Young Living vs. DoTerra and their lawsuit....

A while back I stumbled on something that talked about a lawsuit between these two essential oil companies.  It didn't surprise me much since I've seen large companies typically sue their worst competitors at some point.  Even when it is just for show with their current clientele to "keep face" on certain occasions.  I am one of those that can't let things drop till I know every nitty gritty detail and have it fully cleared up in my head though.  Very detail oriented.  I did a little digging and found some chemists that did a lot of research on both and the conclusions that their independent tests gave helped me to understand that scientifically standing many reports against doTerra were simply ridiculous.

People I talked to weren't as detail oriented and would just tell me that if I had good results, to focus on those rather than all this mumbo jumbo and deeper talk.  I had sleep deprivation from not being able to figure it out though, so I kept going on with my research.  Overall what I found for myself was...

1.  I never want to diminish another business or the good that they are doing.  And yes, I feel that both companies have brought some good into this world.

2.  I also found that for myself I am proud to stand by the products that I have seen work for me (which happens to be doTerra, but I've also seen some less substantial benefits from a myriad of other brands).

3.  I personally believe that those people that had a connection with Young Living, but ended up using DoTerra, did so with very virtuous intent (wanting to give people, including themselves, the highest quality option they could while helping as many as they could).  There has never been any action by the leaders to ever indicate any alternate intent beside helping people around the world in the best way they know how.  I really appreciate having an honest and virtuous team leading doTerra without needing to wonder if they're just in it for the money.  Many times direct sales businesses sale higher quality products and are a much better buy, however, where I get wary is when there are leaders of companies that put in hidden ways to make themselves wealthier while the distributor doing all the work is paid less (this has happened to me before so now I know what to look for).  I try to be very aware and steer clear of this wherever possible (both in conventional and direct sales business models).

I don't know why it was so hard to find as it was a statement provided in 2010, but this is the first and last statement from doTerra executive on the issue of all the weird allegations from users of other brands.  Reading this made me very confident in what I felt I had already learned through my diligent research, but it was good to hear straight from the source and I feel like should be more readily accessed by those who are curious.

Here it is... Enjoy!
(the title is a link to one of the blogs that I found this statement)

"Doterra Founder David Stirling explains break with Young Living

Doterra Founder David Stirling

 The doTera company executives are focused on Doterra and it’s mission focusing on the qualities of their products, rather than purported shortcomings of any specific company.

Young Living is an essential oils company that does over $100 Million in sales annually. They are well known. In fact, when you Google search essential oils, they are your first hit.

David Stirling, Emily Wright, Gregory Cook, and Rob Young have years of experience with Essential oils and Young Living.

In the rare event one of the executive mentions Young Living , it is always in a positive way. They mention how they respect Gary Young and how he was instrumental in paving the way for essential oils in the United States.

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I personally have seen great results of Doterra product. Doterra has attracted top level executives and distributors worldwide.

Despite the fact, there has been a lot of rumors and speculations online.
Four executives of Young Living Essential oils start an essential company of their own.

Critics question the executives motives or ethic.

David Stirling clears up the air officially with the following email in August 2010

Dave Stirling President of Doterra

The following is a copy of the email:

Please forgive this intrusion into your email, we hope it will not need to happen again.  However, we cannot allow continued disparagement of our company and its leaders.  We previously requested moderators of internet groups to post this response to unfair statements made regarding doTERRA, but they have made it clear they have no intention to do so. The following is a response from David Stirling to those ongoing negative and false statements.

August 31, 2010

Call it weakness if you wish, but for some reason the rhetoric expressed in recent email exchanges (especially by some who I feel know better) has hit a chord in me.  So I’m going to break a three year silence and respond in part to the more serious allegations.  This response will not be sufficient for those most loyal to Gary and his mission, nor for those most loyal to the distributorships they have worked so hard to build….but for those desiring a clearer perspective; I hope this may serve in your search for understanding.

As the Chairman of Young Living’s Executive Committee and its lead manager for four years, there is of course much information and knowledge to which I am privy.  I have no desire to damage YL in any way or to say anything that might be embarrassing to anyone there.  Life is too short to stir up those sort of emotions.  As one of the executives on the YL team used to say concerning people’s reputations (a man for whom I still have a lot of respect), “It is an awfully thin pancake that has only one side.”  We have allowed others to define us for the past two years, with information that has often been unkind and unfair.  While I suppose all of us may be guilty of trying to share things in a way that will put us in the best light, my hope and desire here is to simply share some of the other side of the story in a straightforward, simple, and personal manner.

First, for my part, I did not leave YL to start a competing essential oil company.  In fact, the thought had never occurred to me.  My entire heart and soul were with YL and its distributors and I had no other desire than for the success of the company and those distributors who were working so hard to help make that success happen.  Two months before I was fired, I went down to Ecuador to meet with the owners for a few days.  Certain views and ideology were shared with me, with the desire they be integrated as a part of the company’s mission going forward.  Some of these were contrary to what I felt I could support or even be associated with, to which I expressed my concerns.  I knew as I left that my time with YL would be short, and it was.  Not long after my departure from YL, a few former YL associates including myself, Dr. David Hill, Emily Wright, and Greg Cook came together and discussed the need the world has for a better way of sharing essential oil healing.  I will only say that we all felt strongly that it was the right thing to do, and were compelled to move forward.

We believed that if we could provide a new standard for pure essential oils, and educate people unfamiliar with natural medicines; we could disperse some of the enmity existing between the allopathic and natural medicine worlds.  Unfortunately, assertions have been made that we (the founders) stole formulas or other proprietary information when leaving YL.  I have also heard claims from some that doTERRA supplies inferior oils or dilutes or extends them with some sort of carrier.  Of course, the fastest way to resolve this question is to simply remove the cap and try them.  Frankly, we were confident that through the use of real research, combined with experience, we could equal or improve on any formulation.  Having said that, I would like to state very clearly that there were never any formulas copied or used in any way from YL.  Nor was there anything ever done in our departure that could be seen as illegal or dishonest.  We value our personal integrity far beyond any success or advantage that might be achieved by such actions. ALL of our formulas are original, and we believe, improved.

