Aromatherapy is complicated

While I am a Young Living Distributer and LOVE their oils, contrary to some of my well meaning colleagues,  they are not the only oils out there. There are several good oil companies from which to choose.

While I tell my clients to look for "therapeutic grade oils", legally in the the USA, this term does not exist.  That being said, generally oil companies do not make claims of being therapeutic grade unless they are a very high grade oil. There are no legal categories such as grade A, genuine or even therapeutic grade oil. In the USA, essential oils are not yet regulated. Natural mean nothing as the term is not regulated at all. Pure may not be adulterated but can be still be distilled from poor quality crops or improperly handled. And unless it says 100 % organic, only 95% of the product has to be organic. So for the novice, if it claims therapeutic grade, it is saying it is a step higher than fragrance grade.

So how do you find a good oil? First off, if it says not for internal use, it is most likely fragrance or food grade and will not do you any good. If it’s in a clear glass bottle, it is not high quality. Certainly it should say organic, but that being said, it can still be adulterated with other oils. For instance, Lavender is frequently mixed with Lavendin and both may be organic. Lavendin has a very different chemical makeup from lavender. Lavender is excellent for burns, but lavendin has camphor in it and should NOT be used for burns. 

You also want an oil company that tests their oils and will provide detailed info on their oils. The latin name of the oils should be listed as well as the country of origin. Be careful of a company that sells all of it’s oils for one price. Rose is extremely expensive, while lemon is not. It takes 10,000 pounds of roses to make 1 pound of rose oil. Surely high quality rose oil will not sell for $5 a bottle. For me price is definitely and indication. It takes money to grow and harvest correctly and to test each batch of oil. a $2 bottle of oil will be hard pressed to meet all of those standards. If in doubt, check several different high quality oil companies and see what they sell their product for. They should all be within the same range. If you are getting an oil that is substantially cheaper, you are NOT getting a bargain. You are getting an inferior oil. If you are making cleaning products and just want it to smell good, by all means, get the cheap stuff. If however you want that antibacterial or antiviral effect, you still have to use the good stuff. If I'm cleaning my daughters room after she has been sick, I will use the highest grade oil.

When in doubt contact a knowledgable aromatherapist. While some distributors are aromatherapist, many are not. There is a LOT of misinformation on the web.

Next blog: Esseential Oil Safety

Jet Lag

Traveling to far off places has become common as our world shrinks. Whether for business or pleasure, far more people are seeing the world.  One fairly common complaint is jet lag. Jet lag or desynchronosis, "is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms".

BEFORE YOU GO: For me, the most effective thing I do is done the day before I go.  I set my watch to the new time zone and I set my intention to be there, in that time zone. I agree with Sensei Sasanuma, to keep yourself in the moment. While you are on the plane or at your new destination, don't keep looking at your watch saying "gee, back home it is...". 

ON THE PLANE: EFT works well. Every couple of hours on the plane you can tap on the energy points with the statement “it's 2 am (or whatever the new time zone time is), and my body is adjusting well. Check with an EFT practitioner to learn how.

Of course all of the other advice out there pertaining to drinking lots of water, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, walking around the plane etc. are all valid as dehydration can contribute to general symptoms, but what we are interested in is your circadian rhythms.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE:  If possible, being mindful of safety issues, go out to a park or somewhere where you can connect with the earth (even a tree outside your hotel will do). Deep breathing while connecting to the earth reconnects your energy system to the frequencies of where you are. Being out in the fresh air helps to rejuvenate the body and sunlight will signal your hypothalamus to reduce the production of (sleep-inducing) melatonin during the day, helping to reset your internal clock.

Lemon grass has a stimulating effect and is a powerful antiseptic. It has a sedative effect on the central nervous system and is useful for headaches. You can put a small amount on a cotton ball and put it in the heating vent to improve the air quality.

If you arrive in the evening apply a few drops of Lavender on your wrists and the bottom of your feet to help you sleep.  You can take a warm bath with  a few drops of Lavender as well.  Lavender has anti-inflammatory properties which may help with swelling.

If you arrive during the day use Peppermint to revive.  It has uplifting, stimulating, and immune-boosting properties. Inhale or put on a compress, being careful not to get in your eyes.

Bon Voyage!

