Health

Flu Season Isn’t Through With Us Yet… Don’t Drop Your Guard!

March 9, 2019 by Joi Leave a Comment

A month ago, I had Flu A AND Bronchitis (I guess my body couldn’t decide between the two and went with both). It hit me like a semi truck! I tend to get bronchitis any time I get a cold, so I knew what that was. However, I get the flu vaccine every single year (including this year), so having the flu was an unpleasant surprise.

Fortunately, since I’d had the vaccine, the duration for my flu was shorter than it typically would’ve been. I still swear by the vaccine – I have gotten one, annually, for over 12 years and this is the first year I’ve gotten the flu.

I’ll take those odds.

I’ve noticed a lot of people seem to think that flu season is over and that the risk of getting the flu is non-existent if you’ve had the flu shot. That’s the kind of thinking that’ll lead you to the ER.

The flu season is still in swing and, to be honest, may even be more easily spread since so many people are dropping their guard.

Make sure you (and everyone you care about) are still frequently washing your hands and practicing excellent flu-prevention habits.

Always wash your hands after you’ve touched anything handled by others..

grocery carts
ATM machines
You-Scans
pens
card readers
etc..

Below is a news release that will really drive the point home. The flu can be extra dangerous for children, people with pre-existing diseases or conditions (asthma, diabetes, heart disease..), and the elderly.

Be cautious and stay well! ~ Joi

St. Jude flu expert and WHO vaccine composition team member encourages everyone to get the flu shot

Dr. Richard Webby of St. Jude still advocates for everyone to get the flu shot— it’s not too late

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its most recent Weekly Flu Report, indicating that flu activity remains high across the nation, with nine new deaths of children and over 321,000 flu-related deaths between October and March. The report also indicates that there has been a shift to the more harsh H3N2 strain of influenza in the Southeast.

Richard Webby, Ph.D., a member of the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, again urged all Americans to get a flu shot and that is it not too late.

“The most effective public health tool available to protect individuals from the flu virus is taking the necessary steps to receive the vaccine. It is not too late to get a flu shot and the vaccine remains fully effective even at this late date. The more of the public who receives the vaccine means a greater reduction in overall influenza illness.

“The vaccine is not perfect, but it remains an extremely effective and life-saving public health tool.We all must do our part to protect ourselves and our neighbors, while looking out for the most vulnerable members of our society – and that begins by getting the flu shot,” said Dr. Webby of St. Jude Children’s Hospital and one of a select group of scientists responsible for making recommendations on the composition of flu vaccines each year.”

Dr. Webby recently penned a guest column in Newsweek encouraging the public to get the flu vaccination – it’s not too late.

Many pediatric patients at St. Jude are at a greater risk of getting sick from influenza (flu) and other viral infections because of their diseases and treatments. Therefore, helping to disseminate lifesaving educational information about flu prevention techniques is of paramount importance to the St. Jude Infectious Diseases Department. November through February are peak flu months, and last year’s flu season was one of the deadliest in history.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Department has released a fact sheet with useful tips on prevention titled “Controlling the Spread of Colds and Flu.”

In addition to receiving the flu vaccine, there are also additional simple and effective prevention tips to protect you and your family.

Some of these include:

Cleaning your hands often with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Staying home if you’re sick.
Covering your mouth and nose if you cough or sneeze. Also, washing your hands after coughing or sneezing.
Avoiding touching your nose and mouth.

Hiatal Hernia: More Tips for Controlling Your Hiatal Hernia

March 6, 2019 by Joi Leave a Comment

A while back, I wrote an article, “Tips for Living with a Hiatal Hernia: Dealing with the Symptoms Naturally” (linked below) and I continue to hear from people who have a similar condition. Whether it’s in the comments or through e-mail, I’ve learned that a lot of people have this “nightmare” of a situation. I wanted to update my tips because I’ve recently come across a few other things that have helped me a great deal.

I hasten to say, obviously, that just because these have helped me DOES NOT necessarily mean that they will help you. However, because there is really so very little information out there about Hiatal Hernias, one of our best bets is to learn from each another.

