Wellness: Winterize Your Body

Winterize Your Body: Treat it with love

Winter brings with it cozy afternoons cuddling by the fire, evenings watching the snow gently fall, and cups of hot chocolate with just the right amount of marshmallows. What’s not to love? Well, how about constantly chapped lips, dry skin, respiratory issues, and feelings of blah that just won’t leave you alone. Wouldn’t it be great if you could “winterize” your body to protect yourself against those pesky winter elements that get you down? The good news is, you can.

Dr. Rana Mays, a board certified dermatologist (BCD) and the founder and president of Mays Dermatology & Cosmetic Center, says the winter months bring with it dry skin and rashes. Rashes like eczema and seborrheic dermatitis are common during the winter months. The American Academy of Dermatology defines eczema as a group of conditions that cause inflamed, irritated, and often itchy skin. When looking for signs of seborrheic dermatitis, watch out for reddish, oily-looking patches that appear on the face, but there are treatments that can help.

“It’s always important to see a BCD for proper diagnosis of skin changes so patients can receive proper treatment and avoid a waste of time and money with self or nondirected treatment,” Dr. Mays says. This way you and your doctor can come up with a custom plan to prevent uncomfortable skin flare-ups should they happen again.

PREPARE YOUR RESPIRATORY HEALTH

When looking to protect not only your skin but your whole body against the harsh wintry elements, Louisville Salt Cave provides a space for this very purpose. Founded by Nicole Bartlett in 2015, Louisville Salt Cave uses a halogenerator to grind and disperse tiny particles of salt (three times smaller than pollen size) which are antimicrobial in nature. “Bacteria and viruses don’t live well around salt,” Nicole begins, “so when you come in this space and breathe, this helps your respiratory health, and the Cave is designed for really deep mental rest as well.”

Louisville Salt Cave is made of five tons of the “purest salt and the pink Himalayan salt crystals are over 250 million years old.” Nicole says Louisville Salt Cave sessions help reduce inflammation which assists in keeping you well throughout the winter months. “We recommend doing salt sessions prior to getting sick. The Cave helps keep your lung microbiome really healthy so that you have a better chance of combating any type of stressor,” Nicole says.

The Cave also supports your mental health by using color therapy. Color therapy has been known to boost feelings of well-being and this can be of value during the dreary winter months, “The color in the room actually has great mood-enhancing qualities so there’s a multitude of benefits to coming here in the winter,” says Nicole.

POP UP YOUR MOOD

Want to keep that good mood flowing? Preventing aches and pains that go along with the colder weather is a step in the right direction, so begin your wintertime recovery at Louisville’s new Club Recover. Billy Davis, the owner of Club Recover, says the services they provide are to keep everyday people feeling healthy every day—and the winter is no exception.

The cold weather outside can lead you to spend more time sitting around inside. Studies show that staying mobile is one of the most important things you can do for your health and this is where Club Recover’s Assisted Fascial Stretch Therapy can keep you feeling flexible. Billy explains, “A stretch therapist uses traction and breathing which increases your mobility.” This one-on-one stretch session will also improve posture, and with consistent treatment, you’re going to be able to improve your strength and range of motion. “It helps you stay healthier and keeps you moving,” Billy says.

STUDIES SHOW THAT STAYING MOBILE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR HEALTH.

Club Recover offers many treatments to assist in your wintertime wellness from sauna bathing to cold water immersion, to red/NIR light therapy to IV therapy. Staying hydrated in the dry winter months can be a challenge due to sweat evaporating faster and feeling less thirsty. Of course, being dehydrated can lead to headaches and fatigue, but Club Recover has you covered. “Sometimes you really want something that can hydrate you in a quick manner and our nursing staff and medical director oversee our IV hydration services,” Billy says. IV therapy also contains micronutrients so you can choose from elements like electrolytes, vitamin B, vitamin C, or zinc.

If you’re looking for at-home ways to prepare your body for the cold weather, Billy suggests investing in a blue light. “Desktop blue lights used in the morning help with seasonal affective disorder (SAD),” Billy says. SAD includes symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and social withdrawal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “Bright visible-spectrum light therapy has proven effective in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder and recent basic research suggests that blue wavelengths approximately 470 nanometers account for that effectiveness.” If you experience these symptoms, you can always reach out to a doctor for further discussion.

Protecting your body from the harsh cold season can support you in experiencing a happier, healthier wintertime.

By Tonilyn Hornung