Keeping my family and myself healthy for our trip to Brazil for World Cup has been top priority for me lately. I am fortunate to be a Functional Medicine Dietitian in that I have access to lots of great minds and resources. I just finished up
Tom Malterre's Progressive Practitioner Coaching Program, and I got some great info as well as mentor-ship from him. This made me feel quite confident going into this trip, regarding my ability to do my best at keeping us all healthy and having what we need on hand. I also have a slew of therapeutic grade essential oils with me. Beyond food and supplementation, these gems really come to our rescue when issues arise.
In my travel medicine chest, I have mostly Thorne Research supplements. As a practitioner, Thorne is my go-to because they are the most pure and potent supplements I know of. I am very tuned into food sensitivities in the work that I do with my clients, so I only feel comfortable recommending supplements which do not contain food allergens, fillers, dyes and other excipients that might be counterproductive. As a health care practitioner brand, Thorne supplements are formulated based on scientific research and clinical data.
Of course, I brought our multi-vitamins and minerals. That goes without saying. I also brought Meriva, which is a highly bioavailable curcuminoid complex, meaning that it contains the bio-active compounds found in turmeric in a form that is taken up by the cells very efficiently. As you might imagine, it is a powerful anti-inflammatory. It is similar in effect to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), without the damage to the liver and GI tract. In fact, curcuminoids have been found to contain prebiotics, which feed particularly anti-inflammatory strains of beneficial gut microbes. Now that's my kind of med--one that not only effectively deals with the issue, but makes you healthier in the process! I also brought Berberine, which is an herbal antibiotic. I just started using this one it in my practice in some clients to help eradicate small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)/candida, and it can also be helpful with any type of infection, including "stomach bugs", which are a travel concern. Speaking of Montezuma's Revenge, we're also preventing this by taking Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) and digestive enzymes with meals. We're drinking from Brita filtered watered bottles, and when we do drink water at restaurants, we are protected by the GSE. Even (and especially) the baby gets a drop of GSE in water each day.
As far as the baby (Issa, who is 11 months), I would have to say that his front-line defense is being breastfed. Mother Nature is truly brilliant, and I am so thankful that I can give him antibodies to the potentially pathogenic bugs in his environment, while strengthening his system with beneficial microbes. That said, my eating well is crucial to the quality of the milk he receives. That means seeking out the best quality food before and during travel (all of the time, really!). Luckily, we are staying with family and renting a house during this trip, so we can cook. We also avoid fast food and highly processed foods and are choosy about restaurants. Although my Portuguese isn't perfect, I can spot preservatives, chemicals and dyes on an ingredient list! However, eating real food eliminates the need to do too much detective work. I do have some organic baby food for the times when food quality is questionable or not ideal for Issa. We also stay stocked with bananas, mango, avocado for him. My first-line of defense in the face of illness for Issa is hands-down, are essential oils.
We've already encountered a situation, which we seem to have nipped in the bud. On Saturday evening, Issa awoke crying and sneezed a huge amount of yellow mucous. After which, he could not lie down, and nursing was impossible, due to severe nasal congestion. He was also obviously feverish. I did not measure his temp, but watched him closely and read his body language and energy. I immediately gave him 2,000 IU of Vitamin D3 (I will continue this for a week and then go back to his usual 400 IU daily dose) and applied diluted (in fractionated coconut oil) Breathe and Lemon essential oil to his feet, as well as to his chest and back of the neck and kept applying throughout the night. I must also say that I did some heavy praying and reiki. The power of prayer and energy medicine (which to me are one and the same) have not only been proven anecdotally, but there is a growing body of research which shows their effectiveness. After several hours, he was clear enough to nurse and lie on his back to sleep. He continued to be congested and feverish on Sunday, although he was in good spirits and was able to nurse and nap. My husband and I stayed behind at the house, while our daughter and housemates toured Salvador, although we played with Issa outside quite a bit. I'm also a firm believer in sunshine, fresh air and nature as medicine!
Later in the evening, Issa woke up with a barking cough, which for a moment, stopped me in my tracks. I read up on croup (which would have freaked me out, but I decided to remain calm and logical) and added some sandalwood to his essential oil protocol. We fed him a light dinner, had him breath in cold air from the freezer a few times and kept our room pretty cold for sleep. We could have done more, but after applying the sandalwood, we honestly did not hear the barking cough again. Today there is only a minor cough here and there, along with minor nasal congestion. Otherwise, he is all smiles, and so are we! Here's hoping we don't need to use anything else in our travel medicine chest from here on out, but it feels good to know that we have it all on hand. Tudo Bom!
