My Essential Oil Story
When I began hearing about aromatherapy years ago I assumed it meant when things smelled nice they were in some way relaxing and would lessen a person’s overall sense of stress. You know, if you lit a nice smelling candle and took a scented bubble bath all your cares would drift away. That’s what I thought aromatherapy was. Perhaps you think that too. Well, I was very excited to discover that aromatherapy goes way beyond lovely aromas. There are a MULTITUDE of health applications that essential oils are used for and I am thrilled to be using them successfully within my own family.
When my daughter was in middle school her health took a downward turn that left us on what felt like a never ending trip to the doctor’s office. She developed asthma, chronic skin rashes, dizzy spells, fatigue, pneumonia and several bouts of MRSA. You know...that scary acronym you hear on news reports that stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. MRSA is a dangerous staph infection that is resistant to common antibiotic treatment. While researching natural ways to help my daughter recover from these issues I learned about the essential oil of Oregano. This is like a miracle oil! It has antiviral, anti-fungal, antimicrobial, antibacterial AND anti-parasitic properties. Needless to say we were going to give this oil a try. The next time my daughter had an episode of MRSA we used Oregano oil topically and her body was able to successfully eradicate the MRSA without antibiotics! It was from that point on that I decided my medicine cabinet would be stocked with these valuable natural oils.
Infections, earaches, insomnia, mood booster, headaches, digestive issues, immune system builder, mental focus, thyroid support….. We have used oils successfully for so many things since that time, I believe there has not been an illness related trip to the doctor since.
The more I learned, I realized essential oils can be used not only medicinally but for safe, non toxic, personal care and home cleaning products as well. Cleaning my home without using any toxic, cancer causing chemicals is important to me. Creating personal care products that not only work for their intended purpose but actually support my family's health.... these are benefits I could not pass by. I was sold on the benefits of essential oil use! You will be too!
How Do Essential Oils Work?
The oils come from plant materials, the leaves, bark, flowers, roots, stem, seeds etc. Their purpose is to provide protection to the plant against disease and potential invaders. The beautiful thing is that these oils will do the same for us. Essential oils provide us with an array of protections due to their antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-parasitic and even anti-tumor properties. Their high antioxidant capacity helps reduce oxidative stress which, if left unchecked, can trigger the disease process.
The wonder of essential oils is their ability to penetrate the skin, due to their small molecular size/weight, and pass through cell membranes. This allows their protective properties to be utilized by “every cell of the body within twenty minutes and then be metabolized like other nutrients.” (Jager et al., 1996)
Essential oils have been used around the world for thousands of years and continue to be safe and effective in supporting the body’s efforts to heal itself from illness and disease.
How to Choose an Essential Oil
It’s very exciting to begin your essential oil lifestyle! It’s really a no brainer switching to a safe, plant based, effective way to support your health. Using oils to create wonderful personal care products and non toxic solutions to household cleaning makes great sense.
But how do you know which oils are best?
This is a great question and one you SHOULD be asking because as it turns out, all essential oil products are not created equally. A large percentage of essential oils that are sold on the market today are not pure. There is no world regulatory organization deciding what constitutes “pure” or “organic” so follow these guidelines to ensure you are getting the best possible oil with the highest efficacy.
STAY AWAY FROM
Synthetic oils made in a lab
Plant oils diluted with unknown carrier oils
Toxins and impurities used during growing process
Synthetic fragrances
DO LOOK FOR
Oils that are 100% essential plant oil
Oils that are third party tested to be certified pure therapeutic grade
Oils from plants grown in their indigenous region
Oils from plants grown without using any toxic substances
Oils harvested at the right time for highest efficacy
If you are putting oils on your body, or in some cases ingesting them, you want to be POSITIVE that you have certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils. These oils will provide the benefits you are looking for to support your health and the health of your loved ones.
If you would like to schedule a free wellness consultation to learn more about essential oils and how they can benefit you and your family, please email me