How to Prepare for "Flat on the Couch SICK!"
Useful Information to Know
BEFORE You're Flat on the Couch SICK!
I hate to come across as a "negative nancy" but, from what I've seen so far...we need to be armed with a few tricks up our sleeve to outwit the sick season. Case in point ~ moi. I don't get sick, I don't! I can be around sick kids, strangers, family and never get sick. Sounds pretty confident I know, but it's true...ask my husband, kids...anyone that knows me.
Newsflash: never let a one year old with a runny nose transfer a raisin from his mouth to yours. I'm a Mom, we do things like that.
I thought it would be a good idea to share some information that I was grateful I already knew and, a list of things I was grateful I had at the ready before I myself was, flat on the couch sick this week.
EO Basics
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Pure EOs are phenomenal tools for wellness. Just a reminder: whenever I share information on my blog or Facebook page re: essential oils, I'm only referring to pure essential oils. Ok? Ok!
PURE essential oils are the complex, volatile "soul of the plant". Scientists cannot duplicate it, and even yet don't fully understand all the functions these oils do for the planet itself. Distillation gently removes the health-giving properties we need from the plant ie: organic hormones, vitamins and other natural elements which work internally and topically. These elements naturally counteract chemical effects, as well as the viruses and germs we come in contact with every day...through their ability to stimulate the while blood cells and encourage them to scavenge. Because of the way EOs naturally encourage our own bodies to work harder toward health, bacteria cannot become "resistant" to essential oils.
Here's a photo that a family member posted on FB, showing all the OTC meds bought in the last 3 weeks. She and her hubby have been flat on the couch SICK for 3 weeks. If you look closely you'll see a tin of Spark Naturals EOs too, from the Mom (Jillee) ahem! I think she grounded them, I don't know ;)
This is the "quick fix" mentality captured in a photo. PLEASE, just take away my symptoms, they're too inconvenient. If I do a quick mental tally of how much was spent at the pharmacy and on OTC meds, I think a conservative guess is $150. If they paid full price for those prescriptions, well over $200! Hoping to help you avoid this, I'd like to give you a list of EOs to have on hand so that if the flu comes knocking, you'll be prepared. With a small collection of EOs you can kill that virus. Masking the symptoms is temporary, and, you're throwing away what little immunities you have left. Ok, now that I'm in big trouble with the kids, let's move on...
Be aware that whenever you take prescription antibiotics you're stripping your body's immunity even deeper. You're harming the good flora in your gut that fights infection with synthetic chemicals.
I understand that antibiotics can be necessary however, it's important to be replenishing and boosting your immunity at the same time with EOs, healthy eating and probiotics.
List of What to Have on Hand for the Sick Season
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I've linked each EO to the Spark Naturals website so you can read about all of the properties when you have time. That info is a post all it's own :)
EOs for the Cold & Flu Bomb, a natural antibiotic protocol that can infiltrate the cell membrane and get to the virus something synthetic antibiotics can't do.
- BASICS
During the month of October, SN offers the Cold & Flu Bomb Kit + a Roller Bottle.
- ADD ONS & ALTERNATIVES
Because all of us respond to EOs differently, the above are excellent alternatives to the basic Cold & Flu Bomb remedy. If you have a few alternatives on hand, you'll be better prepared.
- NOTEWORTHY
Frankincense will enhance all oils and, is superior for any kind of inflammation. Inflammation is the cause of mucus build up. I'm fighting a feisty virus this week, Frankincense has been very, very helpful in clearing mucus which speeds healing.
Consistency
I confessed my great blunder last week, I failed in consistency. On my way to hunt camp I knew I was getting sick. I had the EOs I needed so I pulled over, used a bottle cap as a makeshift shot glass and dosed myself with the Bomb. I did this every 3 hours and felt great in the morning. I let myself get busy, neglecting what I knew better! Three days later, I was attacked again, this time with stomach flu.
The MINUTE you or one of your family members isn't feeling well, start this protocol and follow these directions, consistency will result in greatness!
Cold & Flu Bomb The Bomb consists of 3 drops each Oregano, Shield and Melaleuca in a capsule or a shot glass or even on the bottom of your feet. Dose every 3 hours until symptoms start to disappear. This is where it gets critical - continue dosing 3x a day for at least 3 days afterwards. You need to kill that virus, make sure it's good and dead.
If it's a stomach bug, reach for some tummy calming oils too. I try to always have a bottle if DIY Digestzen in my stash. You can apply 3 drops topically or take under the tongue. We've seen this stop some gnarly symptoms like food poisoning. Again, another good digestive to have at the ready!
Be ready to diffuse! We've talked about diffusing time and time again on Camp Wander!
This is one of the cheapest home health devices you can put in your home. What a difference a diffuser can make, from purifying the air by killing airborne pathogens to creating a bright or relaxing mood. You can learn more about the JOY of Diffusing {HERE}
For cold and flu season, diffuse Shield or Eucalyptus, Respire, Lemon, or a combination thereof! This is a brilliant way to keep viruses from spreading! Consider it in the classroom and office too.
Diffusing on the GO! I know you can't haul your diffuser everywhere...believe me I've tried! But, you can create an inhalant to use throughout the day. Add 2 drops of your needed EO like Respire for congestion to a tissue or a piece of soft cloth and keep it in your pocket to inhale from throughout the day.
Always Important - Sick or Not...
Drink, Drink & Drink some more...water. Oh but a wee nip of something with a bite can help on occasion too :)
Drink, Drink & Drink some more...water. Oh but a wee nip of something with a bite can help on occasion too :)
Lastly, stay hydrated! Drink lots and lots of water, a drop of Lemon or Peppermint (alternated) is good for the congestion and to keep things moving through the lymphatic system.
