H1N1: To Vaccinate or Not
Kathy Sweeney, N.D.
Click on the TV, Internet or radio and you aren’t able to listen very long without hearing stories and statistics of H1N1 and an authority of one sort or another imploring you to get vaccinated. H1N1 vaccine is trickling in to the state and will become more readily available over the next several weeks. Yet we are definitely seeing cases of H1N1 in the Portland area already. If you are struggling with the decision to vaccinate or not, I encourage you to consult with your practitioner at Vital Health and Wellness to discuss the individual situation and risk factors for you or your loved ones. The media does not seem to allow for the fact that there are preventive measures to implement that will naturally improve your immunity and decrease your susceptibility to contracting the flu this season. These measures, largely based on lifestyle choices and nutritional or herbal supplements, are effective in decreasing your risk of getting the flu and decreasing the severity of the illness for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
Perhaps the most important fact you need to know about H1N1 flu is that most people who contract it, recover at home without any medical intervention. Generally speaking, the flu, while not fun, is a relatively mild infection from which most people recover without any difficulty. As with all influenza types, there are certain populations at higher risk for developing complications of the flu. Populations at higher risk for complications associated with H1N1 infection include pregnant women and people with an underlying medical condition. Young children can also be at higher risk, because their immune systems are not yet fully developed.
If you do decide to vaccinate against H1N1 or seasonal flu, you do have a choice of preservative-free vaccine. Of the four companies making vaccine, one is adding mercury, three are making vaccine with preservatives and two are making preservative-free vaccine. The preservative-free vaccines are available only in a pre-filled syringe. If the provider giving you the injection draws up the vaccine fluid from a vial, that vaccine contains preservatives. You will want to request a preservative-free version of vaccine from your provider in advance of your appointment to be sure that it is available.
I encourage you to insist upon preservative and mercury-free vaccines. Consider that mercury is known to be an immune suppressant and induces autoimmune reactions. This means that children with higher levels of mercury are at increased risk for contracting viruses (including flu) and a number of autoimmune diseases. Also consider that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is currently recommending that children under 5 years receive 2 seasonal flu vaccines and 2 H1N1 vaccines in addition to a pneumonia vaccine. That is 5 vaccines within one month and is in addition to routine childhood vaccines. The additives in many of these vaccines are associated with a number of neurological reactions, including seizures, developmental delays and behavioral issues. Most kids will have received 36 to 40 vaccinations by the time they enter school. [Note: the reason the CDC recommends doubling up on the flu vaccines in kids under 5 years is because the vaccine is relatively ineffective in this age group. The immune system is not fully developed in this population and therefore, they cannot respond to the vaccine the way that older children and adults do. Recent studies have shown that H1N1 vaccine is 75% ineffective in children 6 months to 3 years and 65% ineffective in ages 3 to 9 years old.]
Despite the constant message from the media about the dangers of H1N1 flu, most people recover without and complications whatsoever. The vaccine is one measure of protection against the flu to consider. There are a variety of other treatments strategies to prevent and/or reduce the severity of any illness during cold and flu season. These range from proper dietary choices, getting sufficient sleep, managing stress and exercising to hydrotherapy and a variety of supplements that can be individualized to your specific needs. And the beauty of these strategies is that they can be implemented instead of the vaccine or in addition to the flu vaccine. Schedule an appointment today to get started on your individualized flu prevention program.
Traveling Tips for the Holidays
Jill Ghormley, N.D., M.A.M.S.
As the holiday seasons approach, some of you are probably wondering if it is safe to travel by plane with the swine flu (H1N1) outbreak. Since the emergence of H1N1 flu, there is a greater emphasis to protect ourselves when traveling. Air travel can be a bit tricky and many of you are thinking – if I travel by air, will I get sick?
There have been quite a few studies done on the air quality of the air in airplanes. Passengers and crew alike complain of symptoms such as headaches, lightheadedness and nasal irritation. Wonder what causes this? The interaction of ozone in the air creates a byproduct with skin oil called nonanal and decanal which cause headaches, nasal irritation, dry eyes, dry lips, and other common air travel complaints (ScienceDaily, 2007). According to the Air Transportation Association (ATA), the air inside the aircraft is exchanged with outside air 10 to 15 times per hour. The air in the average office building is exchanged only once or twice per hour. ATA states that if you need to travel, the risk is no greater traveling by air than there is going to school or work using public transportation. However, Aviation Health has stated that groups of people in an enclosed environment for a period of time are at risk for exposure to bacterial infection, because it is really impossible to prevent the transmission of a virus of the respiratory tract, if you cannot identify who is infected.
