• Idaho balsam fir- anti-inflammatory, grounding and relaxing to the body.  Effective against respiratory infections, fatigue and sciatica.
• Lavender – calming, relaxant physically and emotionally.  Supports skin health, speeds wound healing in cuts, scrapes and 1st degree burns.
• Wintergreen – naturally warming, muscle relaxant, highly anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic.
• Basil – anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, also anti-bacterial and anti-viral.
• Copaiba - powerful anti-inflammatory oil, antiseptic with almost imperceptible odor.
• Marjoram – relieves muscle spasms, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, promotes intestinal peristalsis, mucolytic, expectorant.
• Peppermint – cooling, anti-inflammatory, stimulating (don’t use before bed!) Synergistic and increases penetration when applied after other oils.
• PanAway - an essential oil blend of helichrysum (heals tissue & nerve damage, anti-inflammatory), wintergreen, peppermint and clove
• Deep Relief Roll-On is a convenient oil blend in an applicator bottle that you can roll on directly to sore muscles.

Joint Pain – is often caused by systemic issues.  Essential oils can bring some temporary relief, but an honest assessment should also be taken of environment, diet and lifestyle.  You can get a Healthy Home Checklist when you subscribe to the Pure Home and Body Newsletter as a starting point.  MSM can be helpful in decreasing systemic inflammation, as well as looking at your diet.  Ningxia Red is a powerful anti-oxidant that works to give your body added nutrition with whole foods rather than synthetic vitamins.  Consult an Essential Oil Desk Reference, Prescription for Nutritional Healing and your holistic practitioner for management of chronic joint pain and autoimmune disorders.

For serious back injuries, essential oils can help bring relief until medical intervention is needed.   Many individuals have prolonged or even avoided the need for surgery when they used essential oils with integrated care by a chiropractor, physical therapist and gentle exercise like yoga with an experienced instructor.  The Raindrop Technique contains many anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic essential oils that are helpful for chronic back pain and even for individuals with scoliosis.

Name That Product:  Here’s a challenge for you, a product labeled with “Natural Herbal Ingredients”.  Used by chiropractors, acupunturists, massage therapists and nurses in clinical settings to relieve muscle pain.  One of my biggest concerns is the use of menthol (made as a synthetic or watered down peppermint ),  camphor (inexpensive filler that “smells strong”, may be derived from terpentine, used as insect or moth repellant and in embalming)  and lavender “oil” (not even listed as essential oil, this is probably hormone disrupting synthetic oil) and artificial colors, and chemicals that release formaldehyde (also used in embalming):

menthol 5%, camphor 3%, water, aloe vera gel, isopropyl alcohol, lavender oil, triethanolamine, carbomer, ginseng extract, angelica extract, polysorbate 60, DMDM hydantion, imidazolidinyl urea, blue 1, yellow 5

The first person who guesses this product correctly will get a 5-pack of Ningxia Red singles to help fight inflammation from the inside out!

Essential oils offer many of the same benefits to pets as they do to people.  They can support the immune system, bring balance to the mind and body, help heal  injuries and offer  natural cleaning options.  As with humans, it is imperative that only the purest essential oils are used on your pets.   I have listed just a few of the many uses for pets taken from oils in the Everyday Oils Collection.  These uses are recommendations from Dr. Mary Hess, DVM.

Lemon essential oil:  Used to increase awareness in training or cognitive issues.  It is an anti-parasitic and can be combined with others safely, excellent for skin conditions.  Use topically, diffused or ingested.

Lavender essential oil:  Use for injuries while hiking or riding. Gentle but anti-infectious.  When combined with peppermint, healing is increased and infection and pain is decreased.  Repels parasites and calms nervous system.  May be helpful for masses and tumors.

Frankincense: Safer, gentle oil that is a favorite for smaller pets and birds.  Used in every aspect of pet care: wounds, tumors, behavior, infections, bacteria and fungal control. Dilution recommended with lavender.

Peppermint: Use with PanAway for any injury. Most used oil for overheated horses and dogs, provides cooling quickly. Used on long hikes, placing a drop in water for internal cooling. Peppermint must be diluted for cats, 1 part oil to 4 parts vegetable oil

Purification: Use for parasites such as fleas, ticks and mosquitos for dog and horse. Dilute 75% for cats. For birds, mist the cage with oil instead of applying directly to the bird.

