White Dragon Therapies

Essential Oil Use In The Workplace

Beau — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 00:22:01 +0000

This posting is being shared from a Diane Mora Young Living Distributor email. I found it to be very informative and thought you might enjoy learning about it too. My only concern is that some work place environments are real sticklers for keeping “aromas” to a minimum. (Personally, When I worked in an office I would rather be enjoying the aromas of essential oils and taking in all the benefits that they offer than smelling the perfumes and colons on the people I worked with.)

You may be surprised about the “at work” benefits of essential oils. Our pure, therapeutic Young Living essential oils have been proven to be extremely helpful in a variety of situations – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – with most every human condition in most every locale. We usually think of using essential oils in our homes, but I think you’ll be delighted at the number of ways you can benefit from using essential oils in your office! Here are a few –

1. Mental Accuracy
Would fewer errors be of benefit for you? In a computer test at the University of Cincinnati, students who inhaled peppermint essential oil had 28% better test scores than the control group who were not given the oil. You can inhale directly from the bottle, but diffusing is also effective. Diffusing lemon essential oil can result in as much as 54 percent fewer errors, according to recent research. With jasmine, people have reduced errors as much as 33 percent. Many others, such as Young Living’s Brain Power, rosemary, sage, cedarwood and Clarity, can also be very beneficial, either diffused, applied topically, or even placed on or under the tongue!

2. Headache Relief
Headaches can be a nuisance, but when they happen at work, productivity can suffer. Researchers have found that certain essential oils can block headache discomfort. Many people either inhale oils or place them on the back of the neck – the brainstem – or on the temples. Always be careful to not get oils in or near your eyes. Some suggested oils are peppermint, M-Grain, Deep Relief Roll-On, lavender, clove, Relieve It, and more. Gary Young has said that half the oils we carry will relieve a headache – it’s just getting to the reason for the discomfort. If it’s stomach-related, Di-Gize may do the trick. If you’re stressed, lavender, Peace and Calming or Stress Away may help.

3. Weight Loss While Sitting at Your Desk
Science has shown that peppermint essential oil can help curb appetite. You can put one or two drops of YL’s peppermint oil in a glass of water at your desk and then drink that during the day. Always remember to use glass and not Styrofoam, because therapeutic grade essential oils can eat through the Styrofoam. Our Slique essential oil in water is another good choice. There is much information written on this relatively new oil blend, and it’s designed for weight loss!

4. Better Relationships

Whether it is your mood, your client’s mood, or your co-workers’ moods, essential oils can help create more harmony in the office. Depending on the oil, you can inhale it, diffuse it, or put a couple of drops on a tissue or cotton ball and leave it on your desk. Some good oils could be Idaho balsam fir, Abundance, Believe, Harmony, Sacred Mountain, Australian Blue, Joy, White Angelica, Citrus Fresh – or whatever oil you particularly like. The list goes on and on (smile).

5. Creativity
If your job or your company can benefit from your creative ideas, you may be interested in what therapeutic grade essential oils can do to facilitate this process. It’s exciting to perk up the brain with oils such as Inspiration, Highest Potential, Awaken, Brain Power, peppermint, Live with Passion, Into the Future, Envision and many more. You can inhale these directly from the bottle, apply on the brainstem or diffuse. Or experiment with others. Whatever you’re drawn to might just work for you.

6. Staying Healthy

At any time during the year, co-workers can bring germs, flu and illness into the office. To keep sickness at a minimum, diffusing Thieves would be ideal. However, not everyone is always in agreement with using oils if they’re not familiar with them. In that case, just keep Thieves spray, Thieves lozenges and a bottle of Inner Defense capsules handy. When someone is coughing or sneezing, just treat yourself — spray your throat, take a couple of Inner Defense capsules with water and place a Thieves lozenge in your mouth. This will go a LONG WAY toward keeping you healthy.

Bonus Tip
Would you like to know which Young Living essential oil has been shown to –

(a) boost the immune system,

(b) increase energy,

(d) aid in brain function?

Studies have shown that our LEMON essential oil can do all this and more!!

The possibilities are endless. As Gary Young has often told us, if you don’t have the oil you want, use the oil you have and your intention will go a long way toward achieving the result you’re looking for. Experiment, enjoy, and remember – you’ll probably WANT the side effects you get from Young Living’s essential oils!!

Many hugs,

Diane Mora

Order your Essential Oils Here

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Information provided here is for educational purposes only. It is not for diagnostic or prescriptive use or to be construed as instruction on how to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any condition, illness or disease. If you have a health challenge, see the health care professional of your choice.

Common Sense Approach to Cold and Flu Prevention

Beau — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:51:10 +0000

by Beau Miakinkoff, LMT, LMP,CA, IAC

flu virus

There is a vast collection of information on the topic of cold and flu prevention. This article, however is an attempt to pull together some very basic steps that every individual should consider to help reduce the chances of contracting a cold or flu and ending up being sick for weeks and weeks. Who wants or needs that misery?

I actually came across a publication that stated “There are no known cures for colds and flu, so cold and flu prevention should be your goal.” I found myself truly laughing out loud. Obviously, I disagree with the first part of that statement and anyone with common sense can grasp the importance of the latter part of that statement. And here’s another statement I found that, to me was quite alarming: “The most effective way for preventing the flu is to get the flu shot.” Vaccines do not prevent a dang thing, least of all the flu. It is very well documented about how dangerous flu vaccines are. But that is another topic for another day.

Lets get back on track to discussing the common sense strategies you can employ to help prevent colds and the flu naturally. The top two most widely ignored basic hygiene causes of respiratory illnesses, whether from the common cold or influenza (“the flu”), are caused by viruses (sometimes referred to as “germs”) which are spread from person to person is by unclean hands and coughing or sneezing. Ergo, the list of common sense approaches begins with #1 and #2:

#1. Wash Your Hands. Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto his or her hand and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often.

Let’s face it, you can’t always get to a sink when you need to wash germs off of your hands. So keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer handy is a good idea to help disinfect hands and prevent flu and cold viruses. One study of university students found that keeping hands clean with hand sanitizer reduced the incidence of upper respiratory illnesses. If you can’t get to a sink, rub a hand sanitizer onto your hands. Young Living’s Thieves Hand Sanitizer is excellent and non-toxic as some of the over the counter brands that contain alcohol or bleach and other skin sensitive chemicals. I keep a small bottle of the Thieves Hand Sanitizer in my purse, in my car and at my desk. washing your hands

#2 Don’t Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands. Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands often results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
If you don’t have a tissue, use your shirt sleeve/upper arm rather than your hand. Unclean hands are a major way that germs get spread from person to person.
Throw away used tissues in a waste basket.
Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing, using either soap and water or an alcohol-based hand clean.
Stay at home and rest if you are sick, both to help recover and to minimize spread to others.

