Abstract

Acupuncture, essential oils, and homemade recipes are safe, organic, and healthier approaches to treating colds, allergies, and sinus issues that professional athletes are exposed to on a daily base. Acupuncture with a combination of certain points on the body has been proven to shorten the duration of a cold. Thieves essential oil diffused in a cold air diffuser has also been proven to shorten the duration of a cold when diffused for at least 10 minutes. Homemade recipes are quick and easy to make at home and have been used in homes for generations for treating colds, allergies, and sinuses.

Professional athletes are susceptible to catching colds from extreme heat, cold, and wind. Professional athletes travel six to nine months out of the year while catching planes and living in and out of hotels. When athletes from the Midwest are in a hot and windy environment such as being on an open field (e.g. Los Angeles) sweating with the sun out and wind whipping around, the heat and wind will get stuck in the muscle layer of the athlete because the pores of the skin are open from sweating. The wind, at high speeds, can carry viruses and bacteria that can enter through the skin and get trapped in the muscle. This causes a wind-heat cold and vice-versa wind-cold cold. Professional athletes who are conditioned to the warmer weather from the West coast’s dry and sunny environment are more susceptible to catching a cold from the Midwest (e.g. Cincinnati) due it its cold, damp, and rainy nature. The opposite will happen to an athlete from the West coast who is on an open field sweating in the Midwest. When cold damp air whips around and goes through the skin’s layer because the athlete is sweating, a wind-cold cold results. Once the game is over, the athletes are back on a plane with recycled air blowing on their faces, and they can easily pick up a virus or bacteria through their open pores. Most athletes continue to sweat through their face hours after they are showered and all cleaned up. Another way viruses and bacteria can spread is through direct body contact (e.g. sweating). Sweat can carry viruses and bacteria, too.

Essentials oils have many functions and can be used effectively in many different ways. Essential oils can positively impact an athlete’s health. I use lemongrass essential oil with my cold air diffuser in my office waiting area and hallway. Lemongrass has an awakening property to promote psychic awareness and purification of the mind.¹

Thieves essential oil, a combination of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary essential oils, has proven itself to be highly effective in treating the following symptoms: runny/stuffy nose, slight cough, itchy throat, and the body feeling slightly chilly or slightly warm due to sinus problems, allergies, or a common cold.

Clove essential oil is used for respiratory infections because its properties are antimicrobial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and even bactericidal.² Cinnamon bark essential oil is used for cough and respiratory infections because its properties are antimicrobial, anti-bacterial, anti-infectious, anti-fungal and anti-viral.² Eucalyptus radiata essential oil is used as an expectorant and for respiratory functions due to its anti-infection, antibacterial, and anti-viral properties (Young, 2013). Lemon essential oil is used for respiratory infections and sore throats with its anti-infectious, antibacterial, anti-viral, and antiseptic properties.² Rosemary essential oil is used to support the endocrine system and to treat respiratory and lung infections due to its antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic, and antiparasitic properties.²

Thieves is such a great blend of essential oils because of their different properties along with similar healing properties that are used to treat respiratory symptoms and infections related to colds, sinuses, and allergies. With the anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial similarities, the essential oils vastly reinforce one another and really facilitate the healing properties of the oils. If one is allergic to any of the above listed essential oils, it is recommended that single essential oils be used in combination to make a personalized version of Thieves. Leave out the essential oil that causes the allergy or known sensitivity. Three to five drops of the non-allergic essential oils listed above will work well. Mix the non-allergic essential oils with one-quarter of a teaspoon of a carrier oil such as olive oil to place on bottoms of feet.

When distal acupuncture combination (Lu 7, Ki 6, Li 4 and 11, Lv 3) and local acupuncture points (bitong, St2, and yintang) are applied, place three drops of Thieves essential oil directly to the bottom of the feet and let the athlete rest for 20 minutes. Their symptoms will be reduced.

The aromatherapy cold air diffuser used with Thieves essential oil has shown that the cold, sinus, and allergy signs and symptoms were reduced by 75 percent. Webster State University discovered that after 10 minutes of using Thieves essential oil used in a cold air diffuser there was a kill rate of 99.96 percent in regard to airborne bacteria.¹ This exact same protocol may have to be repeated in three days if the last 25 percent of the cold lingers. This has been a great discovery because my athletes love to use Thieves when they are coming down with a wind-heat cold or a wind-cold cold.

In addition to the use of essential oils, ginger tea or matcha latte are two recipes that I recommend for the athlete, depending on the cause of their symptoms: cold or sinuses (ginger tea), or allergies (matcha latte). These recipes follow.

Ginger Tea Recipe

• Three drops of Ginger Young Living Essential Oil or one root of organic ginger
• One tablespoon of honey
• Three cups of water
• Slice the ginger root horizontally into five to seven pieces slender pieces (pieces should be longer than wider). Place in a pot with three cups water then boil for seven minutes. Drain the ginger water from the pot and add honey. If necessary, use three drops of ginger essential oil in place of the ginger root in hot water with honey and drink. If one is feeling slightly cold, drink it hot, if one is feeling slightly warm to hot, then drink room temperature or cool. Ginger is used for chills, respiratory infections, congestions, cough, sinusitis, and sore throats.^1,2 Honey is used for cough suppressant and is high in antioxidants.⁴

Matcha Latte Recipe

• One cup of coconut milk (milk of your choice)
• One quarter to one teaspoon of Organic Matcha Latte (whole leaf green tea)
• One quarter to one teaspoon of local bee pollen
• One tablespoon of local honey

Boil or steam milk in a pot for three minutes (do NOT microwave milk), stir in honey and bee pollen, then add matcha powder while stirring. The Nespresso-Aeroccino3 milk frother works best because one can use the heating option or cooling option for the milk. To make the recipe cold, place all ingredients in a shaker bottle with lid and add one cup of ice and shake ingredients.

Bee pollen has 22 amino acids, 27 minerals, many enzymes, and an entire range of vitamins.⁵ Local bee pollen is great for providing natural allergy relief and is also found in local honey. Local honey is beneficial because the local bees use local plants, some of which may be causing allergy symptoms, to make honey. The honey is taken internally, which the body recognizes as safe, and provides a homeopathic remedy that helps alleviate allergens in the air. Matcha powder is used for boosting energy (10 times the amount of 10 cups of green tea) and is very high in antioxidants; it is very helpful in boosting the immune system by providing chromium, vitamin C, magnesium, selenium, and zinc.⁶

Acupuncture, essential oils, and these simple recipes have been proven to be safe, highly effective, and very practical in my practice in regard to colds, sinuses, and allergies.

References

1. Young, G. (2016). Effects of diffused essential oil blend on bacterial bioaerosols. Essential Oil Desk Reference. Lehi, Utah: Life Science Publishing.
2. Young, G. (2013). Essential Oils Integrative Medical Guide. Lehi, Utah: Life Science Publishing.
3. Deadman et al., (2007). A Manual of Acupuncture. Vista, CA: Eastland Press.
4. Gunnars, K. (2018, September). “Ten Surprising Health Benefits of Honey.” Health Line. Retrieved by https://www.healthline.com.
5. “Bee Pollen Benefits.” (2018). Indigo Herbs. Retrieved by https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/bee-pollen.
6. Matcha Source. (2019) “Health benefits of Matcha Green Tea.” Retrieved by https://matchasource.com/health-benefits-of-matcha-tea.