Search and Research

Search and Research

So how effective are essential oils when it really comes down to it? Sure, people have claims but testimonials from strangers are a dime a dozen. After all where is the proof? Well that is a tall order. Not because there is a lack of information, but because there is quite a bit of information. While there are areas in which studies have not been done and there is a long way to go, there is quite a bit out there already, despite reluctance from a number of interests. There is enough information that it takes a lot of time and effort to wade through it all. It is a particularly daunting task if you are a layman. Studies abound of various types but what has merit and what does not? How do you digest all of the information? Where to start?

 

There is only a small amount of ground that we can cover in a few short paragraphs. But consider a flu study out of Oklahoma in which influenza virus infectivity was suppressed by doTerra's On Guard essential oil treatment in a dose-dependent manner. The number of nascent viral particles released was reduced by 90% when virus was treated with 1 to 4,000 dilution and by 40% with a 1 to 6,000 dilution of the oil. Oil treatment of the virus also decreased direct infection of the cells as the number of infected cells decreased by 90% when virus was treated with 1 to 2,000 dilution of On Guard and by 45% with a 1 to 3,000 dilution of the oil. The suggestion appears to be that the antiviral effect may be due to inhibition of viral protein translation. No matter the reason, it is an impressive result.

 

There are also some interesting studies dealing with postoperative nausea. Anecdotal evidence abounds about the effectiveness of peppermint in staving off nausea. This led to a study from Liverpool University in which patients that were not in the control group inhaled either synthetic peppermint or peppermint essential oil after surgery. The results of the study demonstrated that those exposed to the synthetic substitute had twice the nausea as those using natural essential oil. In another study conducted in North Carolina patients were administered either isopropyl alcohol, ginger essential oil, or a combination of ginger, spearmint, peppermint, and cardamom. Aromatherapy with essential oils was found to be an effective, noninvasive, and cost effective treatment for postoperative nausea. 

 

How about work from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in 2003 dealing with helicobacter pylori, a microorganism found in the stomach that is responsible for ulcers and so much more. The thirteen different essential oils used were found to be bactericidal against helicobacter pylori without the development of an acquired resistance. Lemongrass was found to be particularly effective. Think about this as an alternative to antivirals, which viruses adapt to.

 

So where does this leave us?  A couple of quick references to a few favorable studies does not constitute significant proof on the validity of essential oils as an alternative method for dealing with a plethora of health issues. Does it? But... but, but, but. But there is so much more. Studies are showing up in more and more quarters, and the results of these studies are becoming harder to ignore. Rather than waiting to be told by the 'experts' what is good for you, perhaps it is time to take more ownership. The research is being done. The data is out there. While it seems overwhelming and the vocabulary and level of detail is intense, a person can wrap their brain around scholarly articles and scientific studies. It just takes some time, effort, and patience. As a layman writing a short blog, I have hardly done justice to the studies that I refer to, but I have made you the reader aware of them. Now it is your turn. Verify some of the things that you hear and read about. I would recommend Aromatics Science (https://www.aromaticscience.com/)  or PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) to start out. YOU can do this. You CAN be the expert on your own health and happiness. And WE will be here to help you along the way. Ultimately that ball is in your court.

 

Contact me with questions or follow us on other social networks. We are here for you.

Working Together

Working Together

It is reassuring to know that you are not alone. While I personally crave some time on my own, so that I can think, exercise, and be creative, I also like to be part of a larger whole. It is good to have a sense of belonging and to be part of a greater community, particularly when that community is working toward a greater good. At this writing, I am in the process of meeting with and working with a several people that have chosen not only to use essential oils in their lives, but to share their knowledge with others. We are meeting to go over a great number of things, ultimately we are sharing information and insights about our own journeys and listening to the perspectives and experiences of others. 

I am in the process of sharing with this group my insights about using the Internet and digital media to share information about doTerra essential oils online. It is difficult on some levels to do because there is so much information in such a limited amount of time to share it in. But you pass on what you can in the hope that it helps others. Lisa Skrzypczynski is teaching us about essential oils, how to use them, why, and how to share them and succeed. Ann McCotter is talking about us about positive attitude, dream fulfillment, and goal setting. There has been a lot of sharing going on and it is grand. It is so important to share with others when and where you can. It is also so nice to hear the experiences and insights of others.

I love growing, I love helping others grow. It does not matter what the subject is, growth is always the desired goal. At least it always should be for all of us. The alternative is stagnation, and stagnation is the road to decay. We go through life seeking new knowledge, improved skills, and better ways of doing things. It is when we help one another that that we grow the most. Cooperation and shared experience is a powerful thing. No matter what you do or are involved in, I encourage you to engage others, share with them, learn from them, give to them. Those are the steps that we need to take so that we can work together.

