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Be the healer in your home with essential oils!

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14363578_l1-225x300I’ve been using essential oils since the late-1990’s, but I didn’t really learn much about them until a friend introduced me to my favorite brand back in 2012.  While I’m not a huge salesperson, I have done quite a bit of training and have discovered I enjoy teaching classes on essential oil use!  I realized through research that the only oils I trust to ingest or use full-strength topically or aromatically are the ones I use, because they are tested.  I still use other brands in my homemade hot-processed soaps (since the hot cook will degrade the oil quite a bit) but I only will use doTERRA if I’m going to be inhaling it, wearing it or swallowing it!

While I love to talk about essential oils and how they’ve changed my life (and my family’s lives) there is just too much information to cover in one post, or even a few.  I’ve decided to share a weekly testimony about how a particular essential oil or product has affected me personally, or someone I’m close to.

This week’s highlight is…drum roll…OnGuard+ Softgels.  While OnGuard also comes in an oil blend form that can be taken orally (more on that later) I much prefer to purchase my blends in softgel form if I plan to ingest.  OnGuard+ is just one of several softgels available and I do love them all!  But back to OnGuard+…

It’s July 1st and I haven’t been sick since February! That’s a big deal for me, especially since I traveled out of state in April. (I used OnGuard+ softgels religiously before, during and after my trip to stay well!)  I just finished doing a play for our local community theater and the rehearsal schedule was very intense the last week (several nights we were out till 11pm or later) and I started feeling run down. I started taking OnGuard+ softgels twice a day and made sure not to forget to take my LLV vitamins as well. I also used some Breathe on my chest and diffused it alternating with OG at night. Other than being a little fatigued, I am good…whatever was trying to get to me is gone.

So there you have it, one testimony of many I have and will share in due time.  🙂

 

Essential Oils: Tension Blend

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Since I always have been somewhat of a mess physically AND emotionally, I have a lot to say about how essential oils have changed my life for the better.  Since childhood I’ve suffered from an array of maladies…anxiety, panic attacks, asthma, frequent bronchitis and pneumonia, knee pain, lower back pain, joint pain, migraines, cluster headaches, sinus issues, etc.  As I got older, I added more things to the list, such as PCOS, insulin resistance, weight gain that’s nearly possible to reverse, depression, more anxiety and panic attacks, subclinical hypothyroidism, early onset type 2 diabetes…and the list goes on.  At one point I had high blood pressure and was on medication from 35-37 years of age.  That one I was able to reverse by losing some weight, but I’m sure it has plans to be back someday!

This week, I want to share my experience with a tension blend with the hope that it might help someone else.  🙂  This is one that I never would have thought of trying but a local friend recommended it to me when I mentioned my frequent headaches.  At first I felt like it helped, at least a little, but it wasn’t the miracle I’d hoped it would be.  I also am not crazy about the scent–it’s very strong and would sting my eyes if I used it on my forehead and temples.  I didn’t try it on the back of my head or neck because I didn’t want it in my hair, which I now realize was silly.

One thing I’ve learned about EOs in the past few months is that if I try something and it doesn’t give me the result I’d hoped for, I just need to try again in a different way.  I’ve been familiar with EOs for years (I would use them when I’d make bath products almost 20 years ago) and have used this brand of oils since the summer of 2012, but only in the past few months have I really begun to (1) remember to reach for oils before conventional treatments and (2) put some effort into using oils correctly and persistently.

I didn’t reach for the tension blend for several weeks, but during a particularly bad migraine that didn’t respond to my usual drug cocktail, I decided I needed to give it another try.  There are two spots on the back of the head, at the base of the skull, directly above the hairline.  These muscles often will be sore during tension headaches and migraines.  Sometimes rubbing these muscles extremely vigorously (as in, asking my husband to rub those spots as hard as he can) will help with the headache–but then that leaves the muscles *really* sore.  Occasionally I will wake up with these muscles very sore and bruised-feeling, headache or not.  Definitely not pleasant!

I found that applying the tension blend directly to these two spots offers nearly instant relief for me!  I also apply it to the back of my neck, and all along the hairline at the base of my skull.  I also inhale some of the Past Tense after applying it.  I top it off with taking a few Peppermint Beadlets and it really works well!  EOs are a bit like homeopathics in my experience; sometimes it’s necessary to repeat the process a few times over a few hours.  Adding a little gentle massage after applying the oils is also very helpful for the most persistent tension headaches.

I haven’t used Motrin, Tylenol or Excedrin for a headache in weeks at this point, and I used to take something nearly daily.  And as far as getting the blend in my hair, it’s no big deal.  It evaporates quickly and doesn’t leave a noticeable residue.