally this Winter with 12 Hints to Boost Your Winter Immunity

1. Viruses such as colds and flu are most easily transmitted when large numbers of people are gathered in confined spaces. Therefore, avoidance of these situations is recommended as much as possible during winter.

2. If you do find you yourself in this situation, staying well hydrated is the best way to avoid a contracting a virus. In winter the mucous membranes of the nose and throat can dry out as people gather indoors in heated rooms. Without adequate moisture (via water intake) these membranes are unable to effectively capture the virus in mucous to be blown out. Drinking up to 8 glasses of water per day can significantly reduce your chances of contracting a cold or flu.

3. Similarly, keep heaters at temperatures at or below 20 C to avoid drying out the atmosphere. If possible open a window slightly to let in some fresh air and use layered clothing to obtain a comfortable level of warmth.

4. Use a tissue to blow your nose or cough into, then dispose of it in the bin and wash your hands with warm soapy water. It may sound simple but this is a powerful way to avoid reinfecting yourself or infecting others. (Handkerchiefs are very unhygienic. They need to be disinfected and washed between every use.)

5. Getting adequate sleep/rest is essential to retain your immunity throughout winter. If you are rundown and sleep deprived you become a primary candidate for an infection, cold or flu to take hold.

6. Keep stress and sugary foods/drinks to a minimum. Both of these will reduce your immunity and leave you susceptible to colds and flu.

7. Keep alcohol to a minimum also as this depletes your body of essential nutrients needed for your immunity to keep you healthy.

8. Reduce or eliminate cigarettes from your life. Smoking damages lung tissue and the respiratory system in general. Therefore, smoking prolongs recovery from colds and flu and worsens the symptoms and severity of bronchial infections, leaving you open to developing bronchitis, pneumonia and pleurisy.

9. Maintaining an exercise regime throughout winter can be extremely powerful for preventing viral infections such as colds and flu. Just be sure to avoid heated swimming pools or any activity which is overly strenuous.

10. Eat fresh, unprocessed foods and avoid mucous forming foods. Your body’s natural response to infection is to reduce your appetite, as the energy required to digest your food is redirected to the immune response to fight the infection. Therefore, eating heavy/fatty foods slows down the healing process. The lymphatic system which works in conjunction the immune system also transports fatty acids around the body. So eating a meal of fish and chips will make the lymph flow even more sluggish which prolongs the healing effort. (The lymphatic system drains and filters toxins, dead infectious organisms, etc. from the cells. The flow of lymphatic fluid is enhanced with exercise.)

11. At the first sign of an infection, cold or flu make a cup of hot brewed tea/filtered coffee. Both tea and coffee contain antioxidant and antiviral properties. You can also add fresh ginger to tea to increase its healing properties. Peppermint tea and green tea are also good choices.

12. Load up on Vitamin C (otherwise known as Ascorbic Acid). My personal favourite is powdered Vitamin C which can be taken in water every hour. It does wonders for fighting an infection. Many studies have confirmed Vitamin C’s ability to reduce the severity and duration of colds and flu. During an acute infection the body will need many grams of Vitamin C a day to perform this function. Vitamin C is not stored in the body so it must be obtained from the diet or supplements. NB if you experience diarrhoea you have reached bowel tolerance so back off slightly until the bowel returns to normal.

This list contains just a few things you can do achieve Winter Wellness this winter, to boost your immunity and keep colds and flu at bay.