Staying Healthy on Holiday
We are now in the high holiday season complete with a burst of continental sunshine across the British Isles. This may be too hot for some, but for others, it is great opportunity to enjoy a Mediterranean style holiday right on your own doorstep.
Inherent in the word ‘holiday’ is the idea of taking a welcome break from one’s job and every duties, doing something one enjoys and at the same time, recharging the batteries so one comes back refreshed and ready to face the tasks ahead. Too often, however, I see patients return from holiday worn out and worse for wear. If they have had a great time on holiday, they may feel it has all been worth it and will recover in a few days. But for patients right on the edge of the health ditch, this can spell disaster and the triggering of a flare which can take months to die down. Sometimes, they never reach the baseline they had before.
Don’t take a “moral holiday”
In the 1960s and 70s, I lived in Northern Ireland. My parents used to take me to church on Sunday mornings where the sermons would often stretch to well over an hour long. I particularly remember one sermon at the start of the holiday season where the vicar warned against taking a “moral holiday." I had to ask my dad what this meant and he explained it meant discarding your normal values while on holiday and doing something you might regret for long after.
For people very close to the ditch as regards their health, taking a holiday from the nutrition that is helping them move away from the ditch, can propel them right back into it. People often ask me at this time of the year if it is okay to go off their diet while on holiday. I reply that I’m not here to force anyone to do anything. However there is a certain piece of professional advice that I should give - that I am in the business of changing their biochemistry and that if they eat or drink something that causes inflammation, their biochemistry will react, regardless of whether they are on holiday or not. For somebody with an autoimmune condition (where tissues are being destroyed), departing from your diet can ignite a forest fire that takes weeks or months to out out. It can also ruin your holiday depending what symptoms are triggered. You will have to judge whether this is worth the risk.
Keep your integrity
Another consideration is maintaining your integrity and not becoming a people pleaser while on holiday. If you have embarked on a pathway to better health but are holidaying with a group of sybarites, you need to stand firm with the food and drink pushers. I know someone who simply says, “Thanks, but I’m not here for the food or drink but for the great company” and this seems to go down well.
Stay safe
While we are experiencing Mediterranean temperatures, do get fresh air and some sunshine for your daily Vitamin D, but don’t let yourself get burned. Be aware that environmental pollutants may be enhancing the sun’s heat right now. I’m afraid I was recently caught out on a beach in St. Ives where my back caught too much of the sun (even with Factor 45 natural Jason sunscreen) and I had to apply the soothing balm of fresh cucumber! Unusually, while driving down the Cornish lanes, I could feel the fierce heat of the sun burning my right arm in a way I have never experienced before in the British isles. My advice is to wear a sunhat, wear a safe natural sunscreen (something from the health food shop as opposed to the supermarket) and to invest in a beach umbrella if you want to enjoy a cooling swim in the sea (which is very pleasant right now). Also swim in safe waters within your depth in the vicinity of others and avoid dangerous rip currents.
Supplements
Have a basic supplement toolkit on holiday. Here are a few of my favourites:
Magnesium: My personal favourite is Natural Calm Magnesium powder which can multi-task helping you avoid traveller’s constipation, help get over jet lag and relax you for a good night’s sleep.
Vitamin B1: This is useful if you have had alcohol as it uses up B1 in the brain.
Vitamin C: An all-rounder that can be very useful if you have eaten something dodgy or had a symptom flare.
Retro V powder and Broccoli synergy: These multi-taskers are a must for me as they not only fight infections but are also anti-ageing and fight inflammation.
Iodine: A must for cuts, grazes and bites!
Cistus tea bags: Studies show consumption helps reduce tick bites in dogs. Why not for humans too? Also anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
Homeopathics: If you’re a hay fever sufferer like me, you may want to pack one of the hay fever remedies from Ainsworths Homeopathic Pharmacy and include Aller C (Vitamin C, quercetin and bromelain combo) which provides relief from hay fever symptoms which could otherwise ruin your holiday.
Herbal tinctures: If you are suffering from active Bartonella infection. Lyme and co-infections may be forgiving if you take a treatment break of a few days, but not Bartonella. Make sure you don’t get caught out.
And finally, there is a lot of bad news about the dangers of a heatwave. Most people can handle the temperatures we have in the UK provided they take sensible precautions : Drink plenty of water and keep hydrated, take extra salt and potassium, manage your exposer to the sun, use a natural sunscreen and cover up if needed. Be sensible and have a great holiday.
If you would like to explore any of the above issues, please email the Good Health Clinic: goodhealthclinic@outlook.com or ring on 07836 552936
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