Thank you to all that took part in this great event. If you are interested in future dotTerra events in the Oshkosh, WI area, contact Marge Woodfill at margewoodfill@gmail.com

New Challenges

New Challenges

It is exciting when we find ourselves acquiring new skills and knowledge. As we build our skills and knowledge, new challenges arise, and we learn yet more as we face those challenges. Recent weeks have been exactly that. As I have read and communicated with others I have begun to gain new insights. I have also found new ways to challenge myself. 

It is not any one thing, but many in my case. I am part of a group that trains youth to run 10k runs, and while many of us are fairly dedicated runners it does become difficult to get the outdoor miles that one would like due to lack of daylight. As an additional measure to cross-train and condition ourselves by taking yoga classes at Northwoods Yoga in Gillett. What a fun new way to challenge ourselves both physically and mentally. 

As we have been busy putting together new content and ideas to share we have had to learn new ways of thinking, seeing, and communicating. In many cases these are small issues, but cumulatively these bits and pieces of new ideas and how to implement them turn in to larger challenges as well.

And of course regarding essential oils there is always a new story to share. I have been reading about specific issues as I talk with friends, family, and colleagues and learned so much. I came across an interesting, if small study from Australia that suggests that melaleuca may have a role intreating skin cancer. I also was told that a spray that we put together consisting of 15 drop melaleuca, 15 drops eucalyptus, 15 drops lavender and an ounce of fractionated coconut oil caused fresh scabs to heal and fall of within a day. It seems like every couple of days I am hearing about something like this and it really pumps me up to keep sharing with you. 

That said, I want to let you know that if you are in the Oshkosh area on Saturday, January 

25th, 2014 come look for us at the Country Living & Natural Health Expo in the Sunnyview Expo Center. There will be hundreds of exhibits and activities and family fun. It is the largest health, fitness, nutrition, and green living expo in Wisconsin and we will be there. Admission is free. We are very excited to be part of this event. Marge Woodfill, Pat Birschbach, Cari Erickson, and Kris Piaskowski will be there to answer any and all questions that they can regarding essential oils. They are all very knowledgable and will be thrilled to help you.

We learn new skills, new ideas, new ways of doing things and strive to put them together in new and innovative ways. And in doing so we change the world. 

Finding What You Need

Finding What You Need

It is a strange thing to realize that you do, at this reading, have, for the most part, the whole of human knowledge at your disposal. In a matter of a few clicks you can be learning about any subject in all fields of human understanding. Think about that for a moment. Anything that you want to learn about, see, hear, or experience is there to discover in one form or another. With a small amount of time, effort, and perhaps some guidance, you have the ability to master any number of areas.

Navigating through all of that information can be difficult though. Yes, the opening salvo is simple enough. It is a small matter to go to the Internet and type a few keywords into a search engine, but what to do with the results. The untold thousands of results will vary. There will be wikis, blogs, and advertisements. There will be sites, of all types, dispositions, quality, and accuracy. And they will be there by the millions. How to wade through all of that?

Researching subjects like essential oils are a good example. There are so many websites with so much information. But often it is conflicting information. Standard fact checks, encyclopedias, and so forth commonly have a lag in the timeliness of the information that they offer. Wading through data on medical trials and studies is a Herculean task for most laypeople. Blogs and websites range all over the map in what they offer. Some offer the views of skeptics and critics that will deny the obvious, others offer the views of cheerleaders embracing difference for its own sake. Often the seemingly contradictory information is based on different product lines from different companies with varying qualities. Often for example, I will come across warnings about the danger of ingesting essential oils and yet I know that almost all doTERRA essential oils are perfectly safe for human consumption. I know this because doTERRA oils are all Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade. 100%. No additives, no preservatives, no chemicals, no surprises.

So what to do? The main thing is to look for sources that you can trust, and voices that you can have some confidence in. For my part, as time goes by I shall try to direct you, the reader of this blog, links to sites that can help you on your quest for knowledge in this area. It is important that we share information, ideas, and opinions. That is how we grow as individuals and as a society.

For the moment, if you have questions you can post a message to me on this site. Another option is to message us on Facebook or Twitter at Ben Doing doTERRA. Or of course, you can email either me at educatorunderground@gmail.com or Kris at kris_piaskowski@yahoo.com. We will do our best to answer your questions and refer you to an appropriate source.

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.