State of the Body Address

When I go on hiatuses in my blog, its typically because of my health.  This time is no different.  I have copied this from my family blog.  It's the details that everyone asks about, it's where my head is and its a lot of my heart.  I am so grateful for every person in my life that has ever said a word to me...a word of encouragement, an "I'm praying for you", given me a hug.  I am so blessed by so many people who play a part in my life.  Alone is not an option for me.  I have lots of "Together's" and I am so grateful to have so many people to be "together" with.

The Facts

Around the beginning of September I played a pretty tough tennis match with my sweet friend, Christy.  It was tough for me because it was hot, hot, hot and I was getting weaker by the game.  I looked at her and wondered why I was tanking so!  As it turns out, I never recovered from that match and within the next week found myself in the hospital with pneumonia.  No wonder I couldn't breathe on the court!  After lots of tests and even some guesswork, it was determined that I had pneumonia simply because I was on Humira (bc it suppressed my immune system).  After I left the hospital, I still didn't have answers or even a plan and met with many -ologists.  I went to an ENT to determine if I had sinus issues and apparently that was it, unbeknownst to me.  What I loved most about my ENT was that she was the only doctor who didn't just blame everything on my Crohn's or the Humira, as every doctor to that point had done.  She ultimately discovered I had a major sinus infection that would continue causing pneumonia if I didn't nip it.  I was so grateful, as she was the first doctor to keep pressing for a cause.  Unfortunately, her solution was to give me an antibiotic called Clendamycin.  Take note...never EVER take this drug.  I was warned it would be hard on my tummy and within a few days was vomiting profusely due to the antibiotics.  However,  I didn't want to go back in the hospital to get an IV, so I forged ahead.  It was brutal.  Within a week after finally completing the antibiotic I got CDiff.  I was aware it was a risk and I knew the exact moment my body changed.  I called my GI and told him to test me and sure enough.  I was positive.  He gave me a script for ANOTHER antibiotic (4th at this point)  to get rid of the CDiff.  At that point, my body was so weak.  I refused to take another antibiotic until I was about 5 days into CDiff (on a Saturday no less) and was grateful for that "just in case" script.  My GI referred me to an Infectious Disease doctor who actually extended the length of the antibiotic by 4 days.  I never made it that long.  I could not take the nausea anymore.  My last pill was the week of Thanksgiving, so I had been nauseated and sick all of September, October and for 3 weeks in November.  I was done.

My Truth

Since the day I went to the hospital in September for pneumonia, we have been loved and supported and prayed for by an amazing amount of people.  Not only those who are family or known us for years, but this wonderful family of friends we have here in The Woodlands.  Our friends immediately jumped into action to help Babe at home with the kids and feed them in my absence.  They came to me at the hospital.  These are all things I would do in a heartbeat, but to be on the receiving end of such love and compassion is a lot to take...especially when it seems like we have needed it for an extended period of time.  When you are used to taking care of everyone else, it is extremely humbling to be taken care of yourself.

The difficult part was that since I took that Clendamycin, my stomach was destroyed.  I was/am in chronic pain and vomit on a regular basis. I live in a world of nausea even off the medication.  It has been a very difficult time for me enduring it and my family worrying about me.  Thru it all I have been balancing my business and my family and not doing a very good job of either.  Every time I get sick, I feel like it couldn't get worse.  And every time it does.  The pain in the last few months has been unbearable with the nausea mixed in.  I carry a barf bag with me every where I go.  It's really classy :) Whatever I have, be it Crohns Disease, Candida issues, or CDiff, it is a very painful and brutal disease.  There are no words to explain it so that those who don't have it can understand it.

Babe has been my saving grace.  With every ounce of my being, I do not know how I would have survived this struggle in my life without him.  Each time I turn around, he has not only made me the proper food to eat to keep me healthy, but he has made delicious food to keep me healthy.  I have told him many times that there is no way he can "go" before me.  He has pulled me out of pits day after day...pits that I didn't have the energy to climb out of myself.  We have prayed our hearts out over me which is hard for me.  I don't know how to pray for myself.  When I am in so much pain, I just cry, "Jesus!"  I love that song that says, "When you don't know what to say, just say 'Jesus.'"  I say, "Jesus" a lot!  We finally reached the point where we admitted that we needed help.  It was time.

I called my church and made an appointment with our pastor to pray with us and for us last week.  I had no idea what to expect, but I knew we needed some super powers involved.  Our meeting was so much more than I thought it would be.  Babe was home with me that day, so we both got to go.  Our pastor asked a lot of good questions about Babe and his role and my illness and how it affects us and our family.  To say there were tears shed is an understatement.  Babe and I are solid and united and ultimately so much closer for the trenches we have been thru, but that meeting was so purifying for each of us to cry out to someone else for help.  He prayed over us, anointed us both with oils and we are set to meet with him weekly.  I have high hopes for those meetings.

Thru all of this and the testing of my faith, I go back to Job...a lot.  I have never been angry with God, as our pastor inquired.  I just want to be sure that thru this awful time that the Glory be given to the Lord.  I know that I am sustained daily from His strength alone. We both know that God is working thru us and there is nothing more emotional to me than to know that God is using ME to do something for His kingdom.  I still beg for healing, don't get me wrong.  I often cry out asking, "WHEN IS THS OVER?"  But ultimately, God is in control.  I dream of a Heavenly body...with no pain and no suffering.  We have outwardly discussed the "what ifs" which are hard.  Babe fears losing me and I fear my children growing up with a sick mom or without a mom at all.  But all these fears are not ours to bear.  When I start to worry, my stomach hurts more and it is ultimately a downward spiral for me.  I can't go there.  I don't mind giving those fears up to the Lord.

What I do know is how my disease has changed my life.  My perspective is one of necessity.
1-Good health...every day is a blessing to be without pain.  There are some days that I count hours as blessings without pain.
2-Food...Babe is all I have to say.  He is the best cook and my daily supporter thru cooking whats best for me, doing, praying, loving.
3-Family...every moment that I am down is time away from my boys and I often feel a LOT of guilt and anxiety over what my children are missing because of me.  That part is tough.  But what I have seen a glimpse of is their appreciation for a healthy mom when I am healthy and their compassion for me when I am ill.  I get head rubs, foot rubs, plates of mini wheats and half eaten pretzels. :)  All things I can't eat, but certainly make me feel better for the TLC.
4-Friends...there is no way we could have survived to this point without our friends.  No way.

After those 4 things...nothing else matters.  It really simplifies life when you are just clinging TO life.