Balsam Fir and Frankincense for pain

The other day I hurt my neck installing some light panels at my office. When I got home I noticed the strain. As the evening went on, the pain became worse. I put some peppermint oil on my neck, and while the pain level did decrease, the results didn’t last as long as I had hoped. Later I took some aspirin but that didn’t help at all. The next morning the pain was still there. I took Aleve. Nothing. Now I know I could have used Healing Touch pain techniques, but the pain radiated down my back and shoulder and was hard to reach by myself so I was saving that as a last resort.
I am new to oils and am still learning so later in the day I looked up pain in the Essential Oil Desk Reference. I read that Balsam Fir and Frankincense were also good for muscle pain. This time I followed the directions and put it on the neck of the toes (the reflexology points on the feet for the neck). Nothing on my actual neck. I have not used this method before. Although I understand the concept behind this, I was, I must say, a little skeptical. One drop of Balsam Fir and one drop of Frankincense on each foot. Within minutes, and I mean MINUTES, the pain was completely gone. I was shocked. I was also expecting the pain to return. It never did. I was amazed.  For those of you who say it’s the placebo effect, then that would have worked with the peppermint (which HAS worked for me before) and not for the Balsam Fir and Frankincense on my feet of which I was skeptical. These oils are amazing and I am looking forward to the Clinical Aromatherapy course in San Francisco in later in September. The combination of oils and energy work is going to be fabulous.  I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, Balsam Fir has jumped into first place for my favorite oil.

Bring your vacation home

You can't bring the beach home with you, but can you bring those feelings of contentment and relaxation back?

My husband and I recently returned from an extended vacation at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. Although it was searing hot out there, we had a wonderful time. At the end of one week (our planned vacation), we decided we just weren't ready to go home and extended our stay. The question of the day was "how can we bring that vacation mode back home into our lives?" Obviously we can't bring it all back, we don't have 9 gyms, 4 pools and a 5000 square foot spa in our house with myriad trainers, specialists, cooks, energy workers, doctors etc. However, there are things we can do.  By examining what we did there and what we do at home, we were able to bring a little of the Ranch back with us.

For instance, when people go on vacation, they usually eat all or most of their meals together, frequently sans TV.  So often we get caught up with our hectic lives we don't take that leisurely time to begin and end our day. Every morning at the Ranch we planned what we were going to do, and every night we reviewed the day. That was an easy change to keep.   I really like starting my day and connecting with my wonderful husband .  We now cook and eat breakfast together and talk about our day ahead. Now if I could only bring home the dishwashers....

Food: We don't realize how sluggish we get when we overeat. At most resorts and restaurants the serving sizes are ridiculously large.  At the Ranch, they are small. In fact I was sure I was going to be hungry. Though I worked out like a fiend, I was never hungry, even with the (much smaller) portions.  I drank a lot more water as well. I wasn't snacking between meals because it wasn't available. I didn't miss it. So that tells me that it's in my brain and when it's available, I eat. I can eat less back home and drink more water. When we go out to dinner I ask them to automatically put half in a doggie bag or we split the meal. The food always looks good when you are out.  I try to cook with a little more flare...a sprinkle of parsley, a handful of blueberries on the plate, perhaps a flower... a little creativity goes a long way.

Exercise: If you told me to exercise 3-4 hours every day at home, I would tell you to go jump in a lake. There, it seemed like nothing. Hmmmm. First it was the energy of the place, but it was also fun and we were with people. So how can I make it fun back home? Change my attitude for one thing. Instead of "ugh, I have to go work out", I can decide that I'm going to have fun and work out with someone else.

We were breathing and talking and laughing and connecting. I can breath and talk and laugh and connect at home. It reminded me to bring calmness and peacefulness and joy into my everyday life.

So analyze specifically why you like your vacation and perhaps you can add some of those things to you "real" life. I'd love to hear from you. How can you bring your vacation home?

