Pregnancy is one of the most extraordinary journeys a woman's body will ever undertake. Yet so much of the care available centres on the baby, while the mother's wellbeing can easily become secondary.
At Escapada, we believe mothers deserve just as much support—from the very first weeks of pregnancy through birth and into those transformative months after your baby arrives.
Longevity has become one of the defining wellness conversations of our time.
We track our sleep, monitor our recovery, optimise our nutrition and invest in countless strategies designed to help us live longer. Yet despite having more health information than ever before, many people feel increasingly disconnected from their own wellbeing.
We know more, but we don’t necessarily feel better. Perhaps the problem is not a lack of knowledge but that health has become another form of performance.
In a culture that values productivity, efficiency and constant improvement, wellness can easily become an extension of the same mindset. What we see in clinic on a daily basis: people approach their bodies as projects to optimise, problems to solve or systems to perfect. But what if longevity requires a different approach?
A Different Perspective on Longevity
The healthiest life may not be the most optimised one, but the most connected, nourished and regulated.
For thousands of years, Chinese Medicine has approached health through a remarkably simple question: How do we nourish life?
Rather than asking how we can control the ageing process, in Chinese medicine we invite people to consider how to cultivate vitality throughout the years we are given.
For thousands of years, the concept of Yang Sheng, often translated as “nourishing life,” has formed a cornerstone of Chinese Medicine. At its heart is the understanding that health is not created through isolated interventions, but through the cumulative effect of our daily habits, our relationship with stress, the quality of our rest and our ability to live in alignment with our changing needs.
From this perspective, longevity is not measured solely by lifespan. It is reflected in the quality of our energy, our capacity to adapt, the resilience of our body and mind, and our ability to remain engaged with life as we age.
This way of thinking feels particularly relevant today, as many people find themselves caught between the pursuit of better health and the pressure that often accompanies it. Wellness, much like productivity, has become something to master. The intention may be positive, yet the result is often a subtle sense that we are never quite doing enough.
The irony is that many of the behaviours designed to improve health can easily become another source of stress. A body that is constantly being monitored, corrected and pushed towards improvement has little opportunity to settle into the state that allows healing and restoration to occur.
What healing often requires is something far less complicated.
In a world that moves increasingly fast, many of us have become accustomed to looking outside ourselves for answers. We search for the next protocol, the next supplement, the next expert opinion, often without pausing to ask a much simpler question:
These questions may seem deceptively simple, yet they form the basis of a genuine relationship with the body. Healing rarely begins with optimisation. More often, it begins with awareness. It begins with creating enough space to listen to what the body and mind have been communicating all along.
Modern research continues to highlight the relationship between chronic stress and nearly every aspect of health, from sleep and digestion to hormone balance, immunity and recovery. Chinese Medicine has long recognised this principle through a different language, understanding that the body functions best when it has the capacity to adapt rather than simply endure.
This is why, at Escapada, we believe that regulation comes before optimisation. Before we ask the body to perform, we must first help it feel safe. Before we focus on productivity, performance or longevity, we must understand what supports vitality in the first place.
Before you optimise, create stability
At Escapada, this understanding forms the foundation of what we call the Escapada Method. Rather than focusing on isolated symptoms or quick fixes, the method recognises that health is cultivated through an ongoing relationship with the body and supported through four interconnected principles: Treat, Nourish, Move, Restore.
Treat begins with listening. Whether through Chinese Medicine, acupuncture or a deeper awareness of the body’s signals, treatment is not simply about addressing symptoms but about understanding what the body is communicating and creating the conditions for balance to return.
Nourish extends beyond nutrition alone. It includes the food we eat, the quality of our relationships, the environments we spend time in and the experiences that replenish rather than deplete us. Nourishment is not about restriction or perfection, but about providing the body with what it genuinely needs to thrive. Nutrient deficiencies, digestive imbalances and poor absorption can affect everything from energy and mood to sleep, hormone balance and resilience.
Move reflects the understanding that vitality depends on circulation, adaptability, strength and flow. Movement should support long-term stability, energy and resilience, helping us maintain a healthy relationship with our bodies throughout different stages of life.
Restore acknowledges something modern culture often overlooks. The body regenerates through sleep, recovery and moments of pause. These are not luxuries reserved for when everything else has been completed; they are essential biological processes that allow healing, repair and renewal to take place.
