Menopause is an experience nearly 50% of the world needs to face. Mood swings, weight gain, hot flashes, and cramps are only a few examples of symptoms. Going through menopause can become more tolerable with the right tools and techniques to help lessen menopause symptoms. Read below to learn how to find natural menopause relief with these tips you can try at home.

What is Menopause?

Menopause is the time that marks the end of your menstrual cycles. It’s diagnosed after you’ve gone 12 months without a menstrual period. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States.

Menopause is a natural biological process. But the physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or affect emotional health. There are many effective treatments available, from lifestyle adjustments to hormone therapy.

Menopause Symptoms

In the months or years leading up to menopause (perimenopause), you might experience these signs and symptoms:

• Irregular periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Hot flashes
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Sleep problems
• Mood changes
• Weight gain and slowed metabolism
• Thinning hair and dry skin
• Loss of breast fullness

Symptoms, including changes in menstruation, are different for every woman. Most likely, you’ll experience some irregularity in your periods before they end. If you feel you are experiencing the symptoms of menopause, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss any questions or concerns about this next phase in your life.

Natural Remedies for Menopause Symptoms

Infrared Sauna

It may sound counter-intuitive to recommend a sauna for someone who is already too hot, but it’s an amazing tool for women suffering with symptoms of menopause. Regular infrared sauna use provides many health benefits for those seeking natural menopause relief, including symptoms affecting your mood, weight, and immune system.

Sleeping through the night is a struggle many suffer through during menopause, which is difficult as sleep is beneficial for your mental and physical health during this time. Infrared saunas improve sleep before bed by putting the body in a parasympathetic state. Saunas also help decrease stress levels, which in turn decreases the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and night sweats. Additionally, reduced stress helps improve mental clarity and lift your mood throughout the day.

For your physical health, sauna health benefits include weight loss and an improved immune system. Infrared sauna heaters raise your core body temperature, which temporarily induces an artificial fever and helps boost your immune system. This, combined with improved elimination of toxins and wastes via intense sweating, can increase your overall health and resistance to disease. As your body increases sweat production to cool itself, your heart works harder to pump blood at a greater rate to boost circulation. This increase in your metabolism will burn calories and lose weight.

Vitamins

Hormonal changes during menopause can cause bones to weaken, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Calcium and vitamin D are linked to good bone health, so it’s important to get enough of these nutrients in your diet. A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is important to prevent the bone loss that can occur during menopause.

Adequate vitamin D intake in postmenopausal women is also associated with a lower risk of hip fractures due to weak bones. Many foods are calcium-rich, including dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese. Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens and spinach have lots of calcium too. It’s also plentiful in tofu, beans, sardines and other foods. Additionally, calcium-fortified foods are also good sources, including certain cereals, fruit juice or milk alternatives.

Sunlight is your main source of vitamin D, since your skin produces it when exposed to the sun. However, as you get older, your skin becomes less efficient at making it. Taking a supplement or increasing food sources of vitamin D may be important to help reach adequate vitamin levels. Rich dietary sources include oily fish, eggs, cod liver oil, and foods fortified with vitamin D.

Healthy Weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight may help alleviate menopause symptoms and help prevent disease. It’s common to gain weight during menopause, which can be due to a combination of changing hormones, aging, lifestyle and genetics.

Gaining excess body fat, especially around the waist, increases your risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, your body weight may affect your menopause symptoms. One study of 17,473 postmenopausal women found that those who lost at least 10 lbs (4.5 kg) of weight or 10% of their body weight over a year were more likely to eliminate hot flashes and night sweats.

Exercise

Regular exercise can help alleviate menopause symptoms such as poor sleep, anxiety, mood, and fatigue. It can also protect against weight gain and various health conditions. While there is currently not enough evidence to confirm whether exercise is effective for hot flashes and night sweats, there is evidence to support other benefits of regular exercise. These include improved energy and metabolism, healthier joints and bones, decreased stress and better sleep.

