Health Series: Essential Oils Head to Toe - Intro Post

So, if you've spoken to me in the past few weeks and mentioned any sort of ailment of any kind, you've probably heard me mention my new (healthy) obsession with essential oils!! 

At the risk of sounding like a complete and utter hippie, let me start out by explaining that I was a huge skeptic when I came upon all this stuff. I went along to a presentation as a chance to get out of the house and leave the kiddo with the husband for awhile. Even after I had heard all about it, about how it was the way our ancestors treated and cured diseases from the beginning of time, I was a little more receptive. At least it sounded a lot less like "snake oil" and more like something that I could get on board with. I was slightly enthused but it sounded a bit too good to be true. Also, I thought the oils sounded a bit expensive to try with no knowledge of whether or not they would work for me and my family. So I went about my business, and kept them at the back of my mind.

Grandpa and his great-grandson/twin. 

Then, later that year, my husband got a diagnosis of thyroid cancer. He would undergo a thyroidectomy and also have some lymph nodes removed, then be subjected to radiation and have to live away from us for a number of days so as not to radiate us. Later that same year, my grandfather was diagnosed with leukemia, decided on the chemo, and then quickly slipped away from us before anyone really knew what was happening. It was devastating to watch this walking, talking person suddenly reduced to a hospital bed and machines beeping out his eventual passing. 

So, 2013 was kind of a terrible year for us (and that wasn't even the whole of it, but that's another story). Health, which had been lingering at the back of my mind, was now at the forefront. I was disillusioned with the way my grandpa was taken so quickly (I blame the decision to do chemo), and the way my husband's thyroid was cut out so quickly. (Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful he's alive and healthy, but was that the immediate way to go? I'm still unsure.) I was looking for something that put health back in my hands and was preventative as well as a way to treat our common maladies. This is how I returned to the idea of essential oils.

For the sake of clarity and transparency, when I talk about essential oils throughout this series, I'm talking about dōTERRA, the brand which I have had the most experience with and that I have quickly fallen in love with! 

To clarify, I'm not being paid by these people in any way. I have bought enough of their product to have the privilege of buying at wholesale prices, but that's it. Yes, I can technically sell to you (and I would be happy to!), but I'm truly doing this series out of a desire to share my experiences and my excitement about a new way of life for me...one that jibes with my crunchy leanings and neo-hippie sensibilities. =) I'm not doing it to gain followers or money or any of those things, but just to record successes and encourage others to be open to alternatives to drugs in your body and and chemicals in your home. 

The Family Physician kit was my gateway drug to the wide world of essential oils!

My main interest in this company are their single essential oils and some of their proprietary blends. They also have hair care, skin care, weight loss, home care and vitamin lines, but I'm not quite ready to jump into that stuff yet. Oils are where I'm at for the moment, so that's what I'll be sharing about. For those of you interested in a short crash course on essential oils; what they are, why they are useful, how dōTERRA produces them, how they've been used in history and so forth, click here. 

I'll give you the short answers: dōTERRA means "gift of the earth", which is a perfect way to describe the oils. They are aromatic compounds from all different parts (seeds, leaves, stems, roots, bark, etc...) of plants. They can be used aromatically, topically, and in the case of Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade dōTERRA oils, many of them can be used internally! A vast majority of the oils are obtained from their source through low-heat steam distillation, as well as some other science-y methods. They are what our ancestors used to deal with illness and health issues before the advent of modern synthetic chemical medicine. So really, they are the original, and not the "alternative", medicine!

So, that's it! I'll be going head to toe first, then if I maintain momentum, I'll move on to household uses, cooking uses and the like. Join me!

PS I suppose there is supposed to be some disclaimer here about me not being a doctor and these oils not being a medical cure-all. This information is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to prescribe, treat, prevent, or diagnose any disease or condition. This information is simply the personal experience and opinion of one very satisfied small-time blogger!