Ok, I've been sitting on this article from my sister, Melissa Vogan, for months now. She gave it to me as a birthday present, and then I succumbed to the worst pregnancy-all-day sickness ever. It's time to post! Especially now that it is cold and flu season and we are using Plague Defense to ward off all of the winter ick. Thank you Melissa!
The $100 Experiment that Paid Off
Dread surged through me as we walked out of the ENT’s office. We had just scheduled surgery for my then-two-year-old to have tubes put in and her adenoids taken out. I was NOT excited about having my baby put under and getting a short term fix for a significant problem.
She had failed the high tech hearing test miserably – the kind where they put the child in a sound-isolated room and spend half an hour testing all the sound levels. We knew she couldn’t hear well, but we didn’t realize how bad it was. For weeks we had been testing her unscientifically by saying, “Zuzu, do you want a cookie?” when her back was turned and she couldn’t see us speaking to her? She never once took the bait.
Her speech was lagging far behind. It was obvious that the fluid build-up from repeated ear infections was the cause of her hearing loss and speech delay. The obvious medical solution is to put in tubes. They last at least 6 months, but then eventually fall out because the child has grown. If the problem continues, the surgery is repeated. Eventually, most kids outgrow these ear infections because their Eustachian tubes elongate and become more vertical, and the fluid doesn’t build up anymore. But we couldn’t wait years for it to resolve on its own because our daughter couldn’t hear!
My husband and I decided on a last ditch effort – buy some very expensive essential oils that had been recommended. We figured it would be worth a $100 risk because the alternative was going to cost us more AND require the anesthesia we hoped to avoid.
We bought Purification oil and Melrose from Young Living. The purification oil was for external use on the Eustachian tube area, to make the fluid drain, and the Melrose oil was to be diluted and used one drop at a time in the ear in the case of pain (she rarely had ear pain, fortunately!).
Within two weeks we had a different child. She could hear everything. We cancelled the surgery and were sold on the efficacy of essential oils!
Since then I have cleared up many, many ear infections in my other 6 kids. My oldest had swimmer’s ear once – a horribly painful ear infection that started at the pool because we often forgot to put drying drops in. We got the antibiotics, and they worked of course. The next time we tried our oil ear drops. Within a day it had cleared up! And, no antibiotics.
The History of Essential Oils
Essential oils are not new – in fact, they have been around since the ancient Egyptians. They used them for everything from beauty treatments to preparation for burying their dead. Do you remember what the wise men brought Jesus when they came to visit? Frankincense and Myrrh. We have a bottle of Frankincense in our medicine cabinet, and it is amazing stuff! It was very valuable even back then.
People have used herbs and plants for thousands of years to help with health issues. Modern essential oils are a much fancier version of the herbs of yesterday, the ‘essential’ part of the plant distilled into a very concentrated form in a little bottle. The distilleries are high tech and effective at processing large quantities of the plant to make the oils. One little bottle goes a long way.
How Our Family Uses Essential Oils
We use them all the time! Our family of 9 (almost 10) has not needed antibiotics in years. Here is a run-down of our favorite success stories:
- I was ironing some fabric one day for a sewing project, but, as I was distracted by all the kids in the room and the movie that was on, I burned my forearm severely. It was the worst burn I had ever had. Immediately I put lavender oil directly on the burn. I continued to apply it every time I thought about it – probably every 15 minutes then every hour and then probably twice a day. Though my burn scabbed, it NEVER once hurt. Several hours after the injury I took a steaming hot shower without a bit of pain. I was able to touch it directly without pain. It took weeks to fully heal, but I have an almost invisible scar today.
- The stomach bug! With 7 kids it is hard to hide from stomach bugs. And when they hit, it is usually a big deal at our house. We have used Digestion Support to eliminate the nausea and calm down the severity of the bug.
- Starting September 1 of every year, we begin our fall/winter immune system boosting oils: daily Plague Defense (also called Thieves). This year I will put it in a glass roller so that we can apply it directly to the bottoms of our feet. Even the little kids at my house can do it alone! Yes, the bottom of your feet is one of the ideal ‘entry points’ for oil. It is easily absorbed and carried throughout your body within minutes. Also, the bottoms are thicker and rougher, so it is possible to use a ‘hotter’ oil (one that is strong and might burn you otherwise) without any discomfort (as compared to applying to the sensitive skin on your forearm, for example). Plague Defense is a fabulous oil that has made an oncoming cold turn around within a day. Warrior is another excellent oil for immune system defense, and it can be used as a natural antibiotic, too.
- My 5 year old has eczema. Well, she had eczema. We started using the Eczema blend daily, and her patches have all disappeared. A few have flared up again recently, but within days they are now gone. I have given this oil to others with eczema and irritated, itchy skin patches, and it has been very helpful for them as well.
- How do you naturally treat respiratory issues like stuffy noses and coughs? We use several – Respiratory Relief, Lung Healing, and Mom’s Remedy (this last one is a natural copy of Vick’s Vapor Rub). We rub on clogged sinuses, chests, backs, under the nose and on the feet. We have a bedroom diffuser that can blow right onto a sleeping child’s face so that the oil can calm the night time coughs. These three oils all have eucalyptus as well as many other oils blended in to make them more effective.
- My husband had a wart on his hand. After several weeks of non-consistent but good-intentioned applications of oregano oil directly to his wart with a q-tip, the wart simply vanished. Oregano will take off planter’s warts, too.
- My 11 year old had a cyst on her wrist. The pediatrician said the usual treatment is to have it cut out, but it might grow back. Instead, we tried frankincense oil, and it is gone!
Where to buy Essential Oils
Our first purchases were from Young Living. It is a multi-level marketing company, of which I am usually not a big fan, but we had a rep who helped us get started. Those oils healed my daughter of her hearing loss and eliminated the need for surgery. Even my husband, who is slower to be convinced of these alternative treatments, was convinced.
Eventually, several other YL reps suggested we try Heritage Essential Oils. Their quality is excellent, their prices are much more reasonable, and we really like the product. Furthermore, their website is an EXCELLENT source of information. You can spend hours researching there! I have found that other oil companies want you to get information either from their reps or books they publish; I am independent and want to do that research on my own. I love the good info on the Heritage site. I have sent many friends there who have been thrilled with the knowledge and power that they gained there.
I know there are other reputable companies out there, like DoTerra, but since this is not a regulated industry, you need to do your research about the quality you are buying. I can say without a doubt that Heritage is excellent, so do your research and shopping there! (I am not compensated in any way by Heritage; I am just a satisfied customer. They don’t know I am making this recommendation!) I wouldn't buy oils at a drug store, on Amazon, or even Whole Foods. They are not as concentrated or as pure, and thus they are not as effective.