Headaches. Something that we all suffer from time to time. Migraines. A severe intense headache that some suffer from quite often. No matter how intense the headache, no headache is fun.
Two years ago my husband suffered the worst headache of his life. We spent a day in the ER with not much relief. If I remember correctly he spent about 4-5 days after that ER visit in bed at home. Only eating smoothies. With no lights on. No hugging his 10 month old daughter. No speaking to anyone. Horrible.
I wanted nothing more than to help him as he lay in bed each day. My heart ached because it felt like there was nothing I could do for him. The hospital had given us a recommendation for a neurologist. When I called them to schedule an appointment they were booked a month or more out. I wanted to cry. I then began searching the Dallas area for the best neurologist I could find. I set my mind on a wonderful doctor and called them. They were also booked a month out for a new patient. I set the appointment, accepting that this was our life for the next month. I proceeded to call back daily, hoping there would be a cancellation. I believe we waited almost a week and by the grace of God there was a cancellation and we were able to see the doctor.
I remember them giving him a shot there in the office and he had immediate relief. Praise our good Lord! That is when we discussed many options with the doctor. They ordered CT scans, MRI's and handed us pages of information about his new medication regime. Talk about overload. We left there relieved as he did feel better and the scans all came back normal (PRAISE!), but scared that he would now have to take these medications for the rest of his life. The medications had side effects such as, but not limited to: hallucinations, irregular heartbeat, memory loss, mental mood swings (agitation, aggression, anxiety, depression, hostility, nervousness), seizures, shortness of breath, slurred speech, suicidal thoughts, tremors, unusual bleeding, dizziness, loss of coordination, HEADACHE???, tiredness and blurred vision.
Every time we left town we had to make sure he had all his prescriptions with him. We basically lived in fear of the next headache or migraine. I will say, the medication did prevent the severe headaches, but he would still get less intense headaches. Since he was taking the prescription medications, he couldn't take Motrin for the less intense headaches because the medicines would interact. So he just lived with the less intense headaches, thankful it wasn't a migraine.
Last year for Christmas I asked for a kit of doTerra essential oils. Being the wonderful husband he is, he promptly ordered my kit and had it waiting for me under the tree. At the same time, I ordered him doTerra's blend of oil called PastTense as a stocking stuffer. This blend is known to release tension and is highly effective for headaches. As he began to use the PastTense and other oils he noticed less headaches. Now, almost a year after receiving those oils, he is completely free of any prescription medication for his headaches and rarely has to even take an OTC medication. I cannot say enough great things about PastTense and doTerra oils. He simply swipes the PastTense across his forehead when he feels a headache coming on and it goes away!
I want to say that I have the upmost respect for prescription medications and all the research behind them. We are so grateful for the doctors that helped Josh during this time. They certainly took wonderful care of us. But, I am thankful that we discovered a way to treat this ailment naturally, with the gifts of the earth that God gave us. Migraines are a disease, as stated in that stack of paperwork given to us by the doctor, and I'm so amazed that we have been able to wipe out this disease with our powerful oils. I hope this empowers you to take a step toward learning more about oils. It has been life-changing for our family.
http://www.mydoterra.com/marciedurst/
Anyone who has been through labor knows that you lose all modesty in the process. In effort to keep a shred of any modesty I have left, I don't want to go into great detail on my latest delivery, but I do want to highlight a few oils I used that I found very helpful.
I started using doTerra essential oils when I was around 5 months pregnant with my 2nd child. After seeing many positive results using the oils in our family, I started researching how I could use them during labor. Some things come along just in the knick of time!
I had a few objectives going into this labor - avoid a csection, avoid an episiotomy or severe tear and to have a natural birth. I had experienced a wonderful natural labor with my first, but I was nervous about doing it again. Here are the details on the oils I used and wished I had the first time around:
- Geranium: used in perineum massage with coconut oil beginning at 36 weeks. Also good for hemorrhoids after birth.
