Kick a Cold. Get Back to Work.
A colleague of mine came back last week from a vacation to an over-the-top busy week of work. You know how all the stuff you didn’t get to before you leave is waiting for you along with the new crop of mail, email, and phone messages?
Add extra clients, not eating or sleeping as well while on her trip and the cold isn’t a surprise. Yes, you get exposed to germs when you travel. But stress, whether from vacation or being back at work, I believe, plays a bigger role.
Stress is a big meany when it comes to your immune system.
The stress of having a cold
Being sick is stressful. Do you cancel appointments and meetings? Are you contagious? Even if you stay away from others, you won’t be as productive and energetic when you don’t feel good.
My hope for you is that you’re managing your stress so well you don’t remember the last time you had a cold. But just in case you find yourself with a drippy, stuff nose I wanted to make sure your cool tool kit is ready.
Last year we talked about using a neti pot for both prevention and helping with the symptoms of colds and flus. I’m reminding you and calling the neti pot cool tool #36. (Maybe that’s cheating, but it helped my stress level and you’re all for that, right?)
Cool tool# 37: Eucalyptus
If your mom ever used Vicks ® VapoRub ® on you you’re familiar with the smell of eucalyptus. This potent oil kills viruses. I can’t guarantee it will kill your cold virus but I can tell you it’s prevented colds for me.
If eucalyptus oil were marketed on late night TV this is where the announcer would say, “But wait. There’s more.” The oil will also help unstuff you. The deep breaths you’ll start taking will bring more oxygen to that lovely brain of yours.
Important Stuff to Know about Eucalyptus
1. Keep if away from kids. Because this oil is so potent you don’t want to use it on your kiddos. In fact, you want to treat this oil like you would any substance that could be dangerous to your kids. Even a small amount ingested can be harmful. This goes for kids, as well as people of a more mature status (and even immature adults.)
2. Know what you’re buying. The most common type is Eucalyptus globulous, also called common Eucalyptus or Blue Gum. Did you know that you can buy at least four other types of eucalyptus oil? They’ll smell differently and have different properties.
Buy only oils that list the genus and species (like Eucalyptus globulous.)
How to use
You can sniff it from the bottle, put it in a diffusor, or on a tissue. One of my favorite ways to quickly knock out a nose cold at the first signs is to, well; I think you have to watch the video on this one.
Your favorite ways to prevent or shorten the lifespan of a cold?
OK, THAT was a lot of fun to watch, good for you putting it out there for everyone to see! I’ll sure be telling my daughter about that and giving her a bottle of eucalyptus, those 4th graders have already given her one heck of a cold this year. Thanks!
I make my own salves. I make a Eucalyptus salve and had used it with success for years. I found the part about children and it’s use interesting. I have used it successfully on both my children and grandchildren. I rub it on the bottoms of their feet and put on heavy socks before they go to bed in the evening.
Every time I think that I have made a salve, tincture, syrup, poultice for about everything, I find something new and interesting. Our Universe is truly the endless source of all possibilities.
Salves are great. They’re much easier to make than most people would suspect. And you can get the exact oils and potency you want.
The thing about safety and essential oils is that you have to know the person, the condition, the method of application and the oil to determine safety. I think some people think natural = safe & that isn’t always the case.
The main concern about Eucalyptus oil and children is around ingestion. Even a small 5 ml bottle of Eucalyptus globulous oil can be fatal to a child. I wouldn’t use essential oils at all with infants. And as a rule of thumb you would want to use about a 1% dilution (or less) for children. Eucalyptus radiata is a less potent oil that is a good choice for children. It has a lovely sweeter fragrance.