With the arrival of winter and cold, a whole series of so-called “winter” pathologies resurface: tonsillitis, bronchitis, flu, colds, sore throats and other joys of the bad season. Are you often sick during this period while your friends are having an uneventful winter? Maybe you should boost your immune system! Here we will learn how the immune system works, how to strengthen your immune defenses with essential oils, and what habits to adopt on a daily basis, to naturally boost your natural defenses. Finally, we will provide solutions for pregnant women and young children: often subject to a drop in immunity, few treatments can be given to them. We will therefore see how to help them with appropriate natural treatments.
Essential oils to strengthen the immune defenses of pregnant women and children
Why we like it: softer, it is suitable for the whole family.
Ingredients :
- 6 drops ofRavintsara essential oil
- 4 drops ofradiated eucalyptus essential oil
- 4 drops oflemon essential oil
- 2 ml d'macadamia oil
Preparation: prepare the mixture in a codigouttes bottle (with the proportions indicated).
Precautions: preferably not recommended during the first 3 months of pregnancy. For children aged 3-6, one drop on a piece of sugar is enough. If the child finds the taste too strong, 3 drops of this mixture can also be massaged onto the child's upper back or soles of the feet. Be careful, do not expose yourself to the sun after application: lemon is dermocaustic and photosensitizing.
How to use it ?
2 drops of the mixture on sugar, in a spoonful of honey or on a neutral tablet morning and noon (lemon being a tonic, it is not recommended to take it in the evening).
Preventive synergy to boost your immune defenses in winter
Why we love it: prevention is better than cure! It is always wiser to act before falling ill... Here is how to spend a winter in great shape with this synergy of very effective essential oils.
Ingredients :
- 1 drop ofRavintsara essential oil
- 1 drop oftea tree essential oil
- 1 drop ofclove essential oil
- 1 drop ofpalmarosa essential oil
Preparation: EOs can be placed directly on sugar or in honey.
Precautions: Not recommended for pregnant women (EOs of palmarosa and clove are uterotonic, they promote premature birth) and for children under 8 years old. For prolonged use during part of the winter, it is recommended to replace clove with lemon: in fact, clove EO is not recommended for prolonged use. The concomitant use of anticoagulants and lemon essential oil is not recommended.
How to use it ?
on a sugar, on a neutral tablet or in a teaspoon of honey in the morning. For prolonged use during the winter, replace the clove with lemon for even greater safety.
Massage with essential oils to stimulate and strengthen your immune system
Why we love it: improving your immunity with an ultra-effective massage is possible and it's not just for children!
Ingredients :
- 30 drops ofRavintsara essential oil
- 10 drops ofTea tree essential oil
- 10 drops ofThujanol thyme essential oil
- 2 ml of calendula macerate, of hazelnut or of apricot kernels
Preparation: prepare the mixture in a codigouttes bottle.
Precautions: reserved for adults and children over 6 years old. It is also not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women as described above. For pregnant women (not during the first 3 months!), the doses must all be reduced by half (except the macerate) for even greater safety. No prolonged use without medical advice.
How to use it ?
apply 5 drops of the mixture to the upper back with a regular massage 3x/day. Do not use for more than a week. For pregnant women, doses should be halved for even greater safety (not recommended during the first 3 months of pregnancy)
Diffusion of essential oils to boost immunity
Why we like it: with this synergy, we strengthen our immunity and purify the air. In a diffuser or on a pebble, it's perfect for the office or living room!
Ingredients:
- 30 drops ofHo Wood essential oil
- 30 drops ofRavintsara essential oil
- 30 drops ofPalmarosa essential oil
- 2 ml d'lemon essential oil
Preparation: make the mixture in a codigouttes bottle.
Precautions: for adults and children over 6 years old, use a diffuser adapted to the surface of the room in which you are diffusing the synergy: on the packaging of the diffusers you will notice that they are suitable for diffusion in different sizes of rooms in depending on their capacity. This synergy can also be diffused in a child's bedroom aged 3-6 years but in a diffuser suitable for children (which is suitable for small spaces and only diffuses for short periods and intermittently). Palmarosa has a uterotonic effect: not in pregnant women!
