What's in the bag-Lavender!

I have mixed feelings about writing a blog versus posting a video. After doing my first video workshop, I'm kind of in love! I had several bloopers :) I referred to back pain as a grumpy back! I'm not living that down in my boyfriend's eyes. But down to business.

Lavender is one of those oils that doesn't get enough credit. I once heard someone say, "if you don't know what oil to use, use lavender." That has never steered me wrong. I've heard people tell me that lavender smell gives them headaches and this might. I won't make a claim like that, but 95% of lavender fragrance is from the plant lavandin. One thing that is great for burns is Lavender, 100% pure theuraputic grade Lavender. Lavandin will actually push the burn in further. There's like 50+ strains of Lavender and only 2 are therapeutic. If you look at your Young Living label it will show you the Latin name. That guarantees you're getting the correct oil. Lavender is known for figuring out there's a problem and going after it!

I like to use Lavender for:
-I put it on my scarves for a nice fragrance, but also for relaxation. If you ever see my sniffing my scarves you know I've got an oil on it ;)
-I use it for infection and cuts.
-I put1 or 2 drops on a Q-tip and swab the inside of my nose for my allergies. With that and lemon water I've had no problems with my allergies this or last season.
-Bug bites and rashes.
-I put 2 drops of Lavender in my mascara and I think it's helping my eyelashes become thicker and longer.
-I love putting it on the crown of my dogs head for calming it helps to make her coat shiny.
-Lavender is great to diffuse as well!

Here's what the handy dandy reference book says about Lavender-
It's an analgesic, anticoagulant, anti-convulsive, antidepressant, anti-fungal, antihistamine, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory,antimicrobial, anti mutagenic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, anti-tumor, cardiotonic, regenerative and works as a sedative.

It can be used for: Acne, ADD/ADHD, allergies, anxiety, blisters, repelling bugs, calming burns, chapped lips, chicken pox, cholesterol, cooling, improving concentration. dandruff depression, diaper rash, dry skin, hair loss, high blood pressure, hives, impetigo, postpartum depression, scabies, scaring, sensitive skin, stretch marks, sunburn, wounds and wrinkles.

Thanks for reading!!

Essential Oils 101 Video!

I've been slacking, I'll admit it! It's been way too long since I've blogged. I decided today to take a break from the "what's in the bag" segment. I wanted to do a quick intro to oils class for people that are interested in what oils are, what they do and how to use them. In this video I explain the oils that come in the starter kit!

Please excuse the "ums" I'll work on that for next time :)

Also, I feel I could have done a better job of explaining why YL oils are different.
-Most essential oils on the market (like 95%) are 'perfume' oils. They don't have any medicinal s purposes. Young living oils do have medicinal properties. It's guaranteed through the Seed to Seal process (See why young living blog).
-They should be kept in a dark bottle. You'll notice the YL bottles are dark.
-YL oils are labeled and have a dietary supplement label.
-They should have no expiration date
-If it says should always be diluted or should not be taken internally--they're not therapeutic grade! .
-The Latin name should always be used. There's over 50 different strains of lavender, but only 2 have medicinal purposes. If you know the Latin name you know it's legit.
All of the essential oils I've seen at WholeFoods and other health food stores do not meet these standards

So enjoy, if you're new to oils or thinking about them I hope this helps! Here's a great visual about all the things the oils in the kit can do.

What's in the bag?-Lemon!

Lemon! I love it and always have it on hand. It's an oil that doesn't get enough credit. It's a simple and inexpensive oil ($11 wholesale) that does a ton! Just look at the above picture. When someone is new to oils, lemon is a great place to start! I use it in my water daily. Usually 2-3 drops a couple times a day (people new to oils should use 1-2 drops, 1-3 times daily to avoid overload of detoxification. Upcoming blog topic!).
It flavors water, but is beneficial! What's the point of using crystal light or other water additives when they're actually adding toxins to your body?! It's also great for the skin and breaking up mucus. If you're sick grab lemon, thieves, lavender and peppermint and you'll knock that thing out! I also use it if I've eaten or possibly drank too much :/ lemon water before bed after eating or drinking helps reduce bloating and the hangover feeling. Super great for cleaning and you can make a green non-toxic bleach with it for cleaning! I use it in a lemon water bath to clean fruit!

If drinking any oil use glass! If you use plastic the oil will actually disintegrate   the plastic. Sound scary? In your body it's doing the same thing, breaking down all that junk! Try putting a drop of lemon oil on plastic, cool science experiment! I started with a leftover snapple bottle until I splurged and bought a glass water bottle from Target. 

