Back to school time can be both exciting and stressful. But this year we have the added stress of Coronavirus, the policies around it, and shake ups in learning methods. These can all challenge the whole family’s physical, mental, and emotional health. The following natural health tips, including essential oils for back to school, can help you manage just about anything that comes up to help your family survive Fall 2020!
Check out Back to School Essential Oils and Health Tips to learn natural health tips for immune support, essential oils for digestion, how to detox naturally, mood lifting techniques, and how to keep your kids focused. I also share bits about my homeschool approach that may help build your confidence in teaching your kids at home.
Before settling in to watch this, you may want to first download my FREE Stress-Relieving Acupressure Guide for Moms which can be a huge support for you in these times! You’ll learn 6 of my favorite acupressure points to relieve physical tension and help you manage your emotions. As a result of this quick self-care routine, you’ll sleep much deeper which is so important for staying happy and healthy!
A healthy lifestyle comes down to eating right, exercising, getting plenty of sleep, managing stress, reducing your toxic load, being able to stay positive & focused, and tending to your body when it’s ill with natural medicine. Essential oils have a place in all of these lifestyle principles.
Best Essential Oils and Natural Products for Back to School
Many of the protocols I mention in this video class are from the doTERRA collection here. I use them often for my family and recommend them for yours too!
Shop for this kit here. This includes wholesale pricing for 1 year and you’re able to customize this cart to add or remove what you’d like.
This starter kit features the Kid’s Collection which are seven roller bottle blends that are completely safe, super effective, and easy enough for kids to use themselves.
I’d love to hear about the schooling choices that your family has made this year. Are you trying to adjust your lifestyle to make sure your family stays healthy and happy? Please tell me if any of these essential oils for Back to School help you!
Kids are dealing with so many health issues and pressures these days! It may be hard for them to name their feelings and this can result in meltdowns or growing emotional problems. Mindfulness meditationis a doorway to these feelings that they can experience in their bodies. But kids meditation makes the biggest difference if it’s done consistently and modeled by the adults in their lives.
My son and I created this kids meditation not just for children, but for the whole family. Together, you can train up your mindfulness skills, develop emotional intelligence, promote anger management, and learn to treat each other (and yourselves!) with more kindness. These mindfulness techniques bring balanced awareness to the body, heart, and mind. They form a framework that can help your children grow into compassionate beings who approach life with gratitude, hope, and bold enthusiasm!
You can watch the video below, or just read through the instructions and try it on your own. It would be really helpful for your family to talk afterwards, or to have some time for personal journaling.
If you want even more help dealing with emotional stress, check out this guide which you can incorporate into your mindfulness practice. Enjoy!
Meditation Video for Kids and Families
How to Meditate with Your Kids
Take a minute to get a small object that is precious to you. It could be a beautiful rock, crystal, button, or even a small toy. Don’t worry if you can’t find anything right now, you can just use your hands instead.
You can sit up with your legs crossed or lay down in a comfortable spot on the floor. Let’s place your special object over your belly button.
Meditation for Kids Instructions
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
Feel the precious item on your belly rise and fall as you breathe or feel your belly moving into your hand.
It rises up as you breathe in and it gently falls when you breathe out.
Let your breath be smooth and slow so it feels easy and it feels good.
Mindfulness of the Body
Now we’re going to use your imagination to make your mind more full and aware.
See your precious item shining with a bright white light, like a little star. If you’re using your hand, imagine that a ball of white light comes out of your hand. This ball of light sinks down into your belly and shines in every direction.
It goes down into each leg: your right leg, your left leg, and each toe. It goes up into your chest and head and out through each arm and every finger.
See your whole body shining with this white light from inside, as bright and as powerful as our sun. Can you feel the power of your body? Does it feel warm or cool? Do you feel heavy or do you feel like you’re floating like a balloon?
Mindfulness of Emotions
Keep your body shining bright and now we’re going to place your precious item or your hand on the center of your chest where your heart is.
How are you feeling in your heart right now? Are you feeling love, happiness, anger, fear, boredom, or excited?
Whatever you’re feeling is absolutely normal! We all have these feelings. But sometimes they can get a little too big. Sometimes our anger may make us hurt ourselves or others with our words or with our bodies. Sometimes when we get too excited we may knock things over.
Let’s shine this bright light on our feelings right now so you know what you’re feeling and you can control what your body does when you feel this way. Sometimes when we shine this light on our feelings, they change into something else!
As you take some more deep breaths, maybe your light shines even brighter.
Now we’re going to take off our precious item, put it to the side, and stretch your arms up overhead. If you’re laying down you can slowly roll over and come back up to sit.
You can keep this light burning bright is side you for as long as you remember to do so, letting it relax you and comfort you from the inside like it’s giving you a big hug and a warm smile.
And take a moment to actually give yourself a big hug.