My own experience has taught me that the following tips are a wonderful place to start when you’re trying to control your hiatal hernia naturally:

Keep a food journal. Write down everything you eat and drink as well as whether you experience hiatal hernia problems during or after each meal. If you get hiccups, write it down. If you have heartburn or pain, write it down. If you feel like food is trapped in the esophagus, write it down!
Keep an activity journal. The following will show you why this is important.
Do NOT lift heavy objects. Some of my worst hiatal hernia episodes occurred after lifting heavy bags of birdseed. Even lifting a heavy trash bag out of a trash can can be too much for a hernia.
Don’t move furniture around. This one surprised me but, after an especially bad episode with my hernia (food got trapped for hours and I was in agony), I thought back over what I had done the previous day. I realized I had not lifted anything… then it hit me, I had rearranged some furniture on the carport which meant tugging at a very heavy table and sliding a few chairs around. Apparently pushing and pulling heavy furniture is as bad as lifting it when you have a temperamental hernia.
Do NOT hang upside down (inversion tables, playgrounds…). Okay, this one sounds kind of nuts – but it is a nightmare for hernias. I had to give up something I dearly loved (yoga) simply because many of the poses involved too much stress for my hiatal hernia.
Eat SLOWLY and chew each bite mindfully. It honestly makes a world of difference. I used to eat fairly fast because I didn’t want my husband or daughters having to wait for me to get through. I quickly decided that I’d rather be the last one eating than to be the first one in pain. In fact, I make a point of even putting my fork or spoon down every now and again to make sure I go slow and easy.
Carbonated beverages are not a good idea. AT ALL. Switching exclusively to water and/or tea is the way to go. It can be tough if you’re used to soft drinks but, trust this former Diet Dr. Pepper addict, the improvement is worth it. Besides, tea actually does taste better!
Papaya Enzymes are phenomenal. I take them after every meal as well as when I feel a little “too full.”
Aloe Vera Juice is also something I always keep on hand. It’s wonderful for heartburn, indigestion, and drinking it regularly seems to help with all of my hiatal hernia issues.

Due to the fact that I started keeping a VERY thorough food journal (when you’re tired of being in pain, you get drastic!), I discovered that a few different foods smelled trouble for me.

First of all, I found that, more times than not, when I got painful hiatal hernia related hiccups, I was eating chicken or something containing chicken. I even referred to them as “chiccups” because I was almost always eating chicken. So, I decided to give chicken up and see what happened.

I saw a huge improvement immediately.

Through similar detective work with my food journal, I found that “dense” meats (hot dogs, ribs, pork chops, roast) caused problems for me. Fish, “thin” hamburgers, pulled pork (tender), bacon, and breakfast sausage didn’t give me any problems (thank goodness!), so I decided to stick with them.

Food Combinations

I’ve also found that food combinations can cause as much trouble as certain foods, individually, can. If rice, for example, is paired with a meat – I am apt to have issues. So, if I’m eating rice with meat, I now know to eat very, very slowly and chew my food like my very life depends upon it.

Your food journal will help you discover problematic foods as well as combinations. Having a journal helped me discover that thin hamburgers weren’t the problem – it was the bread they were on. Most people with hiatal hernias cannot tolerate bread at all.

My journal also saved me from having to give up shrimp. I found that it wasn’t the shrimp, itself, that was the problem (although I do now eat extra slowly when eating shrimp) – the problem was the combination of shrimp with rice, two foods I almost always paired.

Licorice for Esophageal Healing

An individual with a hiatal hernia has an esophagus that’s under a lot of stress – the esophageal sphincter (LES), in particular, takes a beating when the hernia is doing its thing. Fortunately, we can help heal the area and improve inflammation by eating and drinking things that aren’t acidic or harmful. We can also promote healing with licorice – one of the few things shown to help heal the inflammation.

I take a licorice capsule daily and have for about a year. I would highly recommend it for anyone with a hiatal hernia.

Not only does the hernia, itself, wreak havoc on the esophagus, the acid reflux we frequently experience does as well. Here is an excellent article I found online: 5 Supplements That Heal Tissue Damage Caused By Acid Reflux. Excellent advice, here.

Tips for Living with a Hiatal Hernia: Dealing with the Symptoms Naturally

The Fascinating World of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Benefits Beyond Belief!

January 23, 2019 by Joi 2 Comments

Sweet Orange and Eucalyptus Essential Oils

Admittedly, I can often be “late to the party.” I’ve always blamed this phenomenon on being an only child. When you live in your own little world, sometimes news travels in (and out, at times) slowly.

Truth is, sometimes it trickles in.

Whatever the reasons, people all around me (literally… as in my own family, but more about her in a minute) have been using, loving, and swearing by essential oils for months upon months and I am just now really jumping on board.

Only child or not, a debilitating headache that isn’t responding to either Ibuprofen OR hot showers will leave you searching for relief. Here’s where my essential oil expert daughter comes into play.

My youngest daughter, Stephany, has been a HUGE believer in and user of essential oils and aromatherapy for years, now. I knew this and appreciated a few of them – such as lavender (my favorite scent) and citrus (very close second). I’ve known the beauty of lavender long before the phrase “essential oils” came into play. However, whenever she talked about peppermint for pain relief or eucalyptus for congestion, I don’t know, I guess I thought, “Well, it clearly works for her, but I’m sure it wouldn’t work for me.”