For example, one study found that exercising three hours per week for one year improved physical and mental health and overall quality of life in a group of menopausal women. Regular exercise is also associated with better health and protection against diseases and conditions including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that can mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. Therefore, they may help balance hormones. Foods rich in phytoestrogens include soybeans and soy products, tofu, tempeh, flaxseeds, linseeds, sesame seeds and beans. However, the phytoestrogen content in foods varies depending on processing methods.

One study found that diets high in soy were associated with reduced cholesterol levels, blood pressure and reduced severity of hot flashes and night sweats among women who were starting to enter menopause. However, the debate continues over whether soy products are good or bad for you. Evidence suggests that real food sources of phytoestrogens are better than supplements or processed foods with added soy protein.

Water

During menopause, women often experience dryness. This is likely caused by the decrease in estrogen levels. Drinking 8–12 glasses of water a day can help with these symptoms. Drinking water can also reduce bloating that occurs with hormonal changes. In addition, water can help prevent weight gain and aid in weight loss by helping you feel full and increasing metabolism.

Diet

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables may help keep bones healthy, and can help prevent weight gain and certain diseases, and can help prevent a number of menopause symptoms.

Fruits and veggies are low in calories and can help you feel full, so they’re great for weight loss and weight maintenance. They may also help prevent a number of diseases, including heart disease. This is important, as heart disease risk tends to increase after menopause. This could be due to factors such as age, weight gain or possibly reduced estrogen levels. Finally, fruits and vegetables may also help prevent bone loss. One observational study of 3,236 women aged 50–59 found that diets high in fruit and vegetables may lead to less bone breakdown.

On the other hand, avoid trigger food. Certain foods may trigger hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. They may be even more likely to trigger you when you eat them at night. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol and foods that are sugary or spicy. Keep a symptom diary. If you feel that particular foods trigger your menopause symptoms, try to reduce your consumption or avoid them completely.

A diet high in refined carbs and sugar can cause sharp rises and dips in blood sugar, making you feel tired and irritable. In fact, one study found that diets high in refined carbs may increase the risk of depression in postmenopausal women. Additionally, a large observational study found that among women aged 50–59 years, diets high in processed and snack foods were associated with poor bone quality.

Going through menopause can be quite the experience for anyone who goes through it, but the side effects of menopause can be lessened when using the right tools and techniques. Use these natural menopause relief tips to make this chapter in your life a little more enjoyable!

Back pain is one of the most common ailments. Whether it’s genetic or environmental, almost everyone has suffered from a stiff back or tweaked muscle. Using a sauna may be your answer to treating and reducing back pain while reducing future risk. Read on for more information on what may be causing back pain, tips on reducing pain, and how an infrared sauna can help.

What Causes Back Pain?

Back pain comes in many varieties, but the most pervasive one is probably low back pain. The Low Back Pain Fact Sheet from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders states “About 80 percent of adults experience low back pain at some point in their lifetimes. It is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work days. In a large survey, more than a quarter of adults reported experiencing low back pain during the past 3 months.”

Unfortunately, back pain often hangs around longer than it should and can be described as a vicious cycle. When the body perceives pain, it responds with “guarding reactions,” including muscle tension, restricted movement, anxiety, and even fear of movement. The tension, restrictions, and fear lead to muscle spasm, adrenaline, and nerve sensitivity, all of which promote intensification of the pain, which increases the guarding reactions. Lather, rinse, repeat. Pretty soon, you’re calling in sick.

How to Reduce Back Pain

Sleep: Poor sleeping form and not enough sleep can exaggerate back pain. Be sure to get plenty of rest to let your body heal and set up your bed to have proper back support when sleeping.

Posture: Chances are, you naturally don’t sit or stand with perfect posture all day. Stay aware of how you are holding your body, as constant slouching can make back pain worse.

Physical Therapy: If your back pain is interfering with your everyday life, it might be time to seek professional help from a physical therapist to teach you stretches and exercises to help with better posture and core strength.

Medications: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen help reduce the inflammation that aggravates back pain. Always speak to your doctor before introducing new medications.

Massage: A recent study found that one weekly massage over a 10-week period improved pain and functioning for people with chronic back pain. Massage helps increase blood flow and relax sore muscles.

