The impact of bushfire smoke on your health and what you can do to help.

With over 150 bushfires burning across NSW and Victoria this Summer Season of 2019/2020, the impact of air quality is significantly effected. With thick smog covering many parts of Australia, Canberra ACT has currently been recorded as the WORST air quality in the WORLD- 23x the hazardest rating.

Yes worse than Dehli, India- infact worse than 192 stations recorded all over the world.

This is serious.

How is our body effected by the smoke?

We can’t escape it (unless we fly somewhere non-polluted) so it is important to take important measures to minimise any impact it can have on your health, both long and short term.

Many of our organs are working harder; especially our lungs and our heart as they are trying to transport clean oxygen around the body while trying to excrete increased levels of CO2. Our kidneys and liver are also being pushed to eliminate toxic burden from environmental pollutants. Our nervous system is being stressed; we may see our fight or flight mode being switched on. Our bodies’ ability to neutralise free radical damage is under the pump; meaning potential oxidative stress.
Asthma, shortness of breath, dry/burning/sore eyes, headaches, anxiety, fatigue, throat irritation are just a few symptoms that may arise.

Now that we can see how our body is in overdrive; lets learn how to support it.

Your Environment:

Minimising the amount of smoke polluted air you breathe in is Step 1.

• Stay indoors where possible; don’t exercise outside and refrain yourself from doing outdoor activities for lengthy periods of time

• Consider getting an Air Purifier for your home. This will help remove environmental contaminants, improving the air quality of the room.

• If your house is ‘smokey’ and you have trouble breathing you may want to consider running your air conditioning unit. While you have that running, hang up a damp towel in the air (perhaps off a clothes stand or similar) as the moisture of the towel can help absorb the smoke fumes. You may also want to put a wet towel around the grooves of your doors to help prevent entry. Of course at this time you are ensuring all your windows and doors are closed.

• Use an essential oil diffuser to help clear the room, and provide support to the body. This can help mask the choking smell of smoke and can aid respiratory support. You may use essential oils such as eucalyptus and thyme or grab a blend such as Springfields Ezi-Breathe or Doterra Easy Air.

Protect your external body
Now that you have protected yourself from the environment as much as you can, its time to start protecting your body; from the outside, in.

• Wear a face mask when needed; although you may not look so beautiful wearing one, this can grately reduce the amount of nanoparticles getting deep into your lungs. Remember; a P2 mask is the only type that will effectively do this. You can find these at hardware stores.

• Use a neti pot with saline salt to rinse out your sinuses daily. You may add essential oils or probiotics through the flushing stage for extra support if needed.

• A rock salt inhaler may be beneficial as it cleanses the respiratory system and can help provide symptomatic relief when you breathe. Studies show its effectivenes with patients who suffer COPD- chronic respiratory conditions.

• Eye drops may help ease burning of the eyes and reddness. Colloidal silver and calendula tea (cooled) may also assist any eye irritation.

• If you feel that you have more wax build up in your ears due to the extra pollution; consider ear candling. Ear candling works on drawing out any excess ear wax and debris from your ear canal and may assist relief from sinus pressure. I prefer to use unfiltered ear candles as i feel you get a better suction from them.

Protect your Internal Body
Now that you have minimised exposure of smoke inhalation and protected your external body from the effects; we move on to Step 3; protecting your inner body. This focuses on supporting your organs primarily your throat and your lungs. If you are impacted by the fires and its effecting your mental wellbeing, you will also find remedies to help cope with the extra stress.

• Your Throat: The impact of smoke can leave you with an irritated throat or a dry persistant cough.

  
  When looking at herbs we want ones with soothing properties (aka demulcents).

  
  Marshmallow root and slippery elm would be my two favourites. Since we are wanting to soothe the throat, a liquid form of these would be most benefical as you want it to take place as soon as it touches your throat. You may find marshmallow root as a tea; which you can steep and either have it hot or cold or in liquid form where you can take a small amount daily as needed.
  
