Essential Oils

Why the Crown?

Liz James · May 31, 2020 ·

I had a really good question brought to me this week and I thought you all might find the answer both interesting and helpful.

Q: Why are we told to apply oils to the crown of our head? There has to be a reason that is scientific and not “new agey”.

Answer: You may have heard that the reason we do this is because that area is so close to our brain. Yes… while true…. that’s not EXACTLY the reason.

Feel the crown of your head…. nearly all of us have a little divot at the very top. That is a point where skull bones meet. (In babies, it is known as the soft spot)… while we have several suture lines on our head, the crown suture is the one that is usually the easiest to find.

Skull sutures are not solid…. they are a fibrous joint… the fibers holding our skull bones together act as a buffer against stress, and they actually move (even tho it doesn’t seem like they do).

Here’s the key thing: The sutures act as access points… bypassing the skull…, allowing our essential oils to go directly to the cerebral spinal fluid surrounding the brain and on down into the spinal cord. BOOM! Y’all….. if you want to affect the brain or create an inhospitable environment for viruses (which tend to hibernate in the spinal cord), this is a VALUABLE tool and tip to hang on to 😉.

Anointing someone’s head isn’t always for religious purposes…. it can have some very therapeutically beneficial results!

Please please please….. remember, if you are using essential oils in a therapeutic manner, that you are using pure oils that have been confirmed free of toxins and other questionable chemicals. It’s exactly the reason I only use Young Living.

#ThanksYL
#SeedtoSeal
#Theindustryleader

#knowbetterdobetter

Honey

Liz James · May 30, 2020 ·

Who doesn’t love honey? 🐝

Raw (unfiltered & unpasteurized) honey has recently been found to have an added health benefit!

Research has revealed honey’s ability to decrease the overall amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Pretty cool, huh?

🐝Quick Facts (based on the study linked below) 🐝

🌼 Honey was compared with sucrose in this study. Each study participant was given approx 10 teaspoons of either sucrose or honey per day for 6 weeks.
🌼 Those who consumed honey had significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL (the “bad” guys), and increased HDL (the “good” guys).
🌼 Conversely, those who consumed sucrose had increased total cholesterol and LDL levels, and a decrease in HDL levels.
🌼 The main finding of the study was the ability of raw honey to modulate certain risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. 🐝

I love raw honey for a variety of reasons, and this study gave it another ✅ in my book. There really are amazing healing capabilities in whole fresh foods!

Raw honey can sometimes be found in grocery stores…. but usually, it is best found at Farmer’s Markets, Feed Stores, and thru a neighborhood beekeeper….. the more local the source the better it will serve you 🐝 and your allergies.

🐝Honey is also loaded with something called polyphenols…. a nutritionally dense phytochemical having antioxidant properties.

Want to spice up your honey a little and add even more polyphenols to your day? Add a drop or two of YL Clove Vitality (#5620) or YL Cinnamon Vitality (#5585) oil to your honey. Both oils are approved for ingestion by the FDA. 🐝

#busybeesneedhoney
#honeyitdoesabodygood
#Cloveandcinnamonareloadedwithpolyphenolstoo
#ThanksYL

C.S. Lewis convo

Liz James · May 30, 2020 ·

As a guest writer on Liz’s good medicine blog, I, Stephanie Gregory wanted to share what I learned from one of my favorite thinkers. It is in the format of a conversation, which obviously is not exactly how it went down.

Stephanie : I love reading the work of CS Lewis. I’m listening to one of his books on audio with my 5 year old daughter now, and his writings always inspire me and cause me to reflect. So, I was curious… what fear gripped his world when he was alive? How did he recommend they handle it? After reading his essay, I replaced “coronavirus” with “the Atomic bomb” in his article to reveal his wise advice.

C.S. Lewis : “How are we to live in (a coronavirus) age?’ I am tempted to reply: ‘why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, and age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.’ In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation.”

Stephanie : Truly, this virus is an “unknown”, but there is really nothing new under the sun. All ages have experienced dangers. Did we think ourselves too brilliant to not die or suffer?

C.S. Lewis : “Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before (this coronavirus) was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways.”
“The first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together.”

Stephanie : OK -remain calm and don’t panic. Pull out “Stress Away” essential oil blend and inhale deeply.🌳 It will help calm the brain and slow down our racing thoughts.