Valor: Useful for all pets for fear, behavior and training. Especially useful for pet rescue. Use for skin masses, itching, allergies and infections. Diffuse or apply topically. Place around collar or leash.

Peace & Calming: Main calming blend of this collection. Use for fear, anxiety, behavior problems, car rides, excitement. Builds confidence.

PanAway: Best oil blend for injury. Can be used with cats if diluted. Used for urinary issues, osteo-arthritis pain, dental extraction or post surgery. Use topically in warm compresss, in raindrop technique or vita-flex points on feet.

Thieves:  Strongest anti-infectious blend in this collection. Can be used on all pets if diluted properly. Provides significant pain relief, particularly for dental problems. Has anti-parasitic properties, especially for ticks. Can be used topically to location of injury, vita-flex, raindrop, or internally.  Diffuse

Using essential oils on pets is similar to people as there are precautions you should take.  Because pets are much smaller, essential oils should be diluted more than for an adult person.

Dilution guidelines:  when in doubt contact your DVM.

Horses require minimum to no dilution ( 1 drop essential oil in 1 tsp carrier oil to help disperse)

Dogs:     0-25lbs – 75% dilution (1 drop essential oil to 4 drops carrier oil)

26-45lbs -50-75%

46-75lbs – 50%

76-90lbs – 25-50%

90-150lbs-25%

+150lbs – 0-25%

Cats, ferrets, rabbits, reptiles – 75-90%

Birds & Amphibians – 90-95% or hydrosols (1 drop essential oil mixed with water in 8 ounce spray bottle)

Lemon

Lavender

Peppermint

Frankincense

Purification essential oil blend: contains citronella, lemongrass, lavandin, rosemary, Melaleuca alternifolia and myrtle.

Peace & Calming essential oil blend: Blue tansy, patchouli, tangerine, orange, ylang ylang.

Valor essential oil blend: Rosewood, blue tansy, frankincense, spruce

PanAway essential oil blend: Helichrysum, wintergreen, clove, peppermint.

Thieves:Clove, rosemary, lemon, cinnamon bark, Eucalyptus radiata.

See 110 uses for the Everyday Oils Kit for specific usages of these oils.

You can purchase the Everyday Oils Kit for $115 wholesale or    $150 Retail

Or for $150, you can get wholesale pricing on any Young Living products when you purchase the Start Living with Everyday Oils Kit  (select Independent Distributor and order the $150  Start Living With Everyday Oils Kit for lifetime wholesale pricing, and no monthly minimums)  or retail (select customer).  If your cookies are not enabled, enter #1003003 as your sponsor & enroller, Pure Home and Body.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

I only use organic rice for my packs.  Once I was in a pinch and the store I went to only had rice from India – this sounded pretty good I know there are some countries that might not spray things as much as the U.S., except for Mexico.  My confidence quickly diminished when I cooked the rice and it smelled very strongly of an oriental rug.  I guessed the rice was probably treated in the same warehouse as those wool rugs to repel any critters.  My infatuation for this exotic rice quickly went south when the odor did not let up after several washings in my purified water.  It ended up in the garbage and we did not have rice for dinner.  Now I try to keep an extra bag or two of organic rice on hand in case I need to whip up an extra rice pack.

For the simplest no sew rice pack all you need is your organic rice and a clean athletic sock.  You can vary the amount of rice depending on the size of the person – tube sock and about 2 cups of rice for an adult or growing teenager, smaller sock and 1 cup of rice for toddler’s tummy.  Fill the sock with the rice and tie the top closed and ‘viola’ instant rice pack.  If you’d like to get creative like I do and you have a sewing machine you can stitch up one in any size with a fun fabric.  I like to use flannel which is soft and comforting,  you could use organic fabric which is becoming more readily available at fabric stores though you have to search a bit.  With right sides together simply stitch up 3 of the 4 sides of your rectangle – I like to stitch a double row of stitching for durability – turn the pocket inside out and fill with rice.  Leave some room at the top to fold over the last side and double stitch the end closed.

The uses for these warm packs is endless and the heat helps drive in essential oils that you have applied – shoulders, backs, pulled muscles.  Peppermint , Panaway and Dragon Time blends with a pack for PMS would work well.

One reason I like Young Living products is Gary Young has formulated some great blends like Panaway, Deep Relief Roll-on and Aroma Siez that contain some expensive oils like helichrysum.  You don’t have to purchase all the different oils to mix up a recipe and you get synergistic blend of powerful oils that is greater than the individual oils themselves.