An Essentially Oiled Machine
Hello everyone!
The other day, I was talking to a friend about essential oils and how they’ve helped me, and she recently told me that she’s been having problems sleeping. Then, only a few days later, another friend was asking me similar questions. What were my favorite oils, my most frequently used, favorite blends, etc.?
It got me thinking that while I’m not in the business of selling essential oils, I am a big advocate for them, and in case there are others out there that could benefit from the information, I want to do what I can to help empower others to take control of their health and wellness.
As a breast cancer survivor, I am on medication to decrease my estrogen levels to an amount that is lower than that of a post-menopausal woman. What that means is that, at the ripe old age of 32 (my age when I was diagnosed and started chemo), I was starting to experience hot flashes, night sweats, joint pain (I call it pseudo-arthritis), emotional mood swings, migraines, and reduced mental capacity…I have awful memory and brain fog. Those are the big ones.
It started small. Slight pain in my feet after waking or standing up after sitting for a small amount of time would have me hobbling around for a few minutes until the joints warmed up. It started as chemo-brain, some forgetfulness that wasn’t too outside the normal realm for me, so it was manageable. But over time, these things only increased, reaching to levels that were not sustainable as a young mother of two active, school-age boys.
I had had enough prescriptions, which all came with their own host of side effects. My doctor recommended all kinds of vitamins and supplements, a costly enterprise that did nothing to help me. And so it was that when my friend, Kim, started telling me about the essential oils she used, I was dubious, but curious. To be honest, it felt like a bunch of new-age, hippie, mumbo jumbo.
It was shortly before I was to be going under the knife (one of many times), that I went to Kim’s house for a little oil education…Essential Oils 101 so to speak. As I sat there listening, sniffing the oils, experiencing their effectiveness for myself as we sat there (hello hot flash, meet peppermint oil for instant cool down!), I was intrigued. I wasn’t quite ready to buy in to the whole thing yet though. I mean, holy cow, it is an investment, trust me, I know.
Fast forward another couple weeks or so, I won a Breathe Touch roller from a contest Kim had. There I was early one morning maybe 15 minutes after my run, getting ready to hop in the shower, and I had a bought of shortness of breath (I’m an asthmatic in remission but still get these little episodes occasionally). I remembered the Breathe roller, quickly applied it to my diaphragm and chest, inhaling at the same time, and I swear to you that I felt my diaphragm loosen up and I could breathe within seconds. I remember thinking ‘holy crap, I can’t believe that worked!’ I texted Kim. I was in.
It started with the Breathe roller, and now they are an everyday part of my life. I have found immense benefits to using them and even my kids and husband use them. I use them in my diffusers around the house, in veggie caps every morning and evening, in my homemade cleaning products, and so much more.
If you’re considering trying essential oils, the best advice I can give you is to do your research. Not all essential oils are created the same. Just because you can buy them at the grocery store doesn’t make them safe. The FDA does not regulate essential oils, so companies can get away with putting anything in there, like synthetic scents, coloring, etc, and NEVER ingest them unless you know that they are food grade. There are several reputable companies out there, but I personally prefer doTERRA for a myriad of reasons.
First and foremost is that they stand behind their product so much that they put all the science and reports out there for each of their oils. From source to bottle, you can learn exactly what their oils have gone through. Second, they’re more than just a company or brand. They are about educating people about oils, paying fair wages to the people they source from, and even have a charity they founded, HealingHands Foundation, to give back to those communities. I encourage you to check them out and see for yourself what they are about.
In addition to supplying the highest quality essential oils doTERRA is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of farmers, harvesters, and distillers who contribute to doTERRA’s oil production.
With more than 140 origin oils in its product line, doTERRA sources its oils from over 45 countries – more than half of which could be considered developing countries. To ensure that small scale farmers and harvesters in disadvantaged areas are treated ethically, doTERRA has introduced an initiative called Co-Impact Sourcing.
…Co-Impact Sourcing seeks to develop long-term, mutually beneficial supplier partnerships while creating sustainable jobs and providing reliable income in underdeveloped areas. doTERRA is committed to the ethical treatment of its suppliers by providing on-time payments at fair prices.
https://www.doterra.com/US/en/co-impact-sourcing
There are so many amazing recipes out there, and I’ve been compiling a whole bunch of them over on Pinterest, so feel free to check out my Essentially Oiled Machine board and pin away! I’ve also made up a few of my own, which I plan to share with you along the way, so make sure you’re subscribed to the blog so you don’t miss a post, and stay tuned!
Enjoy!
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