Purification

Purification is another great oil blend you will receive in your Premium Starter Kit.  If you have never used this oil before, I believe, you will be pleasantly surprised by it's aroma, uses and effectiveness. 

Benefits of Purification:

The properties in the oils used for this blend are highly antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, immune supporting and insect-repelling.

Purification has been known to cleanse and disinfect the air while neutralizing mildew, cigarette smoke and other odors.  It is GREAT for disinfecting and cleansing cuts, scrapes, bites and stings.  My family uses it during cold season as a preventative by applying diluted to the bottom of the feet and down the spine, and/or diffusing into the air via our home diffuser (which will be spoken about in this Premium Starter Kit series).  Actually, we use this as a preventative any time we hear about a bacterial infection 'going around' in school/church (i.e. bronchitis, phenomena, colds, coughs, sore throats...).   I wish every classroom (of every age level) would diffuse purification and/or thieves during the day!

How to Use Purification:

My family likes to dilute 1 part essential oil (EO) with 1 part pure vegetable oil (such as extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil...); basically 1 drop each of EO with 1 drop of vegetable oil, and apply to the bottom of the feet and/or down the spine as both a preventative and if already getting sick.  If the irritation is in the throat/ears then I apply to the lymph nodes on the sides of the neck also.

We also love to diffuse for 15-30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours in our home if something particularly nasty seems to be going around in the community.

Directly inhale (just smell from the bottle or put a few drops in your hand to inhale). 

Place 2-4 drops in bath water.

Apply directly to cuts, sores, bruise or wounds (I like to dilute).

Put a few drops on a cotton ball and put in air vents in home, office or vehicle.

Add a few drops to your all natural wool dryer balls or to a damp cloth and put in your clothes dryer.

Add a few drops to a spritz bottle of distilled water and a pinch of Epsom salt to use as an all natural insect repellent.

Or just wear as a perfume to enjoy the refreshing, enlivening and cleansing fragrance.

What Is Purification?:

Purification is a blend of the following therapeutic grade essential oils: Citronella, Lemongrass, Lavandin, Rosemary, Melaleuca and Myrtle.  These particular essential oils are high in antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-parasitic, immune supporting and other properties.

Personal Experience:

My family replaced our 'traditional' medicine cabinet over 5 years ago to an all natural 'medicine' cabinet featuring Young Living Essential Oils, and we have never looked back.  Prior to our introduction of essential oils we would catch every common cold, sore throat, virus, tummy bug and general yuck that went around.  Once we switched to using therapeutic grade essential oils we were not only able to cut out the toxic over the counter drugs, but we also found ourselves simply not getting sick.  We use our oils faithfully as preventatives!  Also, on the very rare occasion (one or twice a year) that we do begin to come down with something we attack it heavily with our essential oils arsenal (using more than one oil or oil blend) and we have found that it either stops the ensuing illness from forming all together, or drastically lessens the severity and length of the illness that seems to be going around in the community as compared to our friends.  By-the-way, I was the person that was ALWAYS SICK and caught EVERYTHING and had the most SEVERE bout possible.  Now I live a life of abundance and health rarely getting a sniffle.  Essential Oils is part of that change in not only my life, but in the lives of my family and many others around the world.

How Do I Get Started?:

Great question.  If you are not already a Young Living Essential Oil user go to www.youngliving.com and sign up under my member # 1069772.  For more information on getting started check out my post Discover Essential Oils.

What are you waiting for?  Now go sign up and start living in abundance!

Stay Tuned as I will be covering all the products received in the Premium Starter Kit over the next few weeks!


*All information given in this post has been obtained from personal experience and from the Essential Oils Desk Reference guide 4th Edition.  I am not a doctor or a physician, and this information is not meant to treat, diagnose or cure any ailments.  If you are in need of medical attention please seek out a professional health care provider.

Thieves Essential Oil

Thieves Oil

 

 

One of my favorite essential oils is the 'Thieves' blend. Not only does it have a wonderfully cinnamon spice aroma, but it also contains some of the strongest antiviral properties around. I put this oil (slightly diluted) on my kids feet and spine before Sunday school, regular school, gym time or any other highly populated outing as a preventative.

Yes! Essential Oils can be used as a preventative defense, not just after someone gets sick.  Although, it can help shorten viruses of all kinds if you do happen to contract something!