Hot & Cold Therapies: Regular applications of ice to the painful areas on your back may help reduce pain and inflammation while heat helps relax your muscles and increase blood flow to the affected area.

Activity: While it might sound counterintuitive, getting active helps your back pain heal faster. Don’t do any rigorous activities, but be sure to move a little each day with low-impact activities like walking and yoga.

Using an Infrared Sauna for Back Pain Relief

“For acute back pain,” according to the Mayo Clinic, “over-the-counter pain relievers and the use of heat might be all you need. Bed rest isn’t recommended.” If pain relievers and heat don’t work, you may need to move on to muscle relaxers, topical pain relievers, narcotics, antidepressants, or cortisone injections. If those things sound off-putting, there may be another option for breaking your pain cycle: infrared sauna.

Individuals with acute and chronic back pain can relieve much of the pain associated with these types of conditions with the use of an infrared sauna. The radiant heat from the infrared sauna reaches down several inches below the surface of the skin to soothe the muscles. Infrared heat helps open the blood vessels, feeding nutrients to the muscles and ligaments while the warming action also makes muscles and ligaments more pliable and less stiff.

Infrared saunas have been clinically proven to reduce low back pain. It has also been shown to be very low risk. The heat of the sauna has an effect similar to that of muscle relaxers, which are step two in the pain relief process after over-the-counter medications. The relaxation of the muscles interrupts the back pain cycle. Sauna, then, gives you the benefit of muscle relaxation without drugs. Furthermore, it doesn’t just relax your muscles. It relaxes you.

Sauna for Back Pain Research

A University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey study led by a doctor specializing in sports medicine found that low-level heat therapies were more effective than over-the-counter oral medications1, such as acetaminophen, Tylenol®, and others. After your time in the infrared sauna, do some light stretches to work the muscles and ligaments in the affected areas. Researchers have found that stretching after an infrared sauna session actual increases flexibility for long-term results — something your back muscles and ligaments greatly need.

Several projects by Japanese researchers have clinically proved the effectiveness of Waon therapy in relieving pain. In Waon therapy, the patient spends 15 minutes in an infrared sauna and then spends 30 minutes resting in a room at slightly above room temperature wrapped in a blanket up to the neck. In the study, treatments were given 2-5 times per week, and the researchers found that patients lost about half their pain after the first treatment, and their pain continued to lessen until it stabilized at 10 treatments.

October is Emotional Wellness Month, and learning about your own emotional wellness is an important factor in your overall wellness. Just like mental health, emotional wellness impacts many aspects of your life, from physical health to social life. When your emotional intelligence is in a healthy space, you will be able to properly navigate life in a level-headed and self-confident manner. Learn how to boost your emotional awareness and improve your mental health.

What is Emotional Wellness?

How you feel can affect your ability to carry out everyday activities, your relationships, and your overall mental health. How you react to your experiences and feelings can change over time. Emotional wellness is the ability to successfully handle life’s stresses and adapt to change and difficult times.

Emotional vs Mental Health

Mental health involves cognitive thinking and harnessing one’s attention to stay focused, which includes processing information, storing it in memory, and understanding this new information. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health also includes appropriately exercising reason and processing any learned information.

Emotional health is the state of positive psychological functioning and involves expressing one’s emotions appropriately for one’s age. Emotional health includes our thoughts, feelings, and behavior internally and externally. It requires managing emotional actions and gauging the appropriate reactions to situations, preventing unnecessary and unhealthy stress, which if severe enough can lead to depression. Maintaining positive emotional health is an active process.

Benefits of Emotional Intelligence

Emotional wellness inspires self-care, relaxation, stress reduction, and the development of inner strength. It is important to be attentive to both positive and negative feelings and be able to understand how to handle these emotions. Emotional wellness also includes the ability to learn and grow from experiences.

Once you accept your feelings, you can begin to understand why you are feeling that way, and decide how you would like to act in response to those feelings. Being emotionally well grants you the power to express feelings without any constraints. Emotional well-being encourages autonomy and proper decision making skills. It is an important part of overall wellness.

