The most important steps include frequent hand washings ( Thieves foaming hand sanitizer), washing bed lines and towels (I add a drop of Thieves or Purification essential oil to my laundry soap for extra disinfecting), cleaning my bathrooms with Thieves wipes (you can make your own wipes with Thieves household cleaner and tough paper towels, store them in an old baby wipes container for convenience) and diffusing highly anti-bacterial blends like Thieves, Purification, Christmas Spirit and Frankincense to kill airborne bacteria.    Young Living essential oils are also the most important items in our medicine cabinet.  In fact, we really don’t have anything else in our medicine chest – no ibuprofen, acetaminophen,  or over the counter cough syrups with artificial flavors & colors.  This is what  we use for colds & flu symptoms:

1st onset:  For adults, make up a  capsule of Thieves:  2 drops of Thieves essential oil plus 3-6 drops of lemon in gel cap.  For kids  under 6, a spoonful of agave nectar with 1 drop of lemon essential oil added and 1-2 drops of R.C applied to the bottoms of feet.  Use Thieves hand sanitizer to keep germs from spreading.  Keep mouth clean where germs multiply with Thieves mouthwash.

Cough medicine -  1 tsp agave nectar with 1 drop of lemon essential oil.  For adults add 1 drop Thieves for extra boost. Suck on Thieves lozenges.

Fever – Adults, 3-5 drops peppermint essential oil on each foot.   Repeat as needed until fever is gone.  Children under 7 – Lavender & Frankincense on bottoms of feet or along spine – repeat as needed until the fever is gone.

Sore Throat – 1 tsp agave nectar with 1 drop of lemon essential oil (Lemon essential oil contains many more nutrients and antioxidants than just lemon juice as the essential oil is distilled from the rind – use only food grade lemon essential oil for ingesting) .  For adults and children over 6 add 1 drop of  Thieves oil to the spoonful of lemon/agave nectar.  Thieves lozenges are also helpful.   Gargle with Thieves mouthwash.

Sinus & Chest congestion – R.C. applied to the bottoms of feet, rubbed on the chest or inhaled.  Add a  few drops to bath water and breath deeply.  Frankincense supports the respiratory tract and viruses.  Apply to the chest and throat area on lymph glands.  Place a drop of frankincense on the tongue to fight viruses.  Raven is a Young Living blend made of Ravensara, wintergreen, eucalyptus radiata, lemon and peppermint.   It is especially effective when layered with the R.C blend.  Breathe Again Roll-on is a convenient blend to apply directly to the chest or Vita-Flex points for breathing relief due to cold and asthma.

Cold/Canker Sores – suck on a Thieves lozenge or apply a drop of Thieves essential oil directly to the spot to alleviate pain and speed healing.  Peppermint oil also may help when applied directly.

Headache /body aches – Raindrop Technique, apply peppermint or Panaway on the forehead and temples or  lemon essential oil on the big toe.  Soak in a mineral bath like Ancient Minerals with 3-4 drops of lavender essential oils added.

Vomiting/diarrhea - peppermint essential oil applied to bottoms of feet, on the belly and 1 drop in water to sip.  Children under 6 should not use peppermint oil, instead use Frankincense or ginger essential oil on the feet and belly.  After 1 hour of no vomiting, gradually introduce liquids. Dilute 1 oz. Ningxia Red with 4-5 ounces of water is a gentle way to start adding nutrients.

Inner Defense is a supplement that contains 4 different types of Oregano.  This is highly antibacterial, research shows this blend is as powerful as some antibiotics.  When using Inner Defense, 10-12 hours later take a probiotic likeLife 5.   For example, Inner Defense in the morning, Life 5 at bedtime to replenish healthy intestinal flora.

In addition to some of these suggestion make sure to add some homemade chicken soup, drinking plenty of  high quality fluids, rest and some common sense to ensure a quick recovery.  Always seek the advice of your doctor for serious illness.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are meant for educational purposes only, they are not a substitute for medical care.

