Common Cold: Prevention & Treatments

Cold season has arrived! This week, I'll tell you about a few natural cold prevention and treatment tips, as well as MOBU's option - the CCC line! 

Natural Cold Prevention: 

I don't know how many times I can talk about these things, or mention all of the benefits involved, but it really can't be overstated. Getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, and exercise are three of the best ways to keep your immune system strong. 

Other ways to help prevent colds include simple germ avoiding habits, such as avoiding touching surfaces that many other people have touched, such as hand rails, door handles, etc. Washing your hands often and trying to avoid touching your face are also good ways to help prevent the spread of diseases. 

Natural Cold Remedies: 

Zinc - 15-30 mg lozenges, taken at the first sign of a tickly throat or runny nose, helps boost the immune system and decrease viral activity. 

Echinacea - herbal supplements, help to boost the immune system and fight colds. This works better for prevention than treatment. 

Vitamin C - supports the immune system by bonding to the free radicals in your body, so the immune system can do it's job. This works best when consuming about 3000 mg throughout the day. The powdered drink additive, Emergen-C is good for this, as each packet has 1000 mg of Vitamin C with electrolytes. 

Honey - has antioxidants, antiviral and antibacterial properties, which boost the immune system and help fight off all kinds of diseases. Adding two tablespoons of honey to a cup of hot tea is the easiest way to get it into your system. But never give honey to infants or young children - it may include botulism spores which their immune systems aren't ready to handle yet. 

Ginger - contains compounds called gingerols that help fight pain, inflammation, germs, and viruses. when you have the cold or flu, you need plenty of fluids, so drinking some ginger tea is an easy way to get fluids as well as the benefits of the ginger root. 

MOBU's Solution: The C.C.C. line

C.C.C. stands for cough, cold and congestion. The blend of herbs used in these products supports a healthy immune system and respiratory system. They help your lungs feel healthy by providing a feeling of easy breathing and clear airways, soothing your body on cold and chilly days, and helping to soften the skin while also increasing your protection from contaminants. The herbs and oils contained in the C.C.C. products include eucalyptus, horehound, ginger root, vervain, echinacea, fever few, and menthol. 

Feel Better Naturally: Sleep

Sleep - everyone needs it, but many people struggle to get the amount and quality that they need in order to function at their best. In this blog, I'll tell you about the importance of a good nights sleep, as well as some tips and information on how to improve your restfulness.

Why is a good nights sleep so important? 

Sleep helps protect our physical and mental health and our quality of life. During sleep, our bodies work to support and rejuvenate healthy brain function and maintain physical health, as well as forming new pathways which facilitate learning and memory, to prepare for the next day. In children and teens, sleep also helps to support growth and development. If we don't have enough sleep, we can lose focus more often, decrease our reaction times, and increase our risks for chronic health problems. 

How much do we really need? 

• Infants (4-12 months)         12-16 hours a day (including naps) 
• Children (1-2 years)            11-14 hours a day (including naps) 
• Children (3-5 years)            10-13 hours a day (including naps) 
• Children (6-12 years)          9-12 hours a day
• Teens (13-18 years)             8-10 hours a day
• Adults (18+ years)               7-8 hours a day

A regular sleep schedule is important for your body to receive all of the benefits that sleep offers. If you sleep more on your days off than when you work, it may be a sign that you're not getting enough sleep during the week. Many people also nap as a way to deal with sleepiness. Naps can provide a temporary boost in alertness and performance, but they don't have the other benefits of a full nights sleep. 

Many work schedules make sleeping the adequate amount difficult. If you work nights, or odd schedules, many people tend to have one schedule while they are working and another when they are off. While getting adequate sleep is the most important, regardless of the schedule, your body will only get all of the benefits from sleep when done on a regular schedule (sleeping when your body is ready for sleep). Work schedules or lifestyles which are routinely interrupted, such as those in the medical field or emergency responders, can also cause the body to lack the appropriate benefits from a good night sleep. There have been a few studies that show, for these lifestyles, periods of regular sleep throughout the day, for at least 2-3 hours each, can help the body get the adequate amount of sleep and the benefits it provides. 

How can you improve your sleep habits? 

• Keep a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same times, even on the weekend, can help regulate your body's internal clock and help you fall asleep easier and stay asleep throughout the night.
  
  
• If you are having problems sleeping, avoiding naps especially in the afternoon can help you sleep better throughout the night.
  
  
• Exercising daily, at any time of the day, can help your body get the activity it needs in order to be ready for a full nights sleep later.
  
  
• Evaluate where you sleep - a comfortable mattress and pillows help a lot with a good nights sleep. Getting rid of any noise or light distractions can also help with restfulness. If you find yourself constantly wanting to check your phone or play phone games when you should be sleeping, setting and charging your phone away from the bed may be a good idea. 

Giveaway

Let's have some fun this week! Look for the giveaway below for your chance to win one free Body Butter of your choice! 

The giveaway will run from October 9th through the 14th, and will have a couple tasks to complete in order to be entered to win. Come check it out - and feel free to contact me if you have any questions! 

Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Overthinking

Overthinking, obsessing, brooding, or ruminating - all describe the same, toxic habit that can have quite a negative impact on our daily lives. These things all involve thinking, very often, about something, anything really, that may be upsetting, but doing so in a passive way - without taking action. These thoughts can consume us, wondering constantly about what was really meant or intended by a comment, or worrying about why things happened the way the did, or even worrying about the future. 

Overthinking causes people to feel like they are working on a solution, or making some sort of progress, while in reality, you're really getting nowhere, and may even be exacerbating the problem. All of the constant thinking can take up a lot of time and energy, which could be used to actually solve the problem, or focus on the things actually occurring in your life. It can also drive others away, as people who chronically overthink everything tend to share their misery and ponderings to the point of being annoying. 

Overthinking can also impair problem-solving skills, causing you to be more pessimistic about the future, and almost guarantee a bad mood. Those who overthink often are four times as likely to be depressed as those who don't. 

How do you know if you're overthinking? 

It's repetitive. If you find yourself thinking about the same things over and over again, examining a problem or situation from every angle, then you're probably overthinking! 

It's also very passive. People tend to overthink with the goal of finding a solution to a problem, but instead, studies show that those who overthink aren't very effective at solving anything. Even when a solution is found, if you've overthought it for a long time, it's difficult to find the motivation to carry it out, and procrastination, or even non-action, generally occurs. 

It's generally about the past, not the future. Overthinking generally focuses on what has already happened, trying to figure out why, or what could have been. 

How to break the habit: 

Start by giving up your regrets. Everyone does things that they regret, so instead of overthinking what you should have done instead, or trying to figure out why things happened, just take a deep breath and accept what happened. You can even try thinking instead about the future, and how to not repeat the problem. 

Distracting yourself is also an easy way to attempt to stop overthinking. If things such as watching TV or going for a drive don't work because you still find too much time to think, then do other, more active things such as playing with your pets, or working on projects around the house. Even things that seem nonsensical, like daydreaming or imagining things, can help get your mind off of the problems and situations you tend to overthink. 

A final way to stop overthinking is to challenge yourself. Do something that is within your skills and abilities, but still difficult for you. It's hard to overthink things when you are pushing your mind and talents to new heights! This can also help to build up confidence in yourself and can help you learn how to be more productive with your time. 

MOBU Products that can help: 

Kava Calm Balm and Lotion - If you find yourself overthinking mainly at night, when you're trying to go to sleep, using Kava Calm products can help you to relax and stop the wandering thoughts so you can get a good night's sleep. Being well rested and prepared for the day can help you be more productive and less likely to overthink the next day as well.