My most recent check on Amazon for “cough medicine” indicated 1242 options. Expectorants, suppressants, decongestants, non-drowsy,  you get the picture.   The back of the label will most likely be filled with side effect and cautionary information.  Our family deals with coughs from colds and allergies naturally without all the man-made chemicals found in these over the counter drugs.  Essential oils have been our best form of defense with taming coughs.  The first thing we do when a cough occurs is to have a spoonful of agave nectar with a drop of lemon essential oil added to it.  The lemon soothes a dry, scratchy throat  and can boost your immune system as well.  For adults, add a drop of  Thieves to this spoonful for a super charged boost in immunity.  The Thieves will also relieve any soreness in the throat.

There are specific essential oils that are helpful for coughs: Eucalyptus Radiata, Eucalyptus Globulus, Ravansara, and wintergreen are especially effective.  Young Living has made a couple of essential oil blends that we use for coughs and colds in the winter.  R.C. is one of the most used oil blends in our home – it has four different kinds of eucalyptus in it  plus peppermint, lavender, cypress and pine essential oils.  At the first sign of a cold or cough, we apply a drop or two to each foot.   Commercial Eucalyptus oils on their own can be too potent for children, but when it is combined with more gentle oils of lavender and cypress it is a great choice for kid’s colds & coughs.  For children under 3 dilute a drop with a 1/2 teaspoon of a carrier oil and massage onto the feet.

Raven is another Young Living blend of ravansara, wintergreen, Eucalyptus radiata, lemon and peppermint essential oils.    The ravansara encourages expectoration and the wintergreen, eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils open up airways.  We find just one application of the oils onto the feet at bedtime is enough to settle a cough for sleep.  For children and those with asthma apply the oils to the soles of the feet.  For adults, massage the oils into the chest, add to bath water or place a drop in a bowl of warm water and breathe deeply.

Alternating application of R.C with Raven may be a powerful remedy with coughs.  Layering the oils increases the synergy between the oils.  For adults, apply 2 drops of R.C. mixed with V-6 oil to the chest area, then 2 drops of Raven on top.  This can also be done on the bottoms of the feet concentrating on the lung area points of reflexology.  For children, mix 1 drop of essential oil with a tsp of V-6 carrier oil or olive oil (or lavender essential oil which acts like a carrier oil), massage onto the bottoms of feet, cover with cotton socks and rest.   If you are using Young Living’s therapeutic grade oils you may not even have to dilute oils when applying to the soles of the feet.  Last week my 8 year old had a cough that started with fall allergies.  I rotated oils, one day applying them every hour (the time it takes for the body to metabolize the oils).  I took 2 drops of 2 different oils  (RC & Raven , for example), rubbed them between my hands and held my hands on the soles of her feet a few minutes.  Her face would light up as she said she could feel her chest relaxing.  Within minutes she’d have a healthy cough to expectorate the junk.

Frankincense also offers powerful respiratory support and it has the benefit of reducing anxiety, often associated with violent coughing spells.  Frankincense is also a very gentle oil as long as it is not filled with chemicals or synthetics.  I use Young Living’s Frankincense neat (undiluted) on the chest or soles of the feet.  Frankincense is very soothing to the respiratory tract especially when diffused.

Drinking plenty of fluids and foods rich in vitamin C are essential to feeling better.  For those with asthma, always apply essential oils to the soles of the feet.  For any persistant cough or difficulty breathing make sure to seek medical care right away

This information is not meant as a substitute for medical care, if you are sick, contact your doctor for advice.

Farid A. Badria, Eman A. Mohammed, Mohammed K. El-Fadrawy, et al (2004).  Natural Leukotriene inhibitor from Boswellia (frankincense): A potential for treating bronchial asthma. Altern & Comp Therapies. 10 (5) 257-265.

Inouye S, Takizawa T, Yamaguchi H. (2001). Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact.  J Antimicrob Chemo. 47: 565-573.