Together, these four principles offer a different way of thinking about longevity.
The future of longevity may not be found in increasingly sophisticated ways of measuring ourselves, but in a renewed appreciation for the fundamentals that have supported human health for generations.
Nourishing meals shared with others, movement that keep us strong and flexible at the same time and feels enjoyable, sufficient rest, meaningful connection and self-care practices that help us feel more grounded in ourselves and the world around us remain among the most powerful influences on long-term wellbeing.
Looking through the lens of the Escapada Method, longevity becomes less about extending life and more about creating the conditions in which vitality can flourish. It means treating the body with attention rather than frustration, nourishing it with what genuinely sustains us, moving in ways that support energy and resilience, and allowing enough time for restoration that healing can occur naturally.
A Different Way to Think About Your Health
While the principles of Treat, Nourish, Move and Restore may sound simple, the way they come together is deeply individual. Get your health plan to guide you!
Many people come to us because they feel disconnected from their energy, their health or their body. Sometimes there are clear symptoms. Sometimes there is simply a feeling that something feels out of balance.
We believe that lasting health is not created through generic advice or one-size-fits-all solutions. Each person has a unique constitution, lifestyle, health history and set of challenges that influence how they feel today and how they will age in the years to come.
You do not need to wait until your body demands attention before offering it support. Whether your goal is to improve your energy, manage stress more effectively, support healthy ageing or simply feel more at home in your body, Chinese Medicine offers a powerful framework for creating long-term vitality.
If this article resonated with you, we would love to welcome you into our Escapada clinics.
Book an individual consultation at Escapada Health and discover how our simple method can be tailored to support your health, your goals and your next chapter of life. Because longevity is not simply about living longer - It is about feeling well while you do.
We look forward to your visit!
The female body is not a static system, it is cyclical, highly intelligent, and deeply responsive to its surrounding. Hormones influence not only the menstrual cycle but also sleep, mood, energy, metabolism, skin, digestion, stress resilience and our mental and emotional balance.
From the first period to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause, the body moves through many phases of change. These transitions are not signs that something is “wrong”, they are beautifully organised natural processes. But: natural does not always mean easy.
Especially during perimenopause and menopause, many women start to feel that their body reacts differently than before and very few find the right support when it’s most needed. Sleep becomes lighter, stress feels harder to regulate, energy fluctuates or symptoms appear that are difficult to explain. This is where natural and especially individualised support can make a real difference.
Perimenopause describes the transition phase before the final menstrual period, which is know as menopause. The perimenopause can last several years and often starts earlier than expected. During this time, hormone levels begin to fluctuate more noticeably which often is aggravated by the small word: stress.
What many women do not know is that the most intense symptoms often happen before menopause, which is only confirmed once there has been no period for 12 consecutive months. This is why it is so helpful to seek support early, rather than waiting until symptoms become overwhelming.
Chinese Medicine & Hormones
Chinese Medicine sees hormonal changes as natural life phases shaped by the balance of Qi, Blood, Yin, and Yang.
Puberty marks the start of reproductive energy, the cycle years depend on the smooth flow of Qi and Blood, pregnancy stands for its own and menopause reflects a natural decline in Kidney energy.
Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, TCM supports each phase with balance, nourishment, and alignment.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), hormonal transitions are not viewed as isolated events. We look at the whole person: your constitution, your energy, your stress levels, your digestion, your sleep, your cycle history, and the resources your body has available.
In TCM menopause is seen as a natural transition involving shifts in the body’s energy and vital substances. As the reproductive phase gradually winds down, the body begins to rebalance and redirect its resources. When this process is well-supported, it can unfold quite smoothly. However, if the system is already depleted, under stress, overheated, or experiencing stagnation, symptoms may feel more pronounced.
Rather than focusing solely on what symptoms are present for you, TCM looks deeper to understand why the body is expressing them at this particular time.
This is why two women experiencing the same issue—such as night sweats—may require very different treatment approaches, each tailored to their underlying pattern of imbalance
Yin deficiency is one of the most common patterns we see during perimenopause and menopause. Yin represents the cooling, calming, moistening, and nourishing aspect of the body.
When Yin is depleted, the body can feel internally overheated, even though energy may also be low.
Common signs include:
hot flashes
night sweats
dry skin or dryness
restless sleep
inner agitation
feeling “wired but tired”
In treatment, we at Escapada focus on nourishing Yin, calming the nervous system, and helping the body return to a deeper sense of internal stability.
