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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 12 2015 at 9:04am | IP Logged
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Just wondering if anyone uses essential oils that would be willing to share your experience. I'm not wanting to get into company debates (I understand there are rivals out there  ) . We're just battling the cold/flu season and it's lasting forever. Despite my best efforts we all have had or still have some sort of bug.
Just a side note, I've been taking something called "fire cider" (I will share the recipe if anyone is interested.) While I got sick, I think it helped my symptoms to be more mild than what my other family members were dealing with.
For myself and my family, I'm really trying to avoid medications. We eat a healthy diet and we all take probiotics, fish oil and vitamins c and d. For medication, I have given the kids Motrin when the fever got too high or the headache was more than they could bare, but other than that I am trying to use natural remedies.
I'm using eucalyptus oil to help with the coughs/chest congestion, spritzing everything touchable (light switches, computer keyboard, ...) with thieves oil, and cleaning the house with tea tree oil. I would really like to learn more about essential oils to use in place of medications. I'm interested to know what works, or what is a good resource where I could learn more.
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Becky
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JodieLyn
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You're using the essential oils I know about... I also use
elderberry tincture (an anti-viral and cold and flu specific, and it's an edible fruit so I tend to consider it fairly safe).
garlic is helpful
ginger is a strong antiviral and anti-inflammatory
pineapple is an anti-inflammatory.. works better to combine pineapple and ginger.. and it does help reduce the swelling in the sinuses.
garlic, ginger and pineapple (bromelain) can all be bought as capsules or eaten.
chicken soup has been shown to be actually helpful 
hot lemonade (real lemon juice and honey) will soothe a sore throat (and it just tastes good when nothing does  )
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organiclilac
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One of the blogs I read, The Common Room, has had some great posts, full of links on essential oils that I consider essential (ha!) reading on the subject. Here are a couple that I have found helpful:
Why You Should Rethink Ingesting Essential Oils
Essential Oils and MLMs
Here is a site that has done the only 3rd party testing on the purity of various brands: Learning About EOs
And here is a list of 10 Essential Oil Myths
I like essential oils for a lot of things, but I am a skeptic first when it comes to them, because of some of the crazy claims that I have heard made about them - that they cure cancer, etc. I have a friend who had 2 badly herniated disks, who was badgered by an EO rep that she should try to heal herself with oils instead of getting the surgery she very badly needed.
Also, please be careful with eucalyptus and kids, especially babies. It's one that I've used for a long time, too, but I just learned that it and some others have been shown to cause respiratory problems in some little ones. Here's one link on that issue.
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knowloveserve
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I have them, use them, sell them and teach about them and find them effective in a lot of ways.
They are not a magic bullet, cure-all (nothing is) but they have been really helpful in building our immunities, and when we DO get sick... using EOs helps the symptoms to be lighter and shorter in length than when we don't use them.
They've become a regular part of our healthcare plan.
If you want more info, I'm happy to share; I'm teaching two webinars this month... one is called "Mythbusters" :)
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Ellie
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Jan 15 2015 at 7:05am | IP Logged
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Thanks for the helpful information! Homemade chicken soup and hot lemonade are staples around here Jodie!  Hot lemonade is the first thing my kids ask for when they start feeling sickly. I've read that adding a touch of cayenne helps too, although I haven't tried that.
Garlic and ginger are key ingredients in fire cider. I didn't know about the pineapple. I'll have to look into that one.
I agree Tracey, that everything can't be cured with essential oils and caution is necessary. I tend to get interested in a topic then research it to death and I have read a couple of the articles you linked. I know we have to be careful with any sort of natural healing methods simply because they are not regulated. On the other hand, there are so many "regulated" drugs that have later shown to be problems. It's frustrating. When Motrin and Tylenol first came out they were great! Now we know Motrin does damage to the stomach and Tylenol has warnings about liver damage. I don't understand how this information regarding a regulated drug can be coming out now, so many years after they were put on the market. This is my rant and partly why I am seeking alternatives.
On the other hand, I would be the first to take my kids to the doctor in the case of illness that I could not confidently treat here at home, and I believe many of our modern day medications are truly answers to prayer. I guess it's a matter of finding that healthy balance.