#3 Don’t Touch Your Face. Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.

#4 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly. Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body’s natural virus-killing cells. Exercise not only makes you feel great and helps you stay fit, but it also boosts your immune system and can help prevent cold and flu viruses from making you sick. Additionally, warding off extra weight is important for overall health, particularly when it comes to preventing colds and flu. A recent study found that overweight and obese people were more likely to fall ill or be injured, and researchers determined that higher BMI indicated an increased risk of injury and illness.

#5 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals. “Phyto” means plants, and the natural chemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.

#6 Don’t Smoke. Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones. Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in your nose and lungs, and with their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes.

#7 Cut Alcohol Consumption. Heavy alcohol use suppresses the immune system in a variety of ways. Heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body — it actually causes more fluid loss from your system than it puts in.

#8 Relax. If you can teach yourself to relax, you may be able to rev up your immune system. There’s evidence that when you put your relaxation skills into action, your interleukins — leaders in the immune system response against cold and flu viruses — increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself to picture an image you find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes in blood chemic

#9 Wipe Down Germy Areas. It’s probably common sense not to shake a sick person’s hands when you want to prevent a cold — but that’s far from the only place that you can pick up cold germs. A recent study looked for the presence of viruses on classroom surfaces and found that the flu virus was found on as many as 50 percent of surfaces. So take some time when you clean up your office or home to wipe down germy areas — light switches, doorknobs, your phone, your computer, and your TV remote — with your favorite cleaning product. (again, Thieves is an excellent choice) Minimizing exposure to germs can help prevent colds and the flu.

#10 Hands Off. Whether you’re nibbling on finger foods or you’re a nail biter, your hands have a habit of finding their way into your mouth, not to mention your nose, and eyes — all areas where germs can enter the body. And if you haven’t recently made it to a sink to scrub your hands, you’re inoculating yourself with those cold germs. To prevent cold and flu viruses, don’t touch “your eyes, nose, or mouth with your hands,” says Dr. Elder. This is how germs get inside your body and grow into an upper respiratory infection. You should also encourage others not to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with their hands to help prevent cold and flu viruses from spreading.

#11 Drink Plenty of Fluids. General good health practices keep your body strong and ready to fend off cold germs and the flu virus. And that includes drinking plenty of water. In fact, one recent study found that staying hydrated may boost a particular immune response to enable your body to better fight the viruses. Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of fluids, especially water, and by avoiding caffeinated drinks. Shoot for six to eight glasses of water per day, more if the weather is hot, says Elder.

#12 Take Probiotics. Probiotics are “good” bacteria that can help keep the body healthy and protect it from “bad” bacteria — and there’s even some thought that taking probiotics may help to prevent cold and flu viruses. In fact, a recent study found that regular use of probiotics kept people healthier and reduced the incidence of upper respiratory infections (like the common cold). Consider eating foods that contain probiotics or taking probiotic supplements to prevent flu.

#13 Take Vitamin D. Vitamin D switches on genes in macrophages that make antimicrobial peptides, antibiotics the body produces. Like antibiotics, these peptides attack and destroy bacteria; but unlike antibiotics, they also attack and destroy viruses. A creditable hypothesis that explains the seasonal nature of flu is that influenza is a vitamin D deficiency disease. vitamin D, in appropriate doses, can prevent flu viruses from infecting us.

#15 Eat Healthy Foods. A healthy diet can strengthen your immune system — and help you prevent flu and cold viruses from attacking. “Fruits, vegetables, low-fat proteins, and complex carbohydrates are the keys to good nutrition that will stoke your immune system,” says Elder. A recent study found that providing seniors with plenty of nutrients powered their immune systems and helped them to prevent the flu virus.

#16 Get Plenty of Sleep. Getting enough shut-eye each night offers bigger benefits than staying awake during a long afternoon at the office. Studies have found that getting enough sleep is essential for healthy immune function, and that insufficient sleep or poor sleep quality is associated with lowered immune function. So that means catching enough zzz’s at night can help prevent cold and flu viruses from slowing you down.

#17 Adopt the French Customs. The evidence for hands as a major route for transmitting infection is so strong that scientists at the London School of Hygiene recommend greeting friends the French way, with a peck on the cheek rather than a handshake. Or improvise, according to the situation. The next time someone approaches you with palm outstretched, try an “air kiss” or a manly hug instead.

#18 Disinfect Household Surfaces Regularly. Door handles, taps, television remote controls and refrigerator doors may all be repositories for germs; other culprits include telephones, computer keyboards, light switches, kitchen surfaces and cleaning cloths.

In the chance that you inevitably do catch a cold or flu, receiving a Raindrop Technique massage therapy treatment will greatly reduce your “down time”. Usually after a Raindrop treatment, you will find yourself virtually cold or flu free within a 24 hour period. I also offer a Cold and Flu bath salt soak to help you recover even faster. I make an essential oil blend that is ingested that will absolutely annihilate the germs causing the cold or flu. If taken at the first sign of a sore or scratchy throat, within a 12 hour period, you will be well.

My manta on flu vaccines is: educate before you vaccinate. The link I am providing here is an excellent source to start your education on this world-wide hoax….

http://search.mercola.com/search/Pages/results.aspx?k=flu%20vaccine%20articles

Essential Oils For Use During Pregnancy

Beau — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 04:08:12 +0000

By Beau Miakinkoff, LMT, LMP, CA, IAC

This list was given to me by my Young Living “up-line”. As an IAC, I do advise that the mother-to-be consult with her OBGYN, or other primary medical professional that is helping her through the pregnancy and delivery prior to using essential oils. There are many essential oils that may be used by a pregnant woman without harming the unborn child. The following list of Young Living Essential Oil Blends are deemed safe to use by an expectant mother:

Valor Helps to overcome fear. It brings a feeling of calmness, peace and relaxation. Helps balance electrical energies within the body, giving courage, confidence, and self-esteem. It has been found to help the body self-correct its balance and alignment. Is also a wonderful perfume.

Joy Helps feelings of love, self love and confidence. Can improve circulation. An exotic, luxurious blend that produces an uplifting magnetic energy and brings joy to the heart. When worn as a cologne or perfume, Joy exudes an alluring and irresistible fragrance that inspires romance and togetherness. When diffused, it can be refreshing and uplifting.

Acceptance Helps stimulate the mind to be open to the new things in life that allow you to reach toward your higher potential. Can help with feelings of security, promote feelings of confidence and courage. It also helps you overcome procrastination and denial.

Forgiveness Useful for emotional balance, Helps you to move past the barriers of life and forgive YOURSELF for those things you have issues with. May help release negative memories through the elctrical frequencies of the oils found in this blend.

