Confessions of an Essential Oils Addict: Antibiotic Free 3 Years

​So we all have that one friend, right?  That friend is convinced that if you will try this, or try that, your life will be changed.  I have that friend.  She is near and dear to my heart. And her thing was essential oils.  She tried rubbing her oils on me for years. “Oh, you have a cold? Whiff this peppermint!”  “Oh, can’t sleep? Diffuse lavender!”  “Oh, you can’t poop?  There’s an oil for that!” 

Interestingly enough, I'm now becoming that friend.

Side bar: Funny enough, my AH-HA oily moment had nothing to do with our physical health.  I really thought I had no use for this product; we are relatively healthy.  In hindsight, I had no idea of all the ways we would end up supporting our wellness with essential oils.  My AH-HAH moment was supporting my twice-exceptional son with essential oils.  An incredible story for another post.
 
Back to my oily friend.  She finally succeeded on rubbing those oils on me and weird but our lives did change a little.  We felt better without a drug.  BUT, being the skeptic that I am, I continued to use my oils over the years, pray they work, and when they always showed up for me; just let that be that (well and buy ALL the oils).  But in full transparency, all the while I’m thinking, ‘this is too good to be true and something, someone, somewhere is going to expose these essential oils as a total scam.’  (which is ludicrous considering people have used the plants of the land to support their wellness since the beginning of time).  But like I said, SKEPTIC.

That same dear friend that introduced me to Young Living affectionately refers to me as a “closet oils addict”.  I probably care too much about what people think about me. No one wants to be that girl that is always trying to sell you something.   But if another family could be blessed by our story, I should take the time to share it.  So, I'm starting a blog post series on essential oils and the upcoming testimonies are for real, tangible stories straight from the Gradke family of how we’ve found a better way to support our health.

Before Young Living, I didn’t typically buy products from direct sales companies.  I’m a skeptic (remember?) Oh and I’m also cheap. It's not that I was totally against the idea.  I had some essential oils bought from a local store and those seemed good enough.  Well, they didn't actually DO anything but make the house smell good. I was very good at blowing off those party invitations (sorry friends - even the Essential Oil parties!).  Come on now, like I'm gonna rub some snake oil on my body and my woes will disappear?  Puuulease..  But then that's exactly what happened. 

I want to kick off this blog series to talk immune support, but let me clarify one thing first.  Although I’m a total hippie about a lot of things, letting my child suffer through an infection just to avoid use of an antibiotic is not how I role.  But what if I told you not ONE (1) of my four children has NEEDED an antibiotic in more than 3 years?  We started using essential oils, and my HSA account started to grow rather than deplete (bonus!)

My baby Rowan (now 4) was barely 1 when we started incorporating essential oils into our family and has managed through her toddler years into preschool (in day care the entire time) without one single illness that required an antibiotic prescription.  The same is true for her 3 older siblings.  So how do we do it? 
Well, first we try to support our immune system BEFORE the bug hits.  We are not perfect but good nutrition and adequate sleep are priorities in our home.  Ningxia Red is a staple and packs some major antioxidant and immune support in just an ounce of yumminess.  Plus my kids love it. 

Rowan drinking her "Ninja Juice"

​But, despite our best efforts, the bug still sometimes hits. In fact, I’ve got 2 not feeling well today.  But we no longer go straight for the synthetic stuff, instead Digize for their tummies, Peppermint for the headaches, Thieves to kill ALL THE BUGS; plus a lot of prayer they don’t kick off Christmas break sick!

Allow me to get technical for a moment. If you're like me (and I know I am), I need to know WHY things work.  Essential Oils, when used in their purest form, are super potent and therapeutic.  Because of the molecular structure of essential oils, they are very effective at disrupting the cell membrane and even killing bacteria.  Even better, bacteria do not seem to have the same ability to create resistance to essential oils as they can to antibiotics.  

A picture is worth a thousand words

When this family’s child spiked a 102 fever, she decided to do a little experiment with a nose swab.  This photo is from the 4 day mark.  Um, wow.  And did you know Lysol actually CONTRIBUTES to respiratory issues?  Check it out on the Think Dirty App.  This is not stuff you want to by spraying around your house.  Thieves is 100% non-toxic and provides your body an extra punch of immune support in a completely natural way.

Side bar #2: Curious about how thieves got its name?  It’s a Young Living propriety blend based on research about a group of 15th century thieves who rubbed botanicals on themselves to avoid contracting the plague while they robbed the bodies of the dead and dying. Morbid much?

Ok, so we’ve all agreed you need some thieves in your life.  I keep a roller ball on this puppy and swipe my kids feet and/or wrists (hello non toxic hand sanitizer) before school.  At the first signs of a sniffle, I’m diffusing this bad boy all over my house.  And you guys, it works. 

This essential oil blend is so incredible, Young Living developed an entire Thieves line of products.  Laundry soap: because our skin is a carrier NOT a barrier! Thieves toothpaste, dental floss, mouthwash.  I clean (ok let me be real….. my cleaning crew cleans because JOB) my entire house with Thieves Household Cleaner.  I could go on but trust me, you are going to want all the thieves in your life once you get a whiff.  Bonus, it smells AMAZING. 

Thieves, I’ll never quit you.
 
Want to learn more?  Contact Heather HERE.  Or come to our next Intro Class at the studio on Friday January 11, 2018 at 11:30am. 

Becoming a member with Young Living affords you a 24% discount on all products plus lots of freebies and rewards with their Essential Rewards Program.  To become a member is easy.  Purchase a starter kit (at nearly a 50% discount), and get started with a diffuser and Young Living's 11 most diverse essential oils.  You can literally replace your entire medicine and cleaning supplies cabinet with this kit!

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