Right now, I mostly use EO's for cleaning purposes and using them exteriorly. I understand the cautions for Eucalyptus so I mostly use it on the bottoms of my kid's feet when they are congested. I found that article very interesting, Tracy!
Knowloveserve, I would be interested to read about your EO's if you have a link.
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Becky
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herdingkittens
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We use oils here and have seen them work on little issues and big. I use them in a diffuser (a simple tea light under a dish with water and a few drops of oil), use them externally (diluted with coconut oil), mixed with water in a spray bottle, added to shower bombs, epsom salts, and added to cleaners.
There are loads of things you can do with them. I just look at whatever we want to fight off or whatever and look up which oil(s) to use and how to use them. After a few years, we have some favorites that we always keep around.
The one thing that really blew my mind was one blend we found for my daughter. She will get asthmatic if she gets a bad respiratory infection and it always ends up the same - she is wheezing bad, we have to do albuterol, that doesn't do the trick and she ends up in the hospital with a mega dose of albuterol and prednisone. This past month, I was about to take her in (we know the signs at this point  ) and thought about the oils - had her inhale a blend with steam, rubbed her chest and feet down and the wheezing stopped within 30 minutes. We have NEVER been able to bring it down at home. She is fine and healed and we saved her having heavy drugs and the costly trip to the hospital. That really sealed the deal for me. We've also been able to avoid antibiotics using some wonderful (and powerful) antibacterial blends.
They are a bit of fun, too. I love mixing things up and giving foot rubs to my family when they are ill.  What tickles me is reactions from the children - my 3 year old had the stomach flu and kept asking me to oil up his belly. He really found it soothing. And the baby has a bit of congestion right now, so when I rub our homemade "vapo rub" on him, he looks so happy and relieved - he gets this sweet little smile and looks so soothed. I have one blend that I love so much, I wear it as perfume.
We get oils from a wonderful homeschooling family whose business is oils. They have a great selection of good, pure oils and are Christian and very helpful. Their prices are very good, too.
I am interested in your fire cider recipe! Does it involve Apple Cider Vinegar? That is another one that we all love over here. We take a tablespoon of ACV with honey at first signs of colds/sore throats. We kicked a mild case of strep gargling the stuff, too.
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MarilynW
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Interesting article Essential oils may be the new antibiotics
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MarilynW
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I am also trying to learn more about essential oils - and I would love people's recipes etc. We use essential oils as follows:
1. In the bath with epsom salts when under the weather - eucalyptus and rosemary really open up sinuses
2. Eucalyputs and rosemary on a kleenex to help breathing at night
3. Cleaning the air - big simmering pot on the stove with a variety - clove, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon etc
4. In homemade cleaners and polish
5. A few drops in the washing machine to freshen sheets and towel
6. Homemade vapor rub - still looking for the perfect recipe
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MarilynW
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Fire cider is incredible. I LOVE it and take it as shots. My kids don't like it at all. We do it with limes, acv, jalapenos, ginger, garlic and tumeric root if I can find it. I don't even add honey - it smells wonderful.
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Becky Parker
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herdingkittens wrote:
The one thing that really blew my mind was one blend we found for my daughter. She will get asthmatic if she gets a bad respiratory infection and it always ends up the same - she is wheezing bad, we have to do albuterol, that doesn't do the trick and she ends up in the hospital with a mega dose of albuterol and prednisone. This past month, I was about to take her in (we know the signs at this point ) and thought about the oils - had her inhale a blend with steam, rubbed her chest and feet down and the wheezing stopped within 30 minutes. We have NEVER been able to bring it down at home. She is fine and healed and we saved her having heavy drugs and the costly trip to the hospital. That really sealed the deal for me. We've also been able to avoid antibiotics using some wonderful (and powerful) antibacterial blends.
I am interested in your fire cider recipe! |
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I would love to know more about this blend! We have one that struggles with the same issues. The doctor is even to the point where he will call in the prednisone prescription for us! I will say that cutting dairy out of his diet seems to cut the symptoms a little, but I would like to have a home remedy that we can go to instead of the E.R.