While we had many YL distributor friends who likely would have joined doTERRA in our early days, we were very careful to not approach them.  Nor were we then or are we now in possession of any distributor lists.  That would be illegal.  I am proud to say that almost all of our leaders who built doTERRA in the first two years were new to essential oils, and did what they did because they discovered the power of the oils and that they work in an almost miraculous manner.

The part of the email that was primary in spurring my response today, painted doTERRA’s founders as a bunch of hustling salesmen, caring little about the oils, in it only for themselves.  This is so far from the truth that I’m tempted to go through person by person just to share their backgrounds, credentials, and wide respect with which they are held in their professions and communities.  I myself have nine children and we are heavy users of the essential oils.  In fact, my wife and I owe a deep debt to doTERRA’s Frankincense oil, which played an important role in helping to control seizures in our youngest child when nothing else seemed to work.

When the doTERRA management was forming, two things were of greatest importance.  First, the members of the team had to be completely trustworthy and honest.  Second, they had to be the best at their job, in terms of skill and judgment.  When these two things are in place, you can move very fast, as it is no longer necessary to “check” someone’s work or worry that their intentions may be less than completely honest.  When we decided to go forward with doTERRA, funding immediately became a front and center issue.  There was no shortage of people/groups willing to support our endeavor, but because we felt the need to preserve the integrity of doTERRA’s mission and the essential oils, in the end we decided to see if we could fund it ourselves.  This resulted in the founders leveraging every bit of equity they had in their homes or any other asset.  It also meant that they received no income from doTERRA for the first 13 months, and far less than they were accustomed to earning after that!  For all, this was a significant sacrifice and for some it represented a very real trial of faith.  Something like this is unheard of in today’s business environment.  It served to forge a united team that is 100% committed to the purpose for which doTERRA was formed.  It is also something which gives me a tremendous sense of pride for this team.

If you were to visit doTERRA’s headquarters in Orem Utah, you would experience an environment of high energy, love and respect, with a sense that employees really love doing what they’re doing.  We have a great time because we love and respect the people with whom we are doing this.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

In starting doTERRA there was nothing more important to us than the purity and medicinal quality of our oils.  This is the primary reason for our success thus far and simply will not be compromised in any way.  Of course we know the primary brokers that YL and others obtain their oils from.  We have chosen to use none of them, and likely never will.  Our oils are sourced from all over the world.  We pay more (some significantly so) because we require a higher grade.  doTERRA also puts our oils through an unequaled quality assurance process, ensuring medicinal grade as well as their being free from other contaminants.

Please know that there is absolutely nothing more important to us than the quality of our oils, without which the expected results simply cannot be obtained.

Again, my desire in writing this is not to paint YL or any other EO company in a poor light.  I would be the first to acknowledge and give credit to Gary Young for his role in introducing the US to the medicinal use of essential oils over the last 15 years.  There have been others as well like Penoel, Schnaubelt and Tisserand.  I would also include Dr David Stuart and Dr David Hill, who have worked tirelessly in this effort and are tremendous educators.

Perhaps an important point to make, is that doTERRA is not about a single person’s mission or story.  The essential oils have a mission of their own that is larger than any man or individual.  We see doTERRA as being something of a steward in helping to bring about the mission the essential oils have in doing good for the peoples of this earth.  You will not see any executive member of doTERRA emerge as an iconic figure.  When it comes to doTERRA, you will also never see any improper or overt references to deity or faith healing from the stage.  Please do not misunderstand.  Each member of our team has a deep and abiding faith in God, which like many of you influences everything that they do.  We are simply committed to sharing the oils in a manner that can be understood and accepted by your typical mainstream (western medicine raised) person.

doTERRA’s mission is not to compete with or try to destroy other essential oil companies.  Our vision is to become a very large multinational company, partnering with hospitals and research universities all over the world.  These efforts are already well underway with offices opened in Taiwan and the United Kingdom.  There are also significant efforts and exciting progress happening in Australia, Japan, and Latin America.  It is so gratifying to see many distributors finding great success, some of whom have worked hard in other companies with only marginal results.  In fact, last month doTERRA broke five new Diamonds alone, bringing the total to 12 so far this year!  doTERRA is growing at unprecedented rates, largely because the world is ready for a company focused on its mission of a mainstream approach to essential oils.  I do not mean to sound overly confident or presumptuous, but our expectations and plans are for doTERRA to continue to double in size every 3 to 4 months.  Our 25,000 distributors are part of this mission to bring about a wellness revolution, bringing essential oils out of relative obscurity and onto the world stage for the purpose of benefiting more people than could otherwise be achieved.

In conclusion, I hope that we can always be respectful of one another’s businesses, products and reputations.  If a Gary Young or another EO leader has made a difference in your life and you feel a loyalty to them, then please do not change that.  Relationships take time to build and can be lost in a moment.  When such relationships are mutually edifying, they are worthy of our efforts and should not be sacrificed.  I apologize for the length of this email response.  My hope is simply to provide some information that might serve to soften some hearts and perhaps even change some opinions out there regarding doTERRA.  I will now return to my relatively quiet position on these issues and allow people to form whatever opinions they may.