How to Improve Emotional Health

In order to begin the route to emotional wellness you must always remember to be optimistic. Optimism allows you to greet all emotions—both positive and negative—with a confident attitude that allows you to learn from your mistakes. Once you have mastered emotional wellness, you will experience life a little differently. Your life will be more balanced and you will develop a deep sense of awareness. Below are some strategies for you to practice in order to boost your emotional wellness.

Use an Infrared Sauna

Using an infrared sauna will help you feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and renewed, which in turn benefits your mental state. Sauna use is a great way to get away and release any built-up tension and stress, and have been shown to affect the autonomic nervous system putting you in the parasympathetic (rest and digest) state allowing your body to heal.

Not only does infrared sauna heat help with physical ailments, which in turn improves mental health, it also helps your mind learn how to better cope with stress and emotions. Studies show that short periods of hyperthermia, like those experienced in a sauna, potentially ease depression because short “hits” of stress can stimulate and benefit brain tissue by teaching the brain how to be better-equipped to handle other forms of stress.

Strengthen Social Connections

Social connections might help protect health and lengthen life. Scientists are finding that our links to others can have powerful effects on our health—both emotionally and physically. Whether with romantic partners, family, friends, neighbors, or others, social connections can influence our biology and well-being.

Seek Support

If you are feeling overwhelmed by emotions, know you are not alone and that there are plenty of available resources to help discuss solutions. Whether your support comes from family, friends, or professionals, reach out to those why can help. As mentioned above, our social connections play a large role in our overall health, especially emotional wellness

Reduce Stress

Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Stress can give you a rush of energy when it’s needed most. But if stress lasts a long time—a condition known as chronic stress—those “high-alert” changes become harmful rather than helpful. Learning healthy ways to cope with stress can also boost your resilience.

Practice Mindfulness

The concept of mindfulness is simple. This ancient practice is about being completely aware of what’s happening in the present—of all that’s going on inside and all that’s happening around you. It means not living your life on “autopilot.” Becoming a more mindful person requires commitment and practice.

Learn Coping Skills

When your world changes, even if just a little bit, it is easy to feel out of touch with your emotions. Although change can feel overwhelming, most people can make it through the coping process with the support of family and friends. Learn healthy ways to help you through difficult times, such as focusing on activities that bring you joy and reduce stress.

Invest Time in Yourself

When not making time for yourself, it is easier to become stressed and lose yourself. Stress can lead to depression, lack of motivation, insomnia, headaches, and tension. The importance of self care is avoiding those symptoms of stress and focusing on bettering yourself from within. Treat your mind to things that make you happy, from classes to spa days.

Get Ample Sleep

To fit in everything we want to do in our day, we often sacrifice sleep. But sleep affects both mental and physical health. It’s vital to your well-being. When you’re tired, you can’t function at your best. Sleep helps you think more clearly, have quicker reflexes and focus better. Take steps to make sure you regularly get a good night’s sleep.

Brighten Your Outlook

People who are emotionally well, experts say, have fewer negative emotions and are able to bounce back from difficulties faster. This quality is called resilience. Another sign of emotional wellness is being able to hold onto positive emotions longer and appreciate the good times.

Your skin is one of the most important parts of your body, so keeping it healthy should be a priority in your health care routine. The skin is the most exposed of our organs, making it susceptible to the effects of external forces like weather, injury, and products we put on it. All of these factors play a role in how quickly our skin shows signs of age, but there are many natural anti-aging practices you can incorporate into your regular skin care routine to reduce the signs of wear.

To keep your skin looking young and radiant, read below to learn how an infrared sauna and other natural anti-aging techniques can help.

Sauna for Skin Care: Infrared Sauna Skin Benefits

There are many well-known infrared sauna health benefits such as detoxification, reduced inflammation, and muscle recovery. But is the sauna good for your skin, too? Absolutely! In fact, the detoxification, inflammation reduction, and recovery are all things that impact the health of your skin.