And if you’re doing this with your family, you can give them a big hug too.
Remember that you can do this mindfulness meditation anytime! I hope it keeps your heart open and loving.
Do germs terrify you? Do you try to sterilize your home and body to prevent infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi? What you may not realize is that our immune health depends on microbes and that your cleaning routine may actually be harming your health and contributing to chronic disease for the entire community. Germs are good for you!
As, I’m writing this, we’re in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic so what I’m saying may seem strange. Even with this crisis, I believe (and many scientists concur) that killing everything in the environment that has the potential to harm us through our sanitizing regimens, and sterilizing our bodies with pharmaceuticals, is not a good idea!
Unfortunately this is the message many of us hear from the medical community, from politicians, and commercials for popular cleaning products. We’ve been led to believe that if we can’t control nature, we’re at it’s mercy, and there’s nothing else we can do about it.
I’m hoping you’ll hear me out! I believe our health problems are much, much bigger than Covid-19. Our aim of sterility and fear of infectious disease is contributing to these other problems – especially with our children.
With this information, it’s my wish you’ll become less fearful of the beautiful microbial world. You’ll see that it’s necessary for us to interact with in order for our immune systems to function well. Here’s 4 reasons why you should stop obsessively disinfecting today.
If you like what you see on my YouTube channel, consider subscribing and hit the bell so you’re notified each time I post a new wellness video!
Why We Need to Stop Sanitizing Everything
1) Over 97% of Microbes Are Benign or Beneficial
Our microbiome, the population of beneficial bacteria in our gut and on our skin, are needed to protect against possible pathogens. We can think of them as generals of the immune system to direct it’s weapons against invaders.
Our bodies are inoculated with these microbes as we exit the birth canal. This is one of the many reasons we need promote natural birth when possible. It’s why we shouldn’t bathe our babies so much. If we promote extended breastfeeding, babies and toddlers will continue to populate their guts with beneficial bacteria in mother’s milk. These practices give children a head start with good health and wellness.
But that’s still not enough! We need these beneficial microorganisms throughout our lifetime through exposure in our soil, from pets and farm animals, in fermented foods that we should all be eating, and from human interaction. Hugging, kissing, and shaking hands are all necessary for our physical and emotional health!
2) Lack of Microbial Exposure Can Cause Chronic Disease
This Hygiene Hypothesis says that conditions like allergies, asthma, autoimmune disorders, and obesity are caused by lack of exposure to microbes.
An interesting 2016 study looked at children in two traditional Christian farming groups: the Amish and the Hutterites. The Amish practice traditional farming, using hand-held tools. Hutterites, on the other hand, use modern farm equipment and have less interaction with the soil.
Researchers found that far less Amish children had asthma compared to the Hutterites. After testing their blood, they also discovered that the Amish kids had significantly more white blood cells. We know that white blood cells are necessary for fighting infections. One could guess this was because of their direct exposure to microbes, which boosted their immune system.
We have a major issue with chronic disease in this country, and it’s growing at an alarming rate with children. Many people with chronic disease have poor gut health and it directly affects immune system function.
3) Bleach & Other Disinfectants Can Damage Your Body and IncreaseInfections
When we use harsh cleaning chemicals indoors, they are killing ALL microorganisms – the possible pathogens as well as the beneficial ones. These products also strip our skin and gut of it’s protective microbiome. Remember that when gut health is diminished, so is our immunity, and we’re more prone to infections.
A 2015 study in the Occupational & Environmental Medicine journal looked at the effects of bleach use in the homes of more than 9,000 kids ages 6 to 12 in Spain, the Netherlands and Finland. In homes where bleach was used, there was a much greater incidence of the flu, tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.
In addition to killing our beneficial microbiome, we also know that many cleaning products contain chemicals that are known or suspected carcinogens, endocrine disruptors (meaning they affect hormone balance and regulation), and increase the risk of chronic respiratory disease. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), 53% of cleaning products harm the lungs and “about 22% contain chemicals reported to cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy individuals”.
4) Sanitizing Our Bodies and Environment is Pressuring Microbes to Mutate
Anti-microbial soaps, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and ALL pharmaceutical drugs that are meant to protect us from and treat infections actually threaten the existence of microbes.
The problem: Microbes want to live as passionately as we do! And nature is smart. Remember these words from Jeff Goldblum’s character Ian Malcom in Jurassic park?
Microbes will evolve and mutate in order to live. We are pressuring them to change in order to infect us better! This is a response to our interaction with them.
Antibiotics and antibacterial products are not fooling them at all. Chemicals like triclosan are so purified that it’s easy for the microbes to recognize and form resistance against them which creates superbugs that cannot be managed with standard antibiotics.
Triclosan typically ends up in nose secretions of people who use triclosan-containing products. Methicillan Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus (MRSA) then binds to collagen and keratin proteins there since tricolosan poses zero threat to them. This creates harmful infections that don’t respond to standard medicines.