David Stirling

President and CEO

doTERRA International LLC"

If Interested in learning more about the lawsuit controversy, there are chemists and aromatherapists who discuss it in a forum that is both controversial and informative.  Here is the link to check that forum out.  YL-vs-doTerra-lawsuit-separating-fact-from-fiction

DIY Natural Remedy: Slivers & Splinters

Slivers have always felt like a DIY kind of problem.  As a kid I remember hating them and crying as my mom would pull them out with tweezers.  As a teen I remember hearing people talk about how they just need to be encouraged to come out on their own with different types of packs or by pushing on and manipulating the skin.  At that age usually the only slivers I got were pretty close to the surface without me even needing tweezers to pull them out.  Just a day ago I was moving our wooden side table and out of the blue this little table bit me!  I know that sounds funny, but that's how it felt.  I had a very large gash right through the inside of my knuckle.  Yes, it was bleeding, and in the middle of it was the largest sliver I have ever had going the deepest I've ever seen.  I couldn't fully straighten my finger.  I also couldn't fully bend it.  I was fatally wounded... Oh you better believe I yelped like a wounded puppy, this hurt!

Sliver Damage to My Middle Finger... Ouch!

I started off wishing I had a potato because potato packs are very useful in situations like this with drawing stuff out.  No potatoes in the house so I did the next best thing.  I soaked it in epsom salt water with a drop of Lavender essential oil.  It really reduced the pain and the swelling.  I cut open some extra skin to try to get the sliver.  No such luck, it wasn't even close to the surface.  That night I packed a cotton ball with epsom salt water on my finger.  It helped the pain through the night but didn't get that sliver any closer to coming out.  In the morning I cut a little more trying to get the sliver still with no success.  Asking my mom for help, she recommended packing it with a slice of lemon to draw it and any toxins that could cause infection out.  It stung a little but only for a few seconds.  This reduced the swelling even more and helped increase my fingers ability to straighten.  I still could not bend my finger very well and whenever I took a break from soaking or packs the pain was unbearable.  Not to mention the redness around the wound was growing.  Finally, as I was talking to my dear friend that I work to teach about essential oils with, I asked her if she thought my next step was to go to the doctor.  She said a bunch of things I knew for milder slivers and then said I should google slivers and DoTerra because there were oils that would help my body push out the sliver.  I swear that I almost always go to my essential oils first because they tend to work better then any of the other remedies I can find, be they herbal or medicinal, but this time I hadn't even thought of that for some reason.

The DIY remedy that worked:

So after that phone call I didn't want to turn my computer on, so I just went into my bathroom opened my medicine cabinet where I keep a lot of my essential oils, and looked at them.  I have learned that knowing a few properties of oils helps, but in the end if we feel drawn to a certain scent of essential oil, we usually need it for either our physical or our emotional health, since they help both.  I have seen many times that when even other oils were not quite what I needed to heal, Helichrysm essential oil has that extra boost of power to kick start my body.  I saw it in the cupboard, was immediately drawn to use it, and dropped 1 drop right onto my wound, undiluted.  Within a couple minutes I decided to try to pull out some sliver.  A little shard had surfaced so I tweezered it out.  Then I cut a new opening for a deeper part of sliver I could see emerging and I squeezed the skin together.  It was like my body was all of the sudden pushing it out because enough was coming that I could now grab it with the tweezers too.  The sliver was the biggest my hubby had ever seen in someone like that.  I could immediately bend my finger again.  We put a drop of Melaleuca essential oil on it to disinfect after the fact.  Its the morning after and my finger feels fantastic!  Thank you Helichrysm... You saved me when I had a bad burn, a cut that didn't want to heal, and now with this sliver.  You are a great friend to have in my first aid kit!

Is it safe to use Natural Remedies with Cancer?

Whenever I come across new and important health information I feel obligated to share it.  I met an amazing man who had cancer and who is married to a woman now undergoing cancer treatments.  I have researched a little on natural remedies in cancer, but his take really hit me hard and made me realize that there are a lot of misconceptions out there.  I want to share some statistics he gave me with you.

Your chance at surviving cancer if you do nothing - 18%
Your chance at surviving if you do no modern medicine and only natural/herbal remedies - 20%
Your chance at surviving if you use modern medicine (i.e. surgery to cut out tumor, chemo, etc.) - 80%
Your chance at surviving if you use modern medicine and natural remedies at the same time - 60%
Your chances if using natural remedies for healing during intervals not on chemo - unknown (under research)

He spoke of people saying all kinds of things to do.  "Drink lemon juice once a day to be healed" or "Take colloidal silver every day."  He had taken the colloidal silver previous to being diagnosed but still got cancer so these comments were a joke.  Then he spoke of a common remedy he had found for cancer tumors called a black salve.  There are many different types of black salve, but the one he spoke of essentially burns the top layers of skin, causing new skin to grow and though people say they can see the tumor fall off, that is really just dead skin.  There is no way to know if it burned deep enough to eliminate the tumor partially, completely, or not at all.  It is a dangerous game to play with no diagnostic tools.

I realized many people, possibly even including myself, have had a misconception that natural remedies give a higher potential for living than chemo and medical approaches.  The only misconception I think he may have had was that natural remedies could be more harmful than good.  This is far from the truth.  The one thing to remember to up your chances of recovery is to not mix natural remedies with chemo.  Get those medical checkups and use what will help with recoveries, but hold of on using any natural remedy be it essential oils, homeopathy, or herbs, while on chemo and 2 weeks before and after.  You wouldn't want to undo parts of the job the chemo needs to do.  There is a lot of new research being done in this area with great results.

After listening to many doctors on the subject I am grateful to know where the boundaries are for both natural care and for modern medicine.  I will say that the absolute best oils for cancer in my opinion, that have been researched the most, are wild orange oil and frankincense oil.  Its been found that after 6 weeks of use tumors will stop growing and in some cases reverse in size.  In the research it seemed like the reversal of the tumor was very much dependent upon the genetic DNA code, however the discontinuation of more growth was pretty standard.  Even I was able to get rid of a lump on my chest that was causing me so much pain that simply lifting my arm nearly caused me to fall over in pain.  Mixing certified pure wild orange and frankincense oil and putting a few drops each on the lump 3 times a day for 4 days was enough for the pain to cease and the lump to completely disappear for me.  At this point maybe I would recommend getting that doctor apt for a diagnosis still, but doing this in the meantime while waiting for the appointment.  That way at least you can have a greater chance at slowing any potential progress while trying to get a diagnosis (and if your lucky it will change the diagnosis before you get it).

