Bruises to Bee Stings: Have a Healthy Summer {+Giveaway}

Summer is fleeting, especially where we live in Canada. We look forward to it with such fervour and a lot of planning goes into maximizing every sunny day. May and June fly by in a blur of end-of-school activities, parties, recitals, and tournaments. And when July rolls around the kids like to take a breather and just chill. Then begins the hard work of checking off the summer bucket list.

Welcome to a brand new series of health and wellness posts that have been sponsored by Boiron Canada. I have been compensated for sharing my honest opinion of homeopathy products.

Every day of sunshine is important so when one (or more) of us falls ill during the summer I feel very resentful. This happens more often than you think. There was a time when I thought that I could handle anything after the long, cold winters that come fraught with germy colds and flu. Unfortunately, there are enough summer time health challenges to keep us on our toes all season long.

Growing up in India my grandfather often counseled us to tackle daily health challenges through natural remedies – turmeric to boost immunity, and honey and ginger for a sore throat. Along with these natural ways to heal, my grandfather also prescribed us “little white golis” or pills.
My granddad was a British-Indian Army doctor and after his retirement settled down in his hometown in Punjab to set up his own practice that followed traditional medicine. At the same time, he was a huge supporter of homeopathy. Cue the little white pills!

What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a branch of healing that offers alternative ways to heal and feel better. It complements traditional allopathy medicine and uses active ingredients found in plant, animal and mineral sources to help boost the body’s own defence mechanism. Homeopathy remedies also help speed up recovery time, and are often my first line of defense every time the kids have an “owie.”

I can almost hear my grandfather’s voice,

“Yeh goliyan le liye, kudiye.”

Take these pills, dearie.

Recently Boiron invited me to meet with their chief pharmacist and daughter of the founder, Michele Boiron. I came away with renewed enthusiasm for homeopathy and a signed copy of Mme Boiron’s new book on how best to tackle daily health malaises.

Summer First Aid Kit Essentials

Homeopathy remedies have always been a part of my summer first aid kit. In particular, though there are two Boiron products that you will find in my medicine cabinet.

Calendula cream – it’s made from its namesake: the Garden marigold. But its name is not the reason I love and use it so much. This flower has amazing healing power. With its bright yellow-orange blossoms, the garden marigold has been used for centuries as a natural healing and soothing substance. Today, it is widely known for its wound-healing properties I use it often for skin irritations and minor rashes and the redness left behind after bug bites and bee stings.

The other star of my summer first aid kit is Arnicare Gel. This comes in both gel and cream format and works naturally with the body to relieve trauma, muscle pain and stiffness. It also helps to heal the swelling from injuries. We spend a lot of time playing outside and bumps and bruises are a natural consequence. A quick application of the Arnicare gel and my kids feel better. In addition with my youngest and her skin allergies, I like that the topical creams are unscented and paraben-free.

Over the years I have learnt that allopathy and homeopathy can complement each other very well. As a parent I want my kids to adopt healthy habits and use remedies that have with no side-effects, and homeopathy is a good place to start.

So tell me – What ails you most during the summer season?