Homeschooling and Essential oils Part 1

I've been using essential oils for several years.  I've used multiple brands.  I've paid a lot and a little.  I've purchased them at the health food store, Amazon.com, from a MLM company and from my friend.

After about two years of buying these oils, I found a friend that had signed up to be a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA essential oils - which I'd heard of multiple times but never sought information about this particular brand.  I attended my first class for essential oils and found that there was so much that I did NOT know!  For example, there is a difference between aroma therapy and actual therapy associated with various oils - pure oil will have therapeutic benefits on some health issue.  

I had questions too.  Where did these oils come from?  When were they discovered?  How do we know what works on what issue?  What testing is done to say it is safe?  What is an 'essential' oil?  Why is it named 'essential' oil?  Some questions have been answered.  Other questions, I'm pondering the answers and continuing to research.

I decided to sign up to get the 11 most popular oils from doTERRA by signing up under my friend, Heather.  I received The Family Physician Kit in the mail and opened them.  Immediately I thought they were 'stronger' than the other brands I'd tried.   Also I realized these did not have the warning label 'For External Use Only'.  I added a drop of lemon essential oil to my glass of water - it was refreshing.  Then I ordered a few more doTERRA blends to target personal and specific health issues.  Those blends did it.  I was hooked!  These were different! 

I began researching online, attending more classes, using more of doTERRA oils, asking questions, and logging information.  I watched so many videos on YouTube regarding oils, science, and the Wellness Advocate promotions, etc.

I always knew why I've been drawn to these oils in general.  God provides everything for us that we need.  He knew it would be centuries before modern medicine would create vaccines, antibiotics, and other medical miracles.  He intended for us to use these oils!  God created the first antibiotics, mood enhancers, fever assistance, and more.

Ezekiel 47:12 - And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

As one of my up-line has recently mentioned, God knew before the Garden of Eden that we would need these provisions.  The Egyptians used oils.  The doctors of the early Americans and Native Indians in the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s used tonics and herbs to treat illness and health issues.  The University of Maryland Medical Center states this on their website (Aromatherapy history).

What is the history of aromatherapy?
Essential oils have been used for therapeutic purposes for nearly 6,000 years. The ancient Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used them in cosmetics, perfumes, and drugs. Essential oils were also commonly used for spiritual, therapeutic, hygienic, and ritualistic purposes.

More recently, René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist, discovered the healing properties of lavender oil when he applied it to a burn on his hand caused by an explosion in his laboratory. He then started to analyze the chemical properties of essential oils and how they were used to treat burns, skin infections, gangrene, and wounds in soldiers during World War I. In 1928, Gattefossé founded the science of aromatherapy.

By the 1950s massage therapists, beauticians, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, and other health care providers began using aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy did not become popular in the United States until the 1980s. Today, many lotions, candles, and beauty products are sold as "aromatherapy." However, many of these products contain synthetic fragrances that do not have the same properties as essential oils.   (http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/treatment/aromatherapy)

So why doTERRA?  I've researched all I could before feeling comfortable (at this point) to recommend these oils in my homeschooling consulting business to moms who need advice with kids' focus, hyperactivity, or distractability issues.  doTerra has a scientific basis; I have a medical background.  It makes sense.  

DoTERRA has an advisory board panel that can boast of the following members (doTERRA scientific affiliates):

• Dr. David Hill is the Chief Medical Officer and well-known expert in essential oils' use in modern health.
• Jessica Herzog, MD, FAAP, ABHIM is a daily user of essential oils from doTERRA.
• Joshua Yorgason, MD is an Ear Nose & Throat physician who runs the website Protocalled.com; he uses essential oils and promotes natural therapy protocols.
• James Geiger, MD is an anesthesiologist and has been an aromatherapist since 2004.
• David Steurer, DMD, MS, MHsC is a chemist, a Harvard Dentist, and an oral surgeon.
• Paul Winterton, MD is an orthopedic surgeon who is on the research team with doTERRA and serves on their scientific board.  

I had the privilege to hear two professionals speak at a recent event in Parkersburg, WV.  The professionals ranged from MDs to nutritionists at these events.  I was impressed with the science and the research that was presented. I was not expecting this.  I was expecting hype, testimonies, recognition for top sales or enrollments, or other hoopla.  There was terrific information, power point presentations, charts, graphs, research, studies, and a talk by 

Tory Parker, Ph.D.  His biography follows.

• Director, Research & Development

Dr. Parker holds a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has extensive experience in food processing, food chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, and human nutrition. He has worked both in the supplement industry and in academia, making him uniquely positioned to understand product development, research, and the physiology and chemistry behind nutrition. Dr. Parker has a contagious passion for teaching people about the connection between nutrition and living a long life free from the early onset of degenerative conditions associated with poor lifestyle choices.

Other reasons I choose doTerra as the company of choice (doTERRA website) are the following:

• Pure and natural, with aromatic compounds carefully extracted from plants
• Free from fillers or artificial ingredients; no dilution of active qualities
• Free of contaminants, pesticides, or chemical residues
• Rigorously tested for standards of chemical composition
• Cross tested using mass spectrometry and gas chromatography to ensure exact purity and composition potency
• Sourced by a global network of leading essential oil chemists and growers to ensure correct species, growth in ideal environments, and that raw plant materials were carefully harvested at the right time

Stay tuned for my next post regarding what my family uses to help with our homeschooling day.  What oils or oil companies have you used and why?