Friday, November 12, 2010

Our Holisitic Approach to Winter Wellness






Autumn and Winter tend to bring on all sorts of interesting colds and illnesses.  We are not ones to go to the doctor or take medication.  Prevention is key, and when necessary, we will treat ourselves as naturally as possible.

1.  Juicing
At least twice per week, we drink "vruit"!  Using our Juiceman juicer, we create a blend of roots (beets, carrots), greens (kale, spinach, lettuces, chard), herbs (parsley), and fruit (apples, oranges).  It's an easy way to ensure that everyone gets vitamins and minerals from veggies and greens, especially if you have some picky eaters in the family!  Green smoothies made in the Vita-mix are fantastic, too, and contain the fiber content.




2.  Aromatherapy
We wash our hands with soap that has lavender, rosemary and tea tree oil in it after being in contact with other people or places.  A bath with 8 drops of tea tree oil is nice after a day around others who are sick.  Floors are mopped with water mixed with essential oils of lemon, lavender, tea tree and cypress.  Countertops are cleaned with a similar mixture.  Sheets are washed with a teaspoon of eucalyptus oil.  Clogged ears get a drop of lavender oil on a Q-tip.  Itchy throats drink a drop of cypress oil with water.  Stuffy noses inhale eucalyptus and lemon myrtle steam.  More ideas in our Aromatherapy eBook.


3.  Massage
When the children were babies and toddlers, we massaged them after every bath.  Jennifer is a certified educator of infant massage.  You can take a class to learn how to do this by finding a certified educator through Infant Massage USA.  As the children have grown, we massage backs, feet, ear/necks to sooth and comfort when not feeling well. 


4.  Chiropractic
Parents see the chiro (along with a massage) once per month.  Kids go during growth spurts.  Keeping the back in alignment prevents ear infections and many other issues.


5.  Exercise
Stretching, yoga, bike riding, dance lessons, fencing, gardening, playing at the park and more!
6.  Homeopathy & Flower Essences
Remedies by Uriel and flower essences by Bach are used at the first signs of any sort of illness.
 
7.  Rest
Sometimes we just need extra sleep, or a day at home on a weekend without running around to rest and recharge. 

8.  Music
Playing instruments and singing make us feel great!  Regularly listening to and playing music feeds our minds, hearts and souls.

Overall, we see wellness holistically.  We know that leading a healthy lifestyle prevents illness.  We also recognize that fevers and certain illnesses are sometimes important for us to experience.  As a result of incorporating natural therapies, we can go for years without seeing a doctor's office.  We'd love to hear how others approach wellness as a family!

7 comments:

(V.Kerr) School Time Adventures said...

Great post! We just went through a bought of illness and I'm glad it's over. I love the reminder to juice!

Anonymous said...

I love this post! Wellness is so much more than just taking vitamins, isn't it! Eating lots of fruits and veggies (or juicing, or smoothies) is a great way, but when we come down with something, I love to use peppermint oil in my diffuser and tea tree and eucalyptus massage oil on chest, upper back and under the feet when we have coughs and/or are congested. It works wonders!

Gabriele Kubo said...

Your posting came right in time, as it is getting cold and we tend to catch easily colds. Did a quick search, found the tea tree oil and dripped it here and there in our home. Breathing gets much easier and the nose of my daughter seems better, she often breaths through her mouth as her nose seems to be clogged. Fantastic reminder for me!
Your pink wool bolero got out of the winter boxes and warms me also this year. Just so very special!

Kelly said...

Great post. I needed reminding to juice more. I use rosehips in everything I can for their high Vit C content over winter.

cornelia said...

Thank you so much for posting.
I love to use essentiell oils in the house. Just a quick question, how many drops of oil do you use for a bucket full of water ( for floor cleaning), or in a spray bottle for counter tops etc.? I am never sure and feel I use too little. Thank you

Tan Family said...

Cornelia, great question! It depends on the quality of oils and also which oils you use. In general, I use 5 drops of eucalyptus, lavender, or tea tree oil per ounce of water. Lemon or other citrus oils could be 10-15 drops per ounce (be careful, as they can strip wood!). High quality oils, such as the ones by Essential Aura www.essentailaura.com are amazing and a little bit goes a long way. Use your intuition. :)

Tara said...

Great reminders! Thank you for this post.