Here comes the sun
From your ears to your skin and even your gut, here are a few Dr. Brad tips that will help get your body ready for spring break!
1. What to pack for the airplane
During your flight, do you tend to be too warm or too cold? If you often feel too warm, bring a teabag of peppermint tea for the flight. This will help to naturally cool your body temperature down.
If you tend to be chilly during your flight, munch on some ginger chews. Ginger can act as a warming agent inside your body. A bit nicer than those airline blankets, wouldn’t you say?
Since we’re speaking of ginger, a little can go a long way, especially for your ears! If you suffer from ear popping pain or motion sickness during flights, studies show ginger can be more effective than Dramamine for fighting these in-flight symptoms. Chewing on ginger during your flight will help bring down inflammation in your body (particularly your ears).
One last thing to remember for the flight: airplane air is so dry. There’s hardly any air moisture at all, so be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Dr. Brad recommends 10 oz of water for every hour in flight! For more on why that is see here.
2. Prepare your gut
If spring break takes you out of the country this year, you may encounter foods and liquids that your body isn’t totally familiar with. Not to worry! Pack a little Primal Defense and Zypan and you’ll be good to go.
Take Zypan before each meal, then swallow down some Primal Defense after your meal – your gut will thank you. Zypan helps the stomach kill any bugs or parasites that might try to make their way through your digestive tract. If a bug does sneak past the Zypan, Primal Defense (a pre-and pro-biotic that increases immunity in the gut) will be there at the ready to help your body clean out any unwanted bugs in the digestion. Many of our well-traveled patients here at Hope Clinic find this all-natural protocol to be more effective than using Cipro.
You’ll want to continue with the Zypan and Primal Defense during your entire vacation. The more consistent you can be with each meal, the more effective this method will be for your gut. Go ahead and get started prepping your gut a few days before you leave on vacation.
3. Grab yourself some oils
If you’ve spent the majority of your winter shoveling snow and shivering through blizzards, then it’s probably safe to say that you’ve been a little sun-deprived these past few months. All the more reason to start taking oils!
When it comes to choosing oils, here are some good brands; Orthomolecular, Metagenics, Standard Process, Nordic Naturals, and Carlson Labs.
For Dr. Brad's spring-break-bound patients, he often recommends 6-9 capsules a day of Orthomega 820. A tip, storing the bottle in the freezer can help with burping up that oil flavor.
Another great way to get your body enough oils is to put 2-4 tablespoons of cod liver oil and ½ cup of orange juice together, then shake vigorously. Once the two liquids are mixed well, start drinking it down. Keep in mind, that oils add a lot of calories to your day.
Having enough oils in your system will really help your body absorb vitamin D from the sun. Oils can also go a long way in reducing skin damage and avoiding painful sunburns.
Keep in mind that different oils work differently in each of our bodies. At your next appointment, ask Dr. Brad which oil he recommends for you.
4. Don’t forget the sunscreen
Unlike other natural sunscreens you’ve tried before, this all-natural sunblock actually works! SunShades Mineral Plus from Melaleuca is a natural sunblock that improves your immune system with zinc oxide while also being water and sweat-resistant. Plus, this sunblock isn’t stuffed full of carcinogens (those nasty cancer-causing chemicals).
You can pick up some Sun Shades™ Mineral Plus SPF 30+ Sunscreen next time you are at the clinic.
And just in case sunburn happens, pack some Calendula Gel to help heal sunburn. See sunburn care tips here.
5. Water, water, water!
All-day long our bodies’ are busy detoxifying through a process called methylation. The body needs healthy amounts of water for the methylation process to be successful.
Drinking water is an incredibly simple, yet powerful way to support your body. Drinking water can help to:
prevent cancer
reduce your chance of sunburn, and
reduce the amount of healing time for a sunburn
Also, when you’re happily hydrated, there’s good blood flow in your body that helps the skin to rejuvenate and heal. More water means less harm and free radicals to your skin.
Thirsty yet? A nice, tall glass of room-temperature water is precisely what Dr. Brad recommends.
BONUS Dr. Brad Spring Break Tip
Studies show that a good multi-vitamin and a healthy nutritional status is the most effective way to prevent skin cancer. Click here to hear more from Dr. Brad about the best ways to prevent skin cancer.
Happy spring breaking!