Here's a great testimony to Lemon from someone new to oils! After using lemon in her water for 1 week and doing nothing else different, this is the message I got!! I mean wow, after 1 week she was able to wear jeans she hadn't worn in a year.

It detoxes the liver; which the liver is another thing that doesn't get enough credit. The liver is responsible for cleansing blood before it's sent out to the rest of the body. For our purposes, lets call it the gate keeper. The liver works hand in hand with the pancreas, gallbladder and intestines to digest, absorb and process food. The liver also detoxifies chemicals and metabolizes drugs. As it does so, the liver secretes bile that ends up back in the intestines. The liver also makes proteins important for blood clotting and other functions. The liver is also a major gate keeper and storage bin for hormones. So, today when I had a rush of adrenaline aka epinephrine which probably also spiked my cortisol and norepinephrine my body absorbed what I needed. What was leftover, the liver takes and stores. We have hormone spikes on a daily basis due to stress, diet,environments and a bunch of other factors. The liver collects and stores all that to give us cleansed blood. Which is why lemon is awesome, helps clean out the gatekeeper/24 hour storage bin, aka the liver. 

The desk reference describes Lemon as having the following properties: anticancer, antidepressant, antiseptic, anti-fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, astringent, invigorating,  and tonic. 

Common primary uses: antioxidant, antiviral, anxiety, cleaning, brain injury, colds, concentration, constipation, Cushing's syndrome, depression, dish sanitizer, disinfecting, dysentery, fever, furniture police, gout, gum/ grease removal, heartburn, hangovers, kidney stones, malaria, mumps, overeating, varicose veins, water purification. 

Historically, lemon has been used to fight food poisoning, malaria and typhoid. Lemon has also been used to lower blood pressure and treat muscular aches and pains. I freaking love this oil :) 

Thanks for reading! 

What's in the bag?!- I always have these oils with me!

So, it's been awhile! This week I was in a funk! Work was busy and I've been busy outsisde of that and it equated to less sleep than normal. Joy, Lavender and Peppermint were used frequently to keep me from freaking out or sleeping out the week! In 25 years of life I've realized 2 important things. I don't do well when I'm huyngry or tired and look out if both happen at the same time! I don't have the hunger issues as much since eating paleo for 9 months, but sleepy still gets me!

Someone asked me a great question (thanks, Mallory!) "what's your favorite, can't live without oil?" I had to think, it's hard to narrow it to just one! But the winner is..... Peppermint! 

Peppermint oil is the bomb and has countless uses! I think it's my comfort oil, becaus it was the 1st oil I used and got my hooked! Lets go back to Febuary of last year. I had over indulged in cheesecake (this is pre-paleo), honestly I over indulged! I was sick, like get the sweatpants, cause the jeans cant' contain me sick! Don't judge, we've all been there :). Within a few minutes I felt less like throwing up than i first did. I also felt like sweatpants were no longer life or death. Within 10 minutes I felt so much better! Almost good enough to think about eating more cheesecake in the future, but I killed that thought despite peppermint rescuing me ;) 

I use it for tummy aches, body aches, congestion, flavoring to food, headaches, concentration, to stay awake while driving or listening to boring conversations, stress, to improve my workouts (increases cellular respiration=more oxygen=breath better=better workouts), cool me off, allergies and digestion. I came close to running out of it one time and I kinda freaked. Sound crazy? Well use this oil and you'll figure out what I'm talking about. Now, oils respond individually to a person's body, so maybe peppermint won't be your favorite, but it'll be a top 5! The cool thing about peppermint is that it amplifies whatever oil it tops. So If I put Valor on my back because it's sore and then layer peppermint on top, voila! Amplified affects of Valor, plus the benefits of peppermint! 

Here's what my handy-dandy desk reference says about peppermint ( I love this book! You can look anything up in it!) http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/Book_Reference_Guide_Softcover_p/1001.htm

It's properties include: analgesic, antibacterial, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory (prostrate and nerves), antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral and invigorating. 

Common uses: alertness, airborne allergies, skin allergies, antibacterial, antioxidant, asthma, autism, bad breath,brain injury, carpal tunnel, chronic fatigue syndrome, cold sores, concentration, constipation, cooling, cramps, crohn's, diarrhea, energizing, fainting, fever, flu, fas, headache, heartburn, heatstroke, hemorrhoids, hives, hot flashes, indigestion, IBS, itching, jet lag, memory, migraine, morning sickness, motion sickness, MS, muscle fatigue, nausea, ringworm, scabies, sciatica, tennis elbow, varicose veins and vomiting. 

