Showing posts with label Lemongrass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lemongrass. Show all posts

Monday, May 19, 2014

Bugs bug me!


Spring and Summer in Georgia always means you are going to see critters.  Critters creep me out!  I know there are many people love the great outdoors but my definition of camping means the hotel doesn't have room service!  Only kidding....well only slightly kidding.

Well, it is May and I have started to see the spiders, ants and the gnats.  Yuck!  If only they all could be beautiful butterflies.  Before I had oils, I would grab all the standard bug sprays.  Man do they smell bad.  Worse, they are filled with really nasty chemicals.  The warning labels scare me too!  I really didn't think much of this until I had kids.  Now, we have the oils and I have really adopted these as my first line of defense against the multi-legged creatures.

So let's talk Spiders.....I admit, I am scared of all spiders even though some are really not that dangerous.


What I do when I see spiders.....diffuse Peppermint!  They hate peppermint!  Lucky me, because I love it.  

Peppermint is also a great use in the garden against aphids on your Crepe Myrtles and roses.  I mix about 6 drops with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle and bathe my plants.  It cut the black residue down to almost none last year.  This year I will be better since I will be home more.

Want to keep the mosquitoes away?  TerraShield is your friend.  And you will smell great!


Also works great for fleas and ticks!  Never go camping for real without a bottle.  I sent a mixture of 5 drops with a half cup of water in spray bottle for my daughter who went to see Frozen in the park.  She didn't get a bite but smelled really good! 

Ants?  Ants hate Lemongrass!  Wipe down your counters and baseboards with a damp cloth with a few drops of Lemongrass to help drive away the army of ants trying to overthrow your kitchen.

For more ideas and oils to choose, check out the blog from doTERRA!

And if you get bit....turn to the swiss army knife of oils to soothe that itch....Lavender!


Try the natural alternatives to drive those bugs out.  Reduce your exposure to toxins and chemicals.  


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Freezing, Fatigued,Fat and Frustrated!



Do those four words describe you most of the time?  For over 10 years, it was exactly how I would have described myself.  While everyone else in the room was comfortable or even warm, I was wishing I had a giant quilt covering me.

Despite, my layers of fat covering me, I could never keep warm.  

Of course those layers of fat would not budge even with a disciplined diet and exercise program.  Everyone was doing the Atkin's Diet and dropping 20-30 pounds…and cheating.  I was strict and dropped 7 lbs in a year.  Completely unfair.

The culprit?  My thyroid.  I had long suspected my thyroid was not running at optimal levels but doctor after doctor tested me and I was "normal".  I would hear from these professionals all sorts of things….perpetual jet lag from my job, just one of those "cold people", and more times than I care to say "you must not be dieting and exercising like you claim."  Talk about ticking off a person.  

Frustration was a constant for me.  I tried every diet trend that came along.  The weight never came off despite truly valiant efforts.



Before finding doTERRA,  I had my first baby.  I had lots of complications that really could be connected with a malfunctioning thyroid.  For one, my baby was small due to IUGR.  It was a small amount found in the placenta but because of her size, we both went through a rough time of testing.  Me, as her mom watching my sweet baby get tested and tested and ultrasounded.  Her….well you take a nice warm, snuggly baby and prick her foot or make her cold and she screams.  I would too!  I also was unable to breastfeed her due to the fact my milk never came in.  I did everything suggested and dried up after 3 1/2 weeks.  My lactation consultant asked me if I was hypothyroid.  

Talk about feeling like an inadequate mother.

After attempting Weight Watchers again, and losing a whole 4 lbs in 8 months and losing so much hair my part was almost an inch wide, my doctor finally said, "Your thyroid isn't working.  You would be what we call a textbook case of Hypothyroid."  

Can you hear the angels sing?  I actually started crying in her office.  I was relieved that someone finally agreed with me.  It was a relief I needed.


So a small dose of Synthroid was started.  I soon got pregnant with #2.  She was a BIG healthy baby who to this day, rarely gets sick.  I could breastfeed her up to 4 months which felt like a huge victory.  My job got more in the way than my body.  

Then I started my lose the baby weight and more diet.  40 lbs came off…..I needed to lose more but I took this as another victory.  Then it stopped.  I needed a dose adjustment.  Frustration rolled in again because doctors are slow to do that.  Bring in baby #3 to the pick and they really don't want to change things even when it is reccommended that increase your dose during pregnancy.  I consulted the Modern Essential book, oils that help and support your thyroid are Clove, Lemongrass, Myrhh.  I had the oils so I started layering Lemongrass and Clove over my thyroid.  It helped.  It was a good pregnancy and I breastfed that hungry boy for over 6 months.  Again, work got in the way, not the body.


During the last pregnancy, I found doTERRA oils.  As I am back in the "lose the baby weight mode", I have noticed many nasty hypothyroid symptoms reappearing. Once again the doctor was reluctant of a dose adjustment.  That  forced me to look at the oils even more as a way to boost and support my thyroid.  My joints hurt, my head hurt, my hair was leaving my scalp so fast I could have made a wig with the hair on the floor.  I can't be a tired, freezing and crabby mother of 3.  Kids don't get that it is hormones.