- Helichrysum: Let's just say this was totally worth the hefty price tag! I used this with the geranium for perineum massage but not until 39 weeks when I finally bought it. During the pushing stage of labor I had my doctor put the helichrysum on me and I hardly tore at all! That was HUGE. I had a 3rd degree with my first baby (who was smaller than my second!). This oil is amazing for any cuts, scrapes, etc. There is a reason it is referred to as "liquid band-aid"!
- Clary Sage: At 40 weeks I started adding it to my bath water and just smelling it from the bottle. A few days shy of 41 weeks I began to rub it on my ankles. I went into labor at exactly 41 weeks after a membrane sweep. I think the clary sage helps the process along if your body is ready. I wanted to use during labor but didn't have time.
- Basil: Used during labor on my lower back for pain. I was having pretty bad pain with each contraction radiating around to my lower back. After my husband rubbed it on my back I don't remember complaining of any pain.
- Lavender: During labor: I made a spray bottle of lavender with water. My husband sprayed it on me and the room. The nurse even commented afterward that our room smelled so good! I believe it just helped keep everyone calm. After labor: I made a spray bottle of witch hazel mixed with lavender oil to spray directly on my lady parts after using the restroom. I also made some pads that were sprayed with this and then stored in the freezer to use once I got home. Needless to say, I felt almost completely healed at 2 weeks postpartum.
- Balance: Like the lavender, I made a spray bottle of balance with water. When I started to doubt myself and wanted to give up I had my husband spray me (face & neck area). Not only was it cold and refreshing, but I regained my will to continue on with labor. I know I didn't have a choice, but there was one moment that I wanted to call the anesthesiologist and get an epi, so this definitely helped center me on my goals.
I had planned on using more oils during labor, but we just didn't have time (thankfully!). I am so blessed to have these oils in my life and to help me through such a milestone event. I am truly thankful that our God created these plants and placed them on this earth for our use in everyday ailments! What a blessing.
Have you used oils during pregnancy, labor or postpartum? Please comment and let me know, I'd love to hear from you!
http://www.mydoterra.com/marciedurst/
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or health professional. I love natural remedies and enjoy learning and sharing information with others. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions you might have for your specific situation.
After the week we've had, I felt that I had to put the spotlight on doTerra's Lavender essential oil. First off, our daughter is 2.5 years old and seems to have just hit the "2's". She's truly a sweet well-mannered child, but has had more moments of tantrums lately - usually at dinner/bedtime. Last night she was running circles in her room (avoiding putting on PJs) and then started an all out scream/cry fest when I didn't let her have an extra vitamin. I immediately grabbed the lavender and rubbed it on the back of her neck, her feet and had her smell it on her hands. My husband walked in a few minutes later expecting to have to be Mr. Disciplinarian and was pleasantly surprised that it looked like the tantrum had passed. Coincidence? I have to believe that it was not. The lavender calmed her down and we continued the bedtime routine with no more tantrums. Phew!
The other instance we've had this week with lavender was on sunday morning at church. Our church has a play area with a rope ladder that the kids can climb up to a wooden platform. As Ellie was climbing the ladder, she tripped on her overly poofy dress (mom fail) and busted her lip on the edge of the platform. She turns to me, crying of course, but with a mouthful of blood. I felt that panic start to rise in my throat as we rushed to the bathroom. I was so thankful to have my travel case of oils in my purse. I whipped out the lavender and put it directly on the wound after wiping away some blood. It immediately stopped bleeding! I then reached for the frankincense but fumbled it, effectively breaking the bottle on the ground and making the entire bathroom smell of the wonderful oil. At least it was a small vial and not the whole bottle! Once we got home I put more lavender on the wound and also frankincense (which kept it from swelling). I continued this a few more times on Sunday and then once or twice a day. By today (Thursday) her teachers at school didn't even notice it. I count that as a win!
Lavender has multiple other uses such as burns, insect bites, headaches, allergies and acne. I actually use doTerra's fractionated coconut oil with 1 drop of lavender and 1 drop of frankincense as my nightly moisturizer now! This is definitely one of the bottles we go through the fastest at our house and I feel like everyone should have in their first aid kit.