Thanks for reading, folks! The next few blogs will be going over what oils I always have in my purse! 

How to order oils

Go to this site

https://www.youngliving.com/signup/?isoCountryCode=US&isoLanguageCode=en&type=DISTRIBUTOR

Pick to be a retail customer or wholesale customer.

My member number is 1412935

Fill in the information

Pick your starter kit if a wholesale customer/start shopping if retail.

Order

Enjoy the benefits of using oils

Ask any question no matter how small or trivial :)

So why Young Living

Hello all! If you read my first blog, thanks! If this is your 1st visit, welcome! Let me get to the good part, if you read this blog and are the first to message me and order the Premium Starter Kit I'll give you a free quick desk reference! It has almost every health problem or issues and the protocol to treat it using oils! It also has all of Young Living's products, their chemical make up and what they're used for! It's an awesome resource ! So, read this, message me and order a kit 1st and it's yours!

Today we're talking about why I picked Young Living. Lets not kid ourselves, theres's a lot of oil companies out there! You an go to Whole Foods or Hyvee Health Market and buy oils, but they aren't the same quality. I'll give the actual reasons why Young Living is of higher quality, but here's my opinion in Danielle language :).

#1 They stand behind their product. Meaning that they test it themselves, but also send it out to other labs to make sure it's of highest quality. No one does that! Heck, medical companies, shampoo companies and car companies don't do that. It's an excellent checks and balances system! Gary Young (Founder) travels all over the world looking for the best plants and then he buys where the plant is located...leads me to #2

#2 They own and oversee everything! They can guarantee quality because they oversee planting, growing, harvesting and distilling. Again, no one does that. Remember when Aldi's had the Horse Meat deal? That happened because they didn't oversee the production of a product that they were selling. They bought it from someone that said this is "beef" and took it at their word. Young Living owns the farms, that grows the plants, that makes the oils. Pretty cool! It's kind of like a CSA or a grocery store. If I'm at a CSA I know the farmer. I know how the farmer grows the plants and cares for them. I know how they handle the plant. If I go to the store all I know about the food is that it's at the store.

#3 They're organic! Enough said :) they even weed  by hand.

#4 It's a company that genuinely cares about its customers. They as a company are committed to making people better. Most companies can't claim that. If you have doubts read this    http://www.worldpeacecaravan.org Gary young is also currently building a hospital in Somalia. They're committed to people and I like that!

#5 They work! I can't give examples for all the ways they've helped me and reaffirmed that they work, its a ton. Whether I'm angry and need some joy. I'm getting sick and use thieves to stop it. Peppermint for my headaches or lemon to help me feel less bloated and yucky! I mentioned the biggest yesterday. Endometriosis literally made me hate a lot of things, including my body. Sure working out and eating better has helped, but using oils, especially progressence plus  made doing those things feasible and enjoyable! Heck even hospitals are figuring out that oils work! Here's a list of hospitals actively using oils! http://www.younglivingoilsforlife.com/general/essential-oils-being-used-in-hospitals/

Here's the Seed to Seal Process from YL's website that does a much better job of explaining why the oils are quality. I just needed to get my opinion in too :)

Seed to Seal

When it comes to our essential oils, Young Living sets the standard for purity and authenticity. We carefully monitor the production of our oils from beginning to end through our unique Seed to Seal® process, ensuring the purity of each essential oil and protecting nature’s living energy in every bottle.

For more than two decades, we've diligently overseen every step of this process, both on our own global farms and with our carefully vetted partner farms.This unsurpassed commitment to quality means that you can be confident that the Young Living essential oils and oil-infused products you use in your home are safe and effective.

Seed

Powerful, effective essential oils come from seeds and plants that are verified for their essential oil potential by Young Living experts, partnering with university experts.

Cultivate

Young Living farms, located around the globe, are dedicated to perfecting the best growing and harvesting methods. Our experts also travel the world visiting our co-op farms to verify that their growing and cultivating processes match our high standards. These operations provide an ongoing source for essential oils that meet Young Living’s demanding quality standards.

Distill

Combining ancient and modern techniques, Young Living is recognized as an innovator in essential oil distillation. We use a gentle, proprietary technique for steam extracting the most effective essential oils, as well as using cold pressing and resin tapping methods for select oils.