Gentle Baby Designed especially for expectant mothers and the newborn. It is comforting, relaxing, and soothing. May help with skin elasticity and stretch marks as well as helpful during the birthing process and for reducing stress.

Hope Supports the body physically and mentally to give you hope. Can also help with depression.

Inspiration Is effective in dealing with problems related to emotional balance. A combination of oils traditionally used by the native people in the East and in North America for increasing spirituality and enhancing prayer, meditation, and inner awareness.

JuvaFlex Aids the body in cleansing the liver and building a strong system. It can help with detoxifying the lymphatic and digestive systems. A combination of oils that have been studied for their effect on the liver and digestion. It works well with JuvaTone and Di-Tone.

White Angelica Brings about a delicate sense of strength and protection and creating a feeling of wholeness in the realm of one’s own spirituality. Helps with anger, depression, headaches, circulation, haemorrhoids and also lowers high blood pressure. Its frequency protects against the bombardment of negative energy.

Present Time Helps the mother focus on giving birth. An empowering fragrance, which gives a feeling of being “in the moment.” One can go forward and progress when focused in the present time.

Into the Future Helps to let go of fear and trauma. Helps us leave the past behind in order to go forward with vision and excitement. So many times we find ourselves settling for mediocrity and sacrificing our own potential and success because of fear of the unknown. This blend was formulated to help us move forward with determination and a pioneering spirit. Living on the edge with tenacity and integrity unleashes the excitement, challenge, and joy of success.

Peace & Calming Assists to relax. A gentle, fragrant blend specially designed for diffusing. It promotes relaxation and a deep sense of peace, helping to calm tensions and uplift spirits. When massaged on the bottom of the feet, it can be a wonderful prelude to a peaceful night’s rest. Peace & Calming may be especially calming and comforting to young children after an overactive and stressful day. Used as a perfume, it can be a subtle and very helpful influence in an entire environment.

you may find all of these oils available at my Young Living Essential Oils order site.

50 Ways to Use Thieves Essential Oil

Beau — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 20:48:36 +0000

this article is from The Very Essence Blog with links to Young Living Circle by Evelyn Vincent…

February 22, 2012 in 4 Thieves, Air Fresheners, Aromatherapy, Cold & Flu Prevention, Dental, Did You Know?, Diffusing, eco-friendly, Essential Oil Application, Health and Wellness, How To, Indoor Air, Nontoxic Household, Nontoxic Household Cleaning, Thieves, Thieves Essential Oil, Well Being, Young Living Distributor | Tags: airborne microorganisms, All-Natural, first aid kit, Household, Natural, Thieves, Thieves Essential Oil

Thieves essential oil is a blend of highly antiviral, antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-infectious essential oils. Thieves was created from research of a group of 15th-century thieves, the ’4 thieves’, who rubbed oils on themselves to avoid contracting the deadly 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. It is the story of these 4 thieves which brought forth the popular essential oil blend called Thieves.

Studies conducted at Weber State University (Ogden, UT) during 1997 demonstrated its killing power against airborne microorganisms.

One analysis showed a 90 percent reduction in the number of gram positive Micrococcus luteus organisms after diffusing for 12 minutes. After 20 minutes of diffusing, the kill rate jumped to 99.3 percent.
Another study against the gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a kill rate of 99.96 percent after just 12 minutes of diffusion.

By combining Thieves essential oil with a few basic household items such as; vinegar, baking soda, olive oil, V-6 Massage Oil, or water – you can easily create various different cleaning products and simple first aid remedies.

Protect yourself naturally with Thieves essential oil. The scent of this blend of essential oils is really nice; somewhat spicy, while fresh and clean smelling. And the best part… it is perfect for those who prefer to have an all-natural home!

Not only is Thieves an essential oil but it is an entire line of products! Learn more about the Thieves products and about how to save 24 percent off retail by purchasing the Start Living with Thieves kit.

50 Ways to Use Thieves Essential Oil

First Aid; apply 1-2 drops Thieves essential oil to cuts or open wounds to prevent infection and promote healing. More on making a natural First Aid kit.
Mix one drop with a tablespoon of water, gargle and swallow for a sore throat.
Apply 2 drops Thieves essential oil diluted with 1 TBSP V-6 Massage Oil to upper chest and throat for bronchitis.
Put a drop on your thumb and push thumb on the roof of your mouth for a few minutes to stop a headache.
Put 5-8 drops in a capsule with a little olive oil and swallow at first sign of a cold.
Freshen smelly shoes or sneakers; put several drops Thieves essential oil on a cotton ball, place cotton ball in shoes over night to kill odors.
Put a couple drops of Thieves essential oil directly on the soles of your feet to protect you from colds and flu throughout the day. See more of my immune system tips.
Diffuse Thieves essential oil in your home to keep airborne germ count down. More on diffusers and diffusing.
Breathe in the vapors directly from the bottle when you have lung congestion.
Use 4-6 drops diluted with 1 cup water in a spray bottle to clean pet cages, creating a healthier environment for them.
Add a few drops to your dishwasher for cleaner dishes.
Add a several drops to your laundry cycle to sanitize clothes.
Clean and disinfect floors; to a bucket of water add 1/4 cup white vinegar and 8-12 drops Thieves essential oil. If the floor is particularly dirty add several drops of dishwashing soap.
Mix 4 drops in a 4oz. spray bottle filled with water as a spray and repel insect pests on your flowers and plants.
Use a few drops on a tissue to dissolve the gummy adhesive on price labels.
Apply 1 drop to bee and wasp stings to neutralize the toxin and relieve the pain.
Rub a couple drops Thieves essential oil on gums to prevent and treat gum disease.
Rub 1-2 drops on teeth to maintain healthy teeth and reduce cavities.
Apply a drop or two to gums or tooth for pain relief from toothaches.
Diffuse to solve mold problems.
Add a drop or two to orange juice and drink to reduce phlegm and congestion.
Apply 4 drops mixed with 1 TBSP V-6 Massage Oil to joints for pain relief and to hasten healing.
Put a drop in your cup of tea for flavor and to maintain health.
Put a drop on the tip of your tongue to help you stop smoking.
Put a drop with a little V-6 on cold sores and cancer sores to help them disappear.
Dryer sheet; on a damp washcloth place 4-6 drops Thieves essential oil, toss in dryer with laundry, dry.
Rub 2-4 drops mixed with 1 TBSP V-6 on sore joints to relieve arthritis pain.
Drink a few drops in water or juice every three hours to stop a cold.
Place a drop on the tongue and a drop in a glass of water every day for herpes.
Rub 2 drops on the bottoms of children’s feet for protection before school every day.
Diffuse for 30 minutes before children come home from school every day to promote wellness.
Mix 50:50 with V-6 Massage Oil and rub on location daily for relief of shingles, see more details and another protocol for shingles.
Apply a drop on the wound of a cat or dog to clear it up.
Diffuse Thieves essential oil in the home or office to stimulate a cheerful mood.
Diffuse in Thieves essential oil the office to increase concentration and work efficiency.
Diffuse at work to ward off cold and flu germs.
Diffuse Thieves essential oil in the classroom every morning for 30 minutes to reduce student sickness and absenteeism.
Carpet freshener and disinfectant; put 16-20 drops Thieves essential oil in 1 cup Baking Soda, in a container and mix well, allow to sit over night covered so the essential oil can be absorbed. Sprinkle on carpet, let sit for a little while, then vacuum.
Mix 1-2 drops with honey in a teaspoon for cough relief.
Breathe directly from the bottle for sinus headaches.
Mix 15-20 drops in a 14oz. spray bottle and mist school or office desks and other surfaces to reduce student or employee sickness and absenteeism.
Put several drops on a tissue and place in the vent of the A/C of a hotel to freshen and purify stale air.
Scented vacuum bag; put 2-4 drops Thieves essential oil on your paper vacuum bag to freshen air while vacuuming.
Mix 4-8 drops in a 1oz. (pocket-size) spray bottle filled with water to spray public restroom surfaces before use to disinfect surfaces.
Carry a bottle on every flight to inhale or rub on soles of the feet to protect you from germs on the plane.
Put several drops Thieves essential oil on a tissue and put in the heat/AC vents of your car to freshen and purify air while you drive.
Sanitize kitchen countertops; put 12-18 drops in a 14oz. spray bottle filled with water and spray surfaces to clean and disinfect countertops and butcher blocks.
Mix several drops with 1 cup of baking soda to scrub and sanitize bathtubs and sinks.
Apply 4-6 drops mixed with V-6 Massage Oil to the toes and feet to combat foot fungus.
Apply 2-4 drops Thieves essential oil mixed with 1 TBSP V-6 Massage Oil to poison ivy rashes to relieve the itch.

