Medicine Cabinet Makeover - Part 1

I hope you have given some thought to replacing your toxic cleaning chemicals with Thieves Cleaner. Please leave a message if you are interested in more information - or e-mail me at mclemore.shelby@gmail.com.

Next up - your medicine cabinet.  This one is going to be a little more involved, so I decided to do more than one post on this.  We'll start with the basics and try to move into more involved health issues.  This seems a good spot to put my disclaimer, "I am not a doctor and YL makes no claims about diagnosing, treating or curing any disease or illness."  These are the things that I personally use for my family.  For this post I am also only recommending oils that come in your basic starter kit.  I want you to see that for the basics - first aid, minor burns, headache - you can use these very common "go to" oils.  We'll talk about some other oils for other issues in our next post.

Let's start with just Basic First Aid - we all need that from time to time and especially if you have kids. If your little guy is out riding his bike and falls and scrapes his knee, you typically reach for the peroxide and then the neosporin.  I like to instead reach for my bottle of "owie spray."  (My big kids refuse to call it that anymore - but, Patrick loves it!)  I just have purified water in a 2 ounce spray bottle along with 10 drops of Frankincense, 5 drops of Purification, and 5 drops of Lavender.  All of these oils come in your starter kit - all of them kill germs, fight infection and soothe the skin.  No burning - no tears.  You can also apply any of them directly on a scrape or cut.  Sometimes the big kids just grab the bottle and apply that way.

Next, Minor Burns.  You are reaching for that hot pan on the stove and sizzle the side of your hand.  Please tell me you do that as often as I do.  Instead of reaching for that petroleum based burn cream - reach for your bottle of lavender. I am always amazed at how quickly it takes the sting out of a burn.  Apply a drop or two directly on the burn every 5 minutes until the sting is gone and then apply several times a day until the burn is completely healed.

How about a Stomach Ache?  This could include heartburn, nausea, indigestion.  Our go to for this is Peppermint.  This plant has long been highly regarded for digestive upsets.  You can rub a drop directly on your abdomen or you can put a drop into a glass of water or hot tea.  Tastes yummy and works well.

Let's talk next about pain relievers.  There are many different types of pain relievers available over the counter.  Tylenol, Advil, Aleve.  We have all heard the recalls, we've all read the long list of side effects - including but not limited to stomach ulcers and liver damage.  Long term use of these pain medicines is dangerous.  We cleaned out our medicine cabinet years ago, but I will admit that our bottle of Advil remained for emergencies - until I found Young Living.  So, what are the most common things we grab the pain reliever for?  Remember, in this post I am talking about occasional use of over the counter medicines for common ailments - if you take regular pain medicine prescribed by your doctor, I would love nothing more than to help you find a long term natural solution for that - please contact me.  For the purposes of this post, though, I am speaking to common headaches, menstrual cramps, sprains, sore muscles and bruises.

Headaches -  Headaches can be caused by a variety of triggers.  If you have a sinus headache typically a drop of Peppermint on your temples can help relieve congestion and open the sinus passages, which relieves the headache.  It is the place to start.

If you feel you have a seasonal allergy induced headache, we have what we like to call the "allergy shot" - which is three drops each of Lemon, Peppermint, and Lavender in a capsule.  Taken three times a day we have seen amazing results in our family from seasonal allergies and the symptoms they cause.

Another great remedy for a headache is one drop of Thieves on your tongue and pressed to the roof of your mouth.  Again, it opens the sinus passages and this is my favorite headache remedy.

Finally, if you think you have a stress or tension headache then your "stress" oils are the ones to reach for.  I like to use Joy or Valor.  You can rub them along your shoulders and up your neck to relieve the tension and relax your entire body.

Menstrual Cramps - All of us ladies know how miserable these can be and sometimes curling up in bed with a heating pad is just not an option.  The most common oils in the starter kit for menstrual cramps are Joy and Panaway.  You can mix them together and rub them directly over your abdomen.

Sprains, Sore Muscles, Stiff Neck -  All of these conditions are caused by tightening and/or inflammation of a certain area - usually a muscle or a ligament.  Panaway is the go to pain oil.  It works much like an aspirin and should be used with caution on young children.  Rub it into the affected area every hour until symptoms are reduced and then a few times a day for a couple of days to completely reduce inflammation.  Valor is another oil that I always reach for if I wake up with a crick in my neck or just feel out of alignment.


I am going to stop here because I don't want you to feel overwhelmed and I think this will give you a good start.  Let's talk briefly about costs.  A tube of Neosporin with pain relief is $10.00. (I had to look that up - so that is according to target.com)  The three oils that I recommended for the "owie spray" come in your starter kit and there are about 100 drops of each oil in each bottle.  Depending on how many kids you have and how often they get hurt, you can make enough spray to last you a really long time - and your oils have no expiration date and they do not lose efficacy over time.

A bottle of 300 count Advil costs $30 - that is about 100 doses.  The side effects read like this "Stop using if you feel faint, vomit blood, or have bloody or black stools."  The ingredients include Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Propylparabens - I will let you Google those for yourself.  A bottle of Panaway that has about 100 drops (one drop per "dose") is also $30 - it has no warning labels and no synthetic ingredients.

So, as you can see - getting into the habit of transfer buying (replacing oils for things you have been buying anyway) does not have to "break the bank."

Please contact me if you have any questions or click here to get your own Everyday Oils Starter Kit.

 

Cleaning Supply Makeover

Ok - we all love a good "makeover" show - right?  So, this is the first installment of the Makeover Series on the blog.