Peppermint Feet

When I moved my office, I was exhausted. As anyone who has moved anywhere before, there is a lot to do, and you are on your feet all day. In an office-to-office move, you are also on concrete all day. After a good 12 hours on my feet, just before retiring I decided that the Young Living Oils should be just thing for my poor tired feet. I am new to aromatherapy and Young Living Oils, so I am still learning. I have had many successes -  everything from staving off cold sores to acne remedies to sleeping "potions" as my kids love to call them.  I remembered that peppermint oil was good for aches and pains. Diluting it just a little, I slathered it all over my feet-top to bottom. Ahh, felt good. Got under the covers, took a deep breath and waited for blissful sleep. Then ZING! Wide awake. I forgot that peppermint is also a pick-me-up... a refresher...an energizer... and I had it all over the bottom of my feet - which is a giant portal to your energy system. I couldn't believe I had done that. I guess I was so tired, I wasn't thinking. So it was back to the bathroom to wash my feet, and slather them with Lavender oil. Ah, much better. I was asleep within minutes.

Request from Cheif Arvol Looking Horse

I am reposting this message:

Gulf Coast Oil Spill – Sioux Prayer
Request – A letter from Chief Arvol Looking Horse (Present Chief and
Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota,
Nakota Nation of the Sioux)

Gulf Coast Oil Spill - Sioux
Prayer Request
****** A Great Urgency ****** To
All World  Religious and Spiritual Leaders ******


My Relatives,

Time  has come to speak to the hearts of our Nations and their Leaders. I
ask  you this from the bottom of my heart, to come together from the
Spirit  of your Nations in prayer.
We, from the heart of Turtle Island,
have a great message for the World; we are guided to speak  from all the
White Animals showing their sacred color, which have been  signs for us
to pray for the sacred life of all things. As I am sending  this
message to you, many Animal Nations are being threatened, those  that
swim, those that crawl, those that fly, and the plant Nations,
eventually all will be affect from the oil disaster in the Gulf.
The  dangers we are faced with at this
time are not of spirit. The  catastrophe that has happened with the oil
spill which looks like the  bleeding of Grandmother Earth, is made by
human mistakes, mistakes that  we cannot afford to continue to make.
I asked, as Spiritual  Leaders, that we
join together, united in prayer with the whole of our  Global
Communities. My concern is these serious issues will continue to
worsen, as a domino effect that our Ancestors have warned us of in their
 Prophecies.
I know in my heart there are millions of
people that  feel our united prayers for the sake of our Grandmother
Earth are long  overdue. I believe we as Spiritual people must gather
ourselves and  focus our thoughts and prayers to allow the healing of
the many wounds  that have been inflicted on the Earth. As we honor the
Cycle of Life,  let us call for Prayer circles globally to assist in
healing Grandmother  Earth (our Unc’I Maka).
We ask for prayers that the oil spill,
this bleeding, will stop. That the winds stay calm to assist in the
work. Pray for the people to be guided in repairing this mistake, and
that we may also seek to live in harmony, as we make the choice to
change the destructive path we are on.
As we pray, we will fully  understand
that we are all connected. And that what we create can have  lasting
effects on all life.
So let us unite spiritually, All
Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer. Along with this immediate effort, I
also ask to please remember June 21st, World Peace and Prayer
Day/Honoring Sacred Sites day. Whether it is a natural site, a temple, a
 church, a synagogue or just your own sacred space, let us make a
prayer  for all life, for good decision making by our Nations, for our
children’s future and well-being, and the generations to come.
Onipikte  (that we shall live),

Chief Arvol Looking Horse

19th generation  Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe




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How Past Life Regressions can Help With Weight Issues.

We have all been many things.The idea is to release that energy and not compound it. We carry the energy of the past with us.  Say in one lifetime you lived in a culture  where being plump or heavy was beautiful (let's say Reuben's time). Being heavy meant wealth, beauty and power. Now fast forward to another lifetime where you died in a concentration camp of starvation. So in just 2 lifetimes you carry the energy in your deep subconscious of "food is good, fat is good... no food is bad, being skinny means horrible death".. So if you are heavy in this lifetime, how well do you think diets are going to work? Especially since the subconscious rules our attitudes and behaviors about 92% of the time.

The idea in going into a regression is to re-experience the past and learn the lessons we were supposed to learn. Tie that into how we are carrying those beliefs forward into our present lifetime and let that go.

There are many ways to release those limiting beliefs we carry. Sometimes just by bringing them to our conscious mind, we can let them go. We can realize that we are NOT in a concentration camp and we no longer have to pile on the food in order to stay alive. We can understand that while in Reubens time being fat meant power, that no longer applies to us today. We can make those connections and let those thoughts go so we can just deal with the issues of today.


Form more on Past LIfe Regressions, visit my website Holistichealings1.com