Buy Thieves Essential Oil or the Start Living with Thieves kit here!

How To Smell An Essential Oil

Beau — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:47:08 +0000

This post is being shared from a Nature’s Gift Aromatherapy article on Face Book. I found the blog informative and educational and thought it deserved to be included here on my website–with of course giving credit where it is due. I have corrected some spelling and sentence structure from the original post and added some of my own tid-bits to the article, but have left it primarily as Nature’s Gift first published it. (I myself sometimes order essential oils from Nature’s Gift, when I can not get the oils I want/need from Young Living.)

Earlier this week we received an email from a new customer. She had placed a rather extravagant ‘beginning’ order that included lots of the “rare and precious” oils. The customer wrote complimenting us on the quick shipping and excellent packaging and added “I think I blew out my sense of smell tonight…no one should smell ALL those beautiful scents all at one time. I will be more careful the next time.”

We emailed back and forth all evening and I realized that she had no clue how to first experience her new oils or and how to “clear her palate” so she wouldn’t overload her olfactory nerves. (ie: “blow out her sense of smell”)

If you have been working with essential oils for a long time, everything here is probably familiar to you. But if not, we hope this helps.

1. How to smell an essential oil:

It’s human nature to just open the bottle and inhale. We all do that sometimes. But that is the worst way to evaluate the richness of the aroma of an essential oil or absolute. Imagine the traditional Brandy Snifter, It is large and bowl shaped, with just a little brandy at the bottom. The empty space in the glass gives room for the aromatics of the liquid to develop and mingle…to dance with each other… for a fuller experience.

When you inhale from the top of the bottle the aromatic molecules do not have room to expand, to mix, to dance.

At Nature’s Gift, while we often will get our FIRST impression of an oil from smelling the bottle cap. (It is a bit less intense than inhaling directly above the bottle) The only way we will truly evaluate the complexity of an oil is on a scent strip. Yes, we offer “professional” scent strips. We use them ourselves, teachers use them to help their students fully experience the oils, aromatherapists use them to help determine a desired essential oil blend.

You can make your own by cutting construction paper or lightweight cardboard/poster board into strips.

Put one or two drops of the oil on the scent strip or dip the tip of the scent strip into the bottle. Let the oil on the strip dry for a minute or two, then inhale. See what you think of the oil initially. Wait ten minutes and smell the strip again. Twenty minutes, an hour, two hours. Notice how the oil’s (or blend’s) aroma changes in time. Let it sit overnight and smell it in the morning. The lightest top notes will be barely perceptible the next day. The base notes, the woods and roots, will be deeper and richer tomorrow than they are now.

2. How to “refresh your palate”:

The above description is all well and good if you have one new oil you want to experience and evaluate. But what if you have a dozen or more oils you wish to experience and want to smell them all right away? Of course you want to sample them all right now! After smelling about five or six they all start to smell alike. “Olfactory overload”. There is a fast and simple remedy for “olfactory overload”. Keep a small jar of roasted coffee beans close by. They don’t have to be fancy organic French Roasted Kenya or Hawaiian Kona beans. They can be discount store brand as long as they are whole roasted beans. Open the jar of roasted coffee beans, smell their aroma for perhaps a minute or two and you can go back to enjoying your new oils. I have no idea why coffee beans “clear the palate” so you can resume playing with your oils and absolutes, I just know that they do. When we used to travel to trade shows as vendors we always had a bowl of coffee beans on the sample table. We still use them if a large shipment of new oils come in.

A One Stop Resource for All the Oils in the Everyday Oils Kit

Beau — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:43:06 +0000

by Beau Miakinkoff, LMT, LMP, CA, IAC I have collected an assortment of information for the Everyday Oils Kit by Young Living Essential Oils. This has been an on-going, work in progress. As I find viable articles, I have tried to include links to the appropriate oil wherever possible. I hope you will find this attempt at compiling a “one-stop-shop” to retrieve all the information for all the oils of the Everyday Oils Kit a valuable resource. Essential Everyday Oils.

This Everyday Oil kit is a collection of 9 Young Living essential oils that may help to provide the human necessity for being uplifting, protective, calming and regenerating. These are just some of what will be experienced with the essential oils in the Start Living with Everyday Oils kit from Young Living. The essential oils in this kit can be used as perfumes, aromatherapy, cooking, and medicinal purposes (3 main ways to use Young Living oils). The specially-selected oils in this collection offer ongoing benefits for your health, home, and body. All of the essential oils in this kit are perfect for your essential oil First Aid kit too!

