Dr. HingHau Tsang's Crusade on Nutrition

• Overall, the best course of action is to wear protective clothing and be sure your body is up to the increased demands.
• Remember to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated is especially important when outdoors in warm weather. After an hour of heavy exercise, you need to replace electrolytes, and that's when fruit juice or additive-free sports drinks are also good. Remember that caffeine and alcohol dry you out, so avoid consuming them.
• Don't forget sun protection! Always use sunscreens with SPF of 15 or higher and look for products containing Parsol 1789, an ingredient that provides effective protection against UVA rays. Slather on at least one ounce of sunscreen every time you apply it.
• Sunburned or not, your skin will appreciate the cooling effects of aloe vera. Apply Aloe Vera for sunburn, thermal burns and any areas of skin irritation or inflammation, use the healing gel straight from fresh leaves. Cut and split a leaf lengthwise, score the gel with the point of your knife and apply it directly to the burn. Use the gel from fresh aloe leaves for sunburn, mosquito bites and rashes from poison ivy, oak or sumac. Apply the gel generously. Or buy a lotion with aloe as a primary ingredient. Be warned that some commercial products that boast of their aloe content have too little of it to do your skin much good. Read labels to determine the percentage of aloe gel in the formula. You can also soothe sunburn with cool black tea (the tannins in black tea are what do the trick). Witch hazel, cucumber or rose water, or diluted calendula extract are all good after sun exposure.
• Prevention for bug bites is essential! Proper clothing can protect you from ticks and mosquitoes. Take B-100 complex Vitamin : Take one B-100 tablet starting a few weeks before mosquito season and regularly during the summer months. Mosquitoes seem to find some people's blood a little less palatable after a few weeks of this supplement.
• Neem (Azadirachta indica): In places where mosquitoes can be overwhelming, try neem oil. In one study, neem provided significant protection for up to 12 hours.
• Don't mess with bees if you don't want to get stung, but if it does happen, a drop of peppermint oil can help ease the pain. Tea tree oil also works well as antiseptic.
• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegiumHedeoma pulegiodes): Rub fresh pennyroyal leaves on your skin to repel insects or to relieve itching; combine one teaspoon of fresh pennyroyal to a cup of water as a wash for skin. Discontinue if you develop a rash and NEVER take internally.
• Tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia): Extracted from the Australian tea tree, the oil comes as essential extract and in many other formulations. Use 1.5 tablespoons of tea tree oil to one cup of water to rinse and clean infected wounds. Apply a light coating of full strength tea tree oil to bee stings and fungal infections. Discontinue use if irritation occurs.
• Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana): Apply witch hazel to your skin to relieve insect stings, sunburn, poison ivy blisters, cuts (to prevent infection), sore or sprained muscles or hemorrhoids.
• Spring-Summer cold or flu: at the first sign of a cold, take Resistance Support Formula or Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea).
• Moton Sickness: To prevent motion sickness or nausea, take Ginger Root Extract two to four capsules -- or drink one half teaspoon of ginger powder in a glass of warm water -- 20 minutes before traveling. Regular use of fresh ginger also tones the cardiovascular system and reduces inflammation. The alternative is Raspberry (Rubus idaeus): Raspberry tea treats motion sickness and menstrual cramps. Buy freshly dried leaves or dry your own by hanging raspberry branches. Check with your doctor or avoid using altogether if you're pregnant.
• Insomnia : Spring-Summer travel and strange beds may make it difficult to fall asleep. Take Melatonin lozenge if necessary.
• Hay fever: Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) is by far the best remedy which Dr. Andrew Weil recommends for hay fever. Take one to two capsules every two to four hours as needed. Despite the name, stinging nettles are completely nontoxic and spectacularly effective in controlling summer pollen allergies and hay fever symptoms.
• Muscle sprain Remedies: Take MSM 1000mg three times a day or Glucosamine 500mg/Chondroitin 400mg three times a day. Or take Bromelain: An enzyme isolated from pineapple and sold in capsule form. Absorbed through the digestive tract, bromelain promotes healing of soft tissue injuries, like sprains and bruises. Take 200 to 400 milligrams three times a day on an empty stomach (not within two hours of eating). A few individuals have allergic reactions to bromelain, discontinue if you get any itching. You can apply pleasant-smelling tincture of Arnica (Arnica montana) plant for relieving pain and tenderness of sprains and sore muscles. Rub it in with some massage and do not use on broken skin. Keep some tincture of arnica on hand to rub on your skin for treament of bruises, sprains, soreness and muscle spasms.
• Contact dermatitis from poison plants: Use a product called Technu. It is consisting of two products that are incredibly effective at preventing rashes from poison oak, ivy and sumac. You apply one before going out in the woods; it acts as a barrier to keep the oils of those plants from binding to the skin. You can put the other on after coming in contact with the plants. It removes the oils from the skin, and although it works best when applied within the first few hours after exposure, it may moderate the reaction even when the rash begins to appear.

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