Then came the headache from the inner circle of hell, and I found myself willing to find out!

Peppermint Essential Oil

I told her about the headache and she gave me a bottle of Peppermint Essential Oil and a “carrier oil.” She uses Jojoba Oil as her “carrier oil.”

What’s a carrier oil? Sounds mysterious, doesn’t it? It is simply an unscented base oil that you add a few drops of essential oil to before applying it. Steph uses Jojoba Oil she buys off of Amazon. I found Avocado Oil at Meijer that I’ve used. Some people use coconut oil – although I’d think the scent would combine with the essential oil’s aroma and be an issue.

Back to the evil headache. I added a few drops of the peppermint essential oil to the Jojoba oil and rubbed it directly on my forehead. Playing the role of Doubting Thomas, I wasn’t actually expecting much (if any) relief, so I didn’t actually “time” how long it took for relief to come. If I were to guess, however, it was less than five minutes.

The pain literally faded away and a headache that had hounded me for hours was a thing of the past.

She had my undivided attention at this point.

It turns out, Peppermint Essential Oil has a very strong, proven history with alleviating pain. Since the headache experience, I’ve used it on everything from neck tension to leg cramps.

It never lets me down. I have no idea what magic it has up its oily sleeve and, frankly, I don’t care – it brings relief without doubling down on Ibuprofen and that’s all I could ask for.

Recently, while shopping at Meijer and I went to their essential oil section. This essential oil convert loaded up on several – as well as the avocado base or carrier oil.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Fast forward a few months – I came down with my annual cold (he arrives with his nasty attitude every year between January 1 -January 10). Being an “extra” kind of gal, I ALWAYS get bronchitis at the end of my cold. I have no idea if it’s because I have asthma or if I’m just terribly lucky, but without fail – it happens each and every year, dating back to when I was in Elementary School.

I’m nothing if not consistent.

When my chest was insanely congested, I would rub a little Eucalyptus oil (along with the Avocado Oil) directly on my chest. The relief was amazing. However, the BEST way I put the Eucalyptus Oil to work was (naturally at the advice of Steph) by adding a few drops directly on the floor of the shower. While taking a warm shower, the Eucalyptus surrounds you and clears your chest, head, or anything else that might need it!

I’m in the process of giving Self Help Daily a much-needed overhaul – more about that in the next post. I will be adding a great deal of information about essential oils and aromatherapy. In fact, I’ve created a new category for each. There is simply too much natural-healing to be enjoyed and experienced with essential oils to ignore them any longer.

I’m reading and researching like a college student in search of passing grades when it comes to essential oils and I’ll be sharing everything I come across here on the self help blog. I’m excited to see just how many miracles these oils can bring about. (Naturally I’m being very liberal with the word miracles here…. a cured headache has that effect on me.)

Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Steph gifted me with more essential oils for Christmas – my beloved lavender, eucalyptus, and one that was very new to me: Sweet Orange Essential Oil. One of the first things I thought of when I saw it was cleaning. I love, love, love cleaning products with a citrus scent. It can be tough to find orange-scented cleaners, though. Sweet Orange Essential Oil makes it easy to add a fresh, feel-good aroma to any cleaning solution. Just add a few drops and you’re good to go.

Having said that, I actually have a different favorite way to use Sweet Orange Essential Oil. I call it my wake-up call. On mornings where it’s particularly hard to get up and get going, I simply sniff my orange essential oil.

And, yes, I realize how weird that may sound.

However, since it never fails to give me the get up and go that I’m lacking, I’ll just keep on sniffing!

Many people report that doing so can also lift your mood. Sweet Orange essential oil has also been linked to a stronger immune system.

Hmm.. maybe that could help me end my annual cold/bronchitis event.

See this page – Sweet Orange Essential Oil – for a great deal of information about this particular oil.

Lavender Essential Oil and Aromatherapy

Lavender Oil is another one of my favorites and one that anyone… absolutely anyone… could and would benefit from. It’s all about RELAXATION (sorry for the all caps treatment, but relaxation is something I get excited about).

My favorite way to buy Lavender Oil is in spray bottles. It makes it easier to spray onto your pillows and/or favorite blankets of throws.

Heck, I’ve even sprayed it on my pajamas before.

There’s simply something beautifully relaxing about the scent of lavender. If you’ve never tried it, I hope you will asap. It is magical.

