Keeping your spirits up this Summer

The heat is ON! And we have nowhere to go, so we have to cope with both the extreme heat and the extreme dismay that we can’t escape for a chilled vacation any time soon. If this is how you’re feeling, then I hope this will help.

In extremis then, let’s look at the possible risks we will face trying to enjoy summer in HK as best we can…

Getting too HOT! Think heat stroke, prickly heat & other rashes, dehydration.

Getting too COLD! Getting on buses with blasting aircon after you’ve been roasting on your hike or the beach for hours, sitting in the icy draft in a chilly office making you shiver.

Getting too WET! All that swimming often keeps us cool but can often lead to ailments like ear infections, fungal infections, and wheezy coughs or colds.

Getting too FED UP! With travelling and restrictions still very tight, most of us can’t go anywhere, and after 18 months of this, we are all feeling the strain. People are feeling anxious, tense, angry, fatigued, and often very despairing.

Here are a few suggestions to help you cope with any or all of this, but if you would like professional help dealing with any of it just get in touch.

Getting too HOT:

Heat stroke & dehydration: as well as seeking medical help, you can do the following:

Drink fresh coconut water which cools the blood and rebalances your electrolytes

Drink water or smoothie containing fresh cilantro, mint & basil

Immerse yourself in a cool bath

Take homeopathic remedies. If you are unsure of which remedy or dosage to take, it’s best to consult with a homeopathic practitioner.

Belladonna: Agonizing, sudden, shooting headache with throbbing making the individual scream in pain. Bright red face, dilated pupils, glassy-eyed, fixed stare with no expression, no thirst but has a dry mouth.

Bryonia: Severe headache made worse by the slightest motion. The individual is extremely thirsty for large amounts of cold water.

Aconite: Faint and dizzy with a headache after prolonged, direct exposure to the sun. Individual may say he feels like he is dying, be anxious and restless.

Carbo Veg: Collapse from excess heat with clamminess of the skin and stomach complaints. The individual wants to be fanned and needs to feel moving air.

Glonoinum: First remedy for sunstroke. Agonizing congestive headache after exposure to sun and heat. Hot face and cold extremities, irritability and confusion. Pounding pain, compare to Belladonna.

Natrum Carb: Debilitated as a result of heat exposure. Is chronically affected by heat and sunstroke. Headache is worse from the slightest mental effort.

Prickly Heat or other forms of rashes brought on by heat: never allow this to linger too long, as it’s a clear sign that your body can’t cool down. It’s important to stay in a cool, well ventilated room until the symptoms ease.

Homeopathic remedies and creams to relieve the prickling irritation such as Apis, Rhus Tox or Urtica Urens.

Aloe Vera either in its raw form or as a gel, cooled in the fridge applied topically.

Raw potatoes shredded, smeared on and then rinsed off with ice water.

Peppermint essential oil diluted in olive oil applied to the skin a few times a day.

Getting too COLD!

Moving from extreme heat when you've been hot and sweaty into a very chilly zone might be a blessed relief at first, but then you can get too chilled, and literally ‘get a chill’, which can bring on a shivering fever and intense fatigue.

Treat with homeopathic remedies such as Aconite & Gelsemium

Always carry a light-weight covering with you in case you need to quickly add an extra layer in such situations.

Have a warm shower, and inhale some steam with a few drops of essential oils such as peppermint, lavender, or chamomile to soothe and decongest.

Getting too WET!

In this heat, swimming is often one of the few activities we can do to cool down. But with all that water, many people experience painful infections in the ears & eyes, and often pick up fungal infections on the feet. These are easily resolved with the right homeopathic remedy.

Ear infections: treat naturally if you can. 80% of infections clear up naturally without the need for antibiotics. Instead, probiotics, vitamin C, zinc and vitamin D will all help give the immune system the boost it needs to resolve the infection. Osteopathic and homeopathic care also work very fast to alleviate the painful symptoms. Our practitioners work together to obtain rapid results.

Conjunctivitis: Start with warm compresses for infective conjunctivitis and cold compresses for allergic or irritative conjunctivitis, and take lots of Vitamin C & zinc. Bathing with a solution of distilled water containing eyebright (Euphrasia), chamomile & fennel is very soothing. Remedies such as Euphrasia, Belladonna, Pulsatilla are all very effective in clearing such infections quickly.

Keeping up your spirits during quarantine

So many of us are having to cope with the quarantine situation, are getting seriously fed up with our situation, not being able to see our loved ones, instead of being able to take a break on a lovely beach somewhere and rest up we have to sit in a hotel for a few weeks. So how DO we cope?

Our homeopath Lisa, does a lot of phone consultations not only to prescribe remedies to ease the emotional distress, but also to give advice on some self-help tactics.

Here are a few simple suggestions you can try on your own or with your family:

Compartmentalize everyday to include physical exercise, mental exercise, fun and challenge to change your mindset.

If it’s getting you down, write a list of all the things you can't do, then write a parallel ‘Instead’ list. This takes you out of feeling powerless and overwhelmed to a more positive & constructive mind set immediately. It will enable you to focus on what you CAN do instead of what you CAN’T.

Schedule everyday to include non-screen time and social activities.

Schedule in personal down time every day. Then plan what you are going to do in those slots that feed your soul and help dispel the strain & gloom.

Plan to learn something new that you have always wanted to try or do something that has been to your to-do for months or years (Such as digital albums, paintings, learning an instrument)

Seek therapeutic help for mind and body, whatever feels comfortable for you and you know it does you good. With Bach Flower remedies, homeopathic remedies and other natural treatments, I can help to alleviate all forms of mental, emotional and physical stress and distress. Each and every prescription is tailored to each and every person.