As a naturopathic physician, I feel that if you have taken good care of yourself and have a pretty strong immune system, your chances for getting sick will remain slim.
Here are some traveling tips for those that have to fly:
Avoid Flu Germs in Planes by Dan Florio, May 20, 2007
Though the holidays can bring added stress, it is important to remember that having a healthy lifestyle will help combat the flu any day. A healthy lifestyle consists of eating well, sleeping, and exercising. When all those things are combined, your chances of getting ill are diminished. If you feel you need additional support for traveling, please contact Dr. Ghormley at Vital Health and Wellness for a free 15 minute consultation to help determine the best way to help you with your individual needs in achieving optimal health for the holidays.
Ask for Help
Michelle Garnier Winkler, Reiki Master
We’re a culture of self-help. There are entire sections in bookstores devoted to the topic. Expressions such as "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" are part of our lexicon. Traits like self-sufficiency, independence and autonomy are considered desirable. But while they are very helpful and valuable qualities, everyone needs help sometimes.
Be that as it may, to the American mindset it seems as though there are an abundance of impediments to actually seeking it out. Needing help doesn’t mean you’re weak. There’s really no way you can do and handle everything yourself. Although intellectually you may understand that fact, personally realizing and admitting it can be a challenge for many of us. Accepting assistance can be equally difficult. This may be because of a self-perception as someone who gives, not someone who receives. For others, independence is so ingrained that we don’t even consider requesting support. Or even if we do, we imagine that others are too busy to help or we suppose that we’ll be too much of a burden.
When we’re ready to not only admit we require help, but also solicit it, how do we go about getting what we need? Sure, for a headache it’s easy to pop a pill. For overload at work, approaching your boss makes sense. If you’ve got a broken arm, well, you go to the emergency room. But you can’t turn to your best friend for every little problem you encounter in your daily life. Still, you’d really appreciate knowing that some support is out there and that you don’t have to do it all solo. There is and you don’t. When you need help all you have to do is ask for it. Call it by whatever name you most feel comfortable with: commune with nature, talk to your ancestors, pray to God or make offerings to the Universe. What you name it (if anything) isn’t important. Just doing it is.
You don’t always have to actively entreat. Sometimes you can be more passive. Your body will assist you in taking care of it if you just slow down and listen to it. If you’ve unsuccessfully attempted meditation in the past, take some of the pressure off yourself. There are plenty of quiet in-between moments you can use to check-in. Opportunities exist while waiting at a red light, being on hold on the telephone, standing on line at the grocery store or even during television commercials. You don’t have to close your eyes (although it helps), say something or do anything in particular other than listen. It’s quite amazing what you can learn when you give all of your attention to yourself even if it’s just for a minute or two at a time.
By enlisting techniques such as prayer and meditation, you remove the fear that motivates the question of whom you can trust to help. The wisdom that is available within is boundless. When you look externally, there is always the issue of filtered communication, but internally, anything you receive is specific to you.
In addition to the specificity and wisdom of the information is its accessibility. You can request assistance anytime, anywhere and for any reason. While you might think about talking to the angels regarding your mother’s poor health, don’t forget about your chronic back pain. Perhaps you won’t receive an instant miracle healing, but you might begin to think about an unhealed past trauma which triggers an emotional release. Afterwards, you may notice an improvement.
Because of the law of free will, we really can’t receive aid from the divine without requesting it. Once we do seek support, it comes. Trust that the supply of help that is within reach is infinite and you’ll experience it all around you. What could be better during these times of uncertainty?
Michelle of Create Healing is a Reiki Master/Teacher in private practice in SE Portland who prays and meditates every day. For more information call 503-453-5487 or CreateHealingReiki.com.
What can I do when I wake up with a crick in my neck?
Kirstin Schumaker, LMT
A "pinched nerve" in the neck can be the result of sleeping on an unfamiliar pillow or with your neck bent in a weird position. If this stuck nerve can’t glide well in and out of the spinal column, it can trigger the neck muscles to tighten up and restrict rotation, especially in one direction. Most of us have experienced this at one time or another. Often a "crick in the neck" will gradually diminish over the course of the morning. When it doesn’t, some of us seek help from a chiropractor, but there are a few simple stretches you can do for yourself right after waking up that may give you ease.