Let’s get back to the elephant in the room, that we’re dealing with a global pandemic. What do I hope you’ll glean from this information that will help you and your family stay healthy & well?
I’m hoping this information relaxes you to the point where you can focus on what truly matters right now. Instead of killing everything in the environment and hiding from each other, we should instead focus on wellness. How do you do that during a pandemic?
Hand washing – gentle soap and water will remove potential pathogens from your hands without depleting the microbiome on your skin or in your gut.
If you were to let go of your sanitizing efforts and instead focus on boosting your health, then you’ll continue to live your life with greater confidence, trusting your body and nature.
We also want to think about future consequences of our actions right now.
If we keep obsessively cleaning our environment and sanitizing our bodies, then we will no doubt see a greater increase of infections in the future. This will not be due to a lack of social distancing with fellow humans, but because pathogens are getting stronger and smarter, and we are becoming more weak.
I hope you found this information interesting. If so, please let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
The Coronavirus Pandemic and the social distancing required to slow the spread, forced schools to close, leaving parents to care for their kids at home for an uncertain amount of time whether they want to or not. Are you one of these moms? I know that you’re probably feeling fear from both the viral threat and for homeschooling your child for the first time. Trust me though, as a homeschooling parent of fours years, I know you can do this! Here’s my 5 tips on how to stay sane homeschooling amid the Coronavirus Pandemic. This homeschooling mom encouragement will boost both your immunity and self confidence!
Before you read my tips or watch me talk about them in the video below, you may want to get my free stress-relieving acupressure guide which will help both you and your child with this transition! These six acupressure points not only relieve tension and stress, but will help you all sleep better at night which in turn will keep your immunity strong!
5 Tips for Dealing With Your Fears – Homeschooling Mom Encouragement Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic
Focus On Self-care and Wellness as a New Homeschool Mom
You’re going to have more time, so it’s best to place your energy where it counts the most! Self-care should be your main focus and will help you better serve your family, as well as bolster your body from infection.
This virus, as is the case with other viruses, is opportunistic. It can only infect you if you are weak. Support your health and your family’s by:
Prioritizing better sleep – It’s still a good idea to have an early bedtime. But now that you’re homeschooling, let the family sleep in!
Establishing a relaxed schedule – There’s no need to rush your transitions, which can create stress and diminish immunity.
Creating alone time – Being home with your kids can be intense. Make sure you still have some alone time, even if it means giving your child a screen to entertain them. Your emotional health is very important right now.
Adopting a home yoga practice – Yoga can support your health on all levels. Try this yoga class video that will help you relieve tension as you wake in the morning and help you start the day with ease!
Supplementing vitamins and minerals – You should be getting healthy doses of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D in your diet (and ideally Vitamin D from the sun), but chances are you won’t be getting enough from your food, even if you’re eating whole, organic foods. Find some supplements you like, or try my recommendations here.
Feeding your gut beneficial bacteria – Gut health is the basis of your immunity. Read about it’s importance, how it’s damaged and how it’s supported here. Basically, you’ll want to be eating more fermented foods and supplementing with probiotics, but it’s also important to avoid stress, sugar, and pharmaceutical drugs which all diminish your gut health!
This wellness kit comes with the vitamins I use as well as digestive enzymes, probiotics, tension-relieving lotion, and mood enhancing essential oils that will support everyone’s body, mood, and mental focus!
Buying this kit also gets you a doTERRA Wholesale account, 25% off of essential oils and natural products for a year.
Tend To Your Home and Family as you Homeschool
I know it’s hard to stay home, especially this time of year! It was easy in Winter when the energy was low and was a natural time to rest and reflect. But in Spring, it’s natural to be more active and energetic. You will simply have to channel that energy into tending your family and your home.
Here’s some ideas:
Make all of your meals – Avoid processed food and start making healthy meals with whole foods, if you’re not doing so already. Ask your kids to help you so you get support and they can learn important life skills. Not sure how to get your kids to eat whole foods? Check out my article Practical Dietary Advice for Happy and Healthy Kids.
Establish a green cleaning routine – Switch out your toxic household products and clean with natural, essential oil based cleansers instead. Have complete control over the ingredients by using DIY recipes. (We’ll focus on Green Cleaning in April – in the meantime ask me if you need any suggestions or recipes).
Organize your pantries
Clean out your refrigerators
Wash your walls & windows
Clean your oven
Work in your garden or establish one
Hike in open, outside places with your family since fresh air and sunshine are important for general health
Notice that most of these suggestions circle back to self-care?
Educate Yourself As You Educate Your Child
If you’ve never homeschooled your child, it’s the perfect time to learn how! Believe me, you can do this. Just remember not to get caught in a common new homeschool mom trap of trying to re-create the school environment at home.