Stories like his make me so grateful for modern medicine.  It is true that if we are the absolute healthiest possible and certain factors are met that cancer cannot live in our bodies.  It is also true that in general it is nearly impossible to meet every single factor in our polluted and nutrient deficient societies, not to mention the fast paced stressors and emotional states that bring more risk.  That doesn't mean we can't try to be our healthiest or prevent life threatening health problems like cancer.  His doctors said that care has never been more advanced and easy on people.  People still get sick during chemo, but not nearly to the same degree, and their chances of living are much higher.

So here I leave you... a mixed answer.  Yes, its safe most of the time, depending on the remedy used and when you use it.  No, its not safe during, right before, or right after chemo or radiation treatments; actually counteracting the chemo's effectiveness.  I personally think we could all nearly rid our society of cancer if we were to rid our society of stress, pollution, and ultra processed, chemical, colarant, flavorant, and other unnatural additives or types of foods.  Whole foods, super foods, organic, raw, probiotic & enzyme rich, etc.  These are the types of foods that will prevent our cells from going crazy and getting cancer along with reducing stress, and reducing the rest of our toxin load from our household products and all the pollution.  If we all work together for cleaner environment, eating, & home products then, at the least, this world would be a much healthier place to live.

Drug Interactions With Essential Oils - Cautions & Safety

This post is for those out there with an auto-immune disease, lupus, or any other serious chronic condition.  Its also for those of you who just have an intense desire to learn everything you can about healthcare.

I was thinking about the fact that there are so many people out there that have to make that choice between modern medicine pharmaceuticals and those that choose to only use natural solutions for the same problems.  Sometimes when people talk about this topic it sounds like those are the only two choices, but in reality they are not.  There are so many varying levels to be on in the middle of these two.  For example my sister in law thinks naturally taking care of health through any type of herbal or alternative healthcare option is quackery and should be avoided at all costs.  I thought I would never have anything in common in our first aid and medicine cabinet kits.  I was wrong.  She totally pulled out a bottle of Arnica Gel on our camping trip for someones cramping legs!  It made me very excited to say the least.

There are also those who, like me, mostly use natural solutions for our family's issues, but if something persists for over a normal amount of time or is beyond our knowledge base we seek medical attention or a doctors opinion.  For a long time I would take my kids into the doctor just to find out what it was they were sick with, and then I'd research how to naturally combat that instead of doing the prescription recommended.

There are extremists, though they are few and far between.  I am sure some of my friends from high school think I am an extremist because back then I remember saying to them "I'd rather die than go to the hospital, no matter how sick or hurt I get."  I have been to the hospital since, and no I am not that extreme in real life now that I am older.  I do still get jitters about the idea and want to do everything I can to help myself at home first if the situation arose, but emergencies require emergency care and emergency physicians.

The main kind of person that made me want to write this today are those that want to use natural solutions but are afraid to.  These people are on heavy medications and at certain points could actually have a flare and get deathly ill if they were to just stop taking their pharmaceutical pills.  I know a lot of women with Lupus or other auto-immune disorders, and this is a very common trait with them.  Many people are aware that essential oils are quicker and more effective than most herbs and pharmaceuticals in helping our bodies to feel better from all kinds of conditions by giving it the nutrition and molecular support it needs.  Because essential oils have a molecular structure that provides a specific function, many people worry about reactions to their heavy medications.  Therefore they worry that they are stuck with only one option, pharmaceuticals, because adding anything natural could interfere or react.

I want to put your mind at ease.  I feel that knowledge is power.  I do think its important to consult with your doctor, especially when on any medications, however it is comforting to know what is safe myself too.  In the end we are all responsible for our own healthcare.  Everyone and everything else is just tools, be they good or bad.

Out of all my research I found this list of essential oils that can interfere or react with drugs and how.  I just want to note here that most of these findings are related to internal use potentially reacting with internal drugs, however the external use of essential oils seems to have no impact on the effectiveness or ineffectivess/danger of the drug.  So I will post the list of drug contraindications here, but would note that for the best care and relief of flares or symptoms to take a very high quality food based supplement regimen like Lifelong Vitality along with a good diet without gluten to reduce inflammation (which causes flares), and then use essential oils on the outside of the body in targeted areas or the feet to relieve specific concerns.  This can be done while using your medications, but can improve immunity and quality of life enough to reduce the level of need for the medications over time.  It is important to talk to your doctor when changing anything about your health, even for the better, especially when there are medications involved.

The List of Contraindications for Pharmaceuticals and Essential Oils:

While most essential oils are safe with normal diluted topical use, there are a few exceptions.

Drug Injection Sites:  Caution should be exercised using any topical aromatherapy preparations around drug injection sites or areas of the body where transdermal medications are in use (i.e., estrogen or nicotine patches, etc.).

Smokers:  Interactions may be problematic with simple inhalation of essential oils(aka EO's) for someone who smokes because inhalation of EO's high in menthol, such as peppermint, will cause increased lung permeability of nicotine. Menthol also slows the ability to clear nicotine from the body. If you are a smoker, allow several hours to elapse between cigarette use and inhalation of EO's high in menthol.

Pre-Surgery Cautions:  Many oils commonly used for respiratory issues, such as rosemary, eucalyptus, ravintsara and bay laurel are high in 1,8 cineole. Cineole can interfere with metabolism of anesthesia, and should be avoided (both topically and via inhalation) for at least a week prior to any surgeries to prevent complications. High cineole oils are also contraindicated for those on barbituates, as they induce rapid metabolism of these drugs.  Post Surgery these oils however may be beneficial in the healing time needed.