I also love to diffuse this oil in the fall/winter season to help cleanse our entire house. Actually, I enjoy the entire Thieves line of cleaners, tooth paste, hand sanitizer, soaps and more!

What is Thieves?:
Young Living’s amazing Thieves essential oil blend was inspired by the legend of four fifteenth-century thieves in France who formulated an aromatic blend composed of cloves, rosemary, and other botanicals to use while robbing graves. When captured, they were offered a lesser sentence in exchange for their secret recipe. Young Living’s one-of-a-kind blend is formulated with pure clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon, and eucalyptus (E. radiata) essential oils. Thieves blend can be found in many of Young Living’s most popular products and is a safe, natural alternative to harsh chemicals and cleaners.

Check out the thieves product here: http://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/essential-oils/blends/thieves-essential-oil

Then go sign up as a Young Living Independent Distributor under me to get the most benefit out of your health today! www.youngliving.com #1069772

Discover Essential Oils

Video: Protecting Your Children From Germs In The Classroom

Do you use therapeutic grade Essential Oils?  If not, why?  Now is the time to get started...before germs start spreading in school!  We completely replaced our conventional medicine cabinet years ago with non-toxic essential oils and have never looked back.

Young Living (www.youngliving.com) offers several starter kits which you can choose from to purchase as your opening order.  No matter which kit you choose you will get 20% off retail price going forward, and you will have the ability to sell or sign people up under you to receive commissions.  There is a 'catch' to receive commissions though.  If someone purchases under you in a particular month you must have also purchased items yourself that month totaling 50PV.  Getting on the 'Essential Rewards' monthly auto ship (below) will rectify that situation, help you to stock up on oils/beauty/health products and rack up points for free product.

At that time you can also sign up for 'Essential Rewards' which is a program where you get an automatic monthly shipment sent to you house.  With 'Essential Rewards' you earn points that you can use to redeem free product in the future.  This is recommended if you are going to want to order product on a regular basis.  It can be added or removed at anytime and does not have to be done at the time of your initial set up.  The products sent to you monthly can be the same thing every month, or can be changed monthly...completely flexible.  The only thing is that you must spend a minimum of 50PV on that monthly order (approx. $50 + shipping).  Shipping is cheaper with the 'Essential Rewards'.

Depending on how you desire to use your oils you can choose one of several different starter kits.  The best bang for your buck kit would be the 'Premium Starter Kit'.  This kit comes with the entire everyday oils collection (5 ml each of: frankincense, lemon, lavender, peppermint, purification, panaway, peace and calm, thieves, valor), Home Diffuser, Welcome to Young Living booklet, Essential Oils at a Glance user’s guide, Distributor Resource Guide, S.E.E.D. Sharing for Success booklet, Stress Away 5-ml, AromaGlide Roller Fitment, two Lavender Sample Packets, two Peppermint Sample Packets, two Peace & Calming Sample Packets, two Lemon Sample Packets, two Thieves Sample Packets, Sample Packet Business Cards, two NingXia Red 2-oz. samples.  - Which is basically everything you would need to get started and get familiar with a large range of oils and uses...it basically gives you the best jumpstart for a beginner. $150 (the everyday oils kit is $159 all by itself, and the diffuser is $98.68, so this is a great value).

The 'Basic Plus Starter Kit' comes with what you see above minus the Everyday oils collection (which I really think a person needs). $75

The 'Basic Starter Kit' comes with what you see above minus the Everyday oils collection and minus the diffuser (both of which I really think a person needs). $40

Once you sign up and receive your oils/starter kit we should get together (or talk on the phone if you are long distance) for a one-on-one consultation, and allow me to talk to you about what you received, how to use them, and how YOU Personally can get the most benefit out of them for your needs.  We can then also come up with a 6 month plan to wellness through the young living products tailored just for you and your family. 
You would sign up under Natalie Sherwood #1069772 as a Young Living Independent Distributor.  Both the Sponsor ID and Enroller ID are the number of 1069772.  If you need help just call or e-mail me.

Make Your Own Natural Cleaners

I have been making my own Non-Toxic, All-Natural Cleaning Products for quite some time now, and truly enjoy it!  Making my cleaning products actually makes me want to clean!  Gasp!  I know, right?  The products clean so well, smell so good, and don't make me dizzy to inhale, don't make me break out in a rash or make me want to put off cleaning for another day.

