Monday, April 15, 2013

The Essential Things of Life

So last time we bore our gory sickie souls to you all... And while you got the prettied up version, I'm sure it was enough for you to walk away with at least an inkling of sympathy for anyone with chronic illness and the flu!

Today's topic is rather tame, and even––dare I say––exhilarating, for those on a quest for wellness or even wholeness.

A few years ago, a friend of mine from church shared with me a tiny smidgeon about therapeutic grade essential oils and their benefit in our lives. I bought a few of them and began using them, very infrequently, around the house and a few times on our bodies to ward off sickness. I quickly forgot about using them so much and they sat, unused, on my shelf. (Thankfully they don't go rancid, like cooking oils do!)

The problem was, however, that I just didn't know the science behind these things, and with my personality, that was a problem... I needed more info and didn't know to ask at the time. And that is ok. Because there is definitely a reason for everything, even if we don't understand it at any given time.

Well, as you read last time, when we were hit with the plague (okay, the flu, but it felt like the plague!!!) I called my friend up for a diffuser. I still had a blend from Young Living, called Thieves, that would be perfect for this sort of thing.

Thieves is an interesting name, no? It bears this name because of where it was discovered. Back in England during the time of the plague, there was a band of grave robbers who would go into the homes and such of people who were sick and dying/dead from the plague. They would douse themselves with a blend of oils and enter the homes... And not get sick. Truth. When these bandits were captured, they revealed their oil blend to the authorities in exchange for a lesser sentence. Nice, huh? Well, this is the blend that is inside every bottle of Thieves. It is very anti-everything bad for you. Anti-bacterial, -microbial, -fungal, -viral. Everything! It also helps to bolster the immune system and more. It has a list of positive attributes that would rival even the fairest in the land.

We immediately started diffusing the Thieves as well as applying one drop on the bottoms of our feet nightly. When the oils are diffused, tiny microscopic particles of the oils are lifted into the air. The ones that are airborne actually kill pathogens in the air. The ones we inhale go directly into our bloodstream via the lungs. Most essential oils are molecularly small enough to cross the blood-brain-barrier; something most pharmaceuticals cannot do.

Our recovery from the flu was quicker than we had anticipated. What's more, I have heard from so many families in our area and in my home state how they have all relapsed. We have not. Immune-boosting power.
The reason they are called essential oils is simple: it is everything essential to the life of the plant. Nature is full of pathogens that are not only out to get us humans, but also any living thing. Plants are susceptible to illness just as we are. Think of their essential oils as their immune system. And they are powerful. Here's a great example of the power-packed punch of an essential oil: one solitary drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 24 cups of peppermint tea! That is no joke. Just 3 drops in a two-gallon container was enough for a refreshing water beverage.

I have one more thing to say on today's post about essential oils. These oils MUST be therapeutic grade or you honestly do not know what you are getting. Some oils are chemically distilled/extracted, and residues of these chemicals can be left in the end product. Others could be blended with a carrier oil and still be called "pure essential oil" or what have you. There are even more specifics, such as harvesting time and procedure, organic issues, and more. So I urge you, if you want to give this a try, please don't go to the local shop and pick up a $6 bottle of "essential oil." There are perfume and food grades that are largely lab-derived, and do not possess the healing qualities that therapeutic grade oils have.

More to come on how these oils are fitting into my life with Lyme. Until then, keep your chin up and steady on friends.

No comments:

Post a Comment