Anti-Coagulant Drugs:  Essential oils which are high in eugenol or methyl salicylate should not be used by those on anticoagulant drugs. 

Other than the examples cited above, most known drug interactions in aromatherapy occur with oral, vaginal or rectal use of essential oils. Although these applications are common in parts of Europe, aromatherapy is seldom administered this way in the United States.  This is because the British aromatherapy theology and the French aromatherapy theology for use medicinally is very different.  The British theology is very hands off, just smell (as I interpret it).  The French have gone beyond and done much more extensive research in medical situations with essential oils used internally as well.  In fact it is common to have a prescription for essential oil use from a doctor in France.  

Many aromatherapy schools in the U.S. have adopted the British theology, instilling fear of internal use into its student base.  There is no need for this fear of reasonable internal use for tested and verified pure essential oils that are known to be safe and help alleviate symptoms.  Knowing which oils are safe internally, that they are as pure as is physically possible, that they are from plants in the right soil as to give the greatest nutritional power and constituents is essential.  Being sure that the oils used are of high enough quality for internal use is very important.  Be sure they have not been chemically altered, have fillers, or adulterated in the gathering and distilling process (as this can make the oil toxic or work improperly).  There is only one company I have found that sources from the greatest soils for each plant and does all the very necessary testing for each batch to verify purity and potency for the ability to get the expected results every time.  I am proud to use their lemon, lime and grapefruit in my water, just a couple drops per glass.  It tastes great, helps my energy naturally, reduces acid reflux, and helps my metabolism for better weight loss results.  If you have taken a pharmaceutical drug, just stick to topically putting a couple drops where you need with some fractionated coconut oil, or the feet are a great place to rub them on.  The feet have the biggest pores along with nerve endings from all over your body so it is the number one go to spot for topical application with most people.

Reference for Drug Interactions:
Harris, Rhiannon. Drug-Essential Oil Interactions: Risks and Reassurances. Presentation to Alliance of International Aromatherapists, (17 Dec. 2008). Denver, CO.

Finding Dual Enrollment For My Kindergartener - My Story

The last couple weeks have been insanely crazy.  I would love to just say its because I'm so busy cause I love to get out and do lots... but its not.  My little girl, the oldest of my 3 is in Kindergarten right now. We started her full time in Public Kindergarten at the beginning of this year.  I had many tear filled mornings as I struggled to let her go.  I am the kind of mom that feels most comfortable and confident when I can see my kids at all times.  I like to let them go play in the backyard, but when it is an option I prefer to be able to see them while they are playing on their own.  In our most recent home this isn't the easiest scenario, so I've grown to be more ok with just being able to hear them out back while I am doing some of the household chores.  Optimally seeing is always better in my mind though so that I can help or prevent something really bad from happening ASAP.

After getting over the fact that letting her go into the care of someone I didn't know (even though she happens to be one of the most amazing teachers I've ever met), there were a myriad of problems that started to arise.  Firstly, her personality started to change for the worse.  She stopped enjoying to help around the house, she stopped enjoying learning to do new tasks at home, she started to break household rules that we've always had, she started to do a lot herself that was far too beyond what I feel is safe for her age (like trying to cut food on a cutting board), she snuck a pair of scissors and cut up a bunch of my bills, she started to talk about kids that were bullying her on the playground, she started pushing around her little brother and sister more than I've ever seen, and her focus along with ability to process my direction as a parent decreased drastically.  That on top of my little boy throwing tantrums every time we picked her up or dropped her off because of the school yard made life feel, in essence, like a total nightmare.

I pulled her out of the local public school, feeling bad because Mrs. Hurzeler was so good with her and was doing tons of extra stuff.  She was even in a center that was close to first grade level reading in the sense that they were ready to start spelling tests this early in the year and before 1st grade.  She also had a few friends that I just adore.  Summer is the sweetest cutest little girl and they play princess together, which touches my heart.  I would love for them to stay friends.  She thrives in social situations and I felt guilty taking her away from something social and advanced.

I put her into K12 which is an online public school.  The kids have a teacher online and the parents are the learning coach.  In the younger grades the parents do most of the work with the kids and then the kids can start doing most of it on the computers themselves as they get older.  This was a problem quick because she gets addicted to screen time fast and too much computer caused some different behavior problems.  I loved the curriculum that they sent, however much of it she was too advanced for (she would need to start at least half way through or she'd just be bored).  I asked what to do because of that and they told me that I'd have to pay $100 to get the curriculum she needed and move up when she was ready.  I thought she would be able to move at the super fast pace that she loves without finances being an issue!  This made me upset and so my decision became that I either needed to do her part time with the elementary again or do my own curriculum that I created or found that fit her needs better.

Guilt for that social and for knowing how cool Mrs. Hurzeler was made me lean toward dual enrollment (hoping she wouldn't revert back to the negative behavior again).  I felt good about it, but didn't know if it was right or not.  I took a week and did straight homeschool.  My own curriculum that I used all through preschool, but the portion that was still challenging her.  Her behavior finally normalized!  I could see my sweet girl coming out again.  The little girl that loves to help and play and serve.

My hubby came home one day and asked Eeva about the different school scenarios.  We wanted to get her take because its her life.  She likes any and every type of school so most of her answers were geared to what she thought we wanted to hear until now.  In their conversation she had an epiphany out loud "if I don't do Mrs. Hurzeler's class than I have to break up with those friends" and she started crying.  It was at that moment that in a rush we booked it over to the elementary, met with the principle and teacher, and arranged dual enrollment.