This morning I woke up sick.  I was miserable and strangely enough, I rejoice when I can throw up to get some of the pain to go away....I threw up.  It is Sunday and Babe had to work, so I used every bit of energy I had to get the boys and I to church.  I wanted so desperately to be at church worshipping in the sanctuary.  I walked into that sanctuary nauseous, unsure if I would have to run to the restroom.  I prepared JBS to watch the other two if I did.  As we stood for our first song, I started to cry and then sob.  My kids were staring at me not knowing what to do.  Sweet JBS said, "Does it hurt that bad Mommy?"  Which, of course...made me cry more.  There was nothing like that time this morning, though.   For one, the sermon was about how we fail to call on God to take over when we need it.  Trust me, Lord, I am calling your name!  And when we left, I called Babe to say that the entire time I was in that sanctuary I was without pain.  I had a spiritual experience that I am not sure I have had before, but in that sanctuary, I felt like I was standing in the presence of God.  The Holy Spirit was there.  I was so emotional and so relieved at the same time.  As we walked out and got in the car, my pain returned.  I wanted to stay there all day.

My Hope

Two years ago, one of my dearest friends from college introduced me to a Fecal Transplant (FMT) and I have been asking for and studying this procedure since then.  As the time has passed, my doctors have become more open to this procedure for me.  It is ultimately placing the healthy bacteria of one person into the colon of an unhealthy person (me).

This procedure is only approved in the US for someone with CDiff.  Before I had the CDiff diagnosis, I discovered that it was only approved in the US for CDiff, but I could fly to Australia where there was a pioneer doctor using it to treat Crohns Disease!  I emailed them only to discover, that venture would be nothing short of a $50,000 and 8 weeks away from my family.  It was so discouraging to know there was something out there than could help me and to be so desperate and not be able to get it.

In my years of researching, I discovered another doctor in Oklahoma, of all places that is a leading researcher in the procedure.  I was also in touch with my GI at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, as well.  Each of them said it was not indicated for Crohn's yet and they couldn't help me.  Huge disappointment.

SO, if you can image my  joy when I received a CDIFF diagnosis!  Most people would cringe, but I had the paper in my hand to say I could get the procedure!  I called John and my parents with tears of joy..."I HAVE CDIFF!!!"  It's a terrible issue to have, but truthfully, it doesn't come close to the other issues I deal with.  I am not kidding when I say that I think that CDiff was my answer to prayer.  I had desperately prayed for a way to get that procedure and if getting CDiff is how God is helping me get it, so be it!

It took some time for me to heal to get researching to find out where I could go....for real.  I first contacted the doctor in Houston and exchanged a few emails with him while I was waiting to hear from the doctor in Oklahoma.  The doctor in Houston responded with "How many times have you had CDiff?"  {isn't once enough???}  Then, I discovered the doctor in Oklahoma was no longer in practice and am guessing he retired.  Ultimately, I received an email from Houston saying, "Give your meds a chance to heal you.  75% of patients with Cdiff are cured with their first round."  I was heartbroken.  I read that email every night and finally typed out a last ditch effort email.  I gave him my history of Crohn's and Candida struggles, tugging at heartstrings and anything else I could muster and pushed SEND.

The very next day, I received an email from the doctor's assistant with attachments of all the papers for the procedure!  Holy Hannah!  I just completed those papers and will send them off today.  There was a section that said that they are not approved yet to treat Crohns, but are taking applications for when they are.  I have no idea if he sees me as a Crohns patient or a CDiff patient, but I have never been this close before.  And even more so...not traveling across the world, but right here in my own town.

Final Thoughts

It occurred to me as I wrote that email that I am now 40 and my struggles began in college when I was 20.  I have been fighting this battle for half my life.  There are lots of things I hate about it.  I hate that people worry about me. I hate that people feel the need to ask me how my health is all the time.  I hate the pain it causes me and my family.  I hate not being able to eat at social functions...or at all.  I hate missing out on days at a time when I can't function.  I hate it.  Illness is from the devil and its his way of trying to take me down.  I am stubborn and I refuse to be taken down!  I fight for my kids and I fight for my family.  I fight because I know that God has bigger plans thru my disease.  I don't know what they are.  I don't know when or how this story ends, but I know that somehow God is working His purposes thru me and Babe and how we grow thru this together.

I am so grateful for ALL the "togethers" I have in my life.  God is so good.

I have never been weaker, but know I have never been stronger.

Valor Oil Benefits Plus One More!

Seeing as how this week is the first week of school for us, Valor is a good pick for the Oil of the Week.  This one might get a little long, as it has drastically impacted my family recently.  Here it goes:

I never knew the value that Valor would have in so many households.  Our story really surprised me….a lot.  My oldest son (starting 4th) is a straight A kid.  I noticed in 2nd grade that his benchmark exams in reading were dropping, dropping and dropping.  He was barely squeaking by at grade level.  In first grade he was the top reader in the class!  I spoke with his teachers, who seemed to think he had nothing to worry about. By the second semester of his 3rd grade year, his grades in reading were all over the place:  100, 40, 110, 50, 90, 70….seriously erratic.  On a hunch that he might have a special kind of ADHD, I put Valor Oil on a paper towel and put it in his backpack.  It was STAR testing week.  I told him to sniff it if he felt like he needed help focusing.  He said he did use it when it came to the reading part and he said it worked.  That was all I got from him.  And we waited….

On the last day of school, we received his STAR results.  My jaw dropped.  While I thought I had the wrong child’s report, he meekly said, “It’s terrible, isn’t it mom?” His confidence was so rocked from the issues he was having.  Not only was it awesome, he scored in the 99th %ile on Reading Comprehension!!  For the two previous years, his math and science were excellent (because he loves those classes), but reading was barely passing. He scored HIGHER than his already high math and science scores. I heard “he is fine!” and “most kids who do so well in math and science, often struggle in reading and writing”…..no one ever saw the signs b.c he doesn’t have behavior issues.  Most people think that ADHD comes with disruptions in class.  His “Hyper” is clicking a pen or bouncing his knee….lucky for me:)  We have since been evaluated formally and he does have a peculiar type of ADHD that affects his executive functioning which entails his reading comprehension.

The ADD Center here is really amazing and highly reputable.  They understand my desire to not start meds for him since he still made all A’s…we don’t need the “Hail Mary” yet.  I didn’t elaborate with them on the essential oils, but did tell them we wanted to start naturally knowing how many friends I have with kids who HATE the way the ADD meds make them feel.  Their suggestion was to take their non-prescription Fish Oil.  Fish Oil is really great for ADD/ADHD and they have found a way to make it cross the blood-brain barrier by including a special chemical found in breast milk. Without that, it can’t cross the blood brain barrier where it needs to be.  The funny thing is….Essential Oils cross the blood-brain barrier, too!  And….they aren’t synthetically made to imitate something they are not.  Young Living makes a wonderful fish oil product called Omegize and it has essential oils in there that allow the fish oil to cross the blood brain barrier.  That said, not only do we rub valor on the base of my son’s skull every morning, he also takes his Omegize daily.  