Stress is one of the biggest amplifiers of hormonal symptoms. In TCM, the Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of Qi. When emotional pressure, tension, or stress builds up over time, this flow can become blocked.
This often shows up as:
irritability
mood swings
tension in the jaw, neck, or shoulders
PMS-like symptoms
breast tenderness
feeling emotionally stuck
shallow breathing or tightness in the chest
Many women describe this as feeling tense, reactive, or unable to fully relax, even when they are exhausted.
Here, treatment focuses on moving Qi, releasing tension, supporting emotional regulation, and helping the nervous system shift out of constant alert mode.
Some women experience menopause less as heat and agitation, and more as depletion.
With Yang deficiency, the warming and activating energy of the body is low. This can lead to
cold hands and feet
fatigue
water retention
weight gain
low motivation.
With blood deficiency, the body lacks nourishing substance. This may show up as:
dry skin and hair
dizziness
poor concentration
light sleep
brittle nails
general tiredness
These patterns often appear in women who have been pushing through for a long time, sleeping too little, caring for others, working under pressure, or recovering from years of stress. In these cases, the body does not need more pressure. It needs warmth, nourishment, rhythm, and consistent support.
irregular cycles
heavier or lighter bleeding
sleep disturbances
mood swings: lack of joy, frustration, anger, depressive thoughts…
hot flashes or night sweats
inner restlessness and anxiety
more noticeable PMS symptoms
lower stress tolerance
At our Escapada clinics in Dublin and Hamburg, we approach hormonal transitions through a truly holistic lens- centered around the individual, not just the condition. Instead of focusing on isolated symptoms, we work together with each person to understand patterns, needs, and resources, creating tailored solutions that support the body as a whole.
Our Escapada Method is built on four interconnected pillars: Treat, Nourish, Move and Rest.
Through acupuncture, Chinese medicine, manual therapy and, where appropriate, anlongside integrative solutions such as hormonal replacement therapy, we support your body’s ability to regulate and rebalance.
In perimenopause and menopause, this may mean calming the nervous system, reducing stress in the body, clearing heat, supporting sleep, moving stagnation or rebuilding energy, Yin and Blood. The treatment is always adapted to your individual pattern and phase of life.
Food can be a powerful way to support hormonal change. In TCM, we look not only at nutrients, but also at how food affects warmth, digestion, energy and inner balance. Warm, regular and nourishing meals can help stabilise energy, support digestion and give the body a stronger foundation during hormonal transition.
Movement helps Qi flow and supports the body in releasing stress and tension. During perimenopause and menopause, the right kind of movement should support you, not deplete you. Yoga, Pilates, walking, mobility or gentle strength work can help create more stability, circulation and ease in the body.
Rest is essential for hormonal balance. When the nervous system is constantly activated - under stress - symptoms often become stronger. Through regular acupuncture sessions, acupressure, breathwork, sleep rituals and simple self-care tools, we help your body return to a deeper sense of calm and regulation.
Your individual plan
The Escapada Method brings these four pillars together in a way that fits your body and your life. Instead of treating symptoms separately, we look at the patterns behind them and create a personalised plan to support you through this phase with more clarity, steadiness and trust in your body.
Many women come to us when they feel that something has changed, but they cannot quite name what it is. They may be sleeping worse, feeling more reactive, experiencing hot flashes, feeling exhausted, or simply sensing that their body no longer responds the way it used to. But: you do not have to wait until symptoms become severe before seeking support.
At Escapada Health, we take the time to understand your symptoms, your constitution, your lifestyle, and the deeper patterns behind what you are experiencing. Together, we create a treatment approach that feels supportive, realistic, and tailored to you.
If you are moving through perimenopause or menopause and feel that your body is asking for more support, we would love to welcome you into the practice.
Book your individual consultation and treatment at Escapada and let us explore what your body needs to feel more balanced, steady, and at home again.
Come and see us at our clinics!
Pregnancy is one of the most extraordinary journeys a woman's body will ever undertake. Yet so much of the care available centres on the baby, while the mother's wellbeing can easily become secondary.
At Escapada, we believe mothers deserve just as much support—from the very first weeks of pregnancy through birth and into those transformative months after your baby arrives.
There is a particular stillness to waking at 3am.
