Thankfulness and Family

Thankfulness and Family

Thanksgiving stands at the cusp of autumn and winter, a time of transition and reverie. While New Years is often given the credit for reflection upon both what lies ahead and has transpired, it is during  Thanksgiving that we give such reflection context. This is truly the holiday of, by, and for the family. It is the essential holiday in many ways when you look at it simply through the prism of family. Yes, Easter, Christmas, and Hanukkah are vital religious holidays and times of family. Independence Day and Halloween offer their measures of family fun and also context for ourselves in important shared experiences. Like Independence Day, we have times like Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, President's Day, and Martin Luther King Day to also serve as punctuation marks to ideals that we value. Saint Patrick and Saint Valentine have sadly devolved somewhat, so rather than being viewed as religious days by Americans they are now more akin to Punxsutawney Phil's special day; non the less we have fun with them and are glad to celebrate. I could go on, but to the larger point.

Thanksgiving is unique. While it looks to the harvest, as the roots of Halloween once partially did, it is something entirely different. Think for a moment about the rituals and actions of Thanksgiving. What do we do? We gather, we eat, we visit. We say thank you, mostly offered as a prayer. No gifts, fireworks, noisemakers, costumes, or games. At least not as central parts of this holiday. We gather with family and sup together as we offer a bit of gratitude. Sure, the details vary. 'Family' might be friends, but they are close friends. We might go hunting before of after. We might be watching football as we feast. We might dress up or we might show up in blaze orange. If you are far enough north you might be setting up an ice shanty that day. But no matter how you slice it, Thanksgiving is about a shared moment of thankfulness with family. It is what we do as a people.

We should be thankful and thoughtful about our families. It is why we do so many of the things that we do. The health, happiness, and wholeness of our families does matter to us all. It informs the choices that we make. At the end of the day it is those that we care for are what matter. They are essential to us. When we chose an activity, food, or medicine for our families, we give the matter time and consideration because we cherish our families and want what is best for them. OUR families consistent use of essential oils is because we have tried them, read about them, spoken to experts on them, and as a result we have come to see them as a valuable addition to the life of our family. DoTERRA essential oils have aided us and our children through ailments and injuries, flavored our foods and beverage, cleaned our house, and eased our minds. So while my Thanksgiving prayer did not include doTERRA essential oils they are something that I am still grateful for, as in a fairly short period in my life they have had such an impact upon us. But in the end essential oils are simply a tool for aiding and enriching our lives. As we gather with family and friends in the coming weeks for holiday celebrations, keep in mind how important they are. No matter how difficult things can be it is all about family.

Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

Having Your Cake and Eating It Too

One particularly beautiful thing about essential oils is that they add to your quality of life. And this is particularly true with doTERRA. Unlike many other brands of essential oils, most doTERRA essential oils are ingestible. One reason for this is because doTERRA oils are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade. That means they are guaranteed to be 100% pure, which gives a whole extra dimension of possibilities to your use of oils. Think about it. No chemicals, no additives, no preservatives. Nothing but the best. 

Aromatic use of essential oils is a well known method of using the scent of purified oils extracted from plants to elicit a physical or psychological response in dealing with ailments. This is a practice that is age old and well documented. In addition to physical ailments, aromatherapy can be used for cognitive functioning and mood enhancement. This is what people often think about when they think of essential oils. There is mounting evidence in the form of studies regarding this. Peppermint stimulates mental awareness and wakefulness. Lavender aids in relaxation. Lemon is effective for mood elevation and relief of stress. And so forth. Moreover, it is pleasant. But regardless of citing studies on the correlation between aroma and various responses the real beauty of essential oils is that in addition to what they do for you, they are pleasing. How often can you say that about medicine.

The bigger thing to highlight though is taste. My family consistently uses essential oils in our food and drink. If you look at my Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest aptly titled 'Ben Doing doTERRA' you will see a few pictures from time to time of dishes and drinks that we have crafted using essential oils. Generally it is pretty simple, a drop of something like lime or lemon in a drink, any drink. Adding a drop or two to just your drinking water works wonders. Water becomes something that you look forward to. In addition to hydrating your body, which most of us fall well short on, you are selecting compounds that serve a beneficial purpose for your health. A small amount of time on everythingessential.me can help you select oils that work for you and your needs. In the case of water the flavor that you are adding is not overbearing, sweetened, false and carries with it the benefits of the oils that you have selected. In any number of recipes simply substituting an ingredient for a few drops of oil is so simple. Ranging from dips to desserts and from marinades to marmalades adding essential oil to your food is fun, simple, and delicious. How often can you say that about medicine. So in the case of doTERRA essential oils, you can have your cake and eat it too.