The confidence he is gaining already is priceless.  As for his smarts…they are testing his IQ b.c. they feel that he is actually gifted based on his ability to compensate thus far and regurgitate everything he hears verbatim.  Of course I love my baby and will brag on him all day.  But the point is this. What a tragedy it would be for a child as smart as he is to get so discouraged, he wouldn’t read, or pay attention in school or think he isn’t smart…who knows what paths that lack of confidence would take.  He immediately thought he wasn’t “smart” when in essence he is quite smart….he just has a hard time focusing on long reading passages. I have tears thinking about what could have been.  But now tears of JOY knowing I can help him without harmful meds….no meds at all.  Just a few good fish and plants:)

The funny thing is as we discuss his issues, I am diagnosing my husband as well.  My husband never knew he had an issue growing up, but HE felt he had a hard time with reading comprehension….even still.  (Ironically, HE loves to read!)  He does the bouncing knee at 90 to nothing all the time…the clicking of the pens…the constant movement, albeit smaller movements.  So now, we treat them both.  This could bring on an amazing peace in my life I never knew existed:)

SO….the benefits of Valor:

1-Emotional Strength/Confidence

2-Anxiety/Panic Attacks

3-Hyperactivity/Attention

4-Sleep Apnea/snoring

5-Spinal Adjustments (holds a spinal adjustment longer)

6-TMJ

7-Sciatica

The way we have been using Valor is as a roll on.  The little roll-on tip comes with your starter kit with a new tall black lid as well.  We just popped (with a firm snap) that roll-on on our Valor bottle and roll it on the base of his skull every morning.  I also have a paper towel (b.c its thick and easy to disguise as a tissue) with Valor on it in his backpack.  That way, if he is feeling distracted in a moment, he can also reach in his backpack and take a sniff.  That way, we don’t have to deal with the nurse and make a scene.  He just pretends to wipe his nose.  Brains in a bottle I say! ;)

I was just thinking how I wanted to slather him in Valor….and saw there is a Valor Bar Soap as well.  For sure on my next order!

Please please feel free to pass these emails on to anyone you know might need them.  The ADD thing really pulls at my heartstrings as I KNOW there are so many kids out there that struggle. Kids that may think they aren’t smart because they can’t do what everyone else is doing with ease.  It is NOT a smarts thing.   I fully believe that DIET is a huge part of controlling ADD/ADHD, but I can attest to the power of the essential oils first hand when used in combination with a healthy diet.  Confidence is invaluable.

OmegaGize Ingredients:

Fish Oil, Rice Tocotrienols, Clove EO (Syzygium aromaticum), CoQ10 Kaneka™, German Chamomile EO (Matricaria recutita), Spearmint EO (Mentha spicata), Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol), Mixed Carotenoids, Other ingredients: Gelatin (tilapia), Silicon Dioxide, purified water

Lemon Oil Benefits

This week's Oil of the Week is Lemon Oil.  After getting my first set of oils, I found a daily use in every single one of them.  One day I even said to my husband, "I have no idea what to do with lemon apart from putting it in my water." {not knowing any of the benefits} A day later, Lemon Oil came to the rescue!  I had a very painful cyst that was getting larger and more painful by the day.  When I read up on what to use, Lemon Oil was the winner for any and all cysts, including ganglion cysts, hormonal cysts....cysts.  The first night I applied the lemon oil topically *neat*.  By the next morning the cyst was still there, but the shooting pains down my leg were gone because the pressure was gone.  I applied once more topically and from that point on, I put 2 drops of lemon oil in my water twice a day.  By the time I made it to the doctor the next week, my cyst was gone and my doctor...dumbfounded.  Lemon Oil was officially in my repertoire!

Lemon Oil has several other great purposes as well:

-Disinfects and Kills germs when cleaning
-Put in water to clean fruits and veggies
-Removes Callouses/Bunions
-Anti-tumoral
-Removes Cysts
-Detoxifies Cells  (if none other, the best reason to add lemon to your water every day.  It is a good, slow detox for your body.  There is no one out there that doesn't need to detox their cells...healthy or not.  Our bodies are LOADED with toxins from foods, environment, skin care products, medications, etc etc.)

**Always use glass or stainless steel cups when using oils.  Essential Oils are so concentrated that they will pull the carcinogens out of plastic and into your water.

**Citrus Oils, including Lemon Oil causes photosensitivity.   (Carrot Seed Oil is a natural sunscreen)

Lavender Oil

Starting with what comes in the Premium Starter Kit...  The GO-TO oil is Lavender.  I have always been told that if you don’t know what to use, start with Lavender.  Essential Oils are healing because their molecules are SO small they pass into every single cell in the body within minutes.  One of the major parts of the oils that heals is called a Sesquiterpene.  {word of the week!}  Just by getting Sesquiterpenes into your cells, healing has begun, regardless of the oil being used.  I have read countless reports that once people started using oils in general, lots of things started healing.  Fascinating, really.

SO…

1-Lavender is a KNOWN anti-histamine.  Any time you want to grab for Benadryl, grab Lavender.  

2-Lavender  is used to soothe and heal the skin, stop the burning from a burn or a skinned knee. It is great for dry skin/dandruff, hives.  I just used it on my injection site that usually gets big and itchy….not with Lavender.

3-Sleep issues.  Lavender is known to help you sleep.  Calming for kids, too at bedtime :)

4- Relaxing bath—Put epsom salt and lavender in your bath for relaxing after a long day.

Lavender can replace the use of Neosporin, Benedryl, Zyrtec, Claritin, Sinus meds, etc.  Also: Aleve, Motrin, Tylenol PM, Unisom, and calamine lotion.

Allergy Bomb:  4 drops Peppermint, 4 drops Lemon, 4 drops Lavender.  IT WORKS!

Your oil of the week is Lavender!  Go forth and conquer! :)

Thieves Oil

Where in the world do you start with Thieves Oil?  Thieves is called Thieves b.c during the Black Plaque, there were thieves that would rob from the bodies that literally died on the street from the plaque.  They would then go to their homes and rob their houses, too.  BUT…they never got sick. It was unheard of.  When the thieves were finally caught, King James (as in the Bible) decreased their penalty if they revealed their secret to staying healthy.  It turns out they were from a family of apothecaries and knew that the combination of Cinnamon, Clove, Lemon, Rosemary, and Eucalyptus kept them healthy.  That was the beginning of the end of the plague. :)  And thus, that combination is called Thieves Oil.

I cannot say enough about using Thieves for oral care.  Most of you know it healed my poor bleeding gums (secondary to being on Humira)  to the total shock and awe of my hygienist.  Even further…to my next visit where she said that there was nothing (no Biofilm) on my teeth to actually clean.  Thieves is good for people who get canker sores, ulcers, halitosis….anything pertaining to the health of your teeth.  On top of that, I have had multiple people tell me my teeth are whiter.  I have only been swishing Thieves each night, so it must be Thieves oil too!