The world is quiet. Your body should be deeply at rest and yet, you are awake.
Your eyes open and your mind is already on. You may feel unsettled, or simply aware that something in you is no longer fully at ease.
For many people, this becomes a pattern. It is often dismissed as poor sleep, something to push through or ignore. But waking in the early hours is rarely random. More often, it is a gentle signal from your system that something deeper is asking for attention.
From a Western physiological perspective, the early hours of the morning, particularly between 2am and 4am, are a sensitive transition point.
At this time, your body is moving through a number of natural shifts:
your temperature is at its lowest
blood sugar gently dips
cortisol begins its gradual rise toward morning
In a well regulated system, you stay asleep through these changes without noticing them.
But when your nervous system has been under strain, even subtly, this transition can be enough to wake you.It can feel as though your body is no longer able to fully “switch off”.
This can become even more noticeable during the perimenopausal years, when progesterone begins to decline. As one of our more calming hormones, progesterone helps buffer the effects of stress. When levels begin to change, the system can become more sensitive, and sleep can feel lighter, more fragile, and easier to interrupt.
Nervous system dysregulation does not always look dramatic.
It does not always show up as obvious anxiety, burnout, or emotional overwhelm. In fact, in many high functioning people, it appears in far quieter ways.
It can look like:
- a mind that rarely switches off
- a body that feels tired, but still alert
- light, fragmented sleep
- waking at the same time each night
This is often a form of quiet hypervigilance.
Your system is still trying to stay one step ahead, even when you are meant to be resting. And at 3am, when the distractions of the day have disappeared, that underlying tension becomes much harder to ignore.
The Chinese medicine perspective
“The Liver Window”
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this time of night carries its own significance.
Between 1am and 3am, the body moves through what is often referred to as the Liver time, or the Liver window. This is seen as a period of processing, repair, and clearing, not only physically, but emotionally too.
In this system, the Liver is associated with:
the smooth flow of energy, or Qi
emotional balance
your body’s ability to detoxify, regulate, and reset
When this system is in balance, sleep is deeper and more restorative.
When it is under strain, the signs may be more subtle: irritability, tension, vivid waking, or that familiar pattern of finding yourself awake in the early hours, despite feeling deeply tired.
Whether or not you follow Chinese Medicine, many people find comfort in the idea that these wakeful hours are not meaningless. They can reflect a body that is still processing, still holding, still trying to come back into balance.
Waking at 3am is not always something to push through or ignore.
Often, it is a sign that your body is asking for support. It may be asking for more steadiness, deeper regulation, and the kind of care that helps you feel safe enough to truly rest.
If this pattern feels familiar, you do not have to navigate it on your own.
We work gently and personally to support your sleep at the root level, helping your nervous system settle so rest can begin to feel natural again.
Because sleep is not just about getting through the night. It is a reflection of how supported your whole system feels.
And sometimes, the first step towards sleeping better is giving your body the support it has been asking for.
Modern-day living has become a juggling act. When we have a lot of pressures, from workload to personal stresses, we mistake the feeling of being under stress for having energy. You run from early morning until late at night, turning yourself into an energiser bunny! In the microcosm of the world that is our body, it is not uncommon for us to exhaust our energetic and nutritional resources. Between holding down a job, maintaining relationships, and caring for a family, we can often negate the energy we earn from sleep, good food and good company. Our daily needs repeatedly outpace our daily intake of energy and the concept of a healthy lifestyle and self-care, or the meaning of, can go out the window.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been a lifestyle medicine for thousands of years. This means that it is composed of 80% lifestyle/self-care and 20% treatment. In this sense, lifestyle means the way you live every day, how you get up in the morning, what you eat and drink, how you move, what you think and believe in and much more. If there is illness, the illness is treated; if there is no illness, the body is strengthened. Prevention is therefore the main focus rather than waiting for dis-ease to occur. Health is not just the absence of disease, but a feeling of wholeness, resilience and vitality. In Chinese medicine, self-care is called Yang Sheng which directly translates as ‘nourish life’. Yang Sheng is the self-care part of Chinese medicine which means your self-care practices give you an amazing self-healing system/toolbox, it serves as your daily health maintenance. There is an ancient Chinese proverb: ‘
a drop of prevention is better than a bucketload of cure’.
Nurturing our bodies and our health a little every day is key to a year-round health and well-being system.
