Clinics

Keeping Warm at Winter Clinics

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Photo of herbalists working at the Herb Cart in a park in the winter. They are wearing wooly knit hats and jackets.

Prepping for tonight’s Dublin Herb Bike Clinic and with the cold snap, it seemed time to again share ways to keep WARM during winter clinics. Though working in the great outdoors has many advantages, it’s especially hard in the winter, as prolonged periods in the cold can affect our abilities, making it more difficult to provide top-notch care.

Here are some tips:????

text reads Serve Warming Herbal Teas and the photo is of the free clinic tea station with a large hot tea dispenser and the sign shows the recipe ingredients for wintertime tea.

????SERVE WARMING HERBAL TEAS. In the picture we show our WINTER TIME tea blend. This was the very first tea blend we ever served at the Herb Bus. We launched our project in the cold month of February and knew it would be important to serve a blend that warmed both the body and the spirit. For this reason, we included herbs like ginger, cinnamon and lemon balm. You can find the recipe in the Toolkit.

text reads wear good layers and the photo shows an apotheker working inside the Herb Bus with layers on including warm socks and a hat.

????WEAR GOOD LAYERS. Pay special attention to your head, neck, core, and feet! Layering is important because if you are sitting while you work, the decrease in circulation will make you colder over time. Also the weather can simply fluctuate.

text reads: wool blend socks and the photo shows Corinne of the herb bus holding up a wool blend sock.

????WOOL BLEND SOCKS. The magic of wool is that it keeps you warm, even if it gets damp. This is especially important for our feet, which often generate a bit of sweat, causing our delicate toes to suffer!

text reads Hot Water Bottles and shows three herb clinc volunteers with hats and masks, holding hot water bottles.

????HOT WATER BOTTLES. These are the best. We have used these to stay warm in so many situations. TIP: only fill the bottle up 2/3 of the way and let the rest of the air out before sealing completely. This helps the bottle better mold to your body.

Text reads Hot Water Bottles and shows a photo of Lorna with a hot water bottle strapped to her lower back.

????HOT WATER BOTTLES. Another HOT TIP: strap the bottle to your body under your coat for hours of warmth. You can use a scarf to secure or a wide Velcro belt (as pictured here)

text reads: warming rubs with additional instructions and a hand holds a salve pot of Cozy Toes Warming Lotion.

????WARMING RUBS. Apply warming rubs infused with herbs like Ginger and Rosemary. This could be as an oil, salve, or a lotion. Avoid cayenne or other hot peppers as these can burn the skin. We love our COZY TOES RECIPE which is available in the toolkit.

The final two slides are maybe the most important ingredients— work with friends and have fun! By building a community that cares for each other we can keep that internal flame burning bright ????

text reads: Work with Friends. A few volunteers of the clinic smiling and hugging.
Text reads Have Fun. Two footsters holding hot water bottles and wearing reindeer antlers.