------Since dual enrollment started....  I want to say that in the last couple weeks that everything has stabilized and normal.  It's not.  She is better now than when she was full time at school behaviorally, however she did revert back a little.  She has much more "I know better and can do my own thing" attitude on the days she comes home from school and my 3 year old still throws tantrums most days we go.  The days we have homeschool is now my curriculum and it flows beautifully.  Though there are sometimes just hard days as a mom, as far as schooling goes, my homeschool days are far less taxing and some of the most peaceful and fun days for my family.  I am so grateful for those days of teaching her myself.  I promised to give dual enrollment 2 months to let things stabilize before getting frustrated and changing it.  I don't want too many changes to mess with Eeva's emotional stability.  So we are in it until the end of the semester at least.  I hope that things do stabilize well for her sake.

Some of the good things about school is that she and I have made some friends with kids and parents that we go to the park with occasionally.  I also love her teacher, the learning centers, and the Raz Kids online program she is offering the kids for a reading homework game.

Some good things about home school.  I love that the day starts of peaceful and continues that way really easily in contrast to a school day.  I also love that I get to be involved in helping her learn and grow.  Seeing those moments when something just clicks for the first time is such a treasure that we give away when someone else educates our kids.  I love that I just found some amazing friends for her who are also home schooled (This has been a somewhat hard task for my area, I had to create my own facebook group and events, because all the groups I found, most events were a bit far and I couldn't find those involved unless it was at someone's house - that doesn't feel like a field trip to me, sorry).

Why even doctors are starting to use essential oils for care in America...

Ok, so we all are very glad that when we get a really severe wound we are able to get to an emergency room for stitches.  I'm sure we're also all glad that doctor's know how to measure things like our blood pressure and test for intense or chronic conditions.  Doctor's are an important part of our society.  It's a big deal when the best in their field see the value of alternative therapies such as using essential oils.

Most doctors I know don't know much about "preventative or natural health care" unless it's being promoted by the latest pharmaceutical company, so has it in fact become more like "sick care" when visiting a doctor?  However true that may be, it is now evident that times are truly changing.  It's about time too.  In France all the major pharmacies and doctor's consistently use essential oils in their patient care.  For good reason too, when they are pure, there is really nothing I've found that works better at alleviating health frustrations and concerns.  Because our bodies understand how to absorb the non-synthetic molecules of pure essential oils there are very few side effects if any.  Most people claim that essential oils don't have any side effects at all when they are pure.  I however think that people all react to things a little different and what some may deem as normal for a given situation, another may not.  This video I found talks about the concerns many have with the common American health care model and what many families and physicians are now turning to in an effort to take control and get past those problems.  I especially like the quotes in this clip from the doctors that were interviewed.

To see more videos on essential oils and their use see my post : 

Essential Oils Class 101 Favorite Videos

If you also want to see a video on how essential oils are now being used in medical facilities here it is.

Essential Oils Class 101: My Favorite Videos On Essential Oils For Beginners

Learn some ways essential oils have helped so many families in these awesome videos!

This first video is of how much pure essential oils are helping in a hospital setting, how cool is that!?!

This video introduces what essential oils are, how they work, and a brief history of them.  Its an amazing video and I learn something new every time I watch it.  Enjoy it!

This next video is from a bunch of people that are so excited about some great experiences they've had by using self informed healthcare.  By that I mean that they obtained the knowledge they needed so that they didn't have to go to the doctor for the small stuff (although doctors are very much appreciated for the big issues).  Knowing how to help yourself and your family is an empowering thing that I invite all to feel.

This one is an interview with Laura Jacobs, an amazing business woman.  She is very knowledgeable about the use of essential oils and herbs and has been in the industry for over 17 years.  She talks about how she found what works, why it works and how important purity is to an essential oil actually doing its intended job the way its expected.

Wow... you won't want to miss this last one.  It is the story of a family who's niece had seizure's and was able to overcome them.  It's an amazing story! 

Link to Discount Form

I know, this is a lot of videos but this last one is kinda cool cause it talks a little about how essential oils are distilled from plants and what it means to have a pure essential oil.  I can't tell you how important it is.  Not only will you not see the intended results from a synthetic or diluted essential oil, but they could be toxic!  It took me years of using essential oils to realize that the label saying 100% of an oil didn't mean anything because there are so many loopholes in the laws and industry standards.  Then I found out how many toxic results that can stem from improper use of impure essential oils.  

I decided I needed pure essential oils for my family and not only did it solve the majority of our health concerns and first aid needs, it very quickly started to save us money.  We didn't need to buy products with additives but could "go green" in our cleaning and hygiene supplies which are much healthier, cheaper and simpler when homemade.  We also saved money because I redistributed the money I was spending on our other supplements every month and using the loyalty rewards program we got an extra overall discount on top of wholesale pricing discount with free product credits.  In the end we will get up to 55% off retail along with some free and discounted products based on monthly promotions they do.  Way to maximize my dollar!  I love saving money, and I have found an amazing way to do just that in most of the categories of my families care.  It's Awesome! 

My mission is to serve those around me so that they may be able to find solutions that will help them in their lives in the most affordable ways possible.  Please, don't be weary.  If you have a question, I am happy to help.  That's why I'm here.  There are no stupid questions or stupid problems.  Love to you all.  Kim

Why do I use essential oils for my family care?

Essential oils are soooo cool!

I started using them when I was pregnant and on bed rest with my 2nd and that led to diffusing to kill bad bacteria, which became learning how to kill my kids viruses.  Thank heavens, cause the doctor just sent us home and told us to wait it out even though it was pretty severe.  Its been an incredible journey of learning and testing, with different oils and theories for care.

Now that I have discovered the proven purity in DoTerra oils I use them for nearly everything.  There are essential oils for cooking, for cleaning, and for nearly all ailments, conditions, and quick emergency situations (which happen consistently with 3 kids).  What is really amazing is that once we started using them for everything we stared saving tons of money.  We didn't need to buy so many specialty products for our hygiene, our hair, our cleaning supplies, our first aid kit, and for our arsenal of cooking spices.