Here is my recipe for Fire Cider -
In a quart jar put the following diced or shredded ingredients -
1/2 cup peeled ginger root
1/2 cup peeled horseradish root
1/2 cup peeled turmeric (if you can't find this just use 1/4 cup more of the ginger and horseradish)
1/2 cup white onion
1/4 cup minced or crushed garlic cloves
2 jalapeno peppers
zest and juice from 2 lemons
Optional - several sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme
Pack it into the jar and cover with raw apple cider vinegar (Braggs is a good one). You want everything to stay under the vinegar to prevent spoilage so a fermenting weight, if you can find one works well. You can also try keeping the heavier vegetables on top but I've had little success with that. Last time I placed a film of plastic wrap over the top of the liquid and that seemed to work. Just remember to remove the plastic wrap.
Put a piece of wax paper over and put the lid on the jar (the wax paper keeps rust from forming on the lid) or just a plastic lid. Put in a dark place for 2-4 weeks (four is better). Check it occasionally to make sure the vegetables are still under the vinegar.
When it's ready, shake it well, then strain out the vegetables with cheese cloth or a sieve. (Some people say eat the veggies on salad but I've never been able to do that!)
Take 1-2 tablespoons as a preventative. Take more often when someone in the family is sick.
I like it best when I mix it 1:1 (I'm a wimp) with raw honey then poor warm water over it and drink it like tea. Just smelling the fumes will clear a stuffy head!
My husband takes it straight, no honey. I think the honey is beneficial though!
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Becky
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Becky Parker
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MarilynW wrote:
| I am also trying to learn more about essential oils - and I would love people's recipes etc. |
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I agree!
Thanks for the great ideas Marilyn!
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Becky
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knowloveserve
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I feel really smarmy posting this but it's only for those looking for genuine information from someone who is not comfortable with a lot of the talking head brands out there. I am doing a webinar (Tuesday, the 27th) that is a basic primer to essential oils. It's at 6 pm, PST and only 30m. long, free... and it's captioned. "Medicine Cabinet Makeover" (all attendees get entered in my raffle for a free bottle of my favorite oil: Balance!)
Also, my mythbusters class was very well attended online and I honestly think it contains some really good info. I spent weeks in research and development of it. I ran two sessions and there is a recording... the audio sounds just fine in it but the visuals are a bit mis-timed for some reason. Here is the link to the mythbusters recording. Topics covered are:
-Essential oils are just for hippies.
-DoTERRA's sketchy roots
-Slim & Sassy scam
-Internal Consumption
-"Safe" brand of oils
-the "CPTG" label
-MLMs are a pyramid scheme
-MLMs force you to buy and sell
-Oil safety on Children/Babies
-DoTERRA is overpriced.
And yes, at the end of my webinars there is a whole schpeel about current promos and all that, but frankly I'm happy to have folks attend just purely for the info... no pressure to sign up or buy. Thanks be to God, I'm not in a position where I NEED to make money from this little business so I just let it grow organically if HE so desires it. I'm really put off by high pressure sales stuff and also the exploitation of friendships that some consultants sadly do. I'm also not a fan of the sloppy science and misspeaking that happens from all the self proclaimed "experts" out there. That's why I put a lot of work into being honest with people.
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The Bleeding Pelican
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countrymom
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mega doses of my homemade elderberry tincture, echinacea tincture and ingesting 2 drops on the tounge of thieves oil 3 times a day helped me to avoid the flu that was in my home so I was able to go on the March for life!
I also use homemade thieves oil to spray mattresses that get smelly stuff on them. Better than bleach!
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herdingkittens
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Whoa, Becky! Your fire cider is incredible sounding!! I have never let mine sit for weeks like that - when I made it, I just blending those ingredients up, spooned it out to the kids and gave them a little chocolate chaser. I might have to try your method....
We've been doing ACV with a little honey on a spoon. The children really enjoy this - especially when they have a sore throat.
Here is the oil we are using for lungs. My husband gets bronchitis every year for the last 8 years, so I am curious to see if it helps him with that when it rolls in.
Hope it helps your son!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: essential oils