The biggest obstacle to getting started with making your own cleaners is knowing where to start, so here is a great resource with various recipes For Recipes Click Here.

Another thing to note is that these cleaners are typically harmless to humans, and the essential oils are very beneficial (I add essential oils to all of my cleaners for the anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and purifying properties).  So I would consider these safe to use around all people, kids and pets; contrary to most chemical cleaners that are full of warning labels and harsh compounds.  Plus, these homemade cleaners are very cost effective!

Here are some of the 'KEYS' to making your own cleaner:

1. Store in a glass bottle or jar if possible because essential oils are very strong and will eventually eat through plastic.  Use an amber or dark colored bottle when available.  (you can purchase online or go to Hobby Lobby and other craft stores)

2. Store away from direct sunlight.  This will help the oils and cleaners to maintain their properties, and the cleaning products will last for ages!

3. Use oils that you enjoy the fragrance of since you will be using these cleaners in your home.

4. Use oils with good anti fungal, antiviral, antibacterial properties (although most any oil will work).  Lemon, Peppermint, Pine and all the Citrus' are highly recommended.

5.  You can mix and match oils so feel free to change it up with each batch you make. 

6. 15 oz bottle of essential oil yields approximately 250 drops, so when you see the recipes you will find that you can make several batches of cleaner from one bottle of E.O. (I get my essential oils from www.youngliving.com you can sign up under my agent number 1069772)

7. These make great gifts! 


You can purchase glass bottles/jars from you local craft or hardware store, or check out these links:
http://www.abundanthealth4u.com/
http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.aspx

Alright, now go out there and make some non-toxic and beneficial cleaning product.  Here's to a happy, healthy and more natural home!

To order Young Living oils click here and use member #1069772 (if outside the US click here)

Detox & Cleanse

Here is one of my old posts, but with some new links!

Ever wonder why that new thing you are doing is just not working?  Like the healthy eating, juicing, all natural and pure supplements and exercising are not kicking in the way you would like?  Sure, you notice a difference, but where is the WOW factor in this new lifestyle?

It is quite possible that your body is so bound  up with toxins and junk that you need to do a cleanse, a fast, a detox (or whatever other name you want to give it) before you will really see results.  It is a lot like hitting the reset button on your electronic device.  Everything is cleared out and you get to start with a clean slate.  That is what 'cleaning out' your body does, it resets everything. 

Looking at your past and current lifestyle will depend on how long you need to hold down the reset button and how often you need to reset, again.  If you have been eating clean for quite some time then simply doing a few meal replacements or a short 3 day fast could work for you.  On the contrary, if you eat out a lot and drink fluids other than water, fresh juice (made at home) and herbal tea then you probably need a week long fast or longer.  If you are dealing with heavy food addiction, smoking and alcohol you probably need to start with baby steps (replace 2 meals a day with juicing) then go into a longer fast.

If you have health issues it is always advisable to seek a doctor's permission before beginning a new or strict program, and it is always good to note that this blog is not intended to diagnose illness or provide cures.

What does a fast or cleanse do?  I'm glad you asked! 

• It helps to retrain your taste buds (out with the junk, in with the fresh)
• Helps your body to remove addictions to artificial food preservatives and additives (and possibly other addictions as well).  Things such as MSG, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, caffeine...
• Removes daily toxin build up from living in a world full of chemicals
• Cleans out your colon so you can absorb ALL the good nutrients you consume.
• Improves mental clarity
• Improves skin tone
• Increases energy
• Allows the body to alkalize and fight disease
• Give the gut a rest from digesting food all the time
• Jump starts weight loss
• Jump starts weight gain in an underweight and malnourished individual.
• Jump starts building good muscle tone for those exercising (don't train during a fast, but after the fast is over you can hit it hard and see the results)
• Help men experiencing issues in bed to be reawakened
• Aids in overall well being

Now don't get me wrong.  Fasting is not easy.  If your body is particularly bound up with toxins you will experience some detox symptoms the first few days.  But somewhere along the way you will begin to feel better, then feel great.  That is the point where you can be sure you have detoxed your body long enough, but feel free to go longer, or just detox more often!  Some do a 1 day detox monthly, others a 3 day detox quarterly, and still others a 10 day detox annually.  You decide what is right for you.