There is a misconception that self-care just means warm baths and massages. Self-care encompasses anything that you do for yourself to support your physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being, it acts as daily health maintenance. A western approach can often be focused on treating disease when it arises, but in China, the mentality is that if you fall sick it is a failure of your Yang Sheng, your daily health maintenance. Basically, your self-care practices should aim to rebalance and resolve all the little niggles that later on can become a health problem/disease.
We can, at times, follow others’ lead in terms of their self-care rituals but meaningful self-care routines mean taking a moment and tuning into yourself and figuring out what serves you and your health the best, taking into account where your life is at that point. To a busy working mom having a coffee in a cafe by herself might mean self-care but for another, it might be attending her Monday night yoga class to start the week in the best way.
We all have different needs so take a moment and figure out yours. This approach offers you your own timeless and evolving daily preventative health toolbox, it can be very empowering. Yang Sheng is a concept from ancient China from 5,000 years ago and remains just as relevant today - they really do have it all figured out.
Start small and work your way up. People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Therefore we always invite our clients to choose 4 things (or even less) that they would like to incorporate into their life. It is not limited to 4 but it is important to keep it manageable and small, and build your way up. One self-care practice might simply be to get up 10 minutes earlier and do a 5-minute meditation or practice gratitude. Once these 4 things become part of your habit, lifestyle or mindset (like brushing your teeth, you wouldn’t dream of not brushing your teeth) - repeat this exercise again. This might be in a month or 6 months’ time. The important aspect is, that you are able to maintain these changes and set yourself up for continued success.
A common trap we can fall into with a modern mindset of doing too much, when it comes to self-care less is more but practicing it mindfully and continuing is the key.
The positive impacts are endless, from your energy, sleep, digestion, hormonal health, emotional well-being and the list goes on. It can sometimes be hard to see the true benefit because you are preventing imbalances every day that would have happened if not for your self-care practices. For example, a simple 1-minute gua sha routine to release tension in the face and jaw can help to prevent headaches, migraines, dental issues and TMJ problems, etc. Like I said at the beginning it is so important for each individual to reflect and decide what self-care practices suit them best and their life, at that particular time. If someone is going through a really stressful time at work or in their personal life, a 5-minute meditation practice can help you manage your stress and in turn make better decisions, improve relationships. These knock-on effects are worth their weight in gold. Self-care can sometimes be viewed as ‘selfish’ but actually, the effect of you practicing good self-care practices ripples out to your family, children, colleagues - you can’t get more positive than that.
Pregnancy is one of the most extraordinary journeys a woman's body will ever undertake. Yet so much of the care available centres on the baby, while the mother's wellbeing can easily become secondary.
At Escapada, we believe mothers deserve just as much support—from the very first weeks of pregnancy through birth and into those transformative months after your baby arrives.
Christmas can be a wonderful time of year but it can also bring up a lot of emotion that can be difficult to navigate, family dynamics, financial stress , social anxiety and loneliness. Sound familiar?
Our advice is to plan ahead now for some of the triggers that might come up for you and your individual situation. Not every stress can be eliminated but paying attention to what has a tendancy to throw you out of balance or trigger you and putting some simple practices/ boundaries in place can make a huge difference to how you enjoy this holiday.
1. Set some non-negotiables
This can mean different things to different people but we recommend making them small and manageable so even on a chaotic day, they still get achieved. Setting these boundaries can be really empowering and make you feel you are taking care of your well-being on a ongoing basis rather than it all falling apart. Achieving this small act every day can have such a ripple effect on your mental health. People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Reflect on what small act every day will have the biggest impact for you, perhaps 5 minutes meditation, 10 minutes walk outside in nature by yourself etc.
2. Acknowledge the emotion
As always in Chinese medicine, prevention is better than cure - and knowledge is power. Recognising that you are, for example, an anxious person by nature means you’ve won half the battle. Once you know, you can focus in on what triggers you and what your typical emotion is in order to process it.
Own It - Recognise and name it
Shift it - Techniques to release it - breathwork, shaking, exercise, healing sounds, body tapping
Regularity - These techniques may seem simple but that’s why they work - they need to be simple so we do them consistently. If the emotion is one that you’re experiencing often, practise shifting it everyday wither its through breathe work, shaking, bamboo tapping, body tapping
3. Breathework
‘The perfected breathe all the way to their heels, unlike ordinary folk who only breathe as far as their throats’
- ZHUANGZI, 3RD CENTUARY BCE
Practicing breath work is one of the cheapest and most effective stress management techniques that you have at your disposal. The beauty of breathwork is, it is not a complicated process and can have an immediate impact on how you feel. Box breathing is a valuable mindfulness technique that can aid in stress management. It's a handy breath exercise to use because it is very simple and therefor easy to remember.
