Damn Mosquitos!

I don't know about you, but these past few weeks I've been getting eaten alive!! Mosquito's seem to love me, which is strange because they tend to love those who love sugar (sweet blood) and I am not a sugar lover...well sometimes ;0 Over the past few years I've become really sensitive to mosquito's and I get extremely red and swollen. Very swollen actually! My bites look like huge tennis balls! I feel like the mosquito's are getting worse each year, perhaps they are GMO mosquito's?? Just a thought?!

Being that it's almost July, I've got a long way to go til summer is over and so I will have to endure the stinging, itching and swelling for quite a few more weeks! I'm sure we've all used mosquito repellents to ward off these pesky bugs, and most repellents contain DEET. DEET does work to ward off bugs, since it helps to mask the smell of carbon dioxide which attracts mosquito's in the first place. Our skin and breath give off carbon dioxide gas, so we become tasty meals for mosquito's! Concentrations of about 10-30% of DEET can repel mosquito's for about 3-5 hours. BUT...at the end of the day, DEET is a chemical and over use can potentially harm us. Our skin is very porous and anything we put on our skin will be absorbed. BUT....there are natural ways to help with the nuance of itching and redness from bites, so here are a few suggestions:

- As funny as it may seem, mosquito's love the color black. So if your prone to getting bitten, avoid wearing black!
- Taking a high dose of B vitamins, particularly vitamin B1 (thiamine) helps to repel these little buggers! B vitamins get excreted through our urine and skin so our sweat and moisture combined with this vitamin help to repel them. 100mg to 200mg should do the trick.
- Apple cider vinegar mixed with a little water can be applied directly to the bite and will help with itching and redness.
- Take homeopathic Apis Mellifica 30CH to help with any swelling or allergic reactions to insect bites. You can also find apis gel to apply topically for the relief of pain and itching
- Rubbing alittle bit of lemongrass oil on your skin works as a great repellent
- Tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils are natural mosquito repellents as well and can also be applied to bites.
-Calendula cream/gel is also a great topical treatment for irritation caused by bites and also great as a first aid for cuts, wounds and abrasions, as well as for sunburns.
-StingStop is a gel you can find in most health food stores that contains citronella and is great for itch and pain as well as for cold sores.
-And lastly, if you're out in the woods and are getting eaten alive and don't have anything to apply to your bites, you can pick up some plantain (which grows almost everywhere). You would pick a few leaves, chew it....yes...chew it.....and once it becomes a mushy paste in your mouth you can apply it to your bites to stop the itch. It works like magic and because I spend a lot of time outside in the garden, I use plantain often! Plantain is also great for cuts or wounds. Here's a picture of what it looks like so you can familiarize yourself with plantain before you go chewing some random weed! So I hope this info helps you and your family stay free of mosquito bites this summer so you can enjoy doing more activities and less scratching!!!

Soaking up some D!!

I'm sure we're all enjoying the sunshine(minus the few rainy days)!! I can't wait for it to get super hot- so I can soak up some rays and get my tan on! There is just something about sitting in the sun that truly revitalizes you...and that's thanks to all the vitamin D! But I can't help but noticed how cautious everyone is about being in the sun and the slathering of sunscreen every 30mins!! So.....I think it's about time we get our facts straight about the benefits of vitamin D and how so many of us our lacking this vital nutrient.

Most of us know that Vitamin D is essential in helping us to maintain health bones, and in children, it is especially important for proper growth and bone development. Since it is a fat soluble vitamin, it actually acts more of a hormone in our body than a vitamin. Studies show how important it is for pregnant mothers to supplement with D since it aids in the development of the immune system. Lack of this nutrient can cause an increase risk of autoimmune disorders. One study showed that children supplementing with 2000IU of vitamin D in the first year of life were 80% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes!!

So how much D do we need? Spending 15-20 minutes everyday in the sun will help you synthesize anywhere from 10,000 - 20,000 IU of D, WITHOUT SUNSCREEN! Your body cannot synthesize vitamin D if you are wearing sunscreen. I recommend that you ask your Doctor for a vitamin D test (25-hydroxy test)to measure your vitamin D levels so you can than gauge how much vitamin D you really need. Most Doctors are recommending supplementation of only 1000IU which I personally think is too low! If I can't get outside I take anywhere from 3000-5000IU a day with my fish oil in the morning. It's best taking your D with some fat since it is a fat soluble vitamin. But again...get tested so you know how much to take!

So what about sunscreen? It's very important to shield yourself from the sun, especially if you have very fair skin. You definitely do not want to burn your skin, as this can pre maturely age your skin and cause a lot of oxidative damage. Wearing large brimmed hats, sitting under the shade, wearing long sleeves; these are all great sun shielders! I get very weary with all the sunscreen's out on the market. Have you ever read the ingredients?! The toxic ingredients! I'd rather not put that on my skin, and there are some great natural sun screens out there by ALBA, BADGER and DESERT ESSENCE ORGANICS. If you ever do burn your skin, make some green tea and rub the tea bag over your burn. The antioxidants from the tea help protect your skin from further damage. Aloe is also a great burn soother as it can actually seep through 3 epidermal layers of skin to regenerate new skin cells. And who says you need to spend your money on expensive creams!

So go soak up some immune supportive, bone building vitamin D and enjoy the summer months!