If you have questions please contact me on this blog, on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Also you may email me at educatorunderground@gmail.com. 

Good Medicine

Good Medicine

Cold season comes. What to do? First and foremost is to not get sick in the first place. One common preventative measure is to consistently put a drop of lemon essential oil into your drinking water. If I feel concerned about a cold coming on I will rub a drop of OnGuard on my thyroids. If I feel like the immune system needs a bit more help then I make a "magic bullet". A magic bullet consists of two drops of melaleuca, tho drops of oregano, two drops of OnGuard, and four drops of lemon, all in a vegetable capsule. These steps seem to work very well. I get sick less often and with less severity since I have started doing this. OnGuard is an immune system booster, and the "magic bullets"deliver a double whammy to the viruses that cause the common cold. Oregano is particularly effective as an antiseptic and anti bacterial agent. Melaleuca is great for dealing a variety of fungi and bacteria.  And lemon is an excellent antibacterial agent. Put all of these items together and you have a powerful medicine. These measure help prior to a cold in staving it off but also with minimizing and shortening the cold itself.

Despite trying to be on top of things sometimes you get sick nonetheless. Essential oils can help with that also. Breathe helps clear the nasal passages brilliantly. Lacking Breathe, peppermint is a great standby. The other day, my nose was really clogged up and I happened to have a sample bottle of peppermint which I placed by my nostril and inhaled directly. Clear nostrils for the rest of the day. I also had a mildly sore throat. I placed a drop of lemon and a drop of OnGuard in a shot glass and filled it with water. I then gargled with a bit of it to ease my throat.  It worked nicely. Overall though, I felt somewhat miserable, miserable enough that I was concerned that I would not be able to sleep well. Two drops of lavender essential oil in a glass of water before bed and I slept like a baby. To top it off, I even have some not quite perfect, home made cough drops, made from honey and OnGuard.

I could go on, but the point is that I and my family have found some simple, effective, ways to deal with basic illnesses at home thats to doTERRA essential oils. You can too. That is a good thing to keep it mind as the cold weather approaches. If you have questions contact 'bendoingdoterra' on Facebook or Twitter. We are happy to help.

Are Essential Oils Safe?

Are Essential Oils Safe?

So you keep hearing about essential oils and in some cases they sound amazing. Maybe you have experimented a bit with them but are a little uptight. Can something as potent as essential oils be safe? I mean there have got to be some dangers or side effects, don't there? I remember having a significant concern myself when I first started using essential oils about a wound that I had had stitched shut and whether or not I should put oils on the wound. In retrospect, knowing what I know now, I wish that I had been more aggressive in my use of oils at the time. So from my perspective, I am very comfortable with essential oils for myself and my entire family. That said, there are always things to be aware of. This is science, after all, not magic. As such we must consider if there are possible tradeoffs to be aware of regarding our choices.

Most essential oils are perfectly safe and do not have any negative effects. They are also strongly antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antiviral which makes them safe to use not only medically but also for cleaning. Because of their extremely small molecular size, essential oils are not only easily absorbed by the body but they also do not accumulate in the body. That said, as with anything that you put into your body it is important to be educated in their use and to use them properly.

Let's start with a few basics. Try not to get them in the eyes, any essential oil in the eye will sting. If you do get it in the eye, do not flush it out with water, that will only make it sting worse. Waiting it out seems to work the best but that can be tough to do. There are a few oils that are not really intended to be ingested even if you think that they should be. Most doTERRA essential oils are completely safe for consumption, particularly if diluted, but birch, cypress, cedarwood, eucalyptus, and wintergreen should not generally be used in this way. Also if you are allergic to a specific thing, you will in all likelihood be allergic that essential oil. Keep that in mind.

