It’s not just prudent, it’s also the polite thing to do in ANY germ season. If you’re walking around with cooties and don’t know it yet, you don’t want to be a vector.
As a bodyworker in paradise, this is not the first flu season I thought about wearing a mask. Working in close quarters with people from many other places concerns me. I may not have natural immunity to the germs they bring in from another state or country, or I could unwittingly become a vector if I keep working during the incubation period of some germ I don’t even know I picked up yet. I know that germs enter and hang out in the nose and throat – sometimes even for a few days before moving on. And, without warning, we humans cough, sneeze… and some of us even spit a little when we’re talking. That produces aerosols that could be filled with lively little germs even if the person is asymptomatic. Of course, I don’t want to let on that I’m a bit germaphobic, so I usually use more subtle means of protection. But last week when I was still working, listening to the news and feeling like I should add more safety measures to protect my clients and myself, I saw the CDC discourage masks – and I was aghast.
Maybe they just don’t want people hoarding or stealing them, or they don’t want people to have a false sense of security. But let’s face it (pun intended), even if a face cover only keeps some of the germs from escaping your space, or keeps some of the germs from entering your space, isn’t some always better than none? I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that wearing a face cover is a good idea and it makes you a considerate person too. Some studies suggest that a few layers of tightly woven fabric can provide 60% protection. I like 60% better than 0%, don’t you? I have lots of scarves and bandannas in my closet that rarely get a chance to come out. I think this might be their time to shine.
I’ve already heard tales of people shaming others for wearing protection in public. I just want to suggest to everyone who has to go out in public for supplies or has to work closely with other people amid this pandemic – it’s ok if you buck the official stand on this one. If it makes YOU feel safer, wear whatever helps and do it with confidence. Our emotional health is important too. Pick your favorite style and wear it your way. Maybe a scarf around the neck and just pull it up when you feel you need it, or march right out with a mask (just don’t steal it from a medical workplace). If you want to make yourself a more serious mask with some personal style, here are some suggestions from nurses (link below): the tighter the weave – the better, two layers are good and most importantly – WASH IT frequently. No face cover should be used over and over again without washing, in any season. And if you still feel like wearing a face cover after we’re told it’s safe to go out, you should do so. (Will the germs really disappear while we hide at home or will there be a second wave for those who didn’t build any natural immunity?)
As a bodyworker I always follow a strict protocol of prevention for my safety and the safety of my clients. Tell me it’s not 100% effective? I’ll take ANY% over 0%. It can’t hurt and it might help. Taking precautions helps me feel like I might not be defenseless and gives me some sense of control.
Here are few of my personal protection protocols:
- I wash my hands. OFTEN. And to prevent myself from being tempted to wash them too quickly, I have a homemade mixture of castile soap and essential oils that doesn’t rinse off without putting some work into it.
- I carry a sanitizer spray with silver and essential oils for when I can’t wash my hands.
- I wash my face, particularly when I get home.
- I don’t wear my work or street clothes around the house in germ season. And if I think I’ve been exposed, those clothes come off and go in the wash as soon as I get home, and I jump in the shower. Never, ever wear the clothes you wore out in public to bed.
- I clean my personal entrances. OFTEN. I spray colloidal silver in my nose whenever I think I’m going to be exposed or have been exposed. And I have a throat spray made with aloe vera juice and essential oils just in case something is lingering there. I know that germs hang around in our nose and throat for a few days before symptoms appear – why not attack them where they’re vulnerable?
- Other ways I might choose to kill germs in my nose and throat include:
- Drinking teas made with antimicrobial herbs
- Gargling with water and salt, apple cider vinegar, lemon or silver
- Using the neti pot to clean my sinuses. A few cautions on neti pot use: use ONLY DISTILLED water, sterilize it after each use and don’t do it daily or it could harm your natural microbiome in the sinuses.
- Boiling herbs in water and then creating my own face sauna with the steam and a towel over my head (be careful not to get burned!)
- For work days, I use a face and body lotion that contains colloidal silver or I often blend an antimicrobial essential oil into my face and body lotion. I feel it helps protect clients and me.
- I use a blend of antimicrobial essential oils to diffuse or spray the air, my hands or my body whenever I feel I’ve been exposed or could be exposed. (see below for recipes)
- I try to maintain a healthy diet with lots of vitamin C & D and supplement as needed. And I like my herbs – particularly elderberry, during flu seasons.
- I’m also pretty fanatical about using public restrooms. In particular, I never “mouth breathe” in restrooms.
- Last but certainly not least, I clean the air in my office and my home with NASA technology. Before this germ season I was happy with my UV/ion towers and some occasional blasts with the ozone generator but I’ve upped my game this year in the clinic and at home with air scrubber technology that also cleans surfaces.
I hope these tips are helpful. They aren’t FDA or CDC approved and I’m not making any claims to their effectiveness. They’re just things I do that make me feel safer.
Be shameless in your personal health choices and be well,
Jo
ps… as promised, here are the related recipes and links:
The ActivePure technology used in our clinic is larger and faster, but at home I use the FreshAir Cube with Active Technology for Air and Surfaces. Here is the link to learn more: https://www.myvollara.com/(BeWellNaples)/Site/FreshAirCube
My homemade “thieves” essential oil recipe (rumored to have been used by thieves during The Plague) usually contains some blend of these essential oils: Cinnamon (Bark or Leaf), Clove, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary and Sweet Orange. I blend them the same way I cook – according to how I feel that day but usually equal drops of each oil. You can also buy blends like this already made. I like the Essential Shield blend from Nature’s Sunshine because I often buy my colloidal silver from the same source.
After blending those oils into one dropper bottle with a gentle swirling motion, I can add a few drops to my face and body lotion, use it as deodorant or make custom sprays such as:
Throat spray: Distilled water, aloe vera juice & my thieves blend and I usually add colloidal silver also. Mix to desired strength (whatever you can tolerate). Apple cider vinegar is another serious germ killer but a little hard to take for some people.
Room and Body Spray: Distilled water and my thieves blend to desired strength (usually about 10-30 drops of oil to 4-6oz of water)
Here is a pattern to sew a mask that was designed by a nurse: https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/
Disclosures: All information provided here are not to be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website. Please consult your physician or a qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health and well-being or on any opinions expressed within this website. Additional disclosure: I am a distributor for both Nature’s Sunshine and Vollara products because I like to share brands that I trust.