Here are some good juice fasting resources:

• Alkaline Diet Course: http://919239ndkhqdqy3zqc3dwknwej.hop.clickbank.net/
• Raw Foods Diet: http://50066ecrfgv4qw1nv0v6acl48j.hop.clickbank.net/
• How to conquer food cravings: http://51fb8edrgfwdp2f2tkpmu9bxb6.hop.clickbank.net/
• Total Wellness Cleanse: http://c99c7fclghs1rwaj6axakh27e9.hop.clickbank.net/

And so much more. 

Juice Fast recommendations:

• Breakfast meal replacement only
• Lunch meal replacement only
• Juice breakfast and lunch then eat a healthy dinner
• 3 day juice fast only
• 5 day juice fast only
• 10 day juice fast only
• 21 day juice fast only
• Juice for 3 days only after traveling or a stressful life event

By-the-way, only juice organic fruits and veggies.  And juice veggies WAY MORE then fruit.

Try it, you just might like it, and see some real health benefits!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is similar to make as the butternut squash from last week, but has a completely different flavor profile.

Acorn Squash:
Preheat oven to 450*
Lightly coat with coconut oil and kosher salt
Bake 30-45 minutes until tender with a fork.

Stuffing:
Lightly sauté Onions, mushrooms, cauliflower, kale and Swiss Chard in some coconut oil and kosher salt
Stuff squash and ENJOY!

Food Trends

As my family and I have been transitioning our eating habits over the past 2-years I have noticed us going back to a more organic, natural and plant based diet.  Kind of a back to the basics trend.  We considered ourselves very healthy eaters before, but now I realize that we were simply uneducated.  Today I would consider us truly healthy eaters and so much more free because of the changes we have made.  I no longer crave foods such as soda, chocolate, candy, French fries and more.  I can actually walk down a candy isle and not even think about the candy I am missing.  Or I can sit down to eat with a group of people where everyone is drinking soda and I am drinking water and not crave a soda or feel like I am missing out.  That is a wonderful freedom, the lack of feeling deprived.

Anyway, that is not what this post is about.  It is about a correlation I have noticed with today's eating trends vs. what I read in the Bible.

First, let's start at the beginning, the Garden of Eden.  What did mankind eat?  People at raw fruits and vegetables.  That's it.  No animals had been killed (or died) up until the time of the fall, and I'm not sure how long of a time span that was.  Had Adam and Eve already had children?  How old were they?  Had they been alive many years?  Nonetheless, however long it was they only ate raw fruits and vegetables.  Today's parallel food trend would be the raw foodie, raw vegan or 80-10-10 person.  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

Next I see the introduction of gathering.  Possibly fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and other things like eggs.  This could be similar to our current vegetarian diets where cooked grains, beans and some non-plant based foods like eggs are consumed.  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

After that the hunter is introduced.  So not only do we eat fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, but we add some meat to the diet.  The hunter's diet did not contain a lot of meat because sometimes they would hunt for days or even weeks before catching their game.  Then when they came home that game fed not only their immediate family, but also their large extended family.  Meat was not the highlight of the meal, but rather a flavoring undertone.  This can be compared somewhat to today's paleo/hunter gatherer diet.  (minus the grains)  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

Then we introduced buying our food.  I couldn't go hunting so I will trade my veggies for your rabbit.  This started the market/barter/trade of food and other items.  This allowed us to pick and choose what we eat and allowed for greater meat consumption.  I see this trend today and in the Bible.

And then there came processed foods and supermarkets and fast food restaurants and restaurant chains.  Much meat, much processed, little fresh fruits and vegetables.  This is the typical American diet, and I don't see this one in the Bible. 

I am not here to tell you which one(s) to pick, but I will say that I tend to lean toward the first three ways of eating and I shy away from the last two.  (yes, I purchase much of my produce at the supermarket.)

Which one do you lean toward?  Have you seen any benefits in changing your diet?  Have you seen any harm in changing your diet?  Did I leave a trend out?  Do you tend to link food to other areas of your life like socializing, feeling better, comforting, health or something else?

Share your thoughts with us below...we love to hear from you!