I have a friend whose husband had a toe fungus (ick) that his doctor said would not go away until he had a specific foot surgery.  His feet are mangled from running, etc.  His oil-loving wife put a drop of thieves on his toe every night and within a week, the toenail fell off and it grew back completely healthy.  Warts…be gone.  Will remove a wart pain free.  Will also remove a splinter without tweezing it. 

For my family…we stay healthy with Thieves.  I am not saying we don’t get bugs.  But the minute my kids get a sniffle or a cough, out comes the Thieves and I either rub with olive oil on their chest or put “neat” on the bottom of their feet.  Not once that we have done that has any illness progressed.  Given that I have no immune system, I swish and swallow two drops every night.  Twice I have been in a situation where I was GUARANTEED to get Strep, as my friends either had it or got it.  The only thing I got was a tickle in my throat and that was gone in a day. My brutal sinus infection that lasted 3 ½ months and survived 3 rounds of antibiotics was finally gone after swallowing 2 drops of Thieves at night.  

My very favorite thing from YL is the Thieves Essential Rewards Kit.  It comes with Thieves Soap, Theives Hand Gel, Thieves Housecleaner, Thieves Mouthwash, Thieves Toothpaste and a bottle of Thieves.  I never thought I would be cleaning my house with it all, but I do.   Instead of my kids eating the remnants of 409 on my counters they are now ingesting natural oils.  My house smells awesome when I clean the counters AND it works better than bleach (i have a study to prove it).   We put Thieves Cleaner in our washing machine to get rid of the musty smell, we clean our jets in our bathtub by putting Thieves cleaner in the tub and running it…NO MORE bleach!  And my hubs was obsessed with bleach.  I couldn’t stand that strong odor all the time.  My little germ-hating cynic has become a Thieves believer!

You can put this on you, by applying to your feet “neat” or rubbing with a carrier oil on your chest.  I like to get the oils inside of me, so i prefer to ingest either by swallowing with water or putting in our pills.  I also add Thieves to the diffuser to disinfect or add to the prevention of illness if some one is showing signs in our house.  Just get it on or in you! :)  It’s amazing!  

You can conquer a WHOLE lot with Thieves on your side!

Frankincense Oil

Frankincense was good enough for Jesus so it has to be good, right!?

Frankincense ranks up there as one of my favorites in the starter kit.  As a reminder, the Premium Starter Kit is basically a replacement for your medicine cabinet.  You can use each of these oils to handle your basic household needs for meds.  It’s remarkable!  

1-First and foremost, I use Frankincense as an anti-inflammatory.  Truth be told, I had a deep cyst-type something on my chin and I messed with it.  So, it was puffy.  I put a dot of Frankincense on it “neat” and the next morning the inflammation was completely gone.  There was a mark, but zero puffiness.  You can take this internally for inflammation, as well. It will take inflammation out of most anything...blemish, bug bite, etc.

2-It will remove brown spots.  Basically this is the “bleach” of the oils world.  It is common in the YL skin care products to keep the brown spots at bay.  (Bosweila Wrinkle Cream ROCKS!)

3-Frankincense is anti-carcinogenic.  It literally KILLS cancer cells.  This is known in the MD world, too.  Google it.  There is a doctor at OU, in fact, that is studying it in the use of cancer treatment.  A friend had a cancerous mole that she was going to have removed.  In the meantime, she put Frank on her mole.  By the time she got to the doctor appt there were no more cancer cells.  Amazing!  That said….there are two kinds of Frankincense.  Sacred Frankincense is the other kind that is a little more expensive and is said to treat all the same things, but with more intensity.  If I was facing cancer or have been thru at and want to prevent reoccurrence, I would definitely get the Sacred Frankincense.  For me, being at risk for lymphoma with my meds, I put Frankincense in my pills and take it prophylactically.

4-Frankincense removes Warts.  I haven’t done this, but I hear and read over and again.  Apply Frankincense to a wart and it will turn black in a couple weeks and fall off with no pain. Worth the shot!  (of note, have heard to use Oregano for planters warts)

5- All things skin.  I go to Frankincense for all things skin. I have scars, scabs, scratches…Frankincense heals them.  Also really great for stretch marks.

6-Immune System Booster.

Brown Spots, Scars, Immune System Booster, Inflammation….apparently the Wise Men were wise enough to know what Mary needed!  

You can take Frankincense in a pill, you can rub it on “neat” (no carrier oils) or you can rub on with carrier oils.  I often make a concoction of coconut oil (cold-pressed) with Frankincense and Lavender oils.  I use it as lotion, i rub it on injuries and scars.  Coconut oil is anti-fungal,  and soothes the skin.  Frankincense heals and prevents and Lavender soothes.  Always remember that oils MUST go in glass or stainless steel.  The oils are so concentrated that they will pull the carcinogens out of the plastic and into your water or mixture.

Enjoy!

Oils of the Week--Peppermint

I have tried to find a way to keep the "Oiling" people in my life educated and up-to-date on the uses for oils.  So, I have started sending weekly emails...starting with the oils in their Starter Kit.  It was suggested that I post those emails to My Intestine-mony so there is a place to go to read them later.  I am MORE than happy to do so.  Essential Oils and healthy living have become a passion of mine, truthfully, by default.  But I love them.  My "real job" is creating stationery for Write Away ...another LOVE of mine.  I am SO fortunate to have two things that I LOVE in my life that have NOTHING to do with the other:)  That said...Essential Oils are my "spare time" gig.  I spend a lot of my spare time researching and helping my friends find healing and I love every moment of it.  I have never been so bold, but if you are interested in getting your hands on these amazing oils, I would so appreciate your buying them from me www.pennysampler.com.  This will validate the time I spend that I SHOULD be spending on Write Away.  And then, I can tell my husband that too :)  It's really all about keeping the hubs happy, right?  THANK YOU!

Be still my heart. Peppermint Oil.

If you have ever had a tummy ache, heart burn, indigestion, out both ends:), Peppermint is YOUR oil.  Speaking to a girl with every GI upset ever encountered, I do NOT leave the house without it. Plus, I have a spare bottle next to my bed.  I am so fond of this oil because not only has it gotten me out of some really bad situations, it does it FAST.  It even surprises me.  Now, my son uses it, too.  We love Peppermint Oil.

Uses:

-Heartburn/Reflux be gone (I rub “neat” as I like the tingle. If not, put a couple drops in olive oil or coconut oil and rub on chest/tummy OR take it by pill….4-5 drops)

-Aids in Digestion (by pill)

-Bad Breath (can drop on tongue, but can take by pill….cracking up as if you burp, it will be peppermint :))

-Boosts your mood (inhale)

-Reduces Fatigue/Keeps energy up (inhale…some have kicked coffee by inhaling peppermint…really great as you can use an empty bottle of oil for this.  Save those old bottles!)