Aromatherapy and Essential Oil Diffusers

Essential Oil Diffusers, like the LiteMist Ultrasonic Diffuser are very popular and for a great reason. They put aromatherapy to work for you, without you having to do much more than pour and plug. A diffuser would be a great way to take advantage of lavender, eucalyptus, and sweet orange essential oils.

Though my favorite way to use eucalyptus oil will always be in the shower. It’s just outrageously effective. Just be sure not to use too much. You’ll feel like you stepped into an alternate universe – one with cough syrup for oxygen.

I’ll be adding a lot more information about essential oils and aromatherapy to the website. I have my face buried in two books at the moment, taking notes like my life depends on it.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Where to Buy Essential Oils and Carrier or Base Oils:

Many department stores now carry a good selection of essential oils and even carrier oils. However, from my own experience, the best quality oils are found online.

Essential Oils on Amazon

Carrier Oils for Essential Oils on Amazon

Tips for Modeling Good Mental Health for Children

January 5, 2019 by Joi Leave a Comment

As a parent, you want to teach your children as many things as possible. While you might feel this means tangible lessons like helping them learn their ABCs when they are preschoolers and teaching them to drive when they are teens, it’s important to remember that your kids will also learn by simply watching what you are doing.

For instance, when it comes to having good mental health, how you act, the decisions that you make and the way you treat yourself and others can all help your children learn what this important concept means. In order to model good mental health for your kids, please consider the following tips:

Be Mindful of How and Where You Spend Money
While you might not equate solid mental health with spending money, the two are linked together. If your kids see you constantly stressing about bills and fighting with your spouse about money, it can lead to negative associations with money in their future. Strive to live within your means and if money is tight, take proactive steps like trimming back expenses rather than putting everything on your Visa.

Also, to show your kids how to be smart with money, make a point of shopping for brands that you can trust and believe in. Explain how you don’t want to waste money and research the best companies before making purchases. For example, if you are looking for high quality health, beauty and lifestyle products, a company like Amway is a great place to start. If your kids bring up the Amway scam rumor, show them how the company refuted the accusations on their site, and assure them that you only spend your money on products from reputable and reliable companies.

Take Care of Yourself Too
Parents often put their own self care last while their children get the lion’s share of time and attention. You probably make sure your kids get enough sleep, yet you are sleep deprived. Your kids see the dentist twice a year on schedule, but you keep cancelling your own appointments because of your huge number of commitments. While it is definitely important to take good care of your children, you need and deserve the same treatment. Being a parent who handles the needs of his or her kids while still modeling good self-care is a wise choice that your children will definitely notice. Mention that you are going in for a physical with your doctor, go out for walks as a family and establish a family bedtime—these are all ways to take care of yourself and your kids at the same time.

Show Compassion for Yourself and for Others
Another effective way to model good mental health habits for your kids is by being compassionate. As The Washington Post notes, being gentle with yourself and others can help you and your children learn to navigate difficult feelings. On the flip side, poor emotional regulation, including being really hard on yourself, can result in headaches and stomachaches and other physical symptoms. So, when life is stressful and you make an error in your checking account or accidentally burn dinner, instead of blurting out “I’m such an idiot!” try to remain as calm as possible and avoid making self-deprecating remarks.

Remember, Your Kids Are Always Watching
On those days where you have to remind your children 100 times to take out the trash, it may be difficult to believe that your kids actually listen to you. But children really do watch what you are doing and what is coming out of your mouth, as well as your daily habits. By striving to model good mental health, you will not only feel better yourself, but your kids should also grow up to be mentally healthy and happy adults.

How to Drink More Water (Infographic)

November 30, 2018 by Joi Leave a Comment

Ever have something you know you SHOULD do, yet struggle getting from SHOULD to DO? While I have a running, ever-changing list of such things, drinking water is one that has been consistent.

For years.

Seriously… years.

There are a million and one health benefits (ranging from healthier lungs to better skin) but this gal just can’t seem to chug the goodness that is water. Not when, oh you know, there are other drinks like tea and coffee (hot or iced, I’m not picky).

I was sent a wonderful infographic to share with you and, ironically, it may be the thing that actually helps me in the process.

The tips toward the end of the infographic sound really useful – maybe so useful that this may be something I kick off my “should do” list soon. If you have a similar struggle, I think you’ll find it just as helpful.

Let’s toast to it! (I’m toasting with iced coffee this time, but next time I’ll toast with water.) ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Infographic Courtesy of: Pounds to Pocket

Health

Flu Season Isn’t Through With Us Yet… Don’t Drop Your Guard!

St. Jude flu expert and WHO vaccine composition team member encourages everyone to get the flu shot

Dr. Richard Webby of St. Jude still advocates for everyone to get the flu shot— it’s not too late