How to use it ?
Diffuse 6 drops of the mixture in an EO diffuser, or place them on a pebble. Repeat 3x/day if the risk of infection is significant.Contraindications:
Carefully read the contraindications of each recipe and each essential oil.
These properties and methods of use do not constitute medical advice. For therapeutic use consult a doctor.
Immunity and immune defenses, how does it work?
The immune system is a very complex system which, within each living being, helps defend the body against external pathogens. It is made up of several organs (such as the spleen or thymus), tissues (lymph nodes, bone marrow) and types of cells (white blood cells among which lymphocytes play a major role) which via numerous processes defend us on a daily basis. Our immune system recognizes external pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, toxins of all kinds) and neutralizes them. Several mechanisms are used and our immune defenses can be non-specific to the aggressor (phagocytes, inflammation, etc.) or specific to the type of aggressor (development of antibodies which will neutralize a specific pathogen). We are affected by thousands of bacteria or viruses every day which are found in the air, on the hands we serve, in subways or computer keyboards. Our defenses are essential to us every day and it is important, all year round, to maintain a good level of immune defenses.
What are the symptoms of reduced immunity (low immune defenses)?
The symptoms of a drop in immunity can be multiple:
- Fatigue
- Lack of energy
- You get all kinds of infections
- You are stressed and irritable or depressed
In general, if you catch repeated infections, even though you never usually get sick, ask yourself whether your immune system might be weakened. It often takes just a few helping hands: natural treatments, vitamins, eating well and sleeping better and doing a little exercise for everything to get back to normal. If, on the other hand, you are tired and chronically ill, it would be wise to consult a doctor. Many pathologies or deficiencies result in a decline in the immune system and only a doctor can make a diagnosis.
The best essential oils to stimulate your immune defenses
Here are our top 5 effective essential oils to strengthen your immunity, purify the air in your home and allow young and old alike to spend the whole winter in great shape.
Ravintsara essential oil (Cinnamonum camphora):
Properties: immunostimulating, antibacterial and above all excellent antiviral, it is the ally of choice for all winter infections (and even the flu!). Wonderful in prevention, it is also useful in the treatment of ENT infections thanks to its expectorant and mucolytic properties. In addition to being immunostimulating, it is also general, physical and psychological stimulating. For prevention or treatment, by oral cutaneous route or by diffusion. As an excellent antiviral, it can also be used for chickenpox, shingles and herpes. Mentally stimulating, it is perfect in cases of severe fatigue linked to convalescence for example.
Uses: a few drops on a tissue or in a diffuser to protect against winter infections. To breathe or diffuse for 30 minutes 3x/d. Very effective, it can be used alone in diffusion for greater safety and will protect the whole family from winter ailments. This use is suitable for pregnant women. Can also be used in massage (thorax or feet) diluted in a virgin oil (10 drops of Ravintsara for 20 drops of virgin oil).
Precautions: very safe to use, it is suitable for the whole family: adults and children over 6 years old. As described above, it can be used for diffusion in children's rooms from 3 years old with an appropriate diffuser or for external use (massage for example). No major contraindications. However, not recommended during the first 3 months of pregnancy.
Lemon essential oil (Citrus limon):
Properties: among its many properties, lemon essential oil is tonic and a very good general antiseptic. It is antibacterial (particularly against streptococci, responsible for many winter pathologies) and antiviral. In diffusion, it will be used as an atmospheric purifier during periods of contagious winter pathologies. Lemon is also psychic, depurative and digestive stimulant.
Uses: a few drops in synergy with Ravintsara work miracles to purify the air, diffused in hospitals, nurseries and schools, living rooms, any place where an infection can spread quickly. And on top of that, it smells divine!
Precautions: much less restrictive than peppermint for oral use, it is on the other hand dermocaustic and phototoxic: no exposure to the sun after local use and do not apply pure to the skin (maximum concentration of 3% in dilution in a neutral oil). The concomitant use of anticoagulants and lemon essential oil is not recommended.
