Enriching Home Cleaning with Essential Oils

Connie Scheel, a two time cancer survivor enjoying remission today, believes she has enhanced her life and her health by choosing many complementary and alternative approaches for herself and her family. I've invited her to share some of her story below along with recipes for simple, effective, and cost-effective recipes for green and healthy cleaning products created with Young Living essential oils. She would enjoy hearing your feedback. Please leave comments. You may learn more about Connie and the Young Living oils by visiting her on her Facebook page -- Catalysts to Connie's Wellness. 

Do you want it all when it comes to Spring cleaning? Perhaps quick, easy, inexpensive, pleasantly fresh smelling cleaning products that are anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-septic and anti-fungal without any harsh chemicals? Therapeutic grade essential oils offer all of this along with a boost to the immune system and mood.

This may sound nerdy but I was really excited and relieved when I discovered 2 simple cleanser recipes that use essential oils.

I’m a two time gynecologic cancer Survivor enjoying 2 years and 4 months of Remission. Essential oils and I met shortly after my last chemo treatment. My body was suffering the side effects of chemo. My knees were extremely sore and my feet were numb. I was only 36, but struggled to walk, move and sleep. I was often exhausted yet fought insomnia and anxiety. My reflexologist friend suggested I try peppermint essential oil. I welcomed the suggestion since the medications my oncologist had prescribed to bring my relief only caused more side effects. Therapeutic grade peppermint essential oil delivered quick relief from my knee pain, brought feeling back to my feet, and nurtured my energy back. And I never have to worry about side effects as there aren’t any!

Then came therapeutic grade Lavender. Sweet, multi-talented Lavender. It lulled my body into blissful sleep and my anxiety faded. I became more intrigued with essential oils as my body and Soul healed from treatment, and so I began studying them. I was hungry to learn of more ways to use them to enrich my life.

Lavender comes from the Latin word lavare which means ‘to wash’. The Ancient Romans recognized lavender for it’s healing, antiseptic and cleansing properties. In 16th Century France it was regarded as an effective defense against infection. And it was used to dress wounds during WWI. Lavender is the most versatile essential oil, and is an adaptogen which means it literally aids in restoring overall balance to our bodies. It’s also well known for it’s relaxing properties. Lavender helps to restore emotional balance and soothes your nervous system. What an incredible combo!

My studies of essential oils also brought me lessons in the dangers of many of the cleaning and personal care products in my home. If you’re curious, check out this article from Organic Consumer Alert- How Toxic Are Your Household Cleaning Supplies? I was shocked, and had an urgent need to find an inexpensive, quick but very effective ways to clean my home.

So, cleaning with therapeutic grade essential oils became a life enriching experience for me. It’s allowed me to remove toxic and harmful chemicals from my life while make cleaning an immune system boosting adventure. I hope it will for you, too.

All Purpose Anti-Everything-Bad & Mood Boosting Cleaning Spray

12-16  oz spray bottle

1 cup white vinegar

Add water, fill almost of the top

Add 10 Drops of Young Living Lavender Essential Oil

For a stronger degreasing cleaner solution replace the 10 drops of Lavender essential oil with 5 drops of YL Lavender essential oil and 5 drops of Young Living’s Orange essential oil.

Gently shake to mix.

Kitchen and Bathroom Essential Oil Scrub

Fantastic for tubs, sinks, countertops

Empty clean, perhaps recycled, 12- 16 ounce glass jar with a tight lid

Fill the jar 3/4s full with baking soda (or Super Washing Soda for even more cleaning power)

Add 10 drops of Young Living’s Lavender essential oil

Gently shake to mix.

2nd Question! Your Answer/Comment is Another Opportunity in Our Give Away

We continue in this month of counting blessings and thankfulness with our celebration of Footsteps In Eden Reflexology's 4th Birthday.

From our very beginning, Footsteps In Eden chose to offer you way more than a reflexology "session." Our goal was to offer you an experience of delight for all the senses. We appeal to your sense of smell through the use of aromatherapy. In our case, high quality therapeutic grade essential oils from Young Living.  Did you know that of all of our senses, the sense of smell is the only one where we react first and think about our response later? Something to think about, but not the question for today.

So, the question is, what is your favorite essential oil, how do you use it, and why? 

To familiarize yourself with essential oils and their benefits, begin your journey of discovery here.

Staying Healthy with Thieves®

We've had a few cooler days, the kids are back in school in many areas of the country, and you may have thought about fighting germs and colds and flu bugs in the months ahead.

