by Garden Gerty

Created on: September 10, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Fall is here, along with thoughts of colds, flu, and pneumonia. There are many strategies to avoid illness, including "wash your hands", "avoid sick people", "get plenty of sleep", "eat healthy, and take vitamins". There are other, less mainstream methods of keeping healthy.

Flavorful foods help us to stay healthy. Garlic has long been known to be anti-inflammatory. Ginger fits here too; boosting the immune system Foods made with hot peppers also protect us, with lots of vitamin C and capsaicin. Many people drink elderberry juice or elderberry wine for its traditional wellness properties. The more flavor your food has, the more it fights disease.

Fighting stress helps fight viruses. A person dealing with tension from work or from family situations is often bothered by wakefulness. Some solutions for this heavy burden of stress are massage, aroma therapy, and meditation.

Massage is very readily available, even in rural communities. You can go to the masseuse or find one that will make house calls. The stroking and massage relax you, and help the lymphatic system do its job of fighting invaders. Aroma therapy is sometimes combined in this setting. A relaxing fragrance is diffused into the air. Soothing music also comes into play, as background. It is not unusual to go home and sleep deeply after this kind of experience. That recharges your immune system and helps you fight viruses.

Aroma therapy is found almost everywhere and it benefits you in more ways than relaxing you and smelling good... Many fragrant, natural oils also kill germs. They are antibacterial. Among them are Tea Tree Oil, Lavender, Rosemary, Oregano, Cinnamon and Clove Oil. There is a story of thieves during the Black Plague in Europe. These legendary thieves would rob corpses for valuables, but maintained their health and suffered no ill consequences. When finally caught, in return for not being put to death they revealed their secret, which was a combination of aromatic oils that they rubbed on their hands and other places. Do a search for Thieves' Oil online. You will find this story and a company that sells a commercial version, and many recipes for home made thieves' oil. I personally add just a few drops of Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil to a container of pre-moistened wipes and use those to clean my hands, and surfaces around me such as telephones, door knobs and steering wheels.

Meditating, or practicing your religious convictions lowers your heart rate, and increases the strength of your immune system. So does altruism. Do a good deed for someone else, with no expectation of return. You do not have to be religious to do this. It may just keep you healthy. Pray for people. Studies by Duke University show that it helps those who are prayed for, whether they know it or not. It also helps the person praying.
Other things you can do are to use hand sanitizer gel, when you cannot wash. Put your toothbrush through a weekly soak in 3% hydrogen peroxide. Throw your tooth brush out if you have a cold or sinus infection. Keep a spray bottle of peroxide to clean with, and one of alcohol, too. Take care of yourself. Get your flu shot if it works for you. Be positive about your health.

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