The Dog Days of Summer; How Smoke and Heat Hammer Your Body and Brain!
As we roll into the heat of mid-August, the news informs us that, once again, California is on fire! Even though the fires aren’t currently nearby (blessings being counted!), their smoke is in our faces.
Living in Forest Ranch at 3,000 ft., I get a visual inspection of the valley air quality every time I drive into town. Today, I could barely see the town through the haze.
Smoke and air pollution present a profound stress to your body and brain. Common effects you might notice include: ANXIETY!!!, body aches, fatigue, head-ache, breathing challenges, and sleep dysfunction.
I grew up in a bee-keeping family. To distract the bees and keep from getting stung when working the hives, bee-keepers puff smoke into the hives before opening them. This sends the bees into “fire-drill” mode. They are too busy looking for the fire and preparing to evacuate to worry about some silly human poking around. Smoke activates their “fight-flight” response. It does the same thing in humans, creating anxiety.
Smoke is also a serious respiratory irritant and general body pollutant, leading to breathing problems andelevated inflammation associated with body pain, skin eruptions, heart arrythmias, even digestive disturbance. Supporting your stress handling system (adrenals), your air filtration system (sinuses and lungs), as well as your general detoxification system (liver, kidneys, and lymph) is critical to managing the detrimental effects of smoke.
Heat is also a profound stressor, drawing on the adrenals and the heart especially hard.
When you can’t escape, calming your nervous system and supporting your detoxification pathways helps you cope. I recommend Standard Process Livaplex, which encourages your liver detox pathways as well as protects the liver from oxidative stress. Cataplex B and C are wonderful food based vitamins that support and protect your cells. SP Drenamin supports the adrenal glands, and Medi-Herb Kava Forte helps calm anxiety without making you dopey. For those needing cardio support, SP Cardio-Plus can be a God send.
So, hang in there, the dog days of summer are soon to pass.
Autumn is on it’s way!