Huile essentielle de Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii var motia):
Properties: it is powerful antibacterial, antiviral and immune stimulating. Its little extra? It is a super antiseptic and antimycotic for the skin, intestinal, urinary and gynecological areas. For ENT infections, cystitis, mycoses of all kinds, it is excellent. In addition, it is healing: perfect for skin conditions requiring an antiseptic and healing effect: eczema or acne for example.
Uses: diffused to purify the air or massage (a few drops of Palmarosa, diluted in a virgin oil of your choice, on the nose or sinuses for sinusitis, in the neck for tonsillitis, 2x/day) on the infected organ to eliminate winter sores.
Precautions: not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women: it is uterotonic and could promote premature birth. On the other hand, it is very well tolerated through the skin in general, even in young children.
Clove essential oil (Eugenia caryophyllus):
Properties: super antibacterial against bacterial infections as diverse as superinfected bronchitis, tuberculosis, tropical diseases, it also stimulates the immune system. However, it is rarely used as such, because its prolonged use is not recommended, but it is perfect as a curative for a short treatment. It has the particular advantage of being anesthetic and cauterizing for the skin and mucous membranes. General tonic: physical, psychological, sexual...
Uses: mixed with other EOs, orally, cutaneously or diffused. When used carefully this essential oil works wonders for many bacterial infections. Dilute 2 drops of clove essential oil in 2 ml of virgin oil to make a perfect product for canker sores and gingivitis: 1 drop of the mixture on the canker sore twice a day will have a powerful anesthetic, anti-bleeding and antibacterial effect. .
Precautions: inexpensive, this essential oil is however difficult to use. Not recommended for pregnant women (uterotonic, it promotes premature birth) and children under 8 years old, it is dermocaustic when applied pure to the skin and can only be used orally for a very short time and supervised by a therapist. . For external use, prefer a maximum dilution of 10% in a virgin oil.
Tea tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia):
Properties: certainly one of the most famous essential oils! It is the general anti-infective (antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral) and immune stimulant. Against fungal infections and skin infections, oral infections, respiratory, urinary and gynecological infections. It is also known to reduce skin burns caused by cancer radiotherapy.
Uses: diffusion, oral use, local use: it is really easy to use. A pure drop on a pimple promotes its disappearance. A pure drop on a mosquito bite has an immediate anti-itching effect. Two drops 3x/d in honey for internal use or 2 drops 3x/d in a virgin oil to strengthen immunity and overcome the infection if it is already present.
Precautions: not recommended for the first 3 months of pregnancy. No major contraindications. Not for internal use in very young children.
Phytotherapy to strengthen your immune system.
Here are some plants, natural active ingredients and their uses that will allow you to have a healthy winter:
- Echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia): The plant par excellence for stimulating the immune system. It is used intermittently: 3 weeks per month or from Monday to Friday and stop on weekends or a full month and stop the following month...Why? Because if taken for too long without interruption, a rebound effect may occur: you risk falling ill when you stop taking it. In herbal teas or capsules, according to the dosage recommended on the packaging (often 2 capsules in the morning as a preventive measure and 2 morning, 2 noon and 2 evening as a cure). Note that echinacea can also be taken as a cure: the dosage can then be doubled or even tripled compared to the preventive dosage. Not recommended for pregnant women.
- Thyme (thymus vulgaris): Thyme is the perfect antiseptic and anti-infectious: it is above all curative and less preventive. It helps increase our defenses against ENT, urinary, gastrointestinal infections... It is also a general tonic, useful for periods of fatigue due to an infection. In essential oil, in herbal tea (2-3 cups per day until symptoms improve) or in capsules, it is a good ally against all winter ills. The essential oil should not be used by pregnant women.
- Royal jelly: Royal jelly is the panacea for any period of convalescence. Coming out of a winter infection, we are still tired and sometimes have difficulty getting back on our feet. Royal jelly restores strength and tone in the event of convalescence and is a perfect ally for winter fatigue. It exists in several forms: honeys for hot toddies, tablets, syrups... It is important not to confuse royal jelly and honey: pure royal jelly may look like honey but absolutely does not taste like it! Suitable for the whole family: special dosages exist for little ones.