Test

Young Living never accepts diluted, cut, or adulterated oils. To guarantee consistent quality, our oils are tested in Young Living’s own internal labs, as well as in third-party facilities, to ensure that they meet stringent specifications, exceed international standards, and contain the optimal levels of natural bioactive compounds.

Seal

Young Living completes the Seed to Seal process in its 107,000-square-foot facility in Spanish Fork, Utah. Using state-of-the-art equipment, each essential oil is carefully bottled into protective amber glass bottles—ready to be shipped to members worldwide.

Thanks for reading! Over and out Boy and Girl Scouts! ohh and if you have questions or comments I'd love to hear them! 

Why oils?

So, why oils?! Is it because I'm a hippie? I like alternative things? Tired of being sick and tired? Needed something new? Was sick and tired of being sick and tired! Frustrating diagnosis? Lack of answers from the medical world? No where else to turn? Well, it was all of those things!

Most of my life I've felt healthy, but not healthy. My mom will tell you that one of her earliest memories of me is getting sick, a lot. I was no stranger to antibiotics or doctors in general. Heck I wanted to be a doctor at one point in life! So after years of being sick on and off, having migraines, stomach  issues, anxiety, sleep disorders, an autoimmune disease, weight gain, chronic fatigue and I don't know what else, but there's probably more. I started to feel as if I got treatment for symptoms, but no one could ever really make me feel better. I take that back, the chiropractor always made a difference and still does to this day. I learned to deal with the anxiety and put the pills down, but still had it. My stomach issues got okay, but weren't great. I still got sick a lot, that didn't change, but I did drink orange juice with my antibiotics :) my autoimmune got better with less stress, shocker (that's for another blog). The weight was the weight, but was never great. My college years I was the most fit. Make sense since basketball was paying for my college, but still, I didn't feel great.

So, why the oils? The final straw for me was January 2013. I have always had very irregular womanly things, but it got worse. My abdomen would become so bloated that I couldn't' wear my regular   pants. I'd have the most painful cycles of my life and they'd last for weeks on end or wouldn't come at all. I think the worst was how tired I was. I was tired all the time no matter what I did, ate, or changed. I was tired and I hurt. By this point I weaned my way off of doctors for the most part, but still believe in yearly physicals. So I brought up the above issues. What was the evil vile word that made me lash out at modern medicine?...endometriosis. What the heck is that? Well, it's nasty stuff! Google it! For me it felt like the end of my life. Hormone imbalances, possible fertility issues or infertility. Treatment: surgery, menopause brought on my synthetic hormones,which would be reversed when I did try to have children. What, at 24 you're going to tell me I might not have kids?! Well, that wouldn't do.

A friend had mentioned oils and I'm so glad that she did! I think it took this for me to take the leap of faith and change my life. I took the conventional route of treatment. I had the surgery to get a clear picture of the disease (that sounds so dramatic). I felt hopeful and somewhat relieved to at least know what was wrong. The week of surgery my basic oils starter kit came. I had used them and read the testimonials and thought they were cool, but had no idea their power. The day of surgery my mother so kindly reminded anyone that would listen that I was extremely allergic to a certain pain killer...someone didn't listen. I ended up having an allergic reaction. That was my "moment" I had an "f this" approach. My body had welts and my chest was tight (by the way, don't do this, or if you do, don't say I told you I did this :) this was my reckoning). I grabbed my oils! I used PanAway for my fresh surgical wounds that were, to put it kindly, the worst pain ever! :) I then started to use lavender, lemon, and peppermint. I have no idea why either. I think I had read earlier they helped with allergies...well they worked! PanAway worked better than the freaking schedule II pain killer they gave me. The allergic reaction that I'd had several times in life was stopped with oils instead of an ER visit and a bunch of steroids. At that moment I knew I was never going to use another pill for anything if  I had a say. I'm happy to say that Since March 2013 I haven't taken a pill of any sorts! That's kind of a lie I guess. I take a hormone made from sweet potatoes and use the pill instead of a cream. But even that is based off the research behind essentials oils.

So after this long blog that really has taught you nothing, well besides I stink at punctuation. I hope that this blog educates you, motivates you and encourages you to try something different, oils! I love the oils and they have changed my life and I'm not being dramatic. The months leading up to my surgery and oil conversion I spent my free time in pain and tired. That's in the past folks!

From here on out I'll be using this blog to educate, motivate and hopefully add some humor to all of lives as I stumble through this thing I call life :)

Thanks, folks!