Larrondo J, Agut M, Calvo-Torras M. (1995). Antimicrobial activity of essences from Labiates. Microbios. 82: 171-172

Most chemicals are absorbed through your skin and circulate into your bloodstream, almost as if you ate it.  Drug companies know this, and now you can find more drugs “delivered” through the skin via patches with nicotine, pain medications and hormone treatments.   What you put on your skin matters!  When you make choices in body care, it’s important to keep in mind the long term results.  Your body will absorb chemicals  not identified by the body as a natural substance.  They circulate them through your body systems like the endocrine system and store those chemicals in your major organs and fatty tissue.  If you are trying to lose weight, you need to get the toxins out of the cellulite before you can really lose weight for the long term.    Antiperspirants contain aluminum, so every time you apply that underarm protection, your lymphatic system is drawing in the aluminum.  Doctors already know this, before a mammography you’ll be instructed to avoid using anti-antiperspirants or deodorants a couple of days before an exam since the metal particles will show up as “landmarks” on scans.  Short term, you probably won’t see any difference, but fast forward 20 or 30 years of daily application and you might see a profound affect.  The bottom line is many of these long term effects are still unknown, so an ounce of prevention where you know it might matter can help.

Multiple applications equal more exposure Let’s look at hand sanitizer for example.  My focus in health is very much on my children’s exposure to chemicals.  Kid’s bodies are more vulnerable to toxin overload simply because of their size and developing bodies.  Hand sanitizer is one product I have chosen to convert to a healthier option.  Most hand sanitizers have alcohol as their main ingredient.  Hand sanitizer dispensers are everywhere: bathrooms, stores, libraries, churches.  Everywhere you turn, your child can fill her hands with foaming hand sanitizer.  It looks like fun until you think about the dose of alcohol absorbed into her skin every use.  Alcohol baths had once been used in hospitals to lower fevers.  This practice has since been discontinued because the medical community realized patients were absorbing the alcohol through their skin and getting very ill.   There are plenty of safer options in hand sanitation including a few that rely on naturally anti-bacterial essential oils like Young Living’s Thieves Hand Sanitizer that utilizes cinnamon, rosemary, clove and lemon essential oils to clean hands.

Look at your daily routine   Body lotions,  shampoos and shower gels are also other potential points of chemical absorption.  Most products contain artificial fragrance (a.k.a “parfum”), just a combination of secret chemicals, many linked with endocrine disruption.  Your endocrine system regulates your hormones, thyroid, metabolism, pituitary gland and more.  Avoid any products with the ingredient “fragrance” as the manufacturer can use a combination of unknown chemicals under this term.   Parabens have most recently been found to disrupt hormones,  and the FDA has banned the use of them in children’s bath and body products.  Paraben ingredients are allowed in other products, though.   As adults, we still rely on properly functioning hormones don’t we?  How many of you know someone in their 50′s, 40′s, even 30′s on thyroid medication?

Name That Product   I was surprised when I read on the product samples in my husbands “goodie bag” that one product contained Parabens!  This sample was a gift to athletes, training for months on end to get their bodies into top shape for an event.  I’m pretty conservative when it comes to what I use in my family, I realize this is new information to some of you, but would you use this product knowing that it contains ingredients banned for use with children?  Here are the ingredients:

menthol, carbomer, FD&C blue #1, FD&C yellow #5, glycerine, herbal extract (flex paraguariensis), isopropyl alcohol USP, methylparaben, natural camphor USP, propylene glycol, silicon dioxide, triethanolamine, purified water.

I’m going to have a little fun with this, and see if anyone can guess this product. Whoever can comment back first with the correct answer will get a 3-pack of  Young Living Thieve’s Hand Sanitizer, an $18 value!

I’d love to get your input on this, would you use products with these ingredients?  Treat your body products like food for your skin, read your labels and know what you are putting into and on your body!

Congratulations to Cindy G. for guessing this product, BIOFREEZE, used by massage therapists, chiropractors and bodyworkers to release muscle tension, aches and pains from aging and active lifestyles.  If you want truly natural muscle and pain relief,  Therapeutic Grade essential oils are the best choice.  You’ve got many options including:

• Peppermint  (anti-inflammatory & cooling)
• Idaho Balsam Fir (anti-inflammatory  and muscle relaxant)
• Basil (anti-spasmodic and muscle relaxant)
• PanAway is a Young Living blend that eases joint & muscle aches and pains
• Raindrop Technique oils (helpful for back pain, using many anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic oils like peppermint, basil, marjoram and cypress)

Give yourself the best and reduce the chemicals you are exposed to.  Chemical laden products work for the short term, with effects on your future health unknown.  For most issues, there are essential oil options that work to bring your body into balance and support your health.  Check an Essential Oil Desk Reference for more issue specific uses of essential oils.