110 uses for the Everyday Oils kit

How to use your Everyday Oils Kit

A little more about the oils and their uses:

Lavender

relaxing benefits, calming, aid with sleep, soothe sunburn, ease stomach discomforts, soothe minor skin irritations and itching, soothing and relaxing foot bath, bath, scent linens, scent laundry in the dryer, diffuse to minimize allergies to dust mites and pollen, add a drop to vanilla ice cream for a delicious dessert, beauty recipes, and much more! Learn more about the Young Living Lavender Farm and Harvest.

Lemon

a clean, refreshing and purifying scent that uplifts, aids immune function, a powerful antioxidant, substitute for lemon juice in recipes, add a drop or two to flavor your glass of water or cup of tea, cleanse and sanitize surfaces, balances oily skin, preserves fresh produce, a drop in dishwasher prevents spotting, improves circulation, removes stains and adhesives, and much more!

Peppermint

highly regarded for soothing digestive issues, improves concentration and mental activity, uplifts mood, eases headache pain, soothing and invigorating in body/neck/foot massage, in foot bath, a drop flavors water or tea, eases congestion, in cooking a drop adds a delightful minty flavor, and much more!

Frankincense

sweet, calming, warm balsamic aroma, ease stress and despair, deepen one’s spiritual connection and centering, support immune system, help in repair sun damage and renew healthy looking skin. All about Frankincense

Valor

comforting and balancing (spiritually and physically), on bottom of feet to help balance body systems, ease anxiety, ward off negative energy, release tension, inhale for stage fright or phobias. (For topical and diffusing use only)

Thieves

highly effective against airborne bacteria when diffused, eliminates odors (does not cover them up!), rub on feet for immune support, mold, mildew, cleansing wounds (yes, it will sting a little), insect bites/stings, air freshener, laundry freshener, and much more!

Peace and Calming

a fragrant blend to help calm tensions and uplift spirits, aids in a good nights sleep, helps alleviate stress and anxiety. (For topical and diffusing use only)

Purification

formulated for diffusing to clean and sanitize the air, reducing mold/mildew, disagreeable odors, topically to cleanse and soothe bites/cuts/scrapes, insect repellent, help get rid of bed bugs, air freshener, a drop sanitizes hands. (For topical and diffusing use only)

PanAway

ease aches and pains, helps improve circulation, ease cramps and bloating. (For topical use only)

Order your Everyday Essential Oils here

Beau Miakinkoff

YLEO DIST#1003506

503-804-9711

Essential Oil First Aid Kit for Emergencies

Beau — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 01:31:24 +0000

By Beau Miakinkoff, LMT, LMP, CA, IAC

I have noticed lately, there are quite a few recommendations circulating around for including essential oils into a first aid kit. (Personally, I would like to take every one of my bottles of essential oils with me – just in such a case of an emergency, but that is not practical.) I found first aid lists of oils for kids at camp, kids at school, to keep in your automobile, have at the office, to be handy in the home, a baby-sitters’ helper, must have for travel, pet care and many more. After investigating the wide range of these suggestions, I have concluded that I need to share my list of preferred oils to keep on hand for use in an emergency situation.

A little bit of an explanation is in order here to preface my essential oil first aid kit recommendations. This list names 16 oils that will fill the Young Living 16 unit oil carrier that in turn will fit very nicely into any duffle, case, backpack, etc. that is set up to specifically serve as your emergency first aid kit. I am figuring that limiting the list to 16 will keep ts simple. The reason I am recommending that you place your oils in the YL 16 unit oil carrier is so that the bottles will stay safe and secure. I saw so many demonstrations of first aid kits including essential oil bottles where the bottles were being crammed into the same box as all the bandages, tape, ointments, salves, pills, scissors etc. that it just was not very organized for ease of reference or use. Keeping a small bag of essential oils inside the bigger bag of first aid supplies is better.

Here we go. My first 9 oils I am keeping in my essential oils emergency first aid kit are the Everyday Oils Collection. I can not improve on this selection of oils for use in any minor to non-life threatening emergency situation. Please see the Everyday Oil Booklet https://www.youngliving.org/US/pdfs/lit-everyday_oils.pdf for more information about the some of the uses of lavender, peppermint, lemon, frankincense, Purification, Thieves, Peace and Calming, PanAway and Valor.

Now, here’s the fun part for me! I am so happy to be sharing with you 7 more essential oils to fill up your emergency essential oil kit. These are not chosen in any particular order, I am only listing them here for now: Roman Chamomile, Idaho Balsam Fir, Onycha, Rosemary Cineol, Helichrysum, Copaiba, Melaleuca Ericifolia (tea tree). Tah-dah…..are you impressed? *laughing* You will also need to fill a 2 oz, bottle of carrier oil. I recommend YL V-6 blend. This bottle of carrier oil will fit snuggly in the spine of the carry case with no problems.

For the lay person using essential oils I will set up a quick cheat sheet to reference. You may print this out and keep it inside the essential oil case for ease of retrieving the information during the emergency.

Keeping the injured person calm: lavender, Peace & Calming, peppermint, Roman Chamomile, Valor.

Addressing pain: PanAway, ID Balsam Fir, Rosemary Ceneol, Helichrysum, lavender, peppermint, Copaiba.

Disinfecting: lavender, peppermint, lemon, frankincense, Purification, Thieves, Melaleuca Ericifolia, Onycha

Promoting healing: lavender, Thieves, Onycha, Valor, Rosemary Ceneol, frankincense

These will pretty much keep the situation in hand until the professional first responders arrive or you can receive assistance from emergency personnel at a medical facility.

You may order your essential oils for your emergency first aid kit here at: http://whitedragontherapies.younglivingworld.com/

Beau is a licensed massage therapist practicing in Portland Oregon. She is also certified in Integrated Aromatherapy and uses essential oils to assist her clients with health and well-being issues.

The Brain, Massage and Happiness

Beau — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 04:47:37 +0000

(training the brain via massage to be happy)

By Beau Miakinkoff LMT, LMP, CA, IAC

I have been contemplating writing an article about this topic ever since I read BUDDHA’S BRAIN. The examples of scientific information in that book is very easily adapted to the benefits of massage therapy. It all makes perfectly clear sense and anyone who has ever received a massage for any purpose can attest to what I am about to correlate to you here. And after reading this post, I am hopeful that it will inspire those that are not yet familiar with massage therapy to give it a try and for those that are familiar to book another appointment to keep that happiness on!

I’m going to try to keep this on an easy read level and not get too technical or “scientifical” about it. Explaining the brain can get “geeky” if yanowatimean! Besides, all the stuff I’m going to say here can be verified elsewhere in all the medical volumes for anatomy and physiology as well as the psychological texts. And I’d like to try to put this in some kind of format so that everyone can connect the dots and experience an “Ah-ha!” revelation.

First I want to address Happiness. It is a term that describes a mental state, the feeling and the attitude of our humanity. And this is kinda weird, but at this moment, I have to jump to The Brain right now to explain some of the mechanics before Happiness can finish being defined.