-Reduces inflammation (used as part of allergy bomb via pill…..4 drops lavender (antihistamine), 4 drops Peppermint (reduce the inflammation in sinuses), 4 drop Lemon

-Diarrhea/Nausea (Rub on neat, with oils or by pill)

-Breaks a Fever (rub on temples neat)

-Headaches (applied to temples “neat”)

-Zaps a zit :) (applied neat to said blemish)

-Kills ants/repels bugs  (diluted in water bottle as spray

-stops the hiccups (inhale)

-appetite suppressant (any way you take it)  I feel the same way with Lemon, too.

If you happen to have any sort of tummy issue…regularly or not, DiGize would be one of my next purchases.  I take Digize the minute I start feeling like my tummy isn’t happy.  My sweet babysitter took it when she started to get food poisoning…stopped it in its tracks.  DiGize is a great one to have on hand, as you never know when you or a child might get a nasty tummy bug.  That said…this is NOT one you want to taste:)  Be sure to take via pills.  You can try, but I can confirm for you that you don’t want to :)

PInterest is, humorously, a GREAT resource.  There are so many people who make marketing pieces…why re-invent the wheel?

Follow me  if you like:  http://www.pinterest.com/writeawaypaper/

I try to keep my Essential Oils board updated with the good stuff:)

You can also search:  young living, xxxxx symptom.  You will love it!  Loads of recipes and ideas!  Have a great week!

How to Make a Pill

I have had several questions about diluting and making pills.  

This is not how it has to be.  This is just how I do it.

1- I like to take things by capsule.  My kids do too, to avoid any taste.  Capsules are:  00 is the largest pill (i take these) and size 4 is the smallest (my kids take these).   I buy mine at www.capsuledepot.com  They are the cheapest I can find.  Buy the Veggie Caps.

2- I also bought the Plastic Pippettes (http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/3_ml_Plastic_Disposable_Pipettes_Pkg_of_25_p/9265.html) to get the oils out neatly and into the pills.  And I bought the pill holder so i can make multiple pills at a time and not dump oils:  http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/Plastic_Capsule_Holder_p/9575.htm

3- The oils “they” say to dilute are the hot oils.  Off the top of my head, I can think of Thieves, Peppermint and Oregano.  Diluting an oil is not necessary at all for adults.  For the littlest of kids, I would dilute always.  But, even on my kids, i don’t always dilute.  Diluting is for your comfort, not for your safety.   Diluting does not decrease the effects of the oils, but it slows the absorption and thus reaction so it doesn’t burn.  

When I dilute:

1- If i put Thieves in a pill, it often makes my tummy burn.  I don’t love it, but it doesn’t hurt me.  Its a cinnamon burn.  I have diluted my pill with a couple drops of olive oil and it works.

2-If i put Oregano on my boys’ chest, I always put in a tsp (roughly) of olive oil b.c their chest does get red and JBS says it gets itchy.

3-I dilute, also, if i want to SPREAD out the effect.  Sometimes it seems that two drops of oil just drop and stick.  (that completely works)  BUT…for my ease of thought, I like to spread it ALL over the chest or ALL over the tummy.  In that case, I will dilute with coconut or olive oil.

Hope that helps

Lavender to Replace a Benadryl

I take Humira, which, for me has been causing a large amount of joint pain...from my finger tips to my toes.  I finally called my doctor on Friday afternoon when I realized  that, in addition, to my joint pain, I was having red dots break out all over my arms and legs.  She thought I might be having an allergic reaction to the Humira and advised me to take a Benadryl.

So, I pulled out my Lavender, which is a natural anti-histamine, and put about 10 drops in a pill.  When I say minutes....I mean within MINUTES, my joint pain was reduced.  On top of that, I put Lavender and Frankincense directly on the red dots.  Some of those dots were painful, others not at all.  BUT, they all had some inflammation.  Within about 15-20 minutes, the puffiness to the dots was gone (Frankincense is an anti-inflammatory) and the redness had lightened.  I did that on Saturday, too and today, Sunday, the dots that I put oils on are almost gone.  The dots I didn't put oils on....still there.

Essential Rewards are Da Bomb!

Do you like to get the best discounts possible when you shop?

Then you really need to check out Essential Rewards!

Suggestion: Try it for 3 months...if you aren't pleased then you can cancel at anytime. It is by far the best way to keep your home stocked with the oils you love! We are getting close to school starting...time to start planning on the oils you need for the year.  UP to 44% off....its a no-brainer! So why not earn FREE product along the way. If you need help on what to order...just let me know!  www.pennysampler.com

Slathering My Face in Essential Oils!

I have had so many people ask about the Young Living Skin Care products, so I thought this the best way to share what I use.

In December, when I dove into Essential Oils head first, I was really convicted by my skin care.  For several years, I have been working really hard to remove bad things from my diet, but not my skin care products.  When I looked at my favorite skin care products, they had bleach, SLS, hydroquinones and a handful  of other products that are truly toxins and hard on our liver.  When I added up the toxins in my foods (sugar, pesticides, fertilizers, preservatives) I was already panicked.  Then, I started to add all the known KNOWN toxins in my shampoo, lotion and skin care products, I started to have a small panic attack.  Cold turkey....I quit them all.

**Just want to insert here that I have always been of the opinion that my body can handle "all that."  BUT....having learned recently that when our liver cannot handle all of the toxins in our body, it stores those toxins in fat.  Our brain is 60% fat.  I don't want toxins in my brain NOW or in 20, 30, 40 years!  I want to prevent anything I can!**

It wasn't pretty immediately.  I will tell you that.  My face, while in the best place it had been on those old products, was full of toxins that needed to de-tox.  So, I dug in deep and waited for my face to clear out all those bad things while using products that were 100% pure and in no way harmful for my body.  I looked forward to using them every morning and night...it was so much fun!

I couldn't buy everything I wanted at once.  So, I started with the Essential Rewards Kit (The reason I love ER so much.  You can get more stuff for your money AND earn points for free products).  I use these on a daily basis.  I typically use the foaming cleanser in the am plus the Day Activator.  I rotate the Night Reconstructor with a few other things in my nightly routine.

At night, I use the Orange Blossom Face Wash.  I like this A LOT.

a) I have had it for 6 months and it is NO WHERE close to being out.  I use less than a dime size to wash my face and that is MORE than enough.

b) It has no soap in it.  Soaps dry your face, stripping your body of the good oils.  THEN, you have to replace the good oils.  That whole mess is when you break out.  By allowing your body to keep the good oils in your skin, it makes for really healthy skin.