Infrared sauna skin benefits include rejuvenation and detoxification. The infrared heat penetrates deeply into the skin to accelerate cellular activity and increase circulation to bring more nutrients to the skin and aid in rejuvenation. Through this process, the infrared heat causes sweating, which detoxifies the pores. Sweat is one of the top natural anti-aging remedies as it helps purge dirt, debris, and toxins from your skin. Unclogged pores means less breakouts and a smoother, younger-looking complexion.

When using a sauna for skin care, it is important to remember aftercare as well. The heat from the sauna helps open pores, which is great for detoxification, but can cause pores to clog again if sweat is not washed away immediately. Rinse off with cold water to wash away toxins and close the pores again. Then apply a moisturizer to your skin and be sure to drink plenty of water to rehydrate after sweating.

Natural Anti-Aging Tips

Essential Anti-Aging Products

Eye Cream: The skin around your eyes is delicate and requires extra care. Natural eye cream has anti-aging properties such as the reduction of dark circles and fine lines. Apply eye cream every night before bed.

Exfoliant: Using a natural exfoliant on a semi-regular basis helps skin look younger by removing dead skin cells and revealing a brighter complexion. Read your product’s recommendations for frequency, and don’t over-exfoliate.

Gentle Cleanser: Whether you wash your face once or twice a day, using the right cleanser is crucial. A gentle cleanser will reduce irritation and will ensure you aren’t washing away any healthy oils on your face.

Moisturizer: The biggest of the anti-aging tips and the key to younger skin is moisturizing. From your legs to your face, invest in high-quality moisturizers for different areas of your body to maintain elasticity and reduce wrinkles.

Retinol: Some prescription retinoid products have a bad reputation for being too strong, but retinol for gentle and natural anti-aging exists. Retinol is a form of Vitamin A and helps fight acne, reduce wrinkles, and stimulate collagen.

Sunscreen: Sun damage is one of the most aging and harmful effects on the skin. It can cause burns and wrinkles, and in more extreme cases, skin cancer. Daily sunscreen of at least SPF 15 will help protect from regular sun exposure.

Vitamin C: Ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C, is an extremely antioxidant-rich product with anti-aging properties. This vitamin can be applied as a serum to help even skin tone, protect from UV damage, and brighten complexion.

Top Anti-Aging Tools

Cleansing Brush: Using your hands to apply cleanser can suffice, but cleansing brushes clean more thoroughly. With vibrations and bristles, cleanser can penetrate more deeply to remove dirt, oil, and debris from your skin.

Dermaplaning Tool: Dermaplaning is sometimes referred to “shaving” your skin. Really, it’s a deeper form of exfoliation, and it works by lightly removing the top layer of dead skin cells to reveal skin that is radiant and younger-looking.

Gua Massage Tool: Gua sha is an ancient Chinese healing technique that uses a tool to massage the skin with mild pressure. When scraping your skin with this tool, circulation is improved to reduce inflammation and reveal healthier skin.

Facial Roller: Similar to the gua massage tool, facial rollers help reduce inflammation. This approach uses gentle strokes to increase circulation, improve lymphatic flow, and distribute products over skin for even coverage.

Infrared Sauna: As mentioned above, using an infrared sauna for skin care is one of the top natural anti-aging tools. Infrared waves penetrate deeper into the skin to increase circulation, detoxify, improve complexion, and reduce wrinkles.

Light Therapy Tool: Practicing anti-aging skin care at home can be as easy as wearing a mask or holding a wand. LED therapy uses light waves to impact skin on a cellular level. Light therapy can help with wrinkles, inflammation, acne, and more.

Microneedling Roller: At-home microneedling tools are designed for gentler use than professional applications. They use small needles to lightly puncture the skin to allow for better product absorption, skin exfoliation, and blood circulation.

Best Anti-Aging Skin Care Routines

Drink Water to Hydrate: While you might not see a visual change (use moisturizer for that), staying hydrated allows the body to purge toxins and keeps it functioning properly. A healthy body results in healthy skin.

Get Plenty of Sleep: Sleep allows your body to rest and reset, which is an important step in any skin care routine. It is recommended to put products on before bed to allow skin to fully absorb them without interruptions.

Layer Products Properly: When applying products to your skin, layer from thinnest to thickest so products can absorb into the skin more easily and effectively. Wait 1-2 minutes between products for ultimate absorption.