Your relationship is much different than the one your kids had with their teacher. They have your love. Be lighthearted in your approach, relax and trust that they are learning, even when you’re doing fun stuff like cooking and cleaning together!
There are tons of homeschool resources that you can Google. For online courses, I suggest looking into Outschool.com. For math, we love Prodigygame.com and also use Singapore Math workbooks. We do science kits from melscience.com. The rest is very personal for my family. My son reads alone for a portion of the day, but we also read to him classical child history books and fun fiction. For writing, he does copy work from the novels he’s reading or he journals.
You will need to figure out what works for your family. This is part of the learning process and it can be a really fun discovery! Or see if you can just follow the same curriculum your school was using if your child does well with it.
This can also be a great time for YOU to learn new skills that you can be refining while your kids are doing their studies. Take online classes yourself. Maybe you can explore ways to earn income online. I love working from home! I can still explore my passion of connecting families with natural health resources and helping them be healers in their own home. It’s possible for me to do this while staying home with my son and contributing to my family’s income. If you want to learn more about my business and becoming one of my partners, read on here.
Change Your Mindset – Embrace Being a Homeschool Mom!
Again, you can do this! Homeschool moms need more encouragement in the beginning. Much of your confidence is going to come with time as you see your family thrive with more relaxed learning and lifestyle habits. But it’s also extremely important that you change your attitude and mindset too.
Remember what you’re trying to create for your family. If you remain reluctant to homeschool and complain all the time to your friends, then this will be a miserable experience for you. One of the many positive aspects of social distancing with the Coronavirus pandemic is that you can heal your relationship with your family as you spend time together.
My son was in public school until halfway through Kindergarten when he begged to be pulled out. I was already aware that he was having emotional problems and would do anything to protect him. The dynamic was completely different when we started hanging out with homeschool families vs. when I would hang out with the public school moms.
The biggest difference I’ve noticed in our homeschool groups: we, parents, love hanging out with our kids. We don’t complain about our kids. We understand that this is a privilege to teach them and shape their lives based on family love & values. My love for my son is what fuels my confidence. Each day he grows I feel validated that we’re making the right choice for him. It’s that positive mindset shift that makes our homeschool journey a success.
Adopt A Gratitude Practice – Everything Has a Silver Lining
Adopting a gratitude practice with also help you with the mindset shift I suggest above. Everyday upon waking, I recommend sitting up in bed and thinking about the things you’re grateful for in your life. Be grateful for everything and everyone who supports you. You can do this meditation too anytime you’re feeling that you’re caught in negativity or fear.
Try not to get caught up in the fear of the Coronavirus pandemic. If you’re taking necessary distancing precautions and boosting your health with the guidelines I shared above, chances are you will remain healthy or will recover quickly. I also hope that this confidence in taking care of yourself and family spills over into your role as a homeschooling mom. Wellness practices and homeschooling are complementary skills!
If you enjoyed this post, share this homeschooling mom encouragement with your friends! And let me know if you have any questions in the comments below. Stay well!
Asthma is on the rise in this country for many reasons. Chances are, you or a close family member is suffering from this chronic disease right now or will be soon. I’m sharing with you today, 10 acupressure points for asthma which can be used as a long-term, natural approach to managing asthma attacks and help support your respiratory health.
An alternative approach to asthma is needed, since unfortunately, steroid medications used to control attacks suppress the immune system. This means that asthmatics are more likely to come down with colds and other infections, which then aggravates their asthma. So they’re stuck in a cycle of sickness with medications that are actually making them sicker. In integrative approach to care is needed so one doesn’t have to be as dependent on steroids and can get ahead of their illness to improve health.
Symptom relief – deeper breathing, less wheezing, greater physical endurance
A decrease in asthma attacks
Less dependence on medications
I highly recommend working with a TCM practitioner who can give you personalized treatments and advice. They will still ask that you do your part to treat yourself at home. This acupressure protocol can be one of your best tools!
Before you learn these 10 acupressure points for asthma, you may also want to grab my acupressure guide for stress. You can download it here for FREE.
You’ll also receive my weekly wellness articles to support your holistic health!
In the stress relieving acupressure guide I share 6 other acupressure points that can help you relieve tension and help you sleep at night, which everyone needs!
Acupressure Points for Asthma
I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. It is advice meant to empower you to care for yourself and your family at home just like our ancestors used to. It will also build your confidence to talk with your medical provider about weaning off medications when you become healthier with acupressure and natural medicine.
You don’t need anything special for acupressure – just clean hands. If you’d like, you can enhance the effects of acupressure by using therapeutic grade essential oils topically on the points as you press. For asthma, I suggest using Frankincense (boosts cellular health), doTERRA Breathe blend (opens & relaxes airways), and/or Lavender (anti-inflammatory).
Press each point for 30-90 seconds, depending on the age of the person you’re working on (hold longer, the older the patient). You can also round rub each point, instead of holding your fingers still. See the video above for the best demonstration.
