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!

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   :)

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.

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.    

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!

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).