This is a breathing technique that the Navy SEALs use, they are frequently placed in high-stress situations and use this to focus and calm. It is recommended to save it for moments when you need a quick hit of calm, so using this breath before difficult conversations or if I want to feel more focused when going into a meeting is a good idea.
Breathe in for four counts through your nose.
Hold for four counts.
Breathe out for four counts through your nose or mouth.
Hold for four counts.
If you are new to breath exercises and you find counting to four is to long then start with the count of two and see if you can gradually make your way to the count of four with time and patience.
4. Priming Hour
During the holiday season, there is a wonderful let go of structure and routine, alarm clocks and lazy lie in’s - happy days. However, we do recommend keeping a good morning routine that suits you best, instead of falling into endless scrolling online. The positive effects of priming on psychology have been proven again and again. You can learn to change your state of mind by changing your physical state with an effective priming routine. Priming is most powerful when completed in the morning to set a powerful tone for your day. You can prime yourself positively or negatively depending on what you allow into your mind. So how you start your day is so important - set up your morning routine away from phones and unnecessary stimulus. Morning rituals like meditation, mindful movement, hot water and lemon to begin your digestion, get 10 minutes outside in daylight. These are all wonderful ways to begin your day physically and mentally. Practicing priming can change your whole day.
5. Have your own stress management toolbox ready to go!
Here are some of the tips we recommend.
With the change of seasons and the weather getting colder, how many of you have started to feel like your immune system is under pressure & constantly in fighting mode? So instead of reaching for the bottles of endless supplements, let’s dig a little deeper and see how can you strengthen your immune system naturally.
In reality, strengthening our immune system is about training it to do its job correctly. That is, we want to be able to fend off the things that can hurt us—such as viruses, pathogenic bacteria, and parasites—while remaining nonreactive to benign things like pollen and foods.
Boosting the immune system refers to allowing the immune system cells to readily do their job. If the body is perfectly healthy and functioning, this will be much easier. If the body is taxed by stresses, illnesses, or malnutrition, it will be harder. Thus, in Chinese medicine, the focus is not always on strengthening the immune system specifically, but rather the whole body to allow the immune system to function optimally. Since the immune system resides in the blood and lymphatic system, proper circulation of these systems is essential to good health and must be promoted.
“Our immune system is like a protective blanket that keeps the cold, excessive heat, wind and illness away. Let’s support the blanket to allow it to function effectively. ”
The bottom line is that a healthy body is dependent on a strong immune system; the good news is that there are many ways to perform immune-system upkeep and not just by avoiding some destructive habits, stressors, and toxins but by embracing natural immune boosters and adopting behaviors that support immunity.
The most important thing one can do to cultivate strong immunity is to start where the immune system really resides: the gut. Whether you have chronic allergies, frequent infections, or autoimmune problems, you likely have some damage to the health of your microbiome and digestive tract. This is where about 80% of your immune cells hang out, and it's where our bodies decide what is friend and what is foe. By strengthening our gut health, we are much less likely to get sick, have allergies, and develop autoimmune disease.
TOP TIPS FOR GUT HEALTH:
Eat regularly
Eat in a relaxed state of mind - no eating on the go
Eat seasonal and local produce
Lots of variety, taste and colour in your food. Our microbiome thrives with variety
Reduce sugar, caffeine, and alcohol
Eat probiotic and fermented foods
Avoid unnecessary anti-biotics
Our grandmothers knew what they were talking about, seeing as how the bone broth industry has exploded. The benefits of drinking and cooking with organic bone broth have far-reaching effects on the immune system. The natural gelatin, collagen, and amino acids tend to the gut, improve wound healing, and help support the health of individual immune cells such as lymphocytes. So, there is definitely a good reason to drink homemade chicken soup when dealing with a cold or the flu.
One of the best ways to build your immune strength daily is through a few key superfoods. These foods can be incorporated on a daily basis so that you are constantly improving and boosting your immunity while eating yummy foods.