You all know that I am addicted to Young Living Essential Oils (YLEO).  Now, my entire family (including my husband) is addicted and we have decided to share these healing tools with everyone we know.

Now, I am no scientist - not by a long shot - and too much science completely overwhelms me.  Maybe it does you too.  So, please don't be offended by my scientific "explanations."  I promise I am not trying to dumb it down for you - this is just the best I've got.  If you are scientifically minded, you can laugh at me - if you are not, hopefully my tidbits of information will be easy to understand.

Our bodies are constantly exposed to toxins - some of which we can not control.  The air we breathe, the chemicals that seep from carpet, paint, and insulation in our workplace.  These things we have little control over.  Most of these toxins come in the form of what we call "petrochemicals" - which means they are derived from petroleum sources.  These chemicals are absorbed into our fatty tissue organs and our bodies do not know what to do with them, so they build up.  They are also endocrine disruptors.  They are in part responsible for the increases in "fatty tissue" disease and endocrine diseases in our culture.  Fatty tissue diseases would include cancers of the brain, ovaries, breasts, and prostate - it would also include dementia, "brain fog" and other neurological issues.  Endocrine diseases would include thyroid issues.  Sound familiar?  Sadly, I am pretty sure every one of us know someone affected by one of these issues - and it may be yourself.

Now, there are also toxins bombarding us daily that was CAN take charge of.  Cleaning supplies is the one we are going to focus on today.  (Next up, your medicine cabinet) -- So, what do you clean with?  If you are like most of America you use products like Lysol, Clorox Wipes, Clorox Clean Up, Windex, Shout stain remover, some type of swirling bubbles toilet bowl cleaner, etc.....  These products all contain petrochemical solvents and they are the #1 asthma trigger in children.  They go by names such as:  Phenols, Butyl Cellosolve, Perchloroethylene..... check the labels on your cleaning supplies.  Then Google each of these ingredients individually - most are banned in Europe, they are known carcinogens, they cause kidney failure, liver damage, and they are toxic to the respiratory system.

This is something that you can change.  We sacrificed our bleach years ago and I have used "natural" cleaning products.  I used brands that I trusted and I was satisfied that they were not dangerous for our family.  However, I have come to realize that there is a difference in "not dangerous" and beneficial.  Let's go back to the fact that we are constantly exposed to toxins that we can not control.  If we simply settle for "not dangerous" in our homes - then what are we doing to counteract the "toxic bath" that we are forced to take in daily life?

This is where Young Living steps in.  If you are already using YL oils, then I have an experiment for you to try.  If not, you will have to imagine this.  Get a Styrofoam cup.  I don't recommend that you keep these on hand or use them to drink from because Styrofoam is a petrochemical.  But, for the purposes of our experiment - you need to procure one.  Put a little water in the bottom and a drop of YL Lemon Oil.  Very soon you will see something interesting happen.  The oil will eat a hole in your cup.  This is not because the oil is acidic.  Quite the opposite - YL Lemon Oil is highly alkaline to your body (this is a good thing).  YL Lemon Oil is very effective at eating away petrochemicals.  What is the benefit to you?  Well, go back a few paragraphs and review the issues caused by petrochemical overload - fatty tissue cancers, brain fog, thyroid issues, dementia.  The Lemon Oil is very effective at cleansing your body from its daily "toxic overload."

So, instead of simply having a "green" home - or a home where you don't use things that are dangerous -- what if you could have a "healing" home?  A home where you use things that are actually beneficial.  What if every time you clean your toilet, instead of inhaling toxins, you inhale a substance that actually breaks down toxins?  And, what if you used cleaning products that are so safe, you can teach your three year old to clean his own bathroom -- and if he drank the cleaning solution you could actually feel good about it instead of calling Poison Control?

If I were you, I would be thinking two things right now.  If you can drink it, does it actually kill germs?  And how much does it cost?  Am I right??

Thieves oil is comprised of several very potent individual oils.  Cinnamon, Clove, Eucalyptus, and Lemon.  Clove and Lemon both have absolutely astounding anti-viral, bacterial, and fungal properties.  They are both way more effective than hand sanititzer when tested against the flu virus and MRSA (antibiotic resistant staph).  I can send you these studies if you are interested.  Thieves is the main ingredient in the concentrated cleaning solution that I use to clean our home.

In this bottle is approximately 8-9 months worth of cleaning power.  I just made the last batch of cleaner with the first bottle I ever purchased - 8 1/2 months ago.  We have 6 bathrooms in our house and it is on the market - so I have had to clean a lot more than I normally would over the past few months.  It is literally the only cleaning product in our home.  I use it for windows and mirrors, counter tops, bathrooms, stain spray, I add it to my towels for a fresh smell, and I add it to my floor steamer.  You use one capful in a large spray bottle and then fill it up with water.  It is completely food grade and non-toxic - no kidding you could drink it if you wanted.  Probably wouldn't taste great, but it wouldn't hurt you.  This is huge if you take into account the number of ER visits per year for children who drink something toxic in their own home.

So, how much does it cost?  This bottle costs $24.  I challenge you to add up the cleaning supplies in your house and estimate how much of them you will use over the next 9 months.  My estimate is that most people spend about $50 - some more, some a bit less - in the same amount of time on cleaning products.

So - your cleaning cabinet makeover is EASY.  Throw everything away and replace it with one bottle of Thieves Cleaner.  That's it.  I will be happy to help you order that.

Stay tuned -- your medicine cabinet is up next!