Protect Your Skin from Trauma: Whether it’s by applying sunscreen to protect from burns or avoiding picking at blemishes, preventing trauma to your skin can help avoid scarring and preserve it for years to come.

Remove Makeup Before Bed: If you wear makeup, removing it before bed is crucial to keep your skin looking healthy and young. Sleeping with makeup means more opportunities for clogged pores and breakouts.

Stick to a Regular Skin Care Schedule: Switching on and off from a skin care routine can’t guarantee any lasting results, which is why it’s important to find a routine that works for you and stick to it. Experts say to be consistent for 4-6 months to see results.

Visit a Dermatologist: Anti-aging skin care routines at home are nice, but having a professional exam with a dermatologist helps identify changes in your skin and ensures you are on the right track for healthy skin.

Taking care of your skin should be one of your top priorities when it comes to your health. Once you have found the products, tools, and routines that fit your skin type and lifestyle, you will be on your way to healthy, glowing skin. Practicing natural anti-aging techniques like applying natural products and using an infrared sauna for skin care will ensure a bright and young complexion for years to come!

With spring comes beautiful new flowers and April showers. While it may look beautiful, the pollen often brings about irritating seasonal allergies that cause symptoms like puffy eyes and runny noses. We’ll discuss natural remedies to make your allergy treatment a little easier, and even prevent allergies all together!

Spring Allergy Symptoms

Do you have a cold, or are you just suffering from seasonal allergies? The two have very similar symptoms, but seasonal allergies typically appear more abruptly, last a longer period of time, and can often be predicted due to timing of the seasons. Below are some of the common spring allergy symptoms:

How to Cure Allergies Naturally

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has a wide range of uses, so it’s no surprise that being a natural remedy for both chronic allergies and seasonal allergies is one of them. Studies have shown that acupuncture helps patients reduce nasal symptoms and the need for allergy medication. This practice can also help improve the immune system, lessen pain, decrease swelling, and reduce mucus production.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Adding spices and anti-inflammatory foods to your diet can help clear up spring allergy symptoms. Your spice rack is filled with natural remedies for seasonal allergies. Look for anti-inflammatory items such as ginger and turmeric to add to your meals, and sprinkle some cayenne pepper to help clear nasal passages. Research also indicates that having a mug of green tea can help you find allergy relief.

Apple Cider Vinegar

This natural remedy is something you probably already have in your kitchen, and is probably something you have heard all about in recent health trends. Apple cider vinegar, or ACV, can help cleanse your lymphatic system and reduce mucus production to alleviate spring allergy symptoms naturally. When allergies hit, or to prevent future symptoms, take one tablespoon of ACV with “the mother” daily – you can mix it with lemon and warm water to make it more palatable.

Bee Pollen & Local Honey

While not fully backed by science, using local bee pollen and honey have been said for generations to help lessen spring allergy symptoms. The local aspect of these items are meant to help your body naturally build immunity to the local allergens in your area. Raw, unfiltered honey and bee pollen can be found from your local farmer’s market. Simply add honey to tea or drizzle on toast, and use bee pollen to top yogurt or blend with smoothies.

Butterbur, Nettle Leaf & Quercetin

These three supplements are all effective, natural antihistamines to help control the itchiness that comes from seasonal allergies. Butterbur has been shown in studies to be equally as effective as antihistamine medications in reducing itchy eyes. You can make a tea or take capsules of nettle leaf to naturally block the body’s ability to produce histamines. Lastly, quercetin is an effective antihistamine and anti-inflammatory supplement.

Essential Oils

Three essential oils should be in your medicine cabinet for spring allergy symptoms. Peppermint oil has been studied to test its effectiveness in reducing inflammation to improve quality of life for those suffering from nasal and bronchial allergies. Using eucalyptus oil is great for its antimicrobial properties, and frankincense essential oil has been shown to reduce nasal spring allergy symptoms. Either diffuse the oils or apply directly to your skin with a carrier oil.