Lung 1 & 2
In between the inner front shoulder and chest.
Kidney 23 & 25
Located in the second intercostal space in line with the nipples.In the 4th intercostal space in line with the nipples.
Ren 17
Level with the nipple in the 4th intercostal space.
Urinary Bladder 13 (Lung point)
On the paraspinal muscles (in between spine and inner scapula) at the level of the 3rd thoracic vertebra.
Urinary Bladder 23 (Kidney point)
Located on the highest part of the paraspinal muscles
Stomach 40
Halfway between knee crease and ankle, about two fingers outside the shin.
Kidney 3
Located in the depression between the inner ankle and achilles tendon.
Lung 9
On the radial side of the wrist crease.
I’m eager to hear how you did with acupressure! It may take some time to notice a difference, and you shouldn’t expect your asthma to completely disappear. First, you’ll notice you’re getting sick less. Then you’ll have less asthma attacks, wheezing, and chest tightness. Again, this is a long-term solution – wellness is something we need to be working on everyday!
You may be wondering how to boost your immunity naturally so you can stay healthy longer and enjoy the things you love! Maybe you’re also tired of getting sick all the time. Pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drugs never get to the root of your illness and have serious side effects. So, natural preventative medicine and home remedies are a more healthy approach.
I help my family and clients increase their health with these 5 tips below. If you follow them, you’ll also have a stronger immune system and be able to prevent infections in your body and in your home!
5 Tips for Boosting Your Immunity Naturally
Tip #1 – Get Plenty of Sleep
To strengthen your immune system, you’ll need to prioritize getting plenty of good-quality sleep. When we sleep, our bodies are able to restore strength and re-set cell function. Therefore, it’s one of the most important aspects of boosting immunity.
It’s wise to get to bed by 10:00pm which is when our bodies secrete melatonin, a regulating sleep hormone, naturally. If getting to sleep or staying asleep is a problem for you, you can check out my previous blog posts. Improve your sleep by adjusting your circadian rhythm, using Chinese Medicine, and doing a special Yoga practice for sleep.
Tip #2 Eat a Balanced, Organic Diet
Eating a balanced diet will ensure that your body is getting most of the vital nutrients it needs to support immune system function. There’s many opinions on what “balanced” means though.
I’ve found through research and my own wellness journey that it’s best to focus meals around organic vegetables and sustainably sourced protein. The rest of the meal can be filled in with fat and starches. Seasonal fruits make great snacks in between meals. Here’s my suggestions for specific macrobiotic ratios if you need more guidance.
Gut health is the basis for immunity, as beneficial bacteria protect the gut lining and help form a defense against pathogens. A balanced diet supports the gut flora (prebiotics). It’s helpful to include fermented foods too though, which add even more beneficial bacteria to the intestines. Try eating more unsweetened yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickled vegetables each day. You can drink fermented kombucha, kefir, and beet kvass too, which are so yummy and healthy!
Beet kvass to boost immune health
At the same time, you’ll need to avoid the foods that harm gut health. Sugar, alcohol, conventional foods with herbicides & pesticides, GMO foods, and processed foods made with rancid oils will all kill beneficial bacteria. They’ll feed the “bad” kind of bacteria instead and may even damage the gut lining.
Tip #3 Take High Quality Supplements
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to get all the nutrients you need for a healthy gut and strong immune system. Even if you’re eating a balanced diet, there’s sure to be some gaps here and there. Malnourishment can impede immune system function.
You’ll want to take a whole food vitamin, antioxidant herbs, an essential fatty-acid blend (especially Omega-3 oils), and a probiotic (since gut health is so easily damaged day-to-day).
Lifelong Vitality Supplements to Support Immune Health
Be sure that you’re choosing supplements that are sustainably sourced and free of fillers. The supplements I use in the picture above also contain essential oils that make them easier to digest and more bioavailable.
Tip #4 Use Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils
Speaking of essential oils, there are so many that can boost your immunity directly. OnGuard is my favorite blend (wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary) because it’s so pure, you can use it internally as an immune-boosting supplement.
These essential oils can also be applied, diluted in a carrier oil, to the skin and are readily absorbed into the blood stream where they’re ready to fight any invaders. Diffusing the oils in your home can do the same to prevent the spread of germs in the air.
Tip #5 Manage Your Stress
Stress also damages gut health and prevents you from getting good sleep, so can negatively affect your immunity if you don’t take it seriously. It’s helpful to approach life with a light-hearted attitude, but I know that’s hard to do all the time and stress can’t always be avoided. It can be managed though, so you should take some time during the day to release it. Relieving stress is especially important at night before going to bed so that your body and mind can calm down.
You can download my free stress-relieving acupressure guide here that can help you create a soothing night ritual.