While I was clearing my face up, I used the Cream Masque EVERY NIGHT.  And the best part about it, apart from the fact that it smells so great, you can sleep in it!  I sleep in it every time and when I wake up in the am and wash my face, it is SO soft!  Not to mention, it really keeps my skin healthy and blemish free.  One of my FAVORITE products for sure.

Eye cream.  Oh, lawsy.  LOVE the Wolf-berry Eye Cream.  I use it every night and sometimes during the day.  It does a great job of removing the dark circles.  It tightens the skin and it has Wolfberries in it, which is highly regarded by the Asian population (where it grows) for anti-aging effects.

When I don't use the Creme Masque at night, I love the Bosweila Wrinkle Cream.  It smells fabulous and has ALL the necessary oils in it to promote collagen production which, in turn, results in anti-aging properties.

When I have time and am wanting to be extra-special to myself :)  I use the Cloth Beauty Masques.  They are cloth.  They are wet, loaded with Orchid Oil (big name in anti-aging and refining your skin) and amazing.  The first time I used one, I could only leave it on for 20 minutes.  BIG mistake.  I use this when I can find time to fall asleep with it on my face...be it nap time {ha!} or I fall asleep with it on my face at bedtime.  It takes approximately an hour to dry and you should keep it on until it completely dries.

I am a product LOVER and have tried SO many things for my skin.  There are only one or two brands that I found in the past that I really liked.  There is only ONE brand that is totally pure and doing NO harm to my body as I use them.  Even better, the longer I use them, the better my skin is looking.  I cannot sing the praises MORE of all the skin care products at Young Living.  Every one of them is loaded with the essential oils that work best for your face and skin.  SO comforting to know they are ALL doing something fantastic for my skin.

You can buy ALL of these products on my website:  www.youngliving.org/pennysampler

Valor Oil for Attention...{Follow Up}

I posted this May 1st on Facebook:

This even surprised me a little....My oldest sometimes needs a little help with focusing during school. Mostly when he has long reading passages. He can't remember what he reads. Last week was the STAAR testing at our school, so I put a little Valor on a tissue and told him to keep it in his pocket. If he needed to stay focused, he could put it up to his nose and pretend to wipe his nose. Day one was math/science...."I didn't need it, Mom" Day two was reading..."I sniffed twice and it helped." He jumped in the car yesterday and said, "100, 104, 100 and a 101, Mom!" I was so proud of him, as his grades are all over the board lately... In a sweet little voice he said, "Mom...that stuff works! I sniffed it during my tests on Friday and I got all 100's!" If HE is a believer I am FO SHOW a believer! I will take Essential Oils to treat ADD any day over meds! PTL!

The last day of school, my boys brought home their report cards with their STAAR testing results.  My oldest, as mentioned above, typically aces Math and Science, but as he gets older, his reading/attention to reading is slipping.  It is nothing dramatic, but his all "A's" are creeping down to all "B's" in the reading and comprehension department.  When I opened the STAAR results, I couldn't believe my eyes.  In fact, I  thought I was looking at the wrong child's report.  Then, I realized that my middle son didn't take the STAAR yet.  The reading scores were even better than his already top math and science scores in some sections.  I could NOT believe it. 

I was so proud of him.  When I looked back at him with my jaw dropped, sweet thing hung his head and said, "Is it bad?"  I started squealing.....it was GREAT!  He was as surprised and as excited as I was.  Confirmation that the Valor Oil really worked for him.  So so pleased and excited for him.

Peppermint to the Rescue!

I made a very bad decision last weekend after I worked in the yard. I drank from a previously opened Gatorade bottle in our garage fridge. After I guzzled half of it, I realized there was something wrong. There were chunks. Then I looked and there were swirls....then I spewed as much as I had left in my mouth.....out! After I recovered from drinking who-knows-what, I was so mad as I KNEW this sensitive stomach was in for it. Sure enough 1am rolled around and I was awakened by a rumbling stomach. Loud enough to wake my hubs. I was up and down to the bathroom and was SO tired. I had to sleep. So I grabbed some Peppermint Oil (the go-to for tummy troubles) and rubbed a few drops on my fiercely angry stomach. I kid you not, the grumbles stopped almost instantly...within a few minutes. So fast it even surprised me. I laid down in bed thinking it was too good to be true, just waiting for the need to go back to the restroom.....and I drifted off to sleep for the rest of the night. After that, mark my words. I will not EVER be without Peppermint Oil. Not to mention, it zaps a zit, too  Whooda thunk?

RC and Asthma...Wow!

My sweet 10 yo has battled allergies and asthma his entire life....asthma attacks as an infant. Meds, steroids, breathing treatments, repeat. I discovered an oil called RC is good for asthma. So...we gave it a shot. Every night for about a week he was coming to our room at 2am b.c he was wheezing and needed a breathing treatment. So, I stopped his nighttime Advair and rubbed 3 drops of RC on his chest. No wheezing the first night. We relaxed and forgot a night. He came to our room at 2am wheezing. Instead of the breathing treatments, I put his drops of RC on his chest and held my breath! He slept next to me and within 10 minutes he was fast asleep, no wheezing and never woke up again. For us...that is miraculous. It's really tough having a child with asthma. We never miss a night now. LOVE that RC!

I Walked a Mile Last Night

I have always been active, exercising regularly, playing tennis, etc.  Since October of 2012 when I was so sick, I have not been able to exercise.  It has been very humbling, as I could tell that my body literally needed what energy it had to heal.  And...if I used too much energy, I would be set back.  That was even if I stayed up too late or was on my feet all day.  It's so hard to explain, even to my sweet husband, that I just don't have the energy.  I have never been one to not "do it all."  I think I have worked thru so much pain and nausea that I have great determination just to complete whatever it is I am doing.  Humira has changed all that.  It's not something you think about, but rebounding from exercise requires your immune system.  Your immune system is SO important to your daily health and energy.  It has been hard to explain to my husband that I literally cannot stand up a minute longer.  I have to balance my day according to my energy.  That really sucks when you aren't that old!

And, I am taking a drug that totally suppresses my immune system.  ARGH!  In addition to all the weird things that crop up in my body because my immune system isn't strong, I take a LONG time to recover after exercising.  I have been playing tennis on two teams just to get moving.  I play on one less competitive team and I do fine.  But, when I play on my competitive team, it can take up to four days for me to feel like I haven't run a marathon.  My joints ache, my muscles hurt, I am wiped out all day.  The kind of wiped out that feels good on day one.  But doesn't feel so good on days two, three and four!

I determined that I have got to start somewhere so I started with walking a mile last night.  It was just me and my music...my praise and worship music which always cheers me up.  I started strong thinking, "I can do three miles!"  By the time I looped our one mile circle and I was back at my house, my ankle was throbbing and my muscles were sore already.  I truly felt like I had run 5 miles.  It's crazy and humbling.  But I have to start somewhere.  I don't know if I will ever do better until I get to get off the Humira, but I am trying!

