Tipsy Tuesday: Leave Yourself Alone

I am not a doctor and my opinion is just that. Don't go off your meds on my account and certainly consult your doctor before making any drastic changes. There, I said it. Now let's move on.

As we head into winter, chances are we'll experience a series of ailments. Running noses, chapped lips, dry skin, cold sores, colds, etc. Yuck, right?

To combat all these symptoms we take pills, use creams, take vitamins, eat cough drops, slather chapstick, etc.


Mmm Chapstick

 But then we're building a tolerance to the pills, peeing neon yellow expensive pee water, getting cavities from sleeping with cough drops in, drying out nose out with allergy pills just to Vaseline it up to keep it from cracking and bleeding. Yuck, I know.

So how do we stop the cycle of self-medicating?

Just leave yourself alone.

Don't take medication to counter the side affects of your other medication. Take the smallest dose possible to cure what ails ya, which may be smaller than the recommended dose. Or find a (more) natural alternative. If you have a headache, for instance, see if you can treat the cause of the headache and not the symptom (i.e. Are you dehydrated? Are the lights - or your computer screen - too bright? Do you need more sleep? Are you under stress?)

In the winter/low humidity, your body is naturally more dehydrated. Drink lots of water, use basic moisturizers without fragrance or additives (like body oil).

via

Don't scrub your skin (or your face or your hair for that matter) when you shower. You should be more scared of losing that protective layer of "schmutz" than you are of being "dirty". Some oil on your skin is necessary to protect it and why not let your body's own oil be it's own protectant. Chances are you aren't allergic to your own oil :) Apparently taking hot showers can also get rid of that protective oil. I refuse to think about that though as hot showers are my saving grace!

Vitamins may be helpful to some people (the elderly, the pregnant), but most people don't need vitamins. You are better off eating healthy foods to get your vitamins as your body can break them down and absorb them better when they are in food.

Use bar soap instead of liquid soap. Liquid soaps tend to have alcohol or another additive to keep them in their liquid state. The additives can be drying.

So, just think about getting back to basics and just leave yourself alone! So what do you do to get through the winter healthy?
Do you get a flu shot?
Do you use petroleum jelly on your lips or cracked skin? I just read this article that made me think differently about P.J.

Drink Pairing: Water, 8 glasses a day +