Exercise

Working out with a stuffy nose or scratchy throat doesn’t sound great, but it can be effective in naturally relieving seasonal allergies. Have you ever stood up and walked around with a stuffy nose to have it clear up for a bit? Working out does something similar. Working out increases blood flow and reduces inflammation which helps alleviate symptoms. Be sure to listen to your body and work out indoors to avoid outdoor allergens.

Infrared Sauna

Far infrared heat (FIR) has been shown in studies to relieve eye itching, nasal itching, nasal stuffiness, rhinorrhea (runny nose), and sneezing. Spending time in an infrared sauna can reduce your spring allergy symptoms with the FIR technology. Infrared saunas also help detoxify your body to reduce the number of toxins and allergens that may be present. You can diffuse the previously mentioned essential oils in a sauna for a relaxing and detoxifying experience.

Probiotics

A weak immune system can lead to more intense reactions to seasonal allergies. One way to strengthen your immune system and treat allergies naturally is through probiotics. Probiotics help boost your immune system through introducing healthy bacteria to the gut, and studies have shown that the addition of probiotics to your diet can lessen spring allergy symptoms. You can add probiotics to your diet through fermented foods or probiotic capsules.

Saline Solution

One of the most effective natural remedies for seasonal allergies is a simple sterile saline solution. Using a saline solution for nasal irrigation has been shown to reduce nasal symptoms, expedite the clearance of mucus, and reduce the need for medicine. For those wary of pouring water through their nose, a saline spray is a great alternative. Simply spray a saline nasal spray into your nose a couple times a week or daily as needed.

Water

Drinking water is always one of the top health recommendations, whether you’re learning how to treat seasonal allergies or if you’re trying to lose weight. When it comes to allergies, hydration is key to improve your overall health and lessen the impact of spring allergy symptoms. By staying hydrated, you also allow your body to detoxify impurities such as toxins and allergies that may be exasperating your symptoms.

Spring Allergy Tips

In addition to trying natural remedies for seasonal allergies, there are a few spring allergy tips to follow to prevent future symptoms. It’s important to keep your space clean to remove any allergens, so be sure to vacuum, wash sheets, and change out air filters in your home to remove any settled particles. Showering when you get home or before bed will help wash off any allergens picked up throughout the day. Lastly, be mindful of going outside. Pollen counts tend to be higher between 5am and 10am, and hot, dry, and windy days are most likely to be high in pollen.

Now that you know how to treat seasonal allergies naturally, go forth and be healthy this spring! Taking preventative measures before your seasonal allergies start is always preferable, but there are many natural treatments to get you on the right track once symptoms hit.

At Clearlight, we know the benefits of heat on the body. Learn about the benefits of the other side of the spectrum – cold shock therapy. From preventing disease progression to boosting your immune system to pain relief, see how your body can benefit from the effects of heat shock and cold shock proteins from thermotherapy and cryotherapy.

Thermotherapy

What is Thermotherapy?

Thermotherapy, also known as heat therapy, is the practice of applying heat to the body for therapeutic benefits. Heat therapy can be as simple as taking a warm bath, but can also be more intensive with practices such as infrared sauna use. Unlike cold therapy, heat can safely be applied for prolonged amounts of time to provide extended relief.

Heat can be applied through two main types of thermotherapy:

• Direct Contact: Direct contact heat therapy is the easiest method to do at home. This method requires you to apply either moist or dry heat directly to the afflicted area to deeply heat the muscles in the area. Heating methods include heating pads, hot baths, and even warming topicals. While there is debate whether dry or moist heat is more effective, clinical studies have not noted a significant difference.
• Infrared Heat: Infrared heat therapy penetrates deeper into the body than direct contact application. Infrared heat is capable of reaching below the surface of the skin through near infrared, to the body’s soft tissue through mid infrared, and finally into fat cells through far infrared wavelengths.

Heat therapy should not be used if the afflicted area is bruised or swollen, and open wounds should be avoided. Those with conditions such as diabetes, vascular disease, multiple sclerosis, dermatitis, heart disease, and deep vein thrombosis are at higher risk of injury when using thermotherapy, so discuss with your doctor before attempting.