The acupressure points I share in the guide will help you relieve tension and help you fall asleep and stay asleep longer. You can even incorporate relaxing essential oils like Lavender, Frankincense, Cedarwood, and doTERRA’s Serenity blend in the protocol which will enhance your ability to let go of stress.
If you include these tips in your daily ritual, you’ll be giving your immune system the boost it needs. They’ll keep your body stronger than any microorganism attempting to invade it, or your home.
Please let me know how you feel about adopting these tips in the comments! I’d love to hear your own tips for keeping yourself and your family healthy too!
When it comes to managing modern health challenges like chronic stress, anxiety, and inflammatory conditions, it’s best to take a natural approach. People now realize how dangerous it can be to become dependent on pain killers and mood-altering drugs. Cannabidiol (CBD), is a popular natural solution, but the lesser-known Copaiba essential oil is even better in my opinion. Here’s why I think it’s a clear winner when people are considering Copaiba essential oil vs. CBD for holistic health.
Why Focus on the Endocannabinoid System?
The endocannabinoid system has only been studied in depth over the last decade. Scientists discovered that there’s a nexus of cannabinoid receptors on cells throughout the entire body that interact with cannabinoids and can be key in managing disease. So far, they recognize two types of receptors.
CB1 receptors reside in the brain and link with Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical derived from the Cannabis sativa plant. This explains the “high” that someone experiences when they use it.
CB2 receptors cover cells everywhere else in the body. They receive two cannabinoids: Cannabidiol (CBD) which is also derived from Cannabis sativa and beta-caryophyllene which is largely present in Copaiba essential oil (also in black pepper, clove, melissa, and rosemary essential oils, but in a smaller amount) . CB2 receptors support the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems and are responsible for healthy inflammatory response.
CB2 activation does not create a psychoactive experience like CB1 receptors, so one becomes very relaxed but not “high”.
Many of our health issues these days are due to stress, or too much time spent in a sympathetic nervous system state (flight or flight) as opposed to the parasympathetic state (rest and digest). We also have issues with lowered immunity or auto-immunity. Then there’s pain and inflammation that have many causes. CBD and beta-caryophyllene from Copaiba essential oil both create beneficial systemic effects that help manage symptoms of these health challenges and increase our body’s capacity to heal.
Efficacy of Copaiba Essential Oil vs. CBD
One of the reasons Copaiba sets itself apart from CBD is that it’s cannabinoid binds directly to CB2 receptors! Beta-caryophyllene is quickly available for the body and has a long half-life, meaning it lasts long in the body.
CBD, on the other hand, binds indirectly after several internal processes, which means it takes longer to provide symptom relief. The longer activation cascade of CBD also make dosage confusing because the amount of CBD that’s activated is not always consistent. CBD has a shorter half-life than Copaiba’s beta-caryophyllene
Generally, a smaller amount of high-quality Copaiba essential oil is needed for beneficial effects compared to CBD. You get what you pay for in both industries. But even the more expensive therapeutic-grade brands are still a less expensive option than CBD because of the dose difference.
Research Supporting Copaiba Essential Oil
Exciting research shows that Copaiba essential oil can help with many health challenges!
Combine 3-5 drops of Copaiba with 1 oz. of carrier oil like Fractionated Coconut Oil and massage into target areas of the body.
Another fabulous benefit of Copaiba is that it enhances the effects of other essential oils. Try these powerful combinations:
Blend with Deep Blue to massage into any painful or inflamed regions of the body
Add into moisturizer along with Geranium and Frankincense to care for blemished, dry, or wrinkled skin
Massage into soles of feet along with Vetiver to support deeper sleep.
Internal
Take 1-2 drops of therapeutic-grade Copaiba essential oil under tongue or in a vegetable capsule with olive oil to access all of it’s health benefits.
Have you used Copaiba essential oil? Please share your experience in the comments! I’d especially love to hear if you’ve been able to compare it to CBD. Which do you prefer? Well wishes to you…
There was a time in American history when essential oils were only used by traditional healers, massage therapists, and subculture flower children. But now, we have modern families, business owners, and even medical doctors using them in their homes and professions. Why is everyone so excited about essential oils these days?
Here are 5 reasons why I believe essential oils are back to stay! After reading them, you may decide to incorporate them into your lifestyle too!
Why essential oils popular?
1. We need alternative healthcare
Essential oil knowledge was lost when modern medicine became popular in the United States. This is because people used to think Western medicine was more evolved, and therefore should have greater respect. Some innovations, like life-saving surgeries and fertility procedures are truly miraculous. However, this standard of care is only focused on palliative measures. It doesn’t address the root cause of health imbalances. We need and expect more.
We’re realizing that Western Medicine is not making us healthier. We are wising up and asking:
WHY is this happening to me?
WHAT does my body need to be healthier?
HOW can I maintain health?
Nature, traditional medicines, alternative health practitioners, and your own intuition are the best guides.