C.S. Lewis : “If we are all going to be destroyed by (this coronavirus), let that (virus) when it comes find us doing sensible and human things-praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts-not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about (this coronavirus). They may break our bodies(a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”

Stephanie : Use this time to grow! We are going through this whether we like it or not. How we respond to it is up to us. Peppermint essential oil will help clarify what this looks like for you!
Take time to be quiet and rest. Here is our chance to reevaluate our priorities and take time to think. Take deep breaths and quietly ponder what matters most to us. I’m thinking frankincense here.
Get to know the people that live in our homes or neighborhoods. Social distancing does not have to mean social isolation. Sharing a meal together or just hanging out is an important way to support one another, especially when going through a new hardship. Incorporate lemon 🍋 essential oil in diffusers, roll-ons, or drinks to lighten moods.

CS Lewis suggests that some may panic and kill themselves, while others may decide to live it up and enjoy life while they can. We can do better if we are intentional. If CS Lewis had the knowledge that we have about the power of essential oils, I believe he would have recommended Valor, “Courage” in a bottle.

CS Lewis : “We must resolutely train ourselves to feel that the survival of Man on this Earth, much more of our own nation or culture or class, is not worth having unless it can be had by honourable and merciful means.
The sacrifice is not so great as it seems. Nothing is more likely to destroy a species or a nation than a determination to survive at all costs. Those who care for something else more than civilization are the only people by whom civilization is at all likely to be preserved. Those who want Heaven most have served Earth best. Those who love Man less than God do most for Man.”

Stephanie :
Let us do more than just survive! Let us look beyond ourselves and make a difference in our world for eternity!

Covid Virus 101.1

Liz James · May 30, 2020 ·

😷 Let’s get some info out here on the table… like it or not, everyone is a “prepper” to one degree or another. Unless, of course, you fly by the seat of your pants in every aspect of life.
❓Do you make sure you have gas in your car before going on a trip…… ✅
❓Do you keep food in your home for your next meal……✅
❓Have you run out recently and bought 3x’s as much toilet paper as you normally buy?
……..any of these things would mean that you, somewhere in your brain, have a bit of preparedness built into your psyche.
#wealldo

👉Here’s the thing tho…. people, for whatever reason, think about gas, food, and toilet paper before their own health. And yet… if you don’t have your health…. AND you don’t have the things needed to remain healthy handy…… does anything else really matter?

👉Secondly…. Emotions….. If you run around thinking you’re going to catch something, your body is already accepting the advice that it’s going to…. and your immune system starts dropping (I know…. Crazy but true)….. Yet hundreds (if not thousands!) of studies show that believing something will happen (good or bad) definitely affects the outcome, even with your health…. This information is designed to put you in the right place emotionally. Pull on your oxygen mask and help yourself so you can help others! #thinkpositively

The emotion “fear” is addressed over 500 times in the Bible. We are told not to have a spirit of fear or timidity but of love and strength. If you are a believer, as I am…. I take our responsibility to “fear not” very seriously. #ifGodiswithuswhocanbeagainstus

👉When preparing what you need for your health, this is NOT the time to cut corners. (that would be like handing out flimsy paper plates from the Dollar store when you’re about to ask that plate to hold Thanksgiving🍗 dinner fixin’s…. Inadequate preparation could backfire on you if you are asking an inadequate product to do something it was never designed to do…. make sure what you are buying will work well under pressure. #KEYPOINT

👉 You’ll hear me refer to essential oils…. I only use Young Living…. precisely for the 🍗 dinner reason above. 👆 You’ll hear me mention some supplements. Unless otherwise stated… only YL. There are a few places where YL doesn’t yet stand in the gap, and so I’ve researched and come up with some brands that I trust and use. Never pick/use a synthetically sourced supplement…. It’s a flimsy paper plate.

👉 And finally, knowledge itself really doesn’t matter IF IT’S NOT APPLIED…… so USE the knowledge you glean from this.

Now….. let’s move on to some facts.

xoxo~ liz

#knowbetterdobetter
#aintskeeeredandyoushouldntbeeither
#ThanksYL

Schooling at Home

Liz James · May 29, 2020 ·

I, Stephanie Gregory, am a mom of four wonderful people ranging in ages 5 years old to 28 years old! I am PASSIONATE about the subject of children and their well-being and as a former home-school teacher strengthening their emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical health is the priority.