I most recently was thinking about ‘alcohol baths’ which have been strongly discouraged because of possible alcohol poisoning.   You may have never heard of alcohol baths used for lowering a fever unless you were a nurse 30+ years ago or know someone who was.  My mom was a nurse and was trained to use alcohol baths as an option.  In time this practice was eliminated because of the potential harm it may cause and is no longer taught in medical school.  There are many articles on the dangers of alcohol baths and ethyl alcohol because the alcohol is absorbed through the skin.  Could this same effect result from applying an alcohol based hand sanitizer on the hands “as often as you like”, more quickly with a small child of 20-30 pounds?  I’d rather not find out, so I use essential oil based hand sanitizers which have no alcohol.

Young Living makes the Thieves Hand Sanitizer which is based on the Thieves essential oils of clove, cinnamon, rosemary, lemon and Eucalyptus radiata.  Clean Well is another brand that offers a spray sanitizer, alcohol-free, based on Thyme essential oil and aloe.    If you have been using essential oils for any time, you know that skin absorption is one of the benefits of using the oils, especially on children.  The essential oils penetrate the skin barrier and go directly to the bloodstream.  The skin is our largest organ and capable of absorbing many substances.

Hand sanitizers are a convenient way to cleanse the hands in a pinch if there is no running water, but even the CDC advises to keep the hands clean with soap and running water.  The CDC even advises that hand sanitizers  “should not be used in lieu of hand washing”.  Check out this link for proper hand washing techniques.  And use old fashioned soap – not anti-bacterial, chemical laden versions adding to the chemical absorption through your skin.  Young Living also makes some nice foaming hand soaps in a Thieves blend or Lavender.

This is a strong blend of essential oils and should be diluted 1 part essential oil to 1 part carrier oil.

Melrose is a strong topical antiseptic that cleans and disinfects cuts, scrapes, burns, rashes and bruised tissue.  It helps regenerate damaged tissue and reduces inflammation.  When diffused it dispels odors.

A copy of this recipe appears in the museum of old Marseille:

“Take 3 pints of strong white wine vinegar, add a handful each of wormwood, meadowsweet, wild marjoram and sage, 50 cloves, 2 ounces of campanula roots, 2 ounces of angelica, rosemary, and horehound and 3 large measures of camphor.  Place the mixture in a container for 15 days, strain and express, then bottle.  Use by rubbing it on the hands, ears, and temples from time to time when approaching plague victims.”

It is from this recipe Gary Young formulated the “Thieves” blend of essential oils.

Young Living has several blends of oils that might be useful for managing a headache:  M-Grain (marjoram,lavender,peppermint,basil,Roman chamomile, helichrysum)  Brain Power (frankincense,sandalwood,melissa,cedarwood,blue cypress,lavender,helichrysum) Clarity, Deep Relief Roll On (cardamom,rosemary,peppermint,basil,bergamot,geranium,jasmine,lemon,palmarosa,Roman chamomile,rosewood,ylang ylang)  (peppermint,lemon,Idaho balsam fir,Copaiba,clove,wintergreen,helichrysum,vetiver,Palo Santo) and Relieve It (spruce, black pepper, peppermint, hyssop).

Here are some uses for Thieves essential oil:

• Diffuse in your home to kill bacteria.  Run diffuser for 30 minute increments.
• Apply 1-2 drops of Thieves essential oil to the bottoms of feet for added immunity.
• Mix a drop of Thieves essential oil in a spoonful of agave nectar or milk and swallow to soothe a sore throat.
• Place a drop of Thieves essential oil on your toothbrush for an added bacteria buster and to alleviate sore gums.
• Place a drop of Thieves essential oil onto a cold sore or fever blister at the first sign to speed healing.
• Dilute Thieves essential oil with V-6 carrier oil or other light oil like extra virgin olive oil 1 part Thieves to 1 part oil.

Thieves 15ml essential oil     Wholesale $31.75        Retail  $41.78

Thieves Household Cleaner  14.4 oz.  Wholesale  $24.89       Retail  $28.29

Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier   1 oz.   Wholesale $5.00     Retail  $6.58

Thieves Mouthwash    8 ounce               Wholesale   $10.00     Retail  $13.16

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