If you've been on prescription meds, this is especially important to just keep moving the residue through.
I hope I didn't keep you too long, eeeesh...there's just so much to talk about and learn isn't there? Stay armed and dangerous in a healthy way! Please consider not throwing your money at OTC meds - get to the virus first and foremost!
As always enjoy the CW 10% off discount on any Spark Naturals order! coupon code: campwander
posted by Rebecca @ 9:39 PM
15 Comments
15 Comments:
Hi Rebecca, I have a question about putting the oils in capsules. You generally recommend the size 00 capsules; I was just wondering if there is a reason they need to be this specific size? I'm looking at ordering some and they look big!
We are getting ready for our annual fall lakehouse trip with extended family, and it seems like inevitably someone will get sick, so I'm trying to get prepared now! :O)
I'm home with a stomach bug right now and I feel like a bath would just be wonderful. Any recommendations? I have bentonite clay, Epsom salts, and a host of SN EO's. I'm sure I'll do the peppermint towel trick but can't decide between salts or clay, and what EO's to add to the bath. Shield? Peppermint? Lavender? Too many options for this groggy (and unfortunately presciption-medicated... Should've read this first!) brain to process...
Also I'm allergic to milk... So no lavender milk bath for me! Coconut either.
She's answered this question for me before and if I remember what she said correctly, it's just that it's the biggest, so the most versatile for different remedies. I have used this size for the flu bomb myself and the oils barely fill any of the capsule up (and they float in your mouth...which I just wasn't expecting the first time I took one...no idea why since it makes perfect sense), so don't question whether or not you put enough in (I did). Also, fill as you go as the oils will dissolve the capsule. I have since bought the size 0 and they are a bit smaller, so I usually use those when I am taking a smaller amount of oils. Hope this helps!
I want to start trying these things, but I'm overwhelmed. Where do I begin and with what?
That's what I needed to know! Thanks Jennifer!
I think the first oil I ever bought was lavender. It is incredibly versatile. You can search this blog for the word "lavender" and find lots of ways to use it.
You could also start with the Essentials kit from Spark Naturals, which contains lavender, lemon, peppermint and melaleuca. Again, search this blog for the many uses of these oils.
Most oils you will want to dilute a little to make them easier to apply and so the bottles will last longer. It usually only takes a drop or two of the essential oil. Fractionated coconut oil is perfect for this, but many oils can be used. I often use grapeseed oil b/c it is something I usually have in my kitchen.
Once you start with some of these basics, you'll start seeing how it works best for you and what other oils you want to start adding. Enjoy it!
Thank you, Ruthie. So you start with some EO and some coconut oil? Is the coconut oil in liquid form or like lard?
Fractionated coconut oil is in liquid form, which is what you want in order to get it evenly distributed. The fractionated part is important. Don't use coconut oil from the grocery store, especially if you want to put your oils in a roller bottle. ;O)
Spark Naturals sells the fractionated coconut oil; you can also find good prices on it at Amazon.
When I first started, I was just mixing these up in little bowls or small Tupperware containers and dipping my fingers in and rubbing it on. I eventually did buy several roller ball bottles (got mine from the AromaTools website) and that works a lot better b/c you aren't using up so much at once but still getting what you need.
I also made the mistake of adding way too much EO to the carrier oil originally, thinking that would work better, but in most cases you really don't need to do that. I now use 15-20 drops of EO in a 10 ml roller bottle and fill the rest of the way with grapeseed oil.
One more thing - sometimes when you first open a bottle of a new EO and turn it to let a few drops out, it comes pouring out faster than you expected and you use way more than you meant to. Sometimes it's hard to get them to come out at all. Just barely turn it the first time to see how it's going to come out. Personally, I like to remove the plastic insert from the bottle and just use eyedroppers (you can get ones to fit the bottles at AromaTools and other websites).
Ruthie, THANK YOU! Great information. Very helpful. Do these concoctions really (and I mean REALLY) work? I live in the Ohio Valley region and allergies are HORRIBLE here. I need something that is really going to work.
I would say that different people are going to find different things that work for them - just my personal opinion. For us, I will never again be without SN's Shield/doTerra's OnGuard. I have witnessed that oil blend work miracles in my home with stomach viruses and with the flu.
The LLP (allergy blend) is a natural antihistamine that I've used successfully on itchy bug bites and it has helped some with seasonal allergies, but I've also had times I went back to allergy pills when it was really bad.
The one thing I will say is that you HAVE to use them CONSISTENTLY, as Rebecca pointed out above. I think that was part of my problem with the LLP. When things are really bad, like when my son got the flu, I was using OnGuard on his feet every 1 to 2 hours for the first day when he was really miserable - and unbelievably 24 hours into it his fever broke and he was well enough to perform in the musical he had been rehearsing all summer for. It was still a few more days until he was completely over everything, but I really believe had we just gone to the doctor and started Tamiflu it would have taken much longer.
Spark Naturals has a pre-made blend of LLP that you could try first if you don't want to buy the separate oils to blend together yourself. You can just get a small (5ml) bottle to try and see if it will work for you and you wouldn't be out much money that way. I've used that in a roller bottle, diffused it, and at one point made a spray bottle (combining it with water) that I would use around my house during allergy season.
Ruthie, I'm so impressed!! Thank you for taking the time to share this info :)
Thanks Rebecca! Great information to keep close at hand!
Whew! I was afraid you were going to say, "NO, DON'T LISTEN TO THAT RUTHIE GIRL, SHE GOT IT ALL WRONG!!" :O)
I take no credit. I learned from the best (that would be you, a friend from church and a good ol' dose of try, try again....)
LOL! I appreciate the help, ya done good and thanks for your niceness :)
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