Please let me know if you'd like a sample. Seeing is believing!
http://www.mydoterra.com/marciedurst/
Or does someone in your life snore? If my husband sleeps on his back (how he is most comfortable) he will snore. For years he has resorted to sleeping in a less comfortable way just so he wouldn't wake me. What a sweetheart, huh?
After some research I found that doTERRA's essential oil blend, Breathe, can help with snoring. Luckily, the Breathe oil is one of his favorites so he didn't object to putting it on that night. As we were watching TV in bed, I look over and notice he had fallen asleep (on his back) and I never knew it! Normally I would have heard the heavy breathing beginning, which is just a precursor to the snore. He didn't make one sound all night. What an amazing result, he can now rest the way his body prefers and I don't wake up hitting him with a pillow. Life is good :)
Then it happened, he started telling me I was snoring at night. Whoa…not me! I guess pregnancy has gifted me with more than just this voluptuous belly. I will now be adding breathe into my nightly routine, which is fine by me!
If any of you have a snorer in your life, I think it's worth a shot to give this oil a try. Not only should it open up the airways and help with snoring, the breathe oil also combats airborne bacteria and viruses preventing illness.
The hubs bought me a wonderful Christmas present this year. He ordered a medicine kit of essential oils from doTERRA! I have a friend who uses them and I've always been interested, but never really knew which ones to buy or how to use them. So, on Christmas morning when I unwrapped that box I was so excited, but also scared because I knew I couldn't let this gift "go to waste"! Now I had to figure out how to use them.
With a little googling and advice from my friend, I have started to learn which oils help which ailments. Let me tell you - it is EASY! I was so surprised and I'm not really sure why. Here are a few examples:
The first sample I received (before my Christmas morning surprise) was lavender. I frequently wake up throughout the night and awoke in the morning not feeling rested. Being pregnant and chasing a two year old, that was starting to catch up with me and I just wanted to sleep well again. I began to use lavender at night before bed and WOW! I was sleeping deeper, through the night and felt amazing in the morning. A good night's sleep is truly something I haven't had since my 1st pregnancy and I had resigned myself to the fact that it would probably never happen again. That alone was enough for me to become more interested in the other oils!
After opening the oils I started using them on our entire family. I could see things working, but my real moment of belief came as my daughter and I were walking out the door to go to school one morning. She stopped in her tracks, began crying and screaming and wanted to be held. As soon as I picked her up she rested her head on my shoulder and just cried. It's the "Oh no" moment for any mom. My baby is sick. As soon as I set her down I could see that her lips and skin were very pale and she was sweating. Two year olds aren't the best at telling you what hurts which leaves you feeling so helpless. That's when I heard her tooting! I knew her little tummy must be upset. Having a sensitive stomach myself I know how miserable that can feel. I thought to myself - I have three options: 1) I can let her writhe in pain and hope it passes 2) I can give her a dose of Advil 3) I can give these oils a try on my baby. I hadn't really ventured outside of lavender with her at this point, so I was somewhat nervous. I grabbed the DigestZen blend and rubbed it on her tummy, waiting for a reaction. NO LIE - not more than 2 minutes later she was happy, ready to go to school and her color had returned to her face. It was unbelievable to actually see it happen. My sweet girl was out of pain and I didn't have to give her a dose of medication! A medication that would have taken AT LEAST 30 minutes to work…
We've since had many other successes with the oils, but I'll post more on those specifics later. I am totally kicking myself for not trying these oils earlier! I had used the kind you buy at the grocery store, but nothing that was therapeutic grade. There is truly an amazing difference. I feel confident that I will be able to treat pretty much any ailment that comes up in my family, naturally. That makes this mommy happy and thankful.
If you have any questions or have ever wanted to try them yourself, please contact me. I have a true passion to help others by blessing them with these natural oils!
http://www.mydoterra.com/marciedurst/