Protocol 1

 2-4 drops Grounding Blend and Geranium
 2-4 drops Lemongrass and Myrrh
 Alternate the above two combinations weekly.  Apply them directly to the thyroid area, the reflexology points on the feet (great toes), and on the wrists multiple times per day. For ease of application Grounding Blend/Geranium blend and Lemongrass/Myrrh blend can be in roller bottles.
 Some also suggest supplementing with Peppermint and Clove
Protocol 2 (simpler)
 5 parts Lemongrass
 5 parts Clove
 2 parts Frankincense
 Prepare the above blend in a roller bottle and apply topically to thyroid area (and reflexology points on feet) 3 times per day
Protocol 3 (also simpler)
 One person found simply putting 2-3 drops of Frankincense topically on the area 3 times a day reduced the size of the goiter caused by hypothryroidism.
Symptomatic relief 
 Pain - dilute Soothing Blend and apply topically
• Tiredness and depression - Joyful Blend, citrus oils, Peppermint
 Anxiety and irritability - Grounding Blend and Melissa
Consistency of application is important.

I have done a version of Protocol 2. Instead of Frank, I used Peppermint.  I have used drops and drops of Grounding Blend to help with the irritability I feel with feeling lousy as well as the frustration of delayed dosage adjustments.  Soothing Blend has helped with the joint pain.  2 drops of Frankincense under the tongue was suggested to me long before anything else so I have been consistent with that as well.

To be completely honest on here, my dose was increased finally a week ago.  This was after 3 months of complaining to my doctor.  I was testing "normal" again.  I am still using Protocol 2 that I modified with Peppermint to help.  The dose increase has helped my stubborn fat layers to start shedding and helped keep me feeling good enough to exercise.  The oils I feel have helped with the transition of the Synthroid.   I have always found when my hormones are adjusted, I can feel pretty weird for a few weeks.  After just a week, I am feeling pretty darn good.  

I am not always great about the multiple applications of the oils but those who are have given some great testimonials.  Check out this testimonial from EverythingEssential.me:

Cheryol - I am beyond amazed! I have had hypothyroidism and a huge goiter for the past 11 years. I decided to try the Frankincense on my goiter last night. After only 3 applications directly to the thyroid/goiter area, and a few drops under my tongue...the goiter is almost down to nothing! I am so excited. This is something the doctors told me would not go away or shrink. I can't wait to go to my next Doctor's appointment! 

Another big help to my thyroid….well to my overall health is using the Long Life Vitality vitamins.  

I can always tell when I have not done my daily regiment well.  It does make a huge difference.  By giving your body what it needs, you can help it heal.  Eat clean and wholesome foods, avoid the processed junk and soft drinks and you will be amazed at how much can change in your life.

If you are looking to do a Wellness Consult and would like my help, please send me a message.  We can do them in person or over the phone.  It will give you a great plan of attack to take charge of your own health.  Doctors are great but they are busy with lots of patients.  Be sure to look after yourself.  You are the only you in the world!













Friday, May 10, 2013

Topically, Aromatically, Internally Oh my!

One of the most common questions I get about the oils is "how do you use them?"  I try to explain that you can take them internally, apply them to your skin topically or diffuse them in the air.  After attending the East Coast Conference and learning and sharing with many others, I thought I might expand on this topic.

Let's take on common oil with hundreds of uses....Lemon oil.  On the doTERRA everyday website they have a link to the 101 Uses of the Intro kit.   The intro kit includes Lemon, Peppermint and Lavender.



Personally, I love the lemon oil in my water.  It is one way I take it internally.  I usually add 2-4 drops to my water for flavoring.  You have different taste buds, so you might want more or less.  But that isn't the only way to take an essential oil.

To get an oil into your system like an IV, place the drops under your tongue.  I do this daily with Frankincense.  No, it isn't the best tasting event of my day but the benefits outweigh the taste for me.

Now if you can't take the taste of some of the oils, there are veggie caps that will allow you to take them in pill form.



Back to lemon oil, you can use it topically.  They oils will absorb into your skin within seconds and enter your bloodstream shortly after.  Many of the citrus oils are great at boosting mood.  Applying it as you would with perfume can help you feel happier.  A few of my friends call Wild Orange their happy juice!  Lemon also works as the best goo gone I have ever seen!

When in doubt on where to put the oils topically, there are basically two things I tell people.  Bottoms of your feet or location location location.  If you have a pain, rub the oil where the pain is located.  Avoid putting the oils IN your eyes and ears though.  TRUST me on the eye one!  OUCH!  Peppermint is hot!




Aroma is the most common way people think to use the oils.  There are lots of ways to do this as well.  Many places sell diffusers.  We have 4 in my house and honestly, they are on a good portion of the time we are at home.  Stressful day, Citrus Bliss can help everyone chill out.  Need better sleep, Serenity it is.  Everyone getting sick......you know it is On Guard.  

By diffusing them, the oils can clean and purify the air.  As you breathe them in, you take those tiny droplets of oils into your body through the nose, skin and mouth.  The room not only smells better, it benefits you health wise.

There are options to wear the oils in jewelry.  They allow you to take the scent with you and be stylish.  Many kids with ADHD and autism have benefited from this method.

What do I do daily?
Topically I apply Lemongrass & Myrrh over my thyroid to help with my hypothyroidism, and Elevation as my perfume.  I swear everyone is nicer to me when I wear it.

Internally, I take 2 drops of Frankincense under my tongue, 10 drops of Grapefruit in a Veggie cap as well as my Long Life Vitality vitamins.

Throughout the morning and evening we often diffuse Citrus Bliss, Serenity, OnGuard and Lavender depending on how everyone in the house is feeling.

In my house I have noticed my family is less stressed, happier (sillier if you are my kids), and less likely to pick up every germ at the daycare.  We invested in our health naturally and I couldn't be happier.