*For those new to my blog, check out the beginnings of ABC Summers here.*
Yes, this is far off the course of ABC ideas. But my family has truly changed since becoming loyal Young Living Essential Oils users almost three years ago. It's time for me to share with all of you!
I had been using essential oils from Campbell's Nutrition for years before finding YL. I used them for aromatherapy purposes, for cleaning my yoga mat, and for making air fresheners and disinfectants. I thought they were fine, but then I started hearing more and more about Young Living through acquaintances on Facebook.
If it hadn't been trusted friends that were posting testimonies, I would have been more skeptical. Since I did, in fact, trust their opinions, it didn't take me long to go to a workshop in one of their homes. In less than two hours, I was completely sold on Young Living. And I had my husband 80% convinced by the end of the night (men are naturally a bit more skeptical).
A little background history of our family's minor medical issues for you... I have suffered from seasonal allergies my entire life. My three children all displayed symptoms of the same allergies from the time they were two years old. My husband, while being allergy-free most of his life, "grew into" allergies in his 30s, though not nearly as severe as the rest of us. I was using Flonase nasal spray every day and often had to supplement with Claritin to "survive" the long cottonwood season in IA. Our kiddos used Children's Claritin from the day of the first spring thaw to the first hard freeze in the fall. Also, our oldest tends to get ear infections (twice resulting in ruptured ear drums when he was five) every time he catches a cold and he is very prone to catch strep throat if it's been anywhere near him. When he gets strep, he is one those special kids who displays strep rash (aka Scarlet Fever). It's a lovely rash that starts on the trunk and can spread over the entire body. Not itchy, but hot and uncomfortable, not to mention unsightly.
All that said, I purchased my Essential 9 starter kit from Young Living in January 2012. While anxiously awaiting the kit's arrival, my youngest, my husband, and I all caught the respiratory flu within 48 hours. We had all been vaccinated (and yes, I am still a firm believer in vaccinations regardless of loving my oils), but that year's vaccination combo had not covered the flu strain that made the rounds fastest. I was the only one who went to my family practitioner, who assured me that if we hadn't received the flu shots, we'd be sicker for longer. So, I gladly took the Tamiflu she prescribed (and so did my husband). It was truly the sickest I've ever felt. Our baby got over it very quickly with no meds. Two days after I felt better, my oils came. Now, they'd already been exposed and hadn't caught the flu, but just to be safe I began slathering my older two children's feet with Thieves oil. They never did catch the flu bug that winter.
Thieves oil is an amazing blend that helps to support our immune systems. I put it on my children's feet (this part of the body absorbs oils very quickly and isn't sensitive to potent oils like thinner skinned body parts) every night of the school year to protect them from all the sickies that go around school. They still catch minor colds, but that's typically it. I also only use Thieves hand soap, Thieves household cleaner (great on my hard floors and in the laundry with Norwex detergent), Thieves hand sanitizer, and Thieves spray, which I'll mention again soon. My two oldest children also love the Thieves toothpaste.
That spring I decided to chance not buying Claritin for our family. This felt like a big risk, but I knew I could go buy it if necessary. Rather than daily doses of purple chewables or liquid, I rubbed a drop of lavender oil on the base of our necks (right where the skull meets the spine) each morning. If one of us had a case of the sniffles or itchy eyes, I added a little lavender on our cheekbones. My daughter loves lemon oil under her nose if she's stuffy. Not only have we not used OTC allergy meds since buying the oils, but also stopped needing the lavender oil as often this year. In fact, we only used it a handful of times. And I threw away my Flonase. I can't claim that the oil made our allergies go away, but I do know that none of us have displayed major allergy symptoms for over two years.
