Holistic Guide to Prevent Summer-Time Problems Including Heat Rashes

A few conditions summer brings along are headaches, diarrhea, strep throat and skin conditions like eczema and heat rashes.Here are some steps you can take to prevent common summer issues:

Headaches and diarrhea

Stay hydrated, and carefully choose fresh and healthy foods –these can prevent or alleviate headaches, dysentery and diarrhea.

Strep throat

Drink adequate water and gargle with mouthwash a few times a day. Also perform breathing exercises like deep breathing or yoga postures while avoiding spices and oily foods that irritate the tonsils on their way down. Of course stay away from allergens to keep throat infections and subsequent complications in check.

Heat rashes

Heat rashes are tiny red bumps about your neck, armpits, chest, groin, and in between the folds of skin and are typical during hot humid conditions. Tight clothing, synthetic fibers in clothing and excess sweat aggravate the condition. Heat rashes cause irritation, reddening of skin and itching. In extreme conditions, heat rashes don’t subside in a couple of days but are accompanied by nausea and dryness, thirst, and headache. Severe cases result in fever and heat exhaustion. In extreme and severe condition, it is best to consult a doctor.

Foods and supplements to prevent heat rashes and control inflammation

Many foods can help prevent heat rashes while others can contain the discomfort.

• Replace a portion of your meal with summer fruits like watermelons, muskmelons, cucumber and grapes. These fruits help cool down your system.
• Drink citrus fruit juices, cucumber juice, and tender coconut water to keep you hydrated and cool your system.
• Consume foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids like salmon, trout, avocados, tuna, flaxseed and walnuts. These foods generate a hormone like substance called prostaglandin, which fights inflammation.
• Take foods rich in beta – carotene like squash, mangoes, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. Beta – carotene is an anti oxidant that counters dryness and itching.

Some tips to avoid heat rashes

• Wear comfortable clothing made of natural fibers like Cotton and linen.
• Avoid wearing jewelry made of base metals like nickel.
• If you like to exercise, take cool showers immediately after. This will help get rid of perspiration and clogging of pores.
• Use a mild soap or body wash
• Use mild detergents and fabric softeners. Try to keep away from fragrant products and bleaches that contain chemicals.
• Pat dry your skin to avoid trapping sweat and water and clogging pores.
• Perform Yoga postures regularly twice a day. It boosts circulation and frees your system of toxins.
• Keep your home dust free and pet dander free. Pay attention to clothing, sofa covers, bed linen, floor mats and carpets vacuuming whenever dust or pet dander accumulates. This will help prevent innocuous heat boils from escalating into more acute conditions.
• Do deep breathing exercises to boost the circulatory system.
• Sit under an umbrella at the beach.
• Consume foods rich in essential fatty acids. These help inhibit inflammation and make you less susceptible to rashes.
• Drink Oolong tea. The anti – oxidants in Oolong tea also fight inflammation.
• Take a fistful of dry coriander seeds and boil them in 8 ounces of water. Simmer till the water is approximately 4 ounces. Filter the seeds, cool down and drink first thing in the morning. You may add half a teaspoon of honey if you don’t like the taste of coriander extract. This helps regulate body heat.
• Make a drink with cumin seeds. Take a tablespoon of cumin seeds and add to one liter of boiling water. Reduce to three quarters of a liter, filter the cumin seeds and let cool. Sip during the day. Cumin water helps contain inflammation.

Tips to contain skin irritation and aggravation of heat rash

• Make a paste of fresh Neem powder and water and apply on the affected areas.
• Add a few tablespoons of baking soda (bi carbonate of soda) to a tepid bath and soak for a while. This will ease itching and irritation.
• Apply aloe vera gel to cool and sooth the affected skin.
• Stay comfortably dry by staying indoors in humid areas and using an electric fan or air conditioner to quickly dry perspiration.
• Use a cool compress for 10 minutes on the affected area every two to three hours.
• Thinly slice or grate cucumber and apply on the affected area.
• Keep your fingernails short. When you scratch in sleep or when distracted, you could aggravate the rash.
• Use calamine lotion on the rash.
• Keep your skin oil free but ensure you don’t wash too often and cause it to dry.
• Use homeopathic (alternative) medicine to effectively reduce itching and irritation. Some medicines are Sulpur, Graphites and Natrum Mur. Adult dose is 4 pills (size 20; potency 200C) 4 times a day.
• A 1000mg capsule of primrose oil 3 times a day for few months can help mitigate the inflammation and itching that is chronic during summers. Evening primrose oil is rich in gamma linoleic acid, which aids in controlling inflammation.

These are some tips to prevent summertime issues including heat rashes.