In our home we have found the Thieves® line of products from Young Living™ to be most helpful. We clean with it, we diffuse it, we wash with it and more. My clients often comment on the fresh and clean fragrance of my hand soap. It is diffused at my husband's office. While not everyone there may be in agreement about its effectiveness, the fact that when it runs out they ask for more, speaks for itself. The purse sprays are a healthy option for spraying shopping cart handles, and use in public restrooms. There is also toothpaste, mouthwash and hand sanitizers -- all made with wholesome, good-for-you ingredients. Thieves® has also been shown to be highly effective in removing mold and mold spores. Here's a little history of this great line. It just may surprise you to learn of its origins.

"A blend of highly antiviral, antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-infectious essential oils,  Thieves® was created from research of a group of 15th-century thieves who rubbed oils on themselves to avoid contracting the plague while they robbed the bodies of the dead and dying. When apprehended, these thieves disclosed the formula of herbs, spices, and oils they used to protect themselves in exchange for more lenient punishment."

The entire Thieves® line is available at www.richinoils.com, where you have the opportunity to learn much more about the high potential of therapeutic grade essential oils.
 

*Quote above from Essential Oils Desk Reference, Third Edition, published by Essential Science Publishing.

Overcoming the Blues

Saturday I bought some beautiful sunflowers and some red flowers of which I'm uncertain of their identity. I'm always delighted with the colorful selection of beauty in Mr. Chandler's flower booth at our local farmers' market. These were no exception. I brought them home and chose to display them in my only blue vase (which is normally in the back of the top cabinet on the top shelf because, as you know, blue is not my favorite color). After all it would make a great post for Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally.

Of course, with my passion for wellness and a blog that features suggestions for holistic health and wellness, I had to find a way to bring that in also. Consider these sunflowers would definitely be a sunny and uplifting spot in an otherwise BLUE day. The number of people suffering from the blues to mild or severe depression seems to be growing continuously. Perhaps it is our over committed lifestyles, relationship challenges, poor health, problems with the children, finances -- There are just so many challenges that will steal our joy and even cause an onset of depression in our lives. Where do we turn to combat the blues or worse. As my blog them goes, King Solomon words surely apply here: "Tranquility is life to the body.... (that Scripture finishes with ) stress is rottenness to the bones."

In my reflexology practice I'm saddened by the number of individuals who are finding it necessary to take medications for depression and anxiety. Some of these are some very young adults. While these medications may be helpful they also carry side effects. You hear those listed on every drug advertisement which bombards your senses as they are broadcast straight into your living room. Are there other options? (Please see note below.)

When you are feeling down, is the first place you turn to the Lord? I pray it is so. There is no burden we carry that is too big for Him. Jesus tells us, "Come to me all you are are weak and weary and heavy ladened. Cast your cares upon Me, because I care for you." He'll take care of the worries and stresses that easily take us down when we fret about them and take them on in our own strength. God through nature and human touch has also provided us with some amazing natural resources for improving our lives.

In the photo above you will notice little bottles of essential oils. Allow me to share with you how these may be helpful in cases of blues, depression, anxiety and similar challenges.

*Peace and Calming® -- The oils in this blend (tangerine, orange, ylang ylang, patchouli and blue tansy) may help it be effective for dealing with various problems related to the nervous system and emotional balance. This blend of oils is perfect for calming nerves or emotion at the end of a long day or in times of stress. (Apply to navel, feet, back of neck or wear as perfume.)

*Hope(TM) -- The single oils in this blend (melissa, myrrh, juniper and spruce) have the ability to help support the body physically and mentally to give us hope. Those oils when inhaled together may give us the feeling of going forward with hope and achievement. It reconnects us with a feeling of strength and grounding. It may also help relieve depression and suicidal thoughts. (Apply on outer edge of ears, chest, heart, temples, nape of neck feet and wrists. Wear as perfume or cologne.)

*Joy(TM) -- This blend is a beautiful complimentary blend of oils (lemon, mandarin, bergamot, ylang ylang, rose, rosewood, geranium, palmarosa, roman chamomile, and jasmine). When inhaled it brings back memories of being loved, being held, sharing loving times, feeling and opening those blocks in our lives where perhaps we have shut down to love or receiving love or love of self. When there is grief, the adenoids and the adrenal glands shut down; Joy opens these glands. (Rub over heart, ears, neck, thymus, heart chakras, temples, across brown and wrists. Put in bath water, wear as cologne, or put two drops on a wet cloth and put in the dryer for great smelling clothes.)

Also, reflexology is an incredible natural therapy for helping to overcome depression. An article at GoToSee, a complementary therapy website in the UK, presents the case for this so well I won't even begin to describe it here. You are invited to visit their website to learn so much more about the number one benefit of reflexology to reduce stress and bring a sense of tranquility to the body. May I strongly encourage you to take a little side trip to this site especially if you or someone you know suffers regularly from depression, anxiety or just the plain old blues. While there are no guarantees, some of my clients have reduced the amount of medication they are taking after receiving regular reflexology sessions. (Please see note below.) You may also learn more about reflexology at my Footsteps In Eden site.