We started feeling healthier, calmer, happier, and empowered.  We didn't need so many expensive doctor visits and were able to easily educate ourselves for how to handle our own needs quickly, safely and effectively.  Not only did I save money by replacing less safe and functional items, but I found out about a rewards program that can get me up to 55% off retail!  That with the monthly sales and free product specials makes the pure essential oils cheaper than the low quality oils, but they work 10x better!

It truly has been a win-win scenario for my family to start using truly pure and potent essential oils daily.  Using these along with good eating and lifestyle choices, I lost 85lbs in 9 months and my little boy doesn't throw his 45 minute tantrums every day anymore.  Life is about finding what works and what we each need to help us progress.  I truly feel like I have found that for my family.  It's amazing!

Kim   :)

How do I use essential oils?

Frankly, there are hundreds of ways to experience essential oils.  They do a million different things and each one has a different complex molecular structure with different nutrients.  Here are a couple videos on how to actually use them to get those experiences.

The woman in this last video I want to share is Natalie Goddard, one of my team leaders and one of the creators of the doTerra Pro Success System & Support Community.  As I listen to her and watch her story I feel like I can very much relate to her.  She really is an amazing woman.  I'm excited to share her story with you through this video of how she found and uses her oils, and then those of you hoping for a sample of these exciting products are welcome to contact me and I'll get you the sample of what fits your needs best.

Now to get your free sample just contact me at momof3livingsmartly@gmail.com and I can answer any questions, set up a wellness consult, a zyto scan, or get you a free sample.

+Free samples are only for those who are not already IPC or Preferred Members in doTerra.
+doTerra products are not intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease.  Instead they give your body what it needs so that it can heal itself!

Freeze Fresh, No Freezer Burn With Vacuum Sealing

Those of you who know me well know that I am in love with Mason Jars!  I love to vacuum seal our food so that it lasts longer both on our pantry shelf and in the freezer or fridge.  I also love to do crafty projects and decor with them.  Enjoy this video showing how I vacuum sealed to prevent freezer burn.

A road trip to share and teach healthy living

My post tonight is a bit different.

At this very moment, I am across the country on a road trip with my family.  I was feeling such a need to connect with my hubby's family.  I have had very little chance to get to know them since they live so far away and most of them I met once on our wedding day.  I am so grateful for their amazing influence on Kirk and am very happy to have the opportunity to really get to know them better.

I wanted to connect so badly but knew I couldn't come all this way unless I also had a more logically based approach as well!  I was very excited when my hubby and I came up with the same idea at once to teach classes on natural solutions while we're on the road.  We are so excited about this and sharing how our family has benefited so much.  I love to teach and really it isn't about selling products or pushing others to choose a certain way.  What they really are to me is a way of sharing what has become a delight in my life.  Ways that I take care of problems or simply ways that spice up life to make it more enjoyable in a safe and healthy way.

So we are teaching some classes along the way as we truly and deeply enjoy connecting to his family along with some of my family too.  These are our first classes together on the benefits of essential oils.  We've taught together before, but that was other health topics, so I am very nervous.  Its so funny because when its not an official class its so natural to talk about but with our other topics we've always felt most comfortable teaching groups of 20-40 at a time.  Oh well, I guess its just a matter of preparation, confidence, and practice.  That is what it really takes to succeed at anything.

Announcing: Hypno-Labor Video Class Coming!

I am excited to announce my new Hypno-Labor Video Class Series.  I am so excited to share this with you!  The videos are still in production and take quite a while to put together, but will be available soon.  Here is the way I am planning on having it work.  Whoever needs the class will pay for it and then get the classes which they can watch and re-watch as they feel its needed.  They will also get my awesome audio's to put on an ipod, cd, or computer to listen to daily.  Then, once a week I will have a webinar where everyone in the course that is able to attend can come and share their stories, get extra tips and tricks, and most importantly get more support from me personally as well as others in the same place.  I'm thinking for those that are able to come a once a month support party would be a great addition to this as well.  

Those of you who are interested in this... PLEASE either leave a comment or send me an email (at momof3livingsmartly@gmail.com).  I would love to hear from you and send you some tips and tricks for completely free.  Birth is such a magical thing to me and it is so fulfilling to me to help and give how I can.  

Teething Kids

So right now I have 2 teething kids.  My 4 year old girl is getting her big kid teeth right behind her baby teeth instead of under them and my 10 month old is getting her first baby teeth in front on top and bottom.  Every time a new tooth for my baby breaks through the gums she bleeds and cries.  There is also a lot of crying from the pain in between breaking through and that's not to mention the runny noses that come with the teething.

I went to a class on babies, pregnancy, and birth using essential oils about a week ago and learned so much.  The care provider teaching talked about how something like 90% of early childhood ailments were from teething and some things to prevent those conditions.  I took what she said to heart and decided to try a few new things.

In the past I've given my babies homeopathic teething tablets I got from Target, homeopathic Roman Chamomile from the health store (which I loved but am out of), and gum numbing cream (which just made my kids mad).

I ended up using an essential oil blend called Serenity that has Roman Chamomile, Lavender, and Vanilla; which smells divine.  It was actually really soothing for Daisy and really fun for me.  :)  I added a drop to a a small amount of carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil) in my palm and then rubbed it along her entire jaw line and chin, all the way to behind her ears.  I also rubbed a little on the base of her neck.  Then, to help with her teething runny nose, I put 1 drop of the essential oil blend called Breathe on the base of her neck with a little carrier oil.

This new trick is awesome.  It helps her pain so much and her symptoms go away for much longer spans of time than with any of the other things I've tried.    

A Healthy Eggy Breakfast

Today I decided to try something I've seen in quite a few recipe books.  Although I didn't follow any of them, it still turned out great!  These egg and turkey muffins are very yummy!

The Oil Healed My Cut!

