How will you protect yourself during these times of reduced air quality? As the summer blazes on, we are unfortunately dealing with the effects of the wildfires. Many of us are being exposed to harsher air quality and smoky conditions. This can mean headaches, burning eyes, and irritation throughout your respiratory tract. Luckily, our bodies have some great built in protective mechanisms to help support us, mucosal linings and cilia in our respiratory tract and a liver that help with general detoxification, but there are things we can add to help support those systems and also reduce the intensity of symptoms experienced during exposure to smoky conditions.
Here are our top 5 ways to stave off the impacts of smoke:
Hydration - drink plenty of water. Add fresh lemon juice to at least one glass of water per day to help support liver health. In TCM sour is the flavor associated with the liver so that flavor profile helps support liver function.
Chrysanthemum tea - in TCM, chrysanthemum (ju hua) is used in a lot of herbal formulas to clear heat and reduce toxicity. You can make chrysanthemum tea to drink but you can also use it as a compress on your eyes if they are irritated
Reishi Mushroom - can take a supplement or make reishi tea. Reishi (ling zhi) is a lung tonic and helps support your immune system. it can also help with energy and stamina when your system is being burdened by external environmental factors.
Rest - in TCM all organ systems have an optimal time of function. For the liver, this time is 1-3am, making sure you are alseep and resting during this window can help support optimal liver function.
Pears - eating pears, especially cooked pears can help nourish and moisten the lung. For us in Colorado, we are already dealing with a dry environment and the summer heat combined with the wildfire smoke makes for even drier lungs, eating foods like pears can help with lung moisture and easier breathing.
These are simple tools that can help witht he smoky air, but they are also good for general health, lung and immune support and are easy to incorporate into your daily life! If you are really sensitive you should also consider wearing a mask outdoors when the air quality is at it's worst, sleeping with a humidifier, and using an herbal facial steam once per week.
Take care of yourself this summer!
I'm Amy! I'm an acupuncturist, herbalist, registered nurse, and expert in women's health, anxiety, and stress relief.
If you are looking for acupuncture, herbal medicine, or cupping in Denver, Lakewood, or Golden Colorado, get more info here.Â
**All information and resources found on balancedstonewellness.com are based on the opinions, experience, and research of the author unless otherwise noted. All information is intended to educate and motivate readers to make their own health decisions after consulting with their health care provider...even if that provider may be the author ;)
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