  With slippery elm, mix 1tsp in with either water or milk and consume. Two things to note about slippery elm; it combines best with a fatty substance so best to add it to milk or coconut milk, or alterntively you may add it to a small amount of yoghurt. It also absorbs water quickly, meaning best to drink it straight away otherwise you will end up with a bit of a sludge and it won’t be as pleasant to drink.
  
  Throat lozenges such as ‘Pretorius Throat Clear’ contain herbs and nutrients that are soothing and supporting of the immune system. You may want to consider these especially if you have a sore throat or you notice your voice is starting to disappear.
  
  Schuessler Tissue Salts ‘Ferr Phos’ is a key tissue salt that may help assist any coughing that is associated with smoke inhalation.

• Your Lungs: Your lungs are your biggest organs when it comes to smoke inhalation. Nanoparticles from the fires can reach deep into your lungs with long term/high exposure putting your lungs at risk.
  
  Many herbs can help assist lung function, providing them with extra support to remove carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide out of the body. Herbs such as Mullein, Elecampane, Eyebright, Thyme, Sage, White Horehound, and Licorice are some examples of herbs that may benefit the lungs and respiratory system.
  
  Ready-made herbal formulas such as ‘Fusion Cough Lung Tonic’, ‘Herbs of Gold Lung Antiox’ or ‘Thompsons Manuka Cough Cold Relief’ are worth considering. Alternatively, a qualified Naturopath or Herbalist could make you up a personalised formula based on your presenting symptoms.
  Magnesium may also assist with bronchial dilation and smooth muscle relaxation, making it easier to breathe . When looking for magnesium ensure they are well absorbed forms such as citrate or glycinate and aim for 400mg elemental magnesium daily.
  

• Antioxidants: With high levels of pollution and environmental toxins produced from the bushfires, our bodies are exposed to increased risk of oxidative damage from free radicals; this can cause DNA damage within our body, ultimately leading to disease. My absolute favourite product i would recommend as a necessity for fire fighters or anyone dealing with excessive smoke inhalation is NAC (N-Acetyl-Cysteine). NAC is an amino acid that has so many amazing properties and extensive studies done on it. In regards to respiratory health it helps by being an antioxidant and also an expectorant, loosing mucous in the airways. As an antioxidant NAC helps replenish glutathione levels in your lungs and reduces inflammation in your bronchial tubes and lung tissue. It also works strongly for binding heavy metals and toxins out of the body through detoxification. Aim for 1000mg daily however larger doses may be used under guidance of a qualified practitioner.
  
  Vitamin C would be my next favourite antioxidant to support the body. Aim for 2000-4000mg daily during times of need.

• Nervous System Support: With the increased threat of losing your home, family/friends, wildlife, and national parks in bushfires this can become an extremely stressful period. The worry, the guilt, the fear- it all creeps up on you. You may find that this affects your day to day functioning or starts to affect your sleep pattern. You may have gone into fight or flight mode. If so; lets support your body during this time of need.

  • Kava and Passionflower: If you are really wired, stressed, panicking, can’t wind down then these herbs might be your friends. They are best taken either in a tablet, liquid or a tea form and may help take the ‘edge’ off how you feel. Natures Sunshine ‘Kava Calm’ or IThrive ‘Chill Out’ are two products worth trying. Alternatively grab some passionflower tea and consume as needed

  • Adaptogenic herbs may help how your body reacts and deals with these stressors; bringing you back to a happy medium. These include herbs such as Withania, Lemon balm, Siberian Ginseng and Rhodiola.

  • Bach Flower remedies such as Rescue Remedy can be given to the whole family during acute phases of panic and fear. Yes even your children or pets can have it!

  • If you know an elderly person or someone who is on lots of medication however needs some extra support; try Brauers ‘Calm’, a homeopathic formulation which will have no interactions with their medication.