Officially Winter in the Arctic

It's officially Winter where I live. Not because of massive amounts of snow or cold, but because today is daylight savings "fall back". That is when it's official. When the sun doesn't rise until 9am and then 10am and then 10:30am and sets at 6pm, and then 5pm and then 4pm....you get the point. Personally, I see it as a time of hibernation and an opportunity to get much needed rest, unless you have a newborn....which I do not:)
 
We are homeschoolers, so I have the luxury of letting my children and myself sleep in past the darkness, not rushing around the house- breakfast, book bags, coats, snow boots, mittens and balaclavas flying while we try and catch the big yellow bus! We don't mind the dark or the cold, most days. But, what I do mind is the sickness that inevitably comes with it. That I could do without.

We have pertussis going around the local schools and even though my creatures are not attending public school, they are still at risk.

There are specific essential oils that are proven to be highly effective at killing bacteria and pathogens, as well as disinfect and purify.

Here are some ideas and applications to help ward off the bugs this season:

* Don't kill off the body's friendly bacteria, which is the first line of defense, with conventional hand sanitizers. They do kill bad bacteria, but also the good ones, as well. By using essential oils your utilizing the body's knowledge of which bacteria to get rid of.

~doTERRA's oil blend OnGuard in distilled water, put into a mini-spritzer bottle is a natural alternative as a hand sanitizer.

~Also, just a drop of OnGuard onto the hands, after they have been washed, is effective. After rubbing into hands, inhaling the oil is beneficial to cleanse the nasal passages and lungs.

~Applying OnGuard to the soles of the feet, on reflex points and breathing it in by diffusing it into the air is also very important in cleansing the air from bacteria and pathogens. Since so many diseases are airborne, inhaling antibacterial oils is essential. OnGuard is proven in lab tests to kill bacteria. Lemon essential oil is also purifying. Either of these oils can clean the air in a room in about 20 minutes. Investing in a quality EOs diffuser is an ideal way to purify the air you and your family breathe.


*If you've already contracted a bad cold with cough, etc., you can try the following regimen to help shorten the illness and keep from sharing it with others:

~Rub OnGuard on the soles of feet every 20 minutes for the first hour, then every half hour for the next hour and every hour and every two hours, etc., throughout the day. Use the Breathe oil blend to help soothe a cough as well as inhaling melaleuca. Other single oil options that help with coughs, congestion, etc. are eucalyptus and rosemary. Diluting these oils with a carrier oil and rubbing on the chest, neck and back, as well as inhaling them, are wonderfully effective. These symptoms will not start to improve until the bacteria are under control, however.

~Blessings

This Week in Pathogens....

This week has been a busy one, pathogen-wise. Since we have SO MANY children, Fall...Winter...and... Spring are all testy on the sickness home front. Some weeks we are all healthy, all at the same time and other weeks we are all sick, all at the same time. Then there are weeks where everyone shares their wealth of germs, in stages and we are sick for what seems like forever. I hate those weeks. The battle has been against several bugs this week, including (but, not limited to) double conjunctivitis (aka. pink eye), two ear infections and a nasty cold. Oh, and I pulled my neck/back out of place yesterday. That was the highlight of my week. Try putting your game face on for Arctic trick-or-treating when you can barely move your neck and upper back! Ughhhh...

In the spirit of being positive, I decided to get my oils out and see what, and who, we could slather up. My youngest, who is sixteen months old, woke-up with two very gooey, yellow, watery, red eyes a few days ago, as well as a runny nose and overall feeling like the cruds. Extremely irritable and not interested in eating or drinking his precious goat milk (which he loves more than life). So, I knew he was seriously coming down with something nasty. I looked in my EOs guide and found that lavender treats pink eye. An experienced-in-EOs friend confirmed that treatment option and I began using lavender around both of his eyes, 3 times a day, careful not to actually get it into his eyes (which is much harder than you think!). I did not have to dilute it as it can be applied 'neat' (aka. undiluted). I also rubbed melaleuca and lavender oil, diluted in a few drops of grapeseed oil, and On Guard oil blend into the soles of his feet, several times a day. Since he also had symptoms of a viral cold (runny-stuffy nose/congestion, etc.) I also diluted some eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil with grapeseed oil and rubbed that onto his chest and neck, several times a day and especially at night before I laid him down to sleep. Success!! We are on day 3 and his eyes are completely cleared up and his cold is also on the mend. Most notable is he feels much better and is back to his happy self. Nothing worse than an unhappy babe.

 Hopefully, the virus will have worked it's way through by the end of the week.  And, he has smelled wonderfully with all those delicious oils on him the last few days! I have to say how much I love the lavender and eucalyptus oils, especially when used together. So soothing and therapeutic. The last time I dealt with pink eye, I ran to my doctor's office and got scripts for eye drops and an antibiotic. Of course, I'm not 100% sure if his case was bacterial, viral or allergy related, but I'm guessing viral. I would use the same approach, however, if I suspected a bacterial infection...which is usually coupled with a fever, which he never had. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be able to use natural oils to treat sickness and not have to run into town, which is 20+ miles away, with all my SIX children in tow, every time we get sick. Not that I refuse to ever see a doctor, but it is a last resort.

My 3rd oldest son (7) and his little sister (3) both had ear infections this week, as well. Lavender and melaleuca on a cotton ball and inserted into the ear (at night, after they have fallen asleep), and massaged around the ear and in the outer ear opening several times a day have done wonders. I also used Mullein drops compound (from the Naturopath doctor) several times a day. Again, I see huge improvements and there are no more complaints of earaches. One happy Momma here.

Two of my other kiddos have the cold that is being passed around and I am using the On Guard oil blend on the soles of the feet (mostly at night, before bed), and eucalyptus, rosemary and melaleuca oils, diluted in grapeseed oil (but, you can use any carrier oil) on their chests, necks and noses, especially before bed. If I had the oil blend Breathe, I would use that on their chests and so on, but I do not currently...so the other oils are working nicely.

And, last but not least, my neck and back. I have chronic back pain, mostly in the sites where I had epidurals with half of my births (the other half I realized that I could indeed birth, drug-free...without dieing). Plus, I suffer from mild to-moderate scoliosis and poor posture, constant lifting of children and being on my feet much of the day. My go-to oils for my back issues/pain are peppermint and lavender, diluted in a carrier oil. I also love the oil blend Deep Blue and sandalwood and frankincense oils are also very effective for back pain. That coupled with a hot pad or hydrotherapy and my back pain melts away. Now, I will admit I have prescription pain pills that I break out when I cannot function, (an in walk, get out of bed...you get the point). But, those are a last resort because of the side effects I experience including: extreme drowsiness, dizziness and a general feeling of fog.

That is our week in pathogens! Hoping next week brings a much needed break from the sicks and we can enjoy some predicted snowfall. :)

~Blessings