Buyer Beware! There is a caveat to “healthy living”:  there are a lot of products claiming to be “natural” and many are filled with toxic chemicals that many people are trying to avoid.  A study at the  University of Minnesota found many products listed as “healthy” tainted with pharmaceuticals, the biggest offenders were weight loss, sexual enhancement and body building supplements.   Read labels and go with a name brand you trust.  If a product promises unrealistic results or with no effort on your part to change your lifestyle it may be too good to be true and probably will be a waste of your money.

Switching to healthier living requires changing your perspective. Someone once mentioned they could not afford essential oils. At first glance they do seem expensive when you look at packaging size which is pretty small.  In the U.S. we are used to buying chemical loaded products filled with water in big packages to make us feel like we are getting our money’s worth.   Organic foods might seem more expensive, but so are convenient, nutritionless foods  used as entertainment.   The truth is if you compare apples to apples the healthy products win out by far.  Plus, some healthy options like Therapeutic Grade essential oils have been around for thousands of years and are still used in other cultures today, keeping people healthy without chemicals. For what they offer, essential oils are really economical.   Let’s look at a bottle of food grade lemon essential oil that costs $12 for a 15ml bottle.  This little bottle contains the equivalent of 250 bottles of synthetic vitamin flavored water, or can make 15 bottles of cough syrup.  Obviously the savings is with the essential oil – in dollars and in health value.

Where is your money going for healthcare? I thought I had gotten rid of most of the “drugs” in my medicine cabinet and to my surprise the other day I found a drawer full of unused products.  They were all expired, the oldest one a brand new bottle of indigestion medicine  that expired in 2005, another a tube of “anti-itch” medication that never worked.  And honestly, I was so thankful to toss out the chemical, red colored acetaminophen syrup for my kids that I never had to use.  So let me ask you, where is the savings in unused – expired – chemical filled products?  You might even think I’m extreme in saying you should factor in the potential cost of Chemo, ADD drugs, Anti-depressents, Thyroid medication, anti-biotics, name your medication,  whenever you use those drugs with additives, colors and products with unknown or harmful ingredients and packaged foods with controversial additives like  high fructose corn syrup, MSG and aspartame.   I can also say it’s a lot more fun spending money in the health food store and farmer’s markets than the local pharmacy (and there are plenty of them to choose from, becoming as common as those golden arches fast food restaurants)

Do you want to be healthier but don’t know where to begin? Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results”  What are you trying to change in your life?  health? weight? energy? less toxins?   There are essential oils that can help with all of these issues and more.  The great thing is the essential oils are versatile, many are antibacterial and they don’t expire (unless they have chemicals or fillers in them).  You can use peppermint oil for joint and muscle pain, headaches, energy, cold sores, fevers and more.  Each essential oil can replace dozens of over the counter products that have 1  use.  Are you ready to clean out your medicine cabinet and invest in products that will support your immune system?  I’m glad I’ve made the transition to investing in our health and I can help you do the same.    In the weeks to come I’ll be sharing specific ways to save money on health care costs including my next article, a video post on my favorite uses of lemon essential oil.

The Longevity Blend can be used in a number of ways.  Applying a couple of drops of the  essential oil blend to the feet can increase the absorption into the system through the reflexology points.   Since all of these individual oils are food-grade, the Longevity Blend can be taken as a dietary supplement.  Taking the blend internally can help combat systemic inflammation which contributes to premature aging and disease.  Simply put 2 drops of the blend into a gel cap and swallow.   If you mix up your own gel cap, often made of a digestible cellulose plant material, take the capsule immediately or it will begin to dissolve.   Young Living also has a gel cap formulated with the Longevity Blend that is more portable than filling your own gel caps.

Longevity Essential Oil Blend 15ml    Whsl  $29.75      Retail   $39.14

Longevity Sofgels   30 ct                         Whsl  $ 27.75   Retail  $36.51

You can order Young Living oils at wholesale (select Independent Distributor and order a $40 Start Living Kit for lifetime wholesale pricing, and no monthly minimums)  or retail (select customer).  If your cookies is not enabled, enter #1003003 in the sponsor & enroller columns to support the Pure Home and Body website.  Thanks!