Good quality essential oils are concentrated and thus can be quite strong. This being the case, some oils applied directly to sensitive skin can be irritating. This is not the case with all oils but hot oils such as oregano, cinnamon, clove, thyme, and cassia should be used with caution when being applied directly to the skin. One way of using hot oils, or any oils for that matter on the skin is to use a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil, to dilute the essential oil. This is particularly true for children. Children have thinner more sensitive skin than adults, and as a result dosages might need to be more conservative and a carrier oil is advised. As with anything that is concentrated essential oils are not meant to be played with, it is advisable to keep them out of the reach of younger children. 

As with younger children a few cautions can be noted regarding pregnancy. It is important to use certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils in order to avoid any impurities. This is why product lines like doTERRA are such a Godsend, it is vital to know exactly what you are putting into your body and if it is what it is billed as. Aromatic use of most essential oils with the exception of birch, rosemary, thyme, or wintergreen is fine during pregnancy. For internal use basil, cinnamon, rosemary, and thyme are not recommended during pregnancy. And topically birch, cassia, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme and wintergreen are not recommended during pregnancy. Finally, the recommendation regarding doTERRA blends during pregnancy is that you consider diluting them as to make them less intense. Pregnancy is a time to be cherished and also a time to be cautious as you steward a young life into this world. Essential oils can play a key role during a pregnancy and can be used to great effect to ease some of the discomforts of carrying a child. A good starting point regarding pregnancy can be found on everything essential .me. 

As with all things in life there are pros and cons. Every choice that we make carries positives and negatives with it. Essential oils offer a clear, clean, comprehensive, and safe way of dealing with various aspects of our lives. They are quite safe in almost all regards carrying minimal risks and offering  any number of positives. Combined with proper diet, exercise, medical guidance, and a bit of education doTERRA essential oils are a safe and healthy option for your life. 

Family Essentials

Family Essentials

There are few things in life as fulfilling... or as maddening as parenting. It is difficult and daunting but we muddle our way through it. As much as we give up and sacrifice of ourselves it really does seem worthwhile on those few occasions when we really do manage to get things right. The problem is that it is pretty difficult to get things right most of the time. Children do not come with instruction manuals and the manuals that have been written are not always reliable, as if they were written for a different model of child then the ones that you have around. Add to that some of the seemingly impossible expectations of parenting nowadays and the fact that we do not exactly live in a child friendly society and you really can see how difficult it is to raise children today.

I remember when we were sent home from the hospital with our first child. We strapped him into the car and got in and looked at each other like "now what". It seemed strange that we were vested with the authority to take this little guy home. I still wonder most days if I am the right one for the job. At the time, I was terrified that this cute, little bundle of poop and baby puke was going to break when we weren't looking. From that point on everything that happened was virgin soil. Every fever, sniffle, bump, bruise, cut, scrape, sick tummy, rash was cause for fear. At least at first. Eventually you do start to get the hang of things and while you might not always get it right you at least don't get things totally wrong either. While that is cause for some satisfaction there are still a lot of frustrations.

Crying one month old babies don't generally explain to you what is wrong. Due to a lack of experience and vocabulary, children, even older ones, cannot always verbalize the specific nature of their problems. Sometimes you just cannot figure out what is wrong. Even when you do figure out what is wrong, you still need to help your little one through it and that is not always easy. One of the biggest frustrations as a parent is medication regarding kids. Age and medicine are a very frustrating mix. Most medications are not suitable for small children, sometimes it feels like until the age of twelve you can't give them anything without consulting a doctor. While there are medications available for children options are limited, effectiveness sometimes seems limited, and of course there you are pumping things into your child's body. 

This is where essential oils come in. DoTerra essential oils have been a Godsend for our family. For general health and wellness, illness, helping with sleep, concentration for homework, and so much more; essential oils have transformed the lives of our family. Balance and InTune have helped our kids with mental clarity. Peppermint, On Guard, DigestZen, 'magic bullets' and so forth have helped our kids avoid or deal with illness. Lavender and Serenity are helpful sleep aids in our house. The list continues.  Our children are becoming more self aware regarding their bodies and what they need. And we have no fear of overmedicating our children or the usual 'side effects' of taking medicine. My only regret is that I wish that our family had discovered essential oils sooner. Hopefully you can learn how to take advantage of what essential oils can offer your family.

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