The Healing Journey: Essential Oils
Hi, Friend! My name is Amy, and I am a wife and mama to four beautiful children. I am here to share with you my story and how I became passionate about people and wellness.
About eight years ago my husband and I were forced into a position where we no longer had health insurance. With a new baby and being first-time parents in our early twenties, I found myself panicked and overwhelmed. All I had ever known was standard health care. Get sick, go to the doctor, get meds, get better. And so the cycle went.
The crisis
Now we were in a whole new ballpark. I was discovering what it meant to be a mom, while reexamining all that I knew to be true. I began learning that our bodies were beautifully created and designed to heal themselves, and that God had given us all the tools we needed within food and nature, to live above the wellness line. Turns out our grandparents’ generation had it right – there truly are amazing healing powers in rest, hydration, sunshine, and real food.
The research
For the last eight years I have devoted myself to learning all I can about the various ways to assist the body holistically. I was up to my ears in research. I discovered there was a great deal of information on health that I had never learned while visiting the doctor’s office. From the occasional glance at naturally-minded mom blogs to deeper research into scholarly papers and medical journals, I found all of this new information fascinating, and it truly felt as if a million neurons were firing at once.
The Culprit
As I researched, I found that many of the health issues we face today result from a clogged liver and a destroyed gut flora. My family was struggling to function and I felt powerless to help.
The change
I slowly started moving towards a holistic approach. We changed our diets, began filtering our water, utilizing Epsom salt baths – anything I could do to help our bodies detox and teach our immune systems to fight properly. Over the course of this journey, we added more children to our family and became even more natural-minded.
Essential Oils: Helpers In Our Healing
That’s when I was introduced to essential oils. I love telling my children that essential oils are our helpers. They “teach and encourage” our body to do what it is designed to: heal. The oils alone do not heal us. They are a piece to the puzzle. Their molecular structure is similar to ours, and therefore our bodies view them as allies, rather than harmful antagonists. Our bodies welcome the help and support essential oils offer.
I was fascinated to learn that essential oils are adaptogenic, meaning they never push the body beyond what it needs. Unlike what we are used to in the “over the counter” and pharmaceutical world, where medicines can help prevent symptoms through working against the body, at the terrible cost of causing greater harm – essential oils are different. They work with the body.
Integrity and Purity: My Young Living Story
About four years into our journey we were introduced to Young Living. Previously, I was buying essential oils from our local health food store. I was stunned to find out that the labeling of these oils was not regulated, and that manufacturers could put “100% essential oil” on their bottles but in reality only needed to legally have 5% of the oil in the actual finished product. They also did not need to disclose the other 95% of the ingredients contained within. Because of this, I made the decision to try Young Living, as they are the only essential oil company that actually has certified therapeutic essential oils through the ISO (International Organization for Standardization). I am passionate about integrity and purity, and because of that I decided to work alongside Young Living. I chose to take the time to personally visit their farms and have been a part of the distillation process. Young Living owns, co-ops, and partners with farms to bring the highest quality essential oils to homes of families all over the world. The plants we harvest have never encountered herbicides, pesticides, or other harmful contaminants.
One Drop Can Actually Make An Impact
As for our personal experience with the switch from store-bought to Young Living oils, my husband and I noticed immediate benefits. We no longer needed to use oils constantly to accomplish our wellness goals. With Young Living, we typically use one drop or even just a touch of the reservoir to support us and keep us above the wellness line. As our family has journeyed through this life and come to experience various common health ailments, we have been amazed at how essential oils support our body systems. In our home we use essential oils daily (primarily aromatically to support our respiratory and endocrine systems).
Empowered to heal
Lavender, affectionately known as the “swiss army knife” of essential oils, brings greater clarity and focus, and makes for a peaceful and calm environment. We also use it along with tea tree to support healthy skin. As a mom, I find great pleasure in my littles and their antics along with lots and lots of chaos – can any other parent relate? Therefore, I love supporting our limbic systems with blends like Stress Away which bring about feelings of peace and tranquility, and Joy, which is uplifting and grounding – all at the same time.
One of our very favorites is Peppermint. Historically, it was a valuable herb. We have found that using Peppermint Vitality helps our digestive systems and promotes healthy bowel function.
My personal favorite essential oil is Frankincense. I encourage everyone to have one bottle on hand, as it supports every single body system from the immune system to the endocrine system. These oils have been such a vital addition to our health routine and we feel so empowered by the knowledge of how these oils work with our bodies we no longer fear a lot of things we normally would in the realm of health, because of our confidence in plant based materials supporting our bodies!
Recently I had a bout with strep throat and was so blessed to use Thieves Cough Drops, which has a powerful menthol agent derived from peppermint. I loved that I could use a product free from dyes, artificial flavors, and sweeteners, to bring comfort to my throat. It was truly the only thing that eased the pain enough for me to swallow at all!
Of course, every individual is unique, and what works for my family may not work for yours. That being said, my heart in all of this is to empower and equip people to take their health back.
We must get away from the fear and doubt in our ability to heal, and replace it with a confident hope that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. My most fervent prayer is that you are moved in a way that you feel confident and empowered. My hope is that you can come away having learned that essential oils can be a radical blessing in your health arsenal. And, with an open mind to accept these benefits, they will make an undeniable impact in your life, as you continue seeking health freedom.
This post was sponsored by Amy DeBois, a Young Living Distributor and health passionista. You can learn more about her story, the power of essential oils and purchase options at her website