How the brain works is rather complicated. It is possible to simplify or use brevity in mapping out the parts. Our brains are roughly 2% of our body weight. Yet, it uses up to 25% of the body’s oxygen. The brain constantly works, even in our sleep, communicating with and directing other systems in our body. It multi-tasks all the time. Most of the time we are not even aware of it. It is where Happiness comes from. If the brain is not soothed, relaxed, stimulated and nourished in balance, Happiness will never be achieved. It’s all about the brain….

The brain acknowledges discomfort and pain more readily than it does bliss. Doesn’t matter if it is physical or mental. The brain knows it and the body therefore will feel it. We feel it in aches and soreness in our muscles and bones. Continued emotional imbalances cause the organs and body systems to break down which in turn triggers an illness. I’m only going to list the key parts of the brain here and you can go through and research what each section is responsible for what action in our being. Prefrontal cortex, Anterior cingulated cortex, Insula, Thalamus, Brain Stem, Corpus callosum, Cerebellum, Limbic system, Basal ganglia, Hippocampus, Amygdala, Hypothalamus and Pituitary gland.

Ok, now here I’m going to divert again and talk about the feeling of discomfort and pain. Our bodies tell us all the time that it is out of balance, misaligned, “unhappy”! By stimulating the body into healing itself actually triggers the brain to regulate the healing. I know, I know…. Just think of it as one giant circle and if one part of the circle is broken, happiness is not within, it escapes us. We need the circle closed and in balance.

Imagine at 12:00 O’clock is The Brain, at 5 O’clock is feelings, and at 8 O’clock is Happiness. Right now the majority of everyone and I mean EVERYONE! The path of communication is going from 12 to 5 and back again and again and again. Oh, maybe once in a while it will go from 12 to about 6 or 7, but never quite makes it to 8 or 9 or 10. What we want is the brain to be registering is at 9,10,11 range constantly. This kind of happiness is health inducing, disease conquering, true-blue bliss.

To stimulate the process of achieving Happiness, massage therapy is the ideal venue. Works like meditation, except the recipient does not have to practice. Massage therapy stops the aches and pains, stimulates circulation and engages the nervous system sending “good vibrations” and signals to the brain that triggers it to make endorphins. As long as the discomfort is kept at bay with the natural healing chemicals within our own bodies, the less the brain is having to stress ergo, the Happier our spirits are. Happy equals healthy on all levels.

And even if I say so myself, a body can never have too many massages! I like feeling Happy! :)

Beau is a licensed massage therapist in Portland Oregon. She is also certified in Integrated Aromatherapy for health and well-being use of essential oils. To book an appointment with Beau at White Dragon Therapies, go to www. whitedragontherapies.com and use the book now button that is located approximately in the middle of the page.

A Collection of Other Frankincense Essential Oil Articles

Beau — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:46:21 +0000

http://essentialsurvival.org/frankincense-wise-men/

A number of studies on frankincense reveal that the 3 Wise Men have been right all along — frankincense appears to have almost magical properties that have wide-ranging, health-promoting activity in the body.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm

Burning Incense Is Psychoactive: New Class Of Antidepressants Might Be Right Under Our Noses

Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils

Beau — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:30:17 +0000

What Does Therapeutic-grade Mean

by Evelyn Vincent February 12, 2013 in Aromatherapy, Did You Know?, Educational, Essential Oils, Find therapeutic grade essential oils, Myths and Truths, Why we should care | Tags: Therapeutic-grade Essential Oils, Why we should care

There seems to be a small group of people who are disturbed by the fact that Young Living (YL) has coined the term “therapeutic-grade”. It seems to me that the reason for them being disturbed by the term is because they don’t have a good understanding as to why YL did this. Let me clarify what has happened…

“Therapeutic-grade” is in fact a term that Young Living Essential Oils came up with to distinguish a difference between, improperly handled plants and oils, and the best handling of plants and oils.

No government or agency was involved with this because there has never been any standards whatsoever for essential oils and there still isn’t. Because there isn’t one, and YL is the largest essential oil producer in the world, they took it upon themselves to create a standard so the consumer could learn and recognize that there is a vast difference.

Before going any further, I want to mention that the term that YL did coin is “Young Living Therapeutic-grade”. Their company name at the beginning of the term gives an indication that not only did they coin the term but that no other company can use the term in the same way they have. They had to do this because YL is not a regulating agency over-seeing other essential oil companies.

That said, YL found that they had to set a standard itself because the terms such as “organic”, “100% Pure”, “Pure”, “100% Pure Essential Oil” and so forth, have been so terribly abused. So much have those terms that once did have significant meaning no longer indicate anything worth bragging about. Right now, you and I could go into a lab and create an essential oil out of nothing but chemicals and label it “100% Pure” – yes, it’s legal to do that because there is no regulation to distinguish the junk from the good stuff.

Here is what the YL (company) uses as its own standard for their essential oils…

Anyone Can Claim to Be Therapeutic Grade.

Only Young Living Can Claim Young Living Therapeutic Grade™.

The process Young Living uses when planting, cultivating, harvesting, and distilling a batch of oil is crucial to retaining its vital compounds. Without the exact blend of naturally occurring plant chemicals, an essential oil can lose its beneficial properties and fail to produce the desired effect.

Young Living Therapeutic Grade (YLTG) means that every essential oil Young Living distills or sources has the optimal naturally occurring blend of constituents to maximize the desired effect. Young Living is able to make this assertion because of our strict cultivation process—illustrated by the Four Ps—that guarantees the optimal potency of every Young Living essential oil.

Plants

An oil’s potency can be affected not only by selecting the proper plant to cultivate, but also by where the plant is grown, the quality of soil in which the seed is planted, and even the time of day it’s harvested.

Young Living has extensive experience selecting the correct species of plant for desired oil potency, planting under optimal conditions, using ideal soil and natural methods to encourage growth, and knowing the precise time to harvest each crop. Only those plants that produce the most active and widest array of therapeutic compounds are selected.

Preparation

Once the optimal soil, plant, cultivation, and harvesting conditions have been adhered to, the plants must be distilled properly in order to meet Young Living Therapeutic Grade standards. Young Living uses a gentle, proprietary technique for steam-extracting the most potent essential oils, which remains unmatched throughout the essential oils industry.

To meet Young Living Therapeutic Grade distillation standards proper temperature must be maintained throughout the distillation process, and pressure, length of time, equipment, and batch size are strictly monitored.

Purity

Young Living Therapeutic Grade standards prohibit the acceptance of any diluted, cut or adulterated oils. Every product Young Living produces—essential oils, oil blends, nutritional supplements, or personal care—meets strict purity standards.