So, for me...one mile is a huge success :)

Thinking Out Loud

Candida Yeast is what I battle more than Crohns...and I DON'T have yeast infections. I have headaches, food intolerances, stomach pains, skin issues, brain fog, lethargy, joint pain, and so many more symptoms. It's reported that 85% of our population has it b.c we are such heavy users of antibiotics. Those are only a few of the side effects of antibiotics. Antibiotics certainly have a place for emergencies. They are a miracle! But next time you or a child has an ear infection or sinus infection, be prudent when using them. Thieves Oil will take care of strep and a sinus and ear infection. Melaleuca and Oregano Oil BOTH kill Candida. Save the big guns for a day when you might REALLY need them!  I wish I knew that 25 years ago...www.youngliving.org/pennysampler

Progessence

So....my skin has really been breaking out of late. I begrudgingly walked away from my "wonderful" skin care in December when I was convicted by all the harmful ingredients.  First I was sure it was detoxing, and I am sure that much of it was.  But that has gone on too long! 

After my sister raved about her use of Progessence for pre-menopausal symptoms, including hormonal cysts on her chin, I decided to try it myself.  I put a tiny dot on my neck each night.  After three nights, my face is clearing to almost totally cleared! So ready to be over my teenage years  That said...Progessence is safe for females 12yrs old to 100! Ah-mazing!

I Used to Cry...A LOT!

Oh brother!  Where do I begin?  I guess it really started when I went in for emergency surgery for the first time when I was 25 years-old. (14 years ago if you must know my age:)) Between finding out on a Friday I was having massive abdominal surgery to having surgery on Monday, friends, family friends, friends of friends and perfect strangers came out of the wood work. I received emails and phone calls from people I hadn't spoken to in years.  I remember sitting down and just bawling because I realized how many people cared...about me?  I was so overwhelmed with love I couldn't control my emotions.  I was in the middle of the worst time in my life {to date} feeling very vulnerable and never felt more loved.  It was really an overwhelming feeling and it happened all over again 18 months later with my second major abdominal surgery.

In October of 2012, when I landed in the hospital in emergency, I had a family.  I had 3 children and a husband that were my responsibility.  I had a different feeling of panic.  I worried not only for my health, but for my family's daily needs and my family's need to have a Mother and a Wife to LIVE and to SURVIVE this mess.  So many people were in the equation now. My parents were 9 hours away and our "help" wasn't just down the road.  My entire family needed prayer.  Unbelievable friends just wrapped their arms around our family and organized meals {for those who were allowed to eat!}, they took my kids to play, they put me, once again, on prayers lists all over town in MANY towns.  They supported my parents, my in-laws, my husband and my kids and, of course, me!  I cried daily in humility.  But the feeling in my heart was so overwhelming, I could not put to words how grateful I was for these amazing people in my life (many I didn't even know 7 years ago).  They took on my job as mom to 3 boys (big job!) without asking, they crawled in bed with me and chit chatted when I was awake and able to talk.  It was so hard to fathom that so many people took time out of their busy schedule to care of me and my family.  It just seemed that with this sucky bit of health I have that I was always a burden to those around me.  I really...REALLY...hate that.  I am too tired, in too much pain, or too sick.  Unfortunately, that was too many times to count.

NOW....I have a new perspective.  New knowledge and new health!  I am, yet again, so humbled by the precious emails I have received lately as I have shared my healing.  People have emailed me from every stage of my life, many with health needs of their own.  Some that just want to be healthy naturally.  THIS is humbling.  And guess what?  It makes me cry!  I don't mind putting my health out there, let alone all the gory details.  I really don't.  For almost 15 years, I have been prayed for by people I didn't even know existed.  I knew that God would bring His glory out of this mess.  I just had to be patient.  Fifteen years, I was {sorta} patient and I am fully convinced my prayers are being answered.  It was not in my timing, but God's.  I am healing.  I am healing A LOT. Praise the Lord!  But in the process of my healing, I am able to share my story with so many people around me.  I so desperately and passionately want to help people.  I want to share what I have learned over the last 15 years.  I want to share mistakes, knowledge, ideas.  I want to share my change in diet, the ways I help myself out of pain, the ways I am preventing illness with me and my family.  I WANT TO HELP.  

I never want anyone to think they are bothering me or afraid to ask a gross question.  NOTHING grosses me out or embarrasses me.  I am doing this because I love it.  But I LOVE doing it because it is my opportunity to give back.  I want to return all the prayers and health and tips and knowledge one hundred fold.  I want everyone to know how grateful I am and want to do anything to use my "Intestine-mony" to prevent future problems for anyone who will listen:)

And now....I am crying.  I am just so grateful.

Amazing Book

I bought this book several months ago because someone told me it was good.  It sat on my bedside table for that long until I decided to pick it up and try it out.  After the first paragraph I was mesmerized!

There is definitely a faith element to the book, but what I love even more is the WHY to Essential Oils.  I love that I feel better and that I can keep my kids from getting sick, but I like objective measurements.  I want to know the HOW and the WHY and this book does an amazing job of putting it in terms the regular person can understand, like me :)

It talks about the oils used in Bible times, giving Biblical citations, but it also goes into the WHY and the reasons they were used way back then are the same as ours now.  However...they didn't have any science to necessarily prove it.  They just knew it based on results.  They used oils to prevent illness, for skin, to get rid of bugs.  Throughout the Bible people were "anointed" with oil, which simply means rubbed or massaged.

I took this on my road trip last week and had so many Ah-hah moments.  My family was about to put a sock in my mouth.  I will share a bunch of those things soon.  But, in the mean time, if you are interested in reading about Essential Oils and learning more about what they do, this is a fabulous book.  Healing Oils of the Bible by David Stewart PhD

Homemade Lotion

So excited! Just made my own lotion...and I know every ingredient that is in there  Just 4... One cup of coconut oil, 1 TBSP of almond oil and a few drops of Essential Oils. Now, my lotion has super skin benefits on top of being anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, removes brown spots, with an anti-histamine. Hippie confirmed. I LOVE this stuff!

Peppermint Oil and Ants

At the lake. Ants built home on outdoor ac unit affecting the a/c. I told BD to spray peppermint oil and water. He looked for ant bait. Called friends for ant bait to no avail. Reluctantly he sprayed peppermint oil and water on the ants. Within minutes came in dying laughing saying there were dead ants everywhere! I will make my old-school dad into an oil believer one way or another. So far, so good!

Thieves Saved the Day/Week!

