Whether you’re staying put in the UK or embracing your new-found travel freedom, you’ll want to put in some pre-holiday prep.
Bolster your defences. A strong immune system is important at all times but especially so when we travel.
Echinacea purpurea is one of the best immune-supporting herbs there is, so make sure this makes it into your suitcase.
A.Vogel Echinacea Lozenges are particularly travel-friendly, but you should ideally start to prime your immune system two to four weeks before you travel.
Take a breath
Anticipating a stressful journey? Breathe.
By taking fewer but deeper breaths you will optimise your oxygen intake, helping you to relax and remain calm. Brilliant for when your family makes helpful suggestions.
For a little herbal assistance try Passiflora. Passiflora tablets and drops can be used when a period of stress is anticipated or encountered. A handy spray is also available – perfect for when that car journey becomes unbearable. You know the one.
Good for your gut
Support your tummy on your travels with a good probiotic supplement before and when you travel.
Molkosan Fruit Drink for example can help establish the right environment within which important infection-fighting bacteria can flourish, revitalising your digestive system.
Troublesome tum
For nausea associated with travel, try ginger. Motion sickness is caused by a conflict between what your eyes and other senses tell your brain.
Your eyes adjust to motion but the inner ear, which contains fluid-filled canals that control balance, does not. The resulting signals to the brain from the eye and the inner ear do not tally and the brain becomes confused, which can leave you with a horrible feeling of nausea, dizziness and an upset stomach.
Fresh ginger tea before and during travel may help with feelings of nausea and sickness.
If you do succumb to “holiday tum”, drink plenty of water to help prevent dehydration; experts recommend between two and three litres a day, especially if you’re in a hot climate.
Tormentil and Avena sativa can be particularly useful for diarrhoea. Tormentil helps to reduce the frequency and severity of diarrhoea and Avena sativa exerts a mild sedative and restorative effect on the nervous system.
Children with diarrhoea must consult a healthcare professional and medical advice must always be sought if symptoms do not improve within 24 to 36 hours, or if diarrhoea is accompanied by severe pain, vomiting, fever or loss of blood.
Bugs with bite
Keep biting insects at bay. If mosquitoes and biting insects are a problem, a good insect repellent on exposed skin should help.
In some parts of the world, such as Africa and South America, you’ll need more than a spray repellent, but more often than not, mosquitoes and midges are more of a nuisance than a health hazard.
Neem seed extract is a popular alternative to DEET-containing sprays. Try A.Vogel’s Herbal Insect Repellent Spray. The scent of neem masks your individual scent, making you less easy to find.
Pesky pollen
Summer sniffles? Hayfever affects approximately 15 million people in the UK, causing blocked and runny noses as well as a number of other unpleasant symptoms.
Pollinosan Luffa Nasal Spray can be used over a prolonged length of time (unlike some chemical nasal sprays) to help clear a blocked or runny nose. It helps to protect against hayfever-inducing pollen and other allergens, and is also suitable for people with asthma and children over the age of six.
Get drinking
Stay hydrated! We lose water through sweat when we exercise and when it’s hot. If you’re sweating more than usual, drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
The NHS recommends drinking between six to eight glasses of water a day. There are also plenty of “summer foods” that have a naturally high water content. Watermelon (the clue is in the name), strawberries and cucumber, are all over 90% water and will help you to increase your water intake.
Look after your liver
Look after your liver. If your summer holiday entails your liver working a little harder than usual, stash a little milk thistle in your First Aid kit.
Milk thistle is well known for its role in protecting the liver against alcohol-related toxins and is often called upon to help counter the effects of a hangover.
Sun safety
Finally, stay safe in the sun. Have fun in the sun but do so safely. Always wear a good SPF, avoid sitting in the sun when it’s at its strongest – typically this is between 12pm and 2pm. And if you do get caught short, Aloe vera applied topically can help to soothe dry, reddened or sun-damaged skin.
For further information, ask in store at Grampian Health Store, 34 Market Street, or call 01224 590886. If you’re unable to get out and about, home delivery is also available.
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