Be Party Proof

Here’s how to protect your health right through the festive season

Christmas is a time to relax and share quality time with family and friends, but it does not come without its health hazards. Carrying all that shopping can strain backs, eating richer food than you are used to can play havoc with digestion, socialising night after night can result in a headache while one too many can have you waking up with the hangover from hell. Read on for how to party proof yourself so you sail through the season unscathed.

BACK TO BACK
Christmas can be a bad time for anyone with a back problem. Carrying shopping can put undue strain on your lower back so always use a backpack to carry heavy items, which will distribute the weight evenly across your back. And leave collecting the Christmas tree to someone else!

Meanwhile if things start to get painful there is a herbal remedy that will help to soothe the ache. Devils claw, so called because of the vicious hooks on its fruits, which stick to animals’ feet, is a favourite with herbalists for soothing aches and pains such as back pain. Long used by bushmen living in the Kalahari Sands of Namibia for back and joint problems, numerous clinical studies show that devil’s claw contains substances that have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that can help a wide variety of joint problems including backache.

It is not known exactly how devil’s claw works but the anti-inflammatory properties of the active compounds, the harpagosides and the plant sterols found in its roots, are thought to be responsible.

BOOST IMMUNITY
If you don’t watch out too much food and booze, coupled with late night partying, family stress and financial worries puts a huge strain on your immune system at this time of year. ‘Now’s the moment to build up your natural defences,’ says medical herbalist Dee Atkins. Regular doses of milk thistle and artichoke help support the liver, while echinacea, wild indigo, elderflower and sage help to build up immunity. Gentle herbs like camomile, passionflower and skullcap help support the nervous system in times of stress,’ adds Dee.

TAKE CHARGE
In the run-up days to Christmas make a list of anything urgent that needs doing before you go to sleep each night and then relax for 10 minutes before dropping off. On waking spend 10 minutes relaxing in bed seeing yourself calm and serene in your mind’s eye before getting up. Start the day with a cup of herbal tea to avoid that wired-up feeling that caffeine gives. Lemon balm will help to stave off colds as well as helping you to focus on the tasks on hand. Nettle is a great tonic, which will cleanse and stimulate.

LOOK AFTER YOUR DIGESTION
Rich foods and over indulgence can have a detrimental effect on the digestive system. Heartburn, indigestion and constipation are common pre-Christmas complaints. To avoid falling into bad digestive habits try not to over or under eat, stick to regular mealtimes, and avoid snacks on the run. Meanwhile extracts of artichoke can help the digestive process by stimulating the production of bile and breaking down and eliminating fatty foods and alcohol from the body. Take them twice a day before food in the run-up to Christmas.
 

TRY THIS…
Massage away your cares with some relaxing acupressure. Find the acupressure point in the fleshy part of your hand between your thumb and forefinger, and press firmly between the ball of your thumb and the tip of your finger. Hold for about 20 seconds, then let go slowly and gently. Wait for 10 seconds, then repeat up to five times.

Devil’s claw is found in Flexiherb, a traditional herbal medicinal product used for the relief of backache, rheumatic or muscular pain and general aches and pains in the muscles and joints based on traditional use only.