*The descriptive information on these oils comes from the book, "Reference Guide for Essential Oils" by Connie and Alan Higley. The oils are proprietary blends from Young Living Essential Oils.

PLEASE NOTE: This post is informational only. My reflexology registration with the state of TN is under the department of Health Related Boards. I am in no way advocating that anyone go against physicians' instructions or stop medications. I am not a medical doctor and I do not diagnose, prescribe, or alter medications. That is outside the scope of my practice.

Essential Oils & Mainstream Medicine

Essential Oils beginning to be used in a hospital in Ft. Worth, Texas, as what appears to be an effective therapy. It is exciting to see this happening. Young Living features high quality oils as mentioned in the article.

Below is the first portion of a report from a Ft. Worth, TX, News show. You may read the complete article by clicking on the link above.



Essential Oils Now Used In Mainstream Medicine
Reporting
Mark Johnson
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 News) ―

"The healing powers of essential oils have been known for centuries. Now a Fort Worth hospital is the first in North Texas to take those powers to a clinical level.

Megan Morrison's high risk pregnancy has kept her on bed rest for the past six weeks. Her clinical aromatherapy sessions at Harris Methodist Hospital are new.

"'I can definitely tell a big difference,' Morrison said. 'I'm definitely much more relaxed than if I was just to go take a hot bath.'

"Nurse Susan Shields is trained in clinical aromatherapy. It's centuries-old tradition which uses pure essential oils. Harris Methodist has the only certified program in North Texas.

"She said, 'What we're using is a combination of bergamot, [and] citrus vergania, which is the true lavender--the relaxing lavender. It does not replace any of the medical treatment that goes on here. It is in addition to; it is complimentary; it enhances.'"

Thieves® -- Thankful Today for this Green Cleaner

The thought of sending my king size bedspread to the dry cleaner was distasteful for a couple of reasons. Only one (kinda large) corner needed cleaning. The dry cleaning solvents would be quite noxious to my way of thinking. Never the less, the whole bedspread would certainly not fit in my washing machine.

What happened? Our precious little 2 year old granddaughter was sleeping on our bed when an upset tummy presented itself in quite a yucky way. You probably get my drift here.

Carefully wiping it off and then allowing it to dry out gave me a bit of time to think this one through. Thieves™ in its many forms has come to my rescue before. One corner of the bedspread would easily fit in my oversize kitchen sink. So, with a bar of Thieves™ Soap and some cold water the spots were gently coaxed from the bedspread. Wrapped in towels to absorb the water, the bedspread is now clean and spread out to dry.

The greater benefit is the antibacterial properties of Thieves®, and essential oil blend from Young Living, and the fact that Thieves® products also are made without the toxic ingredients found in most household cleaners. This stuff will even remove mold (and it doesn't come back.) That's pretty powerful stuff. Check out my Young Living website where you will find Thieves® bar soap, Thieves® Household Cleaner, Thieves® essential oil blend, Thieves® tootpastes, Thieves® mouthwash, Thieves® hand sanitizers, and Thieves® personal sprays.

Theieves® products have proved to be great immunity builders and infection fighters for our family!

Abundance Essential Oil

Abundance™, one of my favorite essential oil blends, is said to "resonate at the frequency of attraction." Now I'm not exactly sure of the technical explanation for that one, but as its name might indicate, the use of this oil has been known to have a magnetic influence drawing blessings to the user.

There is a living energy captured when plant materials are distilled at optimal low temperatures and pressures for all the hours it takes to bring every tiny valuable constituent of the flower, leaf, bark, or root into the final product. Young Living works patiently to assure their oils are of the finest quality produced at these most exacting standards.

The aromatics of essential oils do have some incredible influences over the mind, body and spirit. It's interesting that Young Living's Abundance™ Essential Oil Blend contains to single oils, frankincense and myrrh, oils that have been highly cherished for centuries for their spiritual, emotional, and physical healing powers -- So cherished, in fact, they were rarely obtained by anyone who did have an abundance of resources to purchase them.

If you receive and read the Young Living e-news last week, you read of a distributor who placed drops of Abundance™ on every piece of business material she distributed or mailed. In just a few months time she was amazed at the abundant increase in her Young Living business.

On oil-testimonials.com, there is a report of rubbing Abundance™ on the stomach of someone with a 6 pound tumor. Although the patient was receiving chemo, the doctors were absolutely amazed at how quickly the tumor shrunk to just 2 pounds in size and was operable. Frankincense and another ingredient, Clove, are known for their anti-tumoral properties. You may read the whole story HERE.

Centuries ago, the oils like those in Abundance™ were available only to those with abundant resources. You will find them very easy to obtain for you and your family today by visiting my Young Living site.