I have had TWO near misses and give TOTAL credit to Thieves Oil. Two of my dearest friends have had Strep moving thru their house. I pick up EVERYTHING being on Humira. 1st time: Lunch with 2 friends and one I knew had strep in her house. I doused myself in Thieves Oil before meeting her, used the Thieves Hand Sanitizer and Thieves Soap after being with her. I left germ-free. Our other friend got strep 2 days later....
2nd time: Was at #2 dear friend's house. Within a day my throat started to tickle, so I popped a Thieves cough drop and have religiously been taking a few drops of Thieves Oil by mouth every night AND diffusing Thieves Oil in our bedroom. Said dear friend and her son have Strep Throat the last week of school. All I have is a tickle and its going away. If you invest in nothing else, I HIGHLY recommend you invest in the entire line of Thieves Products. THEY WORK! www.youngliving.org/pennysampler

Progessence Plus

An anonymous person  purchased the Progessence Plus Serum (natural hormone balancing made from yams...yes YAMS!) out of desperation. This anonymous person is a tough critic and highly opinionated. I knew if she had a good report, I could breathe a sigh of relief. First application, she wasn't a fan. Night sweats were worse, and she let me know it. (this tells me its working!) After almost a week of using it, she is singing its praises. Six lost pounds, no more hormonal blemishes, no night sweats and sleeping thru the night. Love helping her, but leaves me praising God! He thought of EVERYTHING when creating earth. Whooda thunk that Yams could help SO much with hormone balancing....natural vs synthetic hormones. I'll take natural any day!

My Mother Ate Her Lip

My mother ate her lip. And I know she loves this being put on Facebook, too. She went to the dentist yesterday and came home with a numb mouth. For some reason she decided to eat breakfast and before she knew it, it was bad news. She said the inside of her mouth looked like ground beef. She just received her Essential Oils and said, "Peh-nny! Whut can ah do? Tell me whut to put on my mouth!" (must imagine her small town TX accent) Since it was still numb, I told her to put Thieves to kill any bacteria and to use a Q-tip to put Frankincense and Lavender on 2-3 times a day.

This morning (less than 24 hours post lip eating) she called, "You will NAWT believe this. Mah lip is heal-ed! And I never felt any pain. WHUT do they put in those oils, Peh-nny?"

I am not surprised and nothing brings me greater joy! Mom was the one that said, "These are GREAT for you b.c you are sick. I really don't need them." Gratefully she received hers on Saturday b.c you just never know when you might try to eat your lip! 

My "Why"

My WHY:
I have had a twenty year battle with my health that started when I was in college and progressively got worse resulting in multiple abdominal surgeries, loads of pain, tears & worry. A few years ago I started a blog, MyIntestine-mony (www.myintestinemony.blogspot.com) when I felt the Lord’s leading to share my story. I was fighting tooth and nail against my doctors and their seemingly “rote” treatment of Crohn’s and any auto-immune disease….steroids, painkillers, immune-suppressants and more pain killers. I started to advocate for my own health when their methods weren’t working for me. On their path, I WOULD be in the wheelchair they predetermined for me and I would NOT be the mom I am today to my 3 beautiful boys. I learned about changing my diet to heal my body and was turned on to the natural world of healing. Coming from a girl who was trained in the medical model, this was a BIG step. HUGE.

But after only 3 days of eliminating sugar from my diet, my entire life changed. The joint pain, the stomach pains (of all kinds), the brain fog, food intolerances, the allergies, the bloating, the skin irritations….everything in my body fell silent. I was a changed girl. Natural healing worked for me with additional time and I had the power to heal myself without painkillers with objective measurements to prove it. My next lab results stupefied my doctors. There was something to this!

I am not perfect. I still love sugar and because of that, I go back and forth in how I feel based on my diet. But I am armed with knowledge. My experience is that doctors don’t tell their patients how to heal their bodies naturally. Many doctors don’t know themselves. Along my natural path to healing I discovered Essential Oils
when a friend suggested I use Thieves Oil for a clogged salivary gland. After weeks of my dentist’s remedies and a future of lancing it, I was game! Within 3 days it was healed. Gone. Never returned.

Essential oils aren’t new. In fact, they are as old as the hills! They were gifts to Jesus when He was born…..surely THAT shows how valuable they were. People have used oils thru out history. In fact, many of the essential oils are IN our products today. They are just so diluted with mineral oil and water to “puff” them
up in order to make more money for their creators. There really is no argument that essential oils work. By using Essential Oils alone, you are getting the purest form of healing from plants that God provided for us for that very reason.

…and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:12

I never intended to be selling Essential Oils. I refer to it as my unintended plan, as it seems it might have been God’s plan. The more healing I have experienced, the more I have shared. When I share, more people come forward with their needs for healing. I am NOT alone in my fight for my health. Our bodies are overloaded with
toxins from our foods: preservatives, pesticides, fertilizers and our personal care products: shampoos, toothpaste (label says to consult poison control of swallowed!), lotions, etc. All those toxins are too much for our livers and they are stored in fat cells when there are too many toxins for our body to handle. Sixty percent
of our brain is fat. Hmmmm…..I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to practice medicine, but I wonder if that has anything to do with the sudden onset of Alzheimers and depression and neurological disorders in our population? Among so many other symptoms that we all have on a regular basis…migraines, Fibromyalgia,
numerous GI disorders, Auto-Immune Diseases and so many more.

I am an Occupational Therapist turned Mom turned Stationery Company Owner and Fighter for Good Health. I didn’t wish myself into bad health, but I prayed myself into healing. For years I have wondered just how God was going to answer the many prayers going up for me from so many precious people who loved me and my family. I think He has given me the knowledge and the power by using HIS gifts of natural healing on this Earth. I have the tools and the knowledge. It is just a matter of time and patience. Praise the Lord!

I share Essential Oils from the bottom of my heart. The pain I have endured is indescribable and nothing I would wish on any human being. I want to share my story of healing with anyone who will listen and anyone who needs to hear it. I know there is a place for medication. But for me and for my family, we prefer a natural
remedy to be our first line of defense. And MAN, are they great defenses. We have learned this over and over again.

Please feel free to use this information to pass on to friends
and share with those who need to hear it. The greatest thing about Essential Oils is that there is only upside. There are no side-effects. There are no gimmicks. There is simply healing. Testimony after testimony proves it.
www.youngliving.org/pennysampler

J-O-Y

Depression is VERY real. And it breaks my heart to hear anyone who is suffering thru it, let alone a child. A customer recently told me that her teenage child has been struggling for months with depression and is suicidal. My heart breaks with this mother as we all want our children to know the beautiful child of God that they really are! Being a teen is HARD work! She ordered the oils and sent me a note that said she had been diffusing JOY in her child's room and rubbing Valor on her child daily. She said, "I don't know if its the JOY, but these have been the best two weeks we have had in MONTHS!" One more testimonial that brings me to tears. Such a privilege and VERY humbling to be a small part in helping people thru healing of their own and in their families. And I am most impressed with the relative speed of such....just a few days to a week to notice a difference. Praise the Lord!