Essential oils are gifts from nature that help support physiological functions, improve mood, control infections, and thereby add to our health.
2. Essential oils are effective alternatives to toxic products
We are living in a toxic soup that triggers many health problems in our population. Visit EWG.org to learn more about pesticides, herbicides, antibacterial agents, and other threats in our environment. They’re still legal in the U.S., even they disrupt hormones, destroy gut flora, decrease immunity, and cause cancer. Therefore, it’s up to manufacturers to remove them from their products or up to consumers to stop buying them.
Essential oils can clean our homes and bodies. Many families make their own home and personal care products using essential oils. There’s also some trusted companies who provide ready-made products using essential oils. These are safe and effective replacements to toxic conventional products found on grocery store shelves.
3. Essential oils have been used effectively for thousands of years
Did you know essential oils have been used from the beginning of history? Ancient Chinese, Indian, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations prized them for their beauty enhancing, spiritual, and therapeutic value. So even though they are new to Americans, that’s not so in the rest of the world.
Our culture is starting to respect older modalities like my profession of Chinese Medicine, as well as using Essential Oils. I would not call it a trend. Americans are just now seeing what has always been around – an awakening of sorts!
4. People want to feel empowered & resourceful with health choices
Many people these days don’t believe that “doctors know best”. It’s important to have a health practitioner as a guide or for a different perspective. However, most people have the awareness to know when they’re well or not though, and whether it’s an emergency. They know how to research and experiment with natural remedies and determine if they’re working.
Moms in particular, want to trust their instincts more. They want to be resourceful and feel empowered with their choices, just as our ancestors were. They know their children better than anyone else! It’s easy for them to use essential oils and they’re accepted well by their children. Experience shows them that essential oils work well to manage illness in the family and to boost their health.
5. There’s tons of research to support essential oil efficacy
Each year, hundreds of research studies validate essential oil efficacy. Here are just a few that show essential oils can improve one’s health naturally:
Certainly, the excitement behind essential oil use is backed by a compelling need! Do you want to try them out too? Visit my natural products page for more information on the oils I recommend. With over 20+ years of experience using them, I can help answer any questions you have as well!
What do you do when your kids get cuts, scrapes, bites and bruises? How do you handle an injury at the gym or another acute, but non-emergency challenge? Essential oils are a better option for tissue repair than antibiotic ointments that encourage our modern day problem of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Essential oils can also help with muscle repair and circulation, helping the body to heal itself. Learn how to make an effective DIY natural healing salve so you can be prepared! You’ll be using it more often than you think!
My body was put to the test last week when I pulled a calf muscle in tennis class that left me unable to walk normally for several days. Even though it was extremely painful, I knew that it wasn’t serious enough to see a doctor and that I had everything I needed to heal myself. One of the greatest tools I used in my natural health arsenal was application of therapeutic-grade essential oils 2-3 times a day in the form of a healing salve. It’s been a week and my calf is already operating at ~ 90%!
Salves can be infused with dried or fresh herbs. Or you can use essential oils, which are much quicker and easier to incorporate! Salves are especially soothing because nourishing carrier oils are used to keep the herbs on the skin longer so the plant medicine can penetrate through.
I suggest using beeswax pellets, which are less complicated to measure than the block beeswax I used for this recipe. If you must use beeswax blocks, you may want to use a cheese grater to shave it off in smaller pieces since cutting the block with a knife is very difficult and you risk hurting yourself (and your knife!)
Listed below are some of the best essential oils for your healing salve (choose 1-4 for this recipe). I would suggest you combine them based on function, not necessary how well they smell together! Only use therapeutic grade oils. See my essential oil website page for more information about the brand of oils I stand by.
Place coconut oil and beeswax in a double boiler and melt completely under low heat. Remove from heat and add vitamin E (if using) and the essential oils. Immediately pour into the glass jar. Allow it to cool completely before putting on the lid. Store in a cool location, where it should last 1-3 years.
Voila! It’s that easy. You will be so grateful that you took the 10 minutes to make this salve! I’m eager to hear how it works for you. Please let us all know in the comments! Well wishes to you all…
What does it mean to be healthy? What is holistic health and why is it so important? With my work-life centered around health and wellness, these are questions that I ponder often.
Health is not just normal range vital signs, Body Mass Index, and blood tests. Sure, physical exams with your Medical Doctor are important to rule out serious conditions! But even The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) define health broadly as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not just the absence of sickness or frailty.” I would add that emotional and spiritual well-being make the whole health picture complete.
Read on or watch the video below to learn what it means to be healthy and the markers that I consider important.
Before we get into it, you may want to pick up my Stress Relieving Acupressure Guide for FREE by clicking the button below. Stress can affect every aspect of your health, so it’s important to get it under control! I really believe these 6 acupressure points will help you!
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Are You Really “Well”?