I have to tell you all what happened to me today.  So I was fixing lunch for my kids when the lid of a can after I opened it sliced the top of my knuckle on my hand!  I took this picture after I had washed it off, it was bleeding really bad (gushing) and I was getting quite nauseated by all the blood.  I wondered why it was taking so long to clot and remembered how well the Lavender with Lemon essential oil worked when I used it for Tye's nose bleed (stopped it in under a minute).  I decided to try the doTerra Lavender Essential Oil on my cut directly, just a drop or two.  It was amazing!  Clotted in 15 seconds or less without any more issues!  I am so grateful that I decided to try to use these oils for as many things as possible.  I used oils before that were not Certified Pure, and always had to use them in conjunction with other natural remedies.  These Pure Oils are pure enough that they work without needing anything else with them.  They are amazing and have actually made day to day life and its little emergencies so much easier.  I can't imagine the extent of their importance if we were to have a big emergency - like a natural disaster where doctors weren't readily available!

My Little Miracle

I thought I should share with you the miracle that happened to me recently.  I am so grateful!

Making Fruit Leather From Fruit & Veggie Juice Pulp

Our New Venture

I am finishing writing my book on helpful smart solutions for mothers soon and we have had it in our plans to teach courses on the topics that I cover in my book.  I started this blog for some of the topics I cover in my book, tips and tricks, and to sell or recommend the different health products I recommend through vigorous research and personal results (so they are only things we've used and fervently believe in).

Its funny because we found a company that sells Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils (called doTerra) and it has the option for being a distributor and teaching health courses as well.  They are definitely on top of their game because most of their information that they distribute actually falls in line with the extensive research that I have done.  It seems like a lot of people and places overlook much of the research that has been done on health, so this is a very good perk.

We have decided to teach, distribute, and lead others to do the same when they desire to (and if not, we can help people get the products at wholesale pricing). We feel like we are entrepreneurs, teachers, and leaders at heart and are so excited to do this and share it with everyone!  Hopefully we will be able to travel as a family this summer because of this too.  That would be so fun!

Here is a video of me opening the enrollment kit that gave me a bunch of free product along with the ability to purchase everything at wholesale prices (technically below wholesale because I earn points toward free product with every purchase).

Seal It to Save It - No Freezer Burn!

I hate freezer burn!  This made me want a better way and I think I found the best way.  Its great!  We put together a vacuum sealer with the jar sealing attachment and I just take out the air before I freeze.  I use this for dry pantry items and refrigerated foods as well, to make them store for 3x as long (or longer).

Review of New Sedona Dehydrator Purchase

This video is our family opening the dehydrator.  We were so excited when we saw the FedEx guy pull up with it.  Kirk ran out to meet him at the truck with the kids and surprised him when he came out of the back with the box.  He said "We have been waiting for you!"  It reminds me of the Mr. Postman song by the Carpenters.  The FedEx man laughed and gave Kirk this monstrous package.  I really had no idea that it was this big.  Its about 2 inches wider than my toaster oven and double the height.  Its bigger than our microwave too and I was expecting smaller because of the videos I've seen.  Because of the size the trays are actually about the size of a typical cookie sheet I use for baking.  That makes it really nice because we can make more with it.  I am now gonna have to pack up my toaster oven though, cause I don't have room for both in my kitchen like I thought I would.  Oh well, this is cooler anyway, right?  :)

Here is the video of me going over the individual parts of the dehydrator and how they work.  I thought it would be useful for anyone thinking about getting the sedona, excalibur or any other food dehydrator on the market for that matter.  Enjoy!

Paper or Plastic? Both! When I get baby food in bulk with my groceries :)

About once a month we buy the baby food for that month in bulk so that I'm not always running back and forth to the grocery store and then I can take advantage of sales as well.  Its a nice system that saves me a headache and produced my personally developed bagging system and storage system for the baby food jars.  When we go to WinCo I bag anyway, cause that's their system, but at other grocery stores I usually get flak for even wanting to put the food in bags.  It was exciting this past trip to Dan's Market because the bagger was so excited to learn my system and wanted me to share it with the world.  Most importantly she wanted me to share it with other mothers who could use it.  You may love it or you may hate it, either way its been very useful and I will keep doing it for as long as I am buying baby food.

I do want to note that most of what I feed my 10 month old baby is actually breastmilk still, and then it is mostly fresh veggies.  She really likes heavily steamed carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.  I also give her juiced veggies and fruit like beets, celery, carrots, and apple.  She can have nutritional yeast as well, which she loves; and then she likes raw pears and avocado.  Since starting to buy baby food I've found a lot more allergies with bum rashes and upset tummies, and.... lots of tears.  She can't handle banana, grains of any kind, or any of the typical bad food that kids love that I wouldn't give her at this age anyway.  If she has much of those things she not only gets a rash, it turns such a deep red its almost purple and sometimes starts to bleed.  I have a special cream I get from target and buybuybaby.  It's from a company called "Shea Moisture" is made from shea butter and has frankincense and myrrh essential oils in it that works better than any other cream I've ever found, though its hard for anything to help when its due to a negative reaction to food that's in the body still.

The baby foods are super exciting for my 4 and 2 year olds to eat as well.  I like to get a lot of applesauce because it makes a really fun snack for the older kids if I need something to tide them over while I'm preparing lunch, or while we're out running errands.  The jars are awesome to keep and re-use.  There are hundreds of fun things you can do with them, so subscribe to my blog or youtube.com uploads to be able to see a bunch of those as I get them done.

Campout Dinner In Backyard - No Electricity or Gas

Our electricity went out a bit ago and it inspired our Dad of 3 from DadOf3LivingARTly.blogspot.com to practice what preppers typically call "Bugging In".  It was very fun.  To cook we only used found things for starting the fire.  No grill, sun oven, or any other appliance, and it was bricks and wood that was left in the garage from who we purchased our home from.  The food is some from our pantry and some from the freezer and from the fridge, so a good mix of what you'd probably use both in normal conditions and in a power outage or other disaster situation.  It is nice to become more self sufficient and build more experience and skills every chance we get.