Every batch of essential oils is subjected to rigorous, state-of-the-art analysis at the Young Living chemistry lab. Using some of the most advanced equipment in the world, our scientists subject every batch of essential oils to Gas Chromatograph and Mass Spectrometer testing, and heavy metals analysis. Oils that exhibit even the slightest hint of possible adulteration or tampering are rejected.

Potency

The culmination of the preceding three stages, Potency means that the naturally occurring compounds contained in each essential oil product are of the highest and most consistent bioactive levels. Without strict adherence to the Young Living Therapeutic Grade standard in the Plant, Preparation, and Purity phases, the final product would not have the necessary potency to create the desired effect.

The term Young Living Therapeutic-grade is an explanation of the standards YL is using to distinguish the gamut of qualities on the market. They had to name (label) their standard as something so that people could gain an understanding of the differences.

What is verifiable is the ‘standard’ YL operates by, and they call that standard therapeutic-grade.

Have you noticed lately that there are more and more people using the term “beyond organic”? That’s a term made up too.

What the term “beyond organic” means is it is informing people about is the fact that since the FDA and USDA took over the “organic” standards and regulations back in the early 1990′s they literally lowered the criteria that earned a farm “Organic Certification” prior to their takeover. The organic label today doesn’t even come close to the organic label of pre-1990′s.

There is no difference between the reason why we today have these two terms, “Therapeutic-grade” and “Beyond Organic” – it was a group of people who were dissatisfied with our current lax government standards, guidelines, and agencies, compared to the old very strict standards which served us so well years ago.

The fact is, since there is no standard or regulatory body overseeing the aromatherapy or essential oil industry somebody was bound to take matters into their own hands and set a standard, that somebody was Young Living.

The reason why YL was in a position to create a standard is because since 1992 they have been keeping articulate labs records from each harvest of plant material used in the distillation of their essential oils. They have the largest documented collection of material in the world. It is only when one has documentation over many years that they can determine a value of what equals junk and what equals superior.

While some might also think this term is merely for marketing purposes but that is coming from mouths that don’t know what has been going on in the industry and how bad it has become because there is no regulating body to oversee what a company is actually producing for consumers. I can assure you that it is not a marketing tactic, it is a standard that was created to help consumers learn and understand the value of what is being marketed around the world.

The standard for organic certification is so bad now that it’s a joke.

Michael Potter, Chairman and President of Eden Foods, in his testimony before the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). Many are too young to remember that back in the early 1990s there was quite a bit of concern and protest going on in the health food stores and among the organic food co-op’s. The fear back was that the USDA and the now NOSB would ruin the organics industry in some manner.

Prior to the USDA taking over organic regulation it was actually quite difficult for growers and farmers to meet the very strict organic regulations. While we weren’t certain back then how the new takeover would change the entire industry we did end up seeing the change happen within a relatively few years and it wasn’t good.

Large corporations who have purchased most of the our nation’s organic food industry and farms include: Coca-Cola, Cargill, General Mills, Kraft and M&M Mars, Kellogg’s, and Heinz, to name a few.

With the change in who regulates organics also meant the demise of thousands of small family owned organic farms. Stoneyfield Farms is one perfect example of how a wonderful food product can change virtually overnight and become nothing more than just another average commercial yogurt producer whose product is no longer truly organic, not to mention the fact that the product tastes disgusting as a result.

About 43 years ago, Michael Potter founded Eden Organics, back in the days when the word and label “organic” actually meant that something was super pure and truly natural. During those days, carrageenan, which is a seaweed-derived thickener that has a controversial health record, was not considered organic and was not allowed in a certified organic product. Also on the list of not organic ingredients was synthetic inositol, an ingredient manufactured using chemical processes. Today, those ingredients are permissible in labeled certified organic products. Worse yet is that GMO foods and ingredients are also allowed in labeled certified organic products.

For those of us who remember what food tasted like before the takeover all I can say is what is being sold and labeled today as organic is nothing more than a joke, the entire regulation and certification is shameful.

It is beyond me how any regulatory body can approve known non-organic ingredients to be included in products with a certified organic label. I suppose the only real way we can get the organic industry back to the wholesomeness it was prized for is to stop buying certified organic foods and products altogether, if there is no profits to be made they will stop making phony organic certificates and claims.

To make matters worse, the onslaught of GMO seed is potentially contaminating not only the environment but organic seed and crops as well through cross-pollination. In my mind, the fact that GM soy can and is allowed to be fed to animals in certified organic feedlots is a huge step back in our evolution of maintaining a clean source of food for those who demand better.

Michael Potter says…

“The board is stacked. Either they don’t have a clue, or their interest in making money is more important than their interest in maintaining the integrity of organics.”

Michael Potter refuses to place the certified-organic label on Eden’s product, claiming it a fraud!

In this 5 minute video on May 22, 2012 Michael Potter testified at the National Organics Standards Board Meeting on his dismay on the corruption and lax standards of the certified organic industry today…

Young Living also does not want the certified organic label on their essential oils, the label is a farce people!

I laugh when I see on an egg carton that the chickens were fed a “vegetarian diet” – a chickens ‘normal’ diet is supposed to be a mix of grasses and other leafy green plants and their seeds, and insects. I don’t want eggs that came from a chicken that was fed fake organic grains and kept in a coop with a door that only had to provide them access to the outdoors “IF” the chicken wants to outside (the chickens do not actually ‘have’ to go outdoors, which most don’t if they’ve been raised in a corporate coop. Those birds need sunlight and to be eating their natural diet in order to provide the nutrition we require to be healthy.

Organically certified beef can be raised in feedlots and fed organically certified corn and soy beans. They are allowed under current organic standards and regulations to never even eat a blade of native grass to become certified!

As you may already know, the only reason cows are slaughtered when they are 13 months old is because of the diet they are fed, they cannot survive much longer on a diet of corn and soy beans, regardless if these grains being organic or not. A healthy cow requires very specific types of grasses and some specific grass ‘seeds’ to be healthy, and healthy enough for us to eat. A calf or cow will never eat a grain instinctively because it makes them ill. It is only when they are given no other food choice that most will breakdown and eat grains because they are starving to death. Many calves (raised in conventional and organic methods) die because they simply cannot find another suitable food source (because they’re standing in a corral of mud up to their knees and the only food provided is corn and soy beans, they either eat it or die. A cow that is allowed to eat its natural diet requires 3 years to raise for slaughtering and they eat grasses and some kinds of weeds, naturally. It’s no wonder nutritionists say to avoid or minimize beef (both organic and conventionally raised) in the human diet, it’s because it’s a dreadfully unhealthy product for us to eat. Cattle that is raised on grass has a completely different nutritional profile and is actually very healthy for us to eat. But you wouldn’t know the difference based on the marketing and misleading information available to us these days.