Here's my big child-related oil testimony. In July of 2012, our oldest went to Bible camp for 5 nights. We picked him up on Friday, found out that his cabin counselor had a nasty sore throat, and heard an hour later that our son's throat hurt. We were leaving the next morning for the Wisconsin Dells to meet my side of the family for a little vacation. Saturday morning he had a low-grade temp, but was excited about the trip. I sprayed his throat with Thieves spray. This is not for the faint-hearted, but it works wonders on sore throats. He wasn't complaining too much by that evening. The next day was a big, long day of hard playing at the Chula Vista water park. By 3:00, he was wiped out. This is not at all like him, so we knew he still wasn't feeling well. We went for an early dinner, and headed to our hotel to get the kids cleaned up and ready for bed. After L's shower, he showed us the bad news. There was a familiar rash creeping up his tummy and lower back. We were out of state and not even planning to head for home after the trip (plans were to go to my in-laws' for the annual 4th of July celebration). His temp was 101° (I'd packed the thermometer since he'd been under the weather when we left home). As my heart sank, I sprayed his throat with Thieves, rubbed more Thieves on everyone's feet, tucked him into bed, and went to call our pediatrician's office. I begged the after-hours nurse to check his chart (to prove that sore throat + rash *always* = strep in his case) and call in a prescription to the pharmacy nearest my in-laws', where we were heading the next day. She refused. Sadly coming to the conclusion that we'd have to miss the 4th of July fun we always had with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, I went to check on L. I had decided to apply some lavender to his rash and see if it helped at all. As I pulled up his PJs, he sleepily informed me that he'd been praying God would make the strep go away. Wait for it... No rash. Not even a sign of it. I checked his temp and it was down to 99.5°. My husband and I just stared at each other. Never had one of his rashes gone away without antibiotics. It was crazy. He slept soundly and rested more on the way to his grandparents' the next day. Our daughter (who is the lucky one who vomits with the strep virus) had a fever and threw up one night on the farm, but felt better the next day. I firmly believe we fought off the strep virus with a heavy duty combo of essential oils and prayer.
One last big testimony for you. Before starting with YL, I was taking Prozac half of each month. This wasn't for depression, but for extreme PMS issues. I'd never had PMS problems until my youngest was born. I seriously felt like a crazy person for up to a full week before my cycle would start. It would be so bad that I would scream at my family for no good reason. The screaming episodes would be like an out-of-body experience: I could see myself doing it, but I could not get control. It was scary for everyone involved. After discussing this with a close friend (whose father was a pharmacist), she shared that she'd had similar issues in the past and her dad had recommended Prozac. I made an appointment with my OB-GYN, and she agreed. She explained that Prozac works differently in women who do not have depression. I would take it from day 15 of my cycle until the next one started. It worked wonders and I felt normal again. I also had nasty heartburn from the Prozac, and I just didn't like the idea of taking a prescription so often. Once I'd started YL, I began researching alternatives to the Prozac. The best suggestion I found was to blend basil oil with Dragon Time (a blend of oils specifically for preventing PMS bloating and cramping). The basil was supposed to help with irritation during PMS. Let me tell you, I was scared to stop the Prozac. What if I felt crazy again? I didn't want to be that kind of mom or wife. I decided to try it for one month. Praise the Lord, the oils worked just like the Prozac. Without a single side effect (other than smelling like black licorice from the fennel oil in the Dragon Time... My sister is the only one who regularly mentions this).
Those are my big stories, but we truly use YL oils every day. Aside from the Thieves, I also protect my children with Ningxia Red juice, which has strong antioxidants. We use this in place of vitamins, and it can be blended into smoothies for those who don't care for the strong wolfberry taste. My children all drink it straight, however.
We keep our oils in two places: a kitchen drawer (I use an old egg carton to organize them) and one of my bathroom drawers. Most of them have labels on the lids so we can find them easily. The oils we use the most are lavender (great in place of Neosporin for cuts, scrapes, and burns), Purification (a blend that cleanses the air of any nasty smells and is a great acne deterrent), peppermint (for tummy aches, head aches, and sinus congestion), PanAway (a blend for muscle aches or bruises), Peace and Calming or StressAway (blends for just what they sound like), Raven (a blend for really icky coughs or sore throats), Digize (a blend for tummy issues too strong for peppermint), RC (a blend for nasal congestion that is too much for peppermint, lavender, or lemon), and Progessence Plus (a blend that is great for helping women keep hormones in balance).
I also keep the two sheets shown above hanging in the cabinet near our oils drawer. I have all sorts of notes written on them about how the 9 essential oils can be used. You can also see the reference book in my oils drawer. Some call this the "oils bible." It has been very beneficial in finding what oils to use for certain ailments. I love this book!
My husband is now completely sold on YL oils as well. He talks up the Thieves with co-workers, and he testifies that our children haven't needed antibiotics since we've relied on the oils. I finally got our oldest through a double ear infection without resorting to a doctor's appointment or meds just a couple weeks ago. It took diligence, but it worked.
I know that many people are leery of "new-age" homeopathic medicine options. However, oils are mentioned in the Bible many times for their healing properties. There are entire books and classes about the healing oils of the Bible. There are many, many different brands of essential oils. The oils sold in stores (like I used to buy) may say "100% essential oil" on the bottle, but if you look more closely, they also warn against using topically or ingesting internally. There are very few YL oils that cannot be used internally or topically. This isn't just aromatherapy, friends, it is a real, healthy, non-pharmaceutical based alternative to OTC medicine. It is working for my family! If you'd like more information about Young Living, please do not hesitate to ask me. :)