“Well-being” has more to do with how one feels and less about a number on some test. But I would also challenge that it’s not simply a personal perspective. I’m often surprised that some people conclude they are healthy when it’s a fact that they are sick often or suffer with chronic conditions like allergies, eczema, colitis, asthma, or are in constant pain.
For some people, “well-being” could be an acceptance of these chronic issues. They are so common in our culture, they don’t stand out as being abnormal. Some people don’t realize their condition can be improved, which may increase their acceptance of it. Or, there might be a reluctance to acknowledge poor health if major lifestyle changes are necessary.
Wellness is something that we must always be striving for. This is especially true when we’re challenged with so many social and environmental factors that threaten our holistic health.
What is Holistic Health?
Some people think that the word “holistic” is a trendy word meaning that you’re into natural living. That’s not necessarily true, though you’re likely to find holistic health when aligned with alternative medicine and Eastern healing arts.
The word holistic means “whole” and refers to finding physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual health. This is why I love to practice and teach yoga, which means “to yoke together” and to unite all the aspects of ourselves. Yoga in itself means “holistic” and when we experience Yoga, we feel a deep sense of peace in all areas of our lives. So holistic health is an experience of how we feel, how we relate to ourselves and others, and how we approach life.
Holistic Health is Not Perfection
Below are the markers that I look for when assessing health, besides what your medical doctor would tell you. And no, I am not in perfect health either. I’m an Acupuncturist with a thyroid disease in remission and a Yoga Teacher who is technically overweight.
Even though I’m comfortable in my skin, I’m not resigned to settle where I am. I’m constantly moving toward being the healthiest version of myself so I can share my solutions with others who strive to do the same.
Indications of Good Physical Health
Clear skin – Acne and rashes often indicate hormonal imbalance and point to poor gut health and possible food intolerance as the culprit.
Daily well-formed bowel movements – Again, we look at poor gut health when stools are either too hard & infrequent, or too loose.
Good muscle tone – Skinny does not equal healthy! Having a low BMI does not mean that you’re in ideal physical shape. In addition to a lower fat percentage, having good muscle tone is important to support the joints in your spine and limbs so you maintain good posture and stay free of injury as you age.
Flexible joints – Being able to sit on the floor comfortably and touch your toes from a standing position are good indicators of sufficient flexibility.
Having 2 or less colds/year without any secondary infections – If you’re constantly getting sick or you’re ending up with ear infections, sinus infections, bronchitis, or pneumonia after catching a cold or flu, then there is much room for improving your immunity (gut health) through a better diet, nutritional supplementation, detoxifying your body, and managing stress.
Sound sleep – Being able to fall asleep easily and stay asleep is not just a good indicator of physical health, but mental & emotional well-being too. Physical tension, hormonal issues, and indigestion can keep you awake, but so can pensiveness, anger, and regret.
Physical ease – Pain is always an indication of inflammation and that your body needs help. In Chinese Medicine, pain is the result of Qi (life energy) and Blood stagnation, that can be caused by injury, muscle imbalance, inappropriate diet, stress, too much/too little activity, and much more…
Regular menstrual cycles – Absence of flow, scanty flow, heavy flow, short cycles (less than 25 days), long cycles (more than 31 days), and pain all indicate a disharmony from a Traditional Chinese Medical perspective. A regular menstrual cycle and proper egg development are responsible for fertility, so extremely important indicators of health.
Indications of Good Emotional Health
Resilience – This is harder for kids and definitely comes with maturity. Being emotionally resilient means that you bounce back quickly when challenged by difficult circumstances & stressful situations.
Compassion and empathy – Can you understand and feel the pain of others? Can you put yourself in their shoes?
Emotional expression – We can express our feelings to resolve conflict and process emotions. At the same time we don’t dump our feelings on people when it’s not necessary or welcome. The appropriateness of emotional expression in situations is what makes it healthy or not.
Gratitude and forgiveness – Both of these feelings help us appreciate our life and also help us to move on and build hope about the future.
Indications of Good Mental Health
Focus – Are you able to organize your mind and follow through on tasks without overwhelm?
Perspective – It’s important to see a situation from another perspective and understand someone else’s point of view.
Ability to establish new beliefs – Rigid thinking can lead to cynicism, depression, antisocial behavior, and poor health in general. It’s healthy to have an open mind and consider new possibilities. We should be able to back off or change course when we notice that a certain activity/habit is negatively affecting our health and relationships with others.
We all have something we can be working on to move toward holistic health. All of the indicators on this list can be improved, so I hope you are motivated to make some changes!
If you would like more support, consider working with me 1:1 in private Holistic Health Coaching. I’m happy to schedule a consultation with you first to make sure it’s the right fit.
What do YOU consider to be healthy? What could you add to this list? Is there anything I mention that you’d like to challenge? I’d love to have this discussion in the comments!