The first thing to do is resist the urge to stretch in a way that causes immediate pain. Gently increase the space between your neck joints, sitting up tall on the edge of your bed, with your feet on the floor and your hands resting in your lap. Imagine that you are a marionette puppet and there is a golden string attached to the top of your head, lifting it up toward the ceiling. See if you can imagine a little extra space in between your vertebral joints as your head floats up and you breathe in fully. Next, as you exhale, slowly turn your head to the right, pausing at the first point of restriction. Breathe in as you return to center, and exhale again as you turn to the left. Following your breath like this will encourage you to move slowly, minimizing discomfort. The idea is to release the restriction gradually, in small increments. You can note how close your chin moves toward your shoulder, and which side feels most restricted ("Yep, that’s where it is"), but explore gently. You can repeat this a few times to each side before you move on to the next stretch, but you will get more immediate results from this sequence if you can avoid exacerbating the pinched feeling during the process.
The next step is to explore side-bending. Breathing in and floating your head up toward the ceiling, imagine another string is attached to the top of your right ear, then breathing out, just tip just your head gently over to the left side, keeping as much space in your neck joints as possible, Go only as far as you can go without increasing pain. You may "say hello" to the edge of your pain or resistance, but don’t force your way into it. Float your head up to the ceiling again like a balloon, feeling yourself sitting tall, and then repeat on the other side. With an imaginary string attached to your left ear, tip slightly to the right as you exhale, lingering for a few seconds before floating upright.
The third stretch builds upon the side-bending by gradually introducing a bit of rotation. On an exhale, tip over toward the left side again, perhaps allowing a little more side-bending, but keeping long through the spine and neck. Then begin rotating your head to the right, so that you can look out of the corner of your eye up at the ceiling. Stay there for just a few seconds, and then begin to untwist, letting your chin drop slowly until it is pointing toward your left armpit and you are looking down toward your left hip. Again you are just greeting the edge of your limitation, not trying to get a big stretch. After a few seconds, allow your neck and head to roll forward, chin hanging gently toward the chest, and then roll up to your starting position, head floating above your spine. Take a full breath in and out.
So that you can try this stretch on the right side, I’ll run through it again with abbreviated instructions. With your head floating up, keep long through the neck, but tip gently to right side, shoulders relaxed. Then rotate to the left until you are looking up out of the corner of your eye at the ceiling, breathing. Slowly untwist, while maintaining the gentle side-bend, until your chin is pointing toward your right armpit and you are looking past your right hip. Hang there for a few seconds, still feeling as much space as you can between all your neck vertebrae. Then let your head roll forward, chin to chest, and unfurl your neck like a fiddlehead fern, each vertebra stacking up on top of the next, until you are back in your starting position.
Keep in mind that with a real pinched neck, it may be helpful to do this sequence more than once, perhaps trying it both before and after a hot shower. It will probably feel helpful just about any morning, but you might also try it at the very beginning of your yoga routine, before you begin doing sun salutations. When I do this neck-stretch sequence at the beginning of yoga class, I have found that my neck and shoulders are much more open in my "downward dog" and "cobra" asanas.
It is possible to read these directions to your self while attempting this neck-stretch sequence, but I suggest you find a partner and take turns reading it aloud to one another. By helping each other you can retain better the feeling of the stretches, storing them in your kinesthetic memory. Try adding this sequence to your repertoire of self-care practices now, while you have the instructions handy. That way you’ll know what to try the next time you wake up with a stiff neck! Call if you have any questions, or schedule a neck session with me and I can help release the pinched nerves.
Traditional Thai Yoga Massage
Maree Natal Bento, LMT
Thai Yoga massage is a great addition to any workout regimen and is appropriate for people of all ages and capabilities. Although there is a traditional routine that Maree follows, a Thai massage session can be modified to suit a diverse range of physical needs. Thai massage is physical and helps increase muscular flexibility and strength. A 90 - 120 minute Thai massage session works the entire body, front and back, from the feet to the crown. It's physical, energetic and meditative. The influence of the massage stays longer. This full body routine is like a beautiful dance that uses stretches, acupressure and compression to release tension.
A 90 minute Thai massage is $100
A 120 minute Thai massage is $120
Receive $20 off your first Thai massage with Maree, 503-803-3296