While I’m already sick, sick, sick of hearing about the H1N1 virus, I realize that flu season is worth taking seriously. So I emailed Millie Lytle, a naturopath I’ve used as a resource more than once — she’s the author of the charming and informative health blog Millie Says — to see what her take was on the escalating and certainly anxiety-producing amount of news coverage devoted to the virus and its anticipated autumnal tour.
Lytle, who is currently in Germany studying pandemics as an International Masters of Public Health candidate, is not impressed with the hype. She’s quick to point out that the category “pandemic,” scary as it sounds, does not reflect the severity of an illness, only the fact that it is “contagious among humans within communities in more than two World Health Organization regions of the world.” And the H1N1, Lytle says, on a scale from mild to severe, rates moderate.
“It is easily spread between people, but the overwhelming majority of people recover spontaneously from it without any treatment. As with all flus, the best way to prevent it is to wash your hands frequently and avoid walking into a cloud of freshly sneezed respiratory droplets.” If you do get sick, she suggests handling it the same way she’d advise treating any cold or flu: stay home from work or school, drink soups and other hot liquids, increase rest and cut back on mucus-forming foods such as milk, sugar and stimulants. “If you get quite ill,” she says, “go to the doctor. But most of all, don’t panic.”
One key to relaxing is realizing how many different ways you can strengthen your immune system. While I’m familiar with the merits of eating well and taking supplements, I’d never heard about using aromatherapy to stay hale and hardy until I met aromatherapist and Reiki practitioner Elana Millman at the Toronto Yoga Festival a couple of weeks ago.
A representative of the Living Libations line of organic essential oils, raw chocolate and skincare, Millman combines her background as an aromatherapist, reflexologist and nutritional counsellor with her studies of Traditional Chinese Medicine to perform highly individualized health treatments for her clients. (I’ve seen her myself and think she’s great.) She agrees with Lytle that the amped-up anxiety levels around H1N1 are overblown and is particularly suspicious of the flu shot that has been rushed through.
Millman, who recently managed to heal her own wrist injury in 12 days rather than the six weeks her doctor predicted it would take, is a great believer in the therapeutic power of pure, organic essential oils, which are not synthetic perfumes but concentrated plant oils extracted through an artisanal steam-distillation process (many cheaper brands often use chemical solvents for extraction). She says the oils have almost limitless applications because of their antibacterial, antiviral, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, antioxidant, anti-infectious qualities. “They are all anti-, anti-, anti-, anti!” she laughs.
While the idea of using scent to stay healthy may sound flaky, you may change your tune if you keep an open mind and experiment a bit. I’ve noticed an immediate difference in my sense of well-being after exposure to high-quality oils. Millman suggests using the oils “breakfast, lunch and dinner” to see the greatest benefits. In addition to steam inhalations, she says you can introduce them to many daily activities like skincare and housecleaning (adding oils like tea-tree and rosemary to vinegar makes a great toxin-free surface disinfectant). Millman loves oils because they are inexpensive and easy to use; she says simply simmering drops of tea-tree, eucalyptus and rosemary in water on the stove for a couple of hours (in a pot you don’t mind mucking up; keep adding water as needed) will help eliminate pathogens in the air.
To boost your immune system, Millman also recommends taking high doses of vitamins C and D, keeping your midsection covered to protect your kidneys from chill, wearing scarves, eating hot soup and drinking adaptogen herbal teas (like nettle, rhodiola and the Chinese herb jiaogulan). And, of course, don’t freak out.
Elana Millman and Nadine Artemis of Living Libations are conducting a workshop on using essential oils to fight off H1N1 on Oct. 3. Contact Millman at elana@floweringlotus.ca or 416-925-7622 for full details.