The mega company’s have spent billions of dollars a year, probably adding up into the trillions over the past 50 years ‘convincing’ consumers to ‘accept’ mass produced junk. I believe this is precisely why the health of our children and adults has done nothing but do downhill since WWII.

It is for these reasons and many more, that folks in-the-know came up with the term “beyond organic” – it was a means to which they could help educate the public that there is a vast difference, and that the organic label today is meaningless compared to what the term “organic” once meant.

I personally LOVE that there are some groups out there, YL included, who are gutsy enough and creative enough to come up with the term “beyond organic” and “Young Living Therapeutic-grade”.

I think it’s brilliant because as a consumer of organically labelled foods for most of my life prior the organic regulation take-over in the early 1990s. For decades, I prayed that someone would do something to indicate to the average consumer that organic ain’t what it used to be. The FDA and USDA couldn’t wait to take over what was once a perfectly fine industry, so they could change the regulations to make it easier for the big companies to buy out the small guys and create corporate organic farms. I could go on and on about what a shambles the US regulatory body’s has created over the past 25+ years and I have in another blog I have, see these posts if you’re realizing that you’re not up to speed on what has been done and is being done…

The Trail of Corn; going where no man (or woman) has gone before

Growing Flax: a story of beauty, health, prosperity and ruin

Genetically Modified (GM) Canola Found Growing Along Roadsides

FDA Says GM Salmon, Trout, Tilapia Safe for Human Consumption

Organic Certification: is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Sustainable Beyond Organic Meats: we are what the animal eats and there are plenty more at that blog.

Right now, YL has five beyond organic farms around the world: 2 in the US, 1 in Ecuador, 1 in France, 1 in Yemen. Totaling several thousand acres. You might be wondering why in the world would a company like YL be doing with so much land anyway… it’s because the only way you can know for sure something has been done right is to do it yourself.

Many years ago, Gary Young, founder and president and founder of YL, was offered an ungodly amount of money for the company. He turned the offer down because he didn’t want all of the hard work and standards that made YL what it is today to go down the drain. There are very few people with enormous amounts of money who would maintain the standards YL has put into place.

There is one other essential oil company, whose name I won’t mention, that uses the term “Therapeutic-grade” in the marketing of their essential oils. If you’ve looked around at other brands you know who the other company is.

Without going into detail, I will simply say this… that other essential oil company buys the essential oils that YL has rejected because when tested the essential oil vendors oil did not meet YL standards for purity and naturally occurring constituents. Which mean those oils do NOT pass the battery of tests that YL performs. This other company claims their oils are “Therapeutic-grade”, I can assure you that they are not.

By the way, I sure hope that you are not cooking with or ingesting that other brand of essential oils! They buy essential oils from vendors who spike their essential oils so the profile appears higher quality than it actually is.

One valuable piece of equipment that YL has can test for and identify if an essential oil has been spiked. For instance, this piece of equipment can determine if a lavender essential oil has Linalyl, which is a naturally occurring phytochemical found in many plants and flowers (other than Lavender angustifolia). Also, there is a synthetic linalyl acetate which is used as an adulterant to make an essential oil more marketable. It is also added to the much cheaper lavandin essential oil which is then sold as the more desirable Lavender Oil – this is the cheap essential oil of lavender you find in stores for under $10 per bottle and it is mildly toxic to humans and some wildlife.

Some years back a vendor who had been reputable in the past, brought to YL a batch of Helichrysum oil, YL ran it through the testing equipment and it looked beautiful and YL said they would purchase it. Then vendor brought the barrels over to YL to complete the sale, over a million dollars worth at YL cost. Because YL runs the oil again through the battery of tests before bottling, YL found that the Helichrysum oil was inferior. They contacted the vendor and told them to get the oil out of here. That Helichrysum a month later showed up as Helichrysum oil at the company whose name I am not mentioning, they were boasting that they were the ONLY essential oil company who had Helichrysum oil for sale. This occurrence has happened more than once. The oils that company sells to unknowing consumers are not the same “therapeutic-grade” standard that YL uses, not by a long shot.

What I am afraid of is the day when that company unwittingly purchases a batch of really terrible quality oils from a vendor and someone becomes fatally ill or dies from ingesting them, that would be a terrible shame and I can’t even imagine what their irresponsibility would do to the entire essential oil industry. It’s not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’. That’s why I have turned down that company’s distributors who have hounded me to come be a distributor with them. No way, never!!!

This is why I always put a note in my posts saying these recipes and tips are only for the use of YL oils, no other brand.

I say that because about 10 years ago a woman didn’t like the price of YL oils she said they were too expensive, so she went to the store and bought cheap lavender oil. When she got a burn in the kitchen she immediately put her cheap lavender oil onto the burn. The cheap lavender she bought and used wasn’t even real lavender and it worsened to the point she had to go to the hospital for a 3rd degree burn.

I began using essential oils in 1991, before YL was even a company. I had read and studied everything on aromatherapy and oils I could find. Through those sources I discovered that there was a vast difference in quality (which has only gotten worse since) and it was my life goal to find the superior quality oils I had read about. I bought essential oils in the early 1990′s and I ONLY used them for cleaning my house, I never once applied them topically, and I certainly never ingested them because I had learned enough to know that the chemicals in 98% of all essential oils in the entire world ARE adulterated with some very toxic chemicals. I knew that long before I discovered YL in 1998.

Because of all the studying I did before finding YL I went into YL knowing very well what I was looking at, and that is why I went to YL instead of someone else.

I’ve heard some say that they all (essential oils) do what they claim. That is because on some level every essential oils contains compounds that do something. I agree that they all do what they claim, to an extent. But you need to at least consider what else your body is inhaling or absorbing.

So while on the surface YL’s therapeutic-grade might seem annoying, disturbing, and a mere marketing ploy, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than people can imagine. The difference is night and day when it comes to quality and purity, and if you are using other brands for my recipes and tips I highly suggest you stop immediately because it will only be a matter of time before you end up harming yourself, this is a very serious matter and one that should not be taken lightly. The recipes and tips I share online are ONLY intended for YL oils, no others ever.

I would never use another brand in place of YL oils for any of my tips and recipes and I expect others to honor my request when I say “do not substitute other brands for YL”

I say that not so I or YL can make sales I say it because it’s based on truth and facts. I would rather be poor and make no sales, than see a recipe I share contain an ingredient that I would never use myself. If I didn’t use my oils in certain ways before discovering YL I would certainly never encourage anyone to use anything else. I hope this clarifies the issue of therapeutic-grade, and more! What’s going on out there folks is not good and if you don’t know the difference you need to because it does matter, it’s your health, your money, and our environment that these companies are messing with in their greedy quests.