- Propolis: Propolis, like royal jelly, is produced by bees from various tree resins, buds and wax. In the world of bees, it is used in particular as cement to strengthen the hive and protect it from mold. Antiseptic and anti-infectious, propolis also strengthens the immune system. It is used to prevent and cure all kinds of winter ailments: coughs, bronchitis, tonsillitis, colds, sore throats... Just like royal jelly, it exists in several different forms such as gums, syrups, capsules... It can be used throughout the winter without restriction or during specific symptoms to promote healing. Be careful, however, if you are allergic to bee products!
- Grapefruit seed extract: Powerful anti-infectious and antifungal, it fights against winter infections but also against candidiasis and mycoses of all kinds. To be 100% effective, grapefruit seed extract must be well dosed in compounds called flavonoids: at least 1200 mg. Suitable for pregnant women and children from 3 years old. 20 drops in the morning for prevention in a glass of water or fruit juice. This dosage can be tripled for treatment (if you are already sick). Unlike grapefruit juice which interacts with some medications, grapefruit seed extract does not cause any side effects or interactions.
How do our immune defenses evolve with age?
From the 14th week in the mother's womb, the unborn child begins to have an immune system. An immune system, yes, but totally immature: it has not encountered many infections, so it is not prepared to respond to them correctly. At birth, he is protected against numerous diseases by his mother's antibodies (IgG transferred by the placenta then into breast milk) during the first weeks of life. It is when the child is no longer protected by maternal antibodies that he becomes most vulnerable. As he grows, the child's immunity is formed and his immune system matures: he encounters external pathogenic elements and vaccines and learns to resist them. Subsequently, its immune system “remembers” how it defended itself: this is what we call immunological memory. With their mature immunity, young adults are not very prone to infections. Mature adults age and their immune system evolves: an elderly person can sometimes lose the immunological memory that we have just talked about. Generally speaking, immunity is reduced in the elderly.
How to strengthen your immunity every day
- Physical exercise and sport, even minor ones, help boost the immune system. Indeed, regular physical exercise induces the production of endorphins and increases the function of white blood cells. These are the same hormones, endorphins, which are released during sexual intercourse: they reduce stress and promote well-being. Sleep is therefore also favored and more restorative. The good news is that it is not necessary to run 2 hours a day: 30 minutes of brisk walking 3 times a week already helps to strengthen immunity.
- A healthy diet, which provides us with all the necessary vitamins and minerals, is also essential. The antioxidants found in food are essential for good immunity: vitamins A, C and E, selenium, zinc, polyphenols, etc. Where are these antioxidants found? Think colorful! In fact, colorful foods are often rich in antioxidants: kiwis, oranges, peppers, cabbage, carrots, pumpkins, squash, grapefruit, spinach, tomatoes, apricots... They strengthen the immune system, help reduce the risk of cancer and are important for smokers who are seriously lacking in antioxidants. Alongside their many other harms, alcohol in excess, as well as soft and less gentle drugs (tobacco, marijuana), also considerably weaken the immune system.
- Sleep well to resist well! Having restful sleep and sufficiently long nights is also essential. Sleeping at least 7 hours per night is associated with greater resistance to all types of infections. The mechanism is still unknown but it seems that sleeping deeply could reduce oxidative stress, in the same way as antioxidants, and therefore reduce the risk of many pathologies.
- Stress less to live better. Stress causes the release of cortisol and adrenaline. In this way, it is harmful to our heart and our arteries, it increases blood pressure, but it is also bad for the proper functioning of our white blood cells. Let's be clear, stressing from time to time has never killed anyone: where stress becomes harmful is if it is uninterrupted for a very long period. Everyone, at their own pace and in their own way, must therefore try to reduce their stress (meditation, breaks during the day, sport, reading, etc.) because it affects us much more than we would like to believe.
Bibliography:
- http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/how-use-your-immune-system-stay-healthy#1
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072548/
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NOTE: This article was written by a pharmacist. The data summarized there come from the scientific literature and the references cited above. For medical advice, in the event of specific or prolonged symptoms, please consult your doctor. Only he will be able to make a precise diagnosis and provide you, if necessary, with the most appropriate treatment.
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