Garlic: Garlic is a powerful antioxidant with antimicrobial, antiviral, and antibiotic properties. It's also a natural decongestant! The sky really is the limit with this flavourful ingredient, and you can work it into pretty much any meal. At the first sign of an infection, start taking one raw garlic clove daily, or use concentrated allicin extract.
Oregano oil: This oil has a long history of being used and an antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal. It can also be used topically to treat antibiotic-resistant staph infections of the skin (MRSA) as well as taken internally to combat yeast infections.
Manuka honey: Quite a bit of research exists on the benefits of honey as a natural immune booster, natural anti-inflammatory agent, and antimicrobial agent. Manuka honey in particular—native to New Zealand and Australia—is even registered as a wound-care product in those countries. Manuka honey has substances that can kill bacteria topically, and when ingested, it can even work synergistically with antibiotics to improve their efficacy.
Ginger: This pungent root is a powerful anti histamine and decongestant that delivers a one-two punch against cold symptoms. Add it to stir-fried dishes or boil it to make a cup of ginger tea with some added lemon and honey for a pleasant and healing hot drink.
Tumeric is known to bolster the immune system, purify the blood, strengthen digestion, and eliminate natural toxins from the digestive tract. Tumeric tablets offer an incredibly easy way to ingest the beneficial properties of this well-known golden yellow spice.
Proper exercise helps to release accumulated tension, move stagnant mental and emotional energy, and improve circulation. It also reduces the impact of the stress hormones that make the body more vulnerable to colds and flu.. It also improves digestion, bolsters the body’s detoxification mechanisms, encourages proper elimination, promotes relaxation in the body, and supports sound sleep—all of which serve to protect and support the immune system. But before we all rush to the gym, it only takes a few minutes of low-intensity exercise such as walking to trigger the release of feel-good endorphins. Anything that gently increases your circulation is going to help. Exercise does not need to be strenuous to be effective. Simple, mild exercise like yoga, qi gong or swimming relaxes your body and mind, which eases daily stress.
Sleep is critically important to the immune system. Studies have shown that when animals are completely deprived of sleep, they suffer a total loss of immune function—resulting in death. In humans also, sleep deprivation severely compromises immunity. Chronic sleep deprivation and disruption of the sleep-wake cycle cause an activation of the inflammatory immune response. Lack of sleep decreases the activity of T-cells (a crucial type of immune cell). Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep on a regular basis and avoid all-nighters.
Breathing correctly is the master key to wellness. On one hand, breathing can make you feel alert and energetic and on the other calm and relaxed. Breathing is something we do on a daily basis. The body, in a living state, breathes involuntarily whether we are awake, sleeping, or actively exercising. Breathing is living. It is a vital function of life.
Anuloma Viloma (Alternating Nostril Breathing):
Anuloma Viloma is excellent for not only releasing physical tension, but also for supporting a clear mind, enhanced tranquility, and stress reduction.
Take a comfortable seat. Make sure you feel warm—consider using a meditation shawl or wrapping a blanket around your waist. Sit tall and close your eyes. Close the right nostril gently with the right thumb. Begin by inhaling gently up the left nostril. Close the left nostril with the ring finger. Lift the thumb and exhale down the right nostril. Inhale back up the right nostril. Exhale left, then continue at a comfortable rhythm. The breath should be smooth, soft, comforting, and relaxing. Do this for about 5–10 minutes
Ujjayi (Victorious Breathing):
When done properly, Ujjayi breathing should be both energizing and relaxing. To practice the inhalation, focus on creating a soothing and pleasing sound that is unhurried and unforced. I suggest working on your Ujjayi breathing in a seated, relaxed cross- legged position. Imagine sipping the breath in through a straw. If the suction is too strong the straw collapses and great force is required to suck anything through it. Once Ujjayi breathing is mastered in a seated position, the challenge is to maintain the same quality of breathing throughout your asana practice.
Throughout your practice, try to maintain the length and smoothness of the breath as much as possible. Once you find a baseline Ujjayi breath in a pose that is not too strenuous (Downward- Facing Dog for example), endeavor to maintain that quality of breath throughout the practice. Some asanas require great effort, and you may begin to strain in your breath.
Need I say; get in for your seasonal acupuncture sessions. This is the optimum time of the year to strengthen the body, reduce the stresses that may be impairing your immune system and get you in the strongest possible place heading into the winter..