Thermotherapy Benefits

One of the most prominent benefits of heat therapy is the treatment of muscle tension. If you have ever suffered from a sore back or a pulled muscle, you know just how effective heat therapy for back pain is and how much relief can come from a hot pad or a soak in the tub. This is because the application of heat helps your muscles stretch by increasing tissue extensibility, causing any stiff or tense muscles to relax.

Heat also triggers the body’s response to heal by increasing blood flow to affected areas. This is helpful in speeding up the recovery time of an acute injury, decreasing the discomfort from migraines and headaches, and simply helping the body relax for general stress relief or help with sleep.

More intensive thermotherapy practices create a sudden increase in the body’s core temperature and trigger the production of heat shock proteins, or HSPs, to protect your body from perceived stress. As this happens, muscles reach proper function while the heat shock proteins begin to guard muscles from potential trauma. This helps your body repair and rebuild any damaged areas. Studies show that incorporating heat therapy for cancer treatment can enhance the treatment process.

Heat shock proteins are especially helpful in reducing recovery time and enhancing muscle mass for those who are active. You can activate heat shock proteins by spending some time in an infrared sauna or going all-out at the gym. Just be sure to hydrate after!

Cryotherapy

What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy, also known as cold therapy, is the practice of applying cold temperatures to the body to stimulate healing. This practice can be applied in specific areas for relief, and has also become a popular whole-body therapy. Due to the extremely cold temperatures and related injury risk, it is advised to practice cryotherapy sessions in short intervals.

Types of cold therapy treatments include:

• Whole Body: Whole body cryotherapy has been an up-and-coming treatment that exposes the body to extremely cold temperatures below −100 °C for two to four minutes. Liquid nitrogen and refrigerated air are blasted in a chamber to create the chilling effect. The ears, nose, mouth, fingers, and toes are covered for protection.
• Direct Contact: This cold therapy approach places cold temperatures on specific areas of the body to numb affected areas and alleviate symptoms of discomfort. Ice packs and cold spray anesthetics are both designed to provide short-term pain relief.
• Cryosurgery: Cryosurgery is the practice of using extreme cold to destroy damaged or diseased tissue. This can be used on common skin disorders to remove surface conditions. Additionally, cryotherapy has been used to eliminate unwanted fat through fat-freezing procedures.

Extremely cold items should never have direct contact with the skin without medical supervision, and require a protective barrier. Those with diabetes or nerve conditions should not use cryotherapy to avoid injury and nerve damage.

Benefits of Cryotherapy

Two of the main benefits of cold therapy are its anti-inflammatory and numbing effects. The coldness helps numb irritated nerves and decrease blood flow to swollen areas, which then makes recovery more manageable. This can be used for injuries, arthritis, and migraines. While masking the symptoms may not be the final treatment of the issue, pain relief makes recovery efforts more effective.

Cryosurgery takes a more permanent approach. This procedure uses extreme cold to freeze off unwanted tissue with the use of liquid nitrogen, and is commonly used to remove skin conditions such as moles, warts, atopic dermatitis, skin tags, and more. This practice is also used to target low-risk tumors for cancer treatment.

In contrast with the heat shock proteins produced by hyperthermia, cold shock proteins, or CSPs, are triggered by an extreme drop in core body temperature. Cold shock proteins are more easily produced than heat shock proteins, and can be triggered by something as simple as a cold shower.

These CSPs are believed to boost your immune system and improve the overall function of the body. The extreme temperature of intensive cryotherapy helps your body learn to adapt to stress and helps build your tolerance. Additionally, cold shock proteins have been thought to slow the progression of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Alternating Ice and Heat Therapy

Thermotherapy and cryotherapy both provide many health benefits, whether it’s simple pain relief or aid in treating cancer. To reap the benefits of both, try alternating ice and heat therapy. This will stimulate the production of heat shock proteins and cold shock proteins for muscle recovery and immune system boosts, and can offer a more comprehensive treatment for pain management.

Try hot and cold therapy at home by switching between icing and heating for sore muscles, or treat yourself to a spa day by supercharging your body with a visit to the infrared sauna and cryotherapy chamber!