We are all in a boat which we did NOT choose. Are you Excited? Frustrated? Scared? It really doesn’t matter….. The only thing that matters is:

Are you going to lead your family through these unchartered waters or.. sit back and watch the ship go down? 🆘

I am going to be so bold as to predict that you ❤️love your children too much to sit back and watch the ship go down. But how? It will take patience and grit.

To successfully navigate these unknown waters, the following skills must be applied with INTENTION and 😀A POSITIVE ATTITUDE:

1. Have a Command Center – Depending on your kids’ skills/age, it may be in one central place or an individual space for their workspace. Either way, you/they need to be able to put their hands on their work easily and consistently. Organize the priorities! “A place for everything & everything in its place.”😉

2.“All Hands on Deck” the family meeting 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦- Communicate with a positive attitude. Have your diffuser going with Young Living’s Citrus Fresh, Clarity,or Lemon and Peppermint to keep brains thinking clearly. This is where you set the ground rules, schedules, tasks, consequences, and ⏰time blocks. This is also where you problem-solve. You can receive feedback about what works and what does not work. However, only allow problems to be discussed if accompanied by a suggested solution.💡

3. Establish Respect – This means MANNERS. Yes, Miss Manners is alive and well on this happy ship. If you have let things slide in the past, time to start a new program or someone will have to walk the plank. Being around one another 24/7 requires patience, slowing down and listening👂 to how we communicate. If you fail to do this, your happy ship 🚣‍♀️starts taking on water.

4.“Be the Captain of your own Boat.” A negative attitude trickles down.
*Be the number one encourager in your home!
*Honor each child’s learning style.
*Be flexible

5. Home Economics just got on the books! 📕This long forgotten art is back in town! Here is your chance to instruct on the “how-to’s” of cooking, swabbing the deck, maintenance, pet/child care, and healthy self-care. Using Thieves Household Cleaner assures your family is safe from toxins! Never has it been more obvious than now how taking care of our bodies and minds impacts our lives, as well as the lives of others. No matter how much education you have or how much money you make, if you are not healthy…..your boat sinks!

6.Make It FUN!!! 🎤Sing – Laugh – Be Silly! Making memories last a lifetime! Your kids may tell you to quit, but secretly they want permission to be silly too. Hug and kiss and tickle! Sailing with your family is fun!

7.Take Breaks Often. Getting outside is part of the curriculum. 🌞 Vitamin D is essential to our well-being. The outdoor time is as necessary as the seat work.

8.Incentivize – We all have areas of weakness. Recognize your child’s struggles and help them strengthen 💪those areas by offering incentives for their effort in these areas. It will be different for each child or adult.

9. God gave your children to you specifically! No one cares more about them than you do. Great teachers are great facilitators. This is your chance to be a great facilitator! Help your children learn for themselves. Equip them with the tools and skills required to find the answers. It is a life skill everyone needs. Look at our situation now. We are all having to learn new ways. Teach them while they are young how to learn, and they will be able to adapt easily to situations they encounter.

10.Focus – There are two types of focus that I would like to present. Diffusing certain essential oils helps with both! One is the ability to stay on task. This takes training. Staying focused takes intention, consistency, incentives, and grit. The second focus is our attitude. This is a place where we, as parents, can model a positive attitude toward every situation. Bad and good things happen to everyone. It is part of humanity. Having a positive attitude equips us to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem.

11.Patience with yourself and others is imperative. Squalls happen. We all make mistakes. Oil up, put your oars back in the water, and do better next time. Lead by example by NOT getting discouraged with failure.

12.Carefully select who and what you let in YOUR head and theirs. What are you and your children listening to in the way of conversation, music, and screen? Is it encouraging and helpful? If not☠️, just say “No”. Again, go back to #4 if this is questionable.

13.Establish a bedtime routine. 💤 Sleep is so important for overall health. Turn off devices, as well as Wifi before bed. Baths🛀, reading, yoga or stretching can also help relax the body and mind. See what works for your ship. Diffuse Peace and Calming, Lavender, Raven, or Cedarwood in each bedroom throughout the night so that everyone wakes up refreshed and recharged!

😄Above all….
ENJOY EACH OTHER!
Cherish this time together! Ride the waves! 🏄‍♀️
It will be over before you know it!
⛵️ HAPPY SAILING!