Butterfly Balance Wellness Center

Essential Oil Testimonial Database, and My Own Crisis Averted!

I discovered an absolutely wonderful website called Oil Testimonials. I've been using Young Living Essential Oils for a while now, personally and in my practice, but there is so much to learn about what they can do for your health and wellness. I have to admit that it's still not an automatic response to pick up an oil for a health crisis; most of us were raised with medications in mind, and that's the first thing we think of and rely on. There are a few oils that I really know in terms of what they're good for, but this website has been a huge help to me in learning more about them.

There are multiple memberships to this site, and I use the free option which gives you most of the functionality of the site. It clearly explains the benefits to upgrading to Silver or Gold memberships on their FAQ page, but there is a wealth of information available with a free membership.

Oil Testimonials is a essentially a database of testimonials from members about their usage of Young Living Essential Oils for various needs/issues. You can enter an issue in the database (like "headache," "bronchitis," "pain," etc.) and multiple testimonials pages will come up. You can read what the member had to say about the issue, which oil(s) they used, and the outcome. It's really opened my eyes to what is possible with the oils.

Last night I was doing some cleaning and noticed that my right ankle was swollen. I pulled up the leg of my pants to take a look at it, and noticed that my lower leg was extremely red, swollen and much harder than usual. It was also a little bit painful and had a tingling feeling, and so red that it looked sunburned against my pale foot.  I elevated my leg and decided to do some Reconnective Healing on it. When I placed my hand on my lower leg, I noticed there was so much swelling and fluid under the skin that my hand actually left an indent. I won't lie - I was a bit alarmed. When you google those symptoms you get all kinds of awful things looking at you on the computer screen, most of which tell you to go to the emergency room. Uh oh!

Review: Life Juice Cleanse

I recently completed a 3-day juice cleanse/fast from Life Juice and wanted to share my experience with it. 

I'd never done a juice cleanse or any other type of fast before, unless it was a fast for a medical procedure. And during those fasts I always felt awful and was starving, so the idea of fasting for the heck of it didn't sound too appealing. I follow the blog of Chef Amber Shea and she was doing a review of various juice cleanses that she had received and done. I was intrigued, and in a moment of temporary insanity, decided to order a 3-day Juice Cleanse from Life Juice in New York.

The juice is shipped frozen via overnight courier and must be used within 3 days of defrosting, as the juice is not pasteurized and will spoil after that time, and lose nutrients even if it didn't spoil. There are 18 pint drink bottles - 6 for each day of the cleanse (the drinks do not vary daily).

Drink #1 is called Himalayan Sea Salt Solé, a mixture of Himalayan sea salt, water and lime, and it is recommended to drink it warm on an empty stomach at the beginning of the day. This was a surprisingly nice drink - very refreshing and light, and the warmth of the drink was very soothing. A nice start to the day.

Drink #2 is called Alkaline Blend, a mixture of apple, carrot, cucumber, lemon, celery, beet, spinach, kale, parsley, and ginger.  A very tasty, sweet juice with beautiful red color, it was probably my favorite of the juices.

Drink #3 is Oh My Green Goodness, a mixture of apple, cucumber, celery, lemon, spinach, kale, parsley, and ground ginger. A very "green" tasting juice from all the vegetables, but still sweet from the apple. I enjoyed this juice, which is a good thing since it repeats later in the day. :)

Drink #4 is Energizer Bunny, a mixture of apple, carrot, lemon, and ginger. I do not generally like carrot juice, so was not looking forward to this. I was surprised, however, how the carrot was not overpowering, despite the bright orange color. I really enjoyed this juice.

Drink #5 is a repeat of #3, Oh My Green Goodness.

Drink #6 is Toasty Spiced Almond, not a juice, but a mixture of filtered water, raw organic almonds, dates, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, and they recommended warming it up. I'll admit it was not my favorite drink - it was a bit grainy and thin - but not unpleasant. The fiber content was very high from the almonds, and - at the risk of TMI - was a bit of a shock to my system, if you know what I mean. :)

Solé Drinking Therapy (no, not fish!)

Have you heard of Solé (pronounced "So-Lay") Drinking Therapy? I hadn't, until a few weeks ago.

I had done a prepackaged 3-day juice fast right after Thanksgiving (I'll review that in the next week or so), and the first drink of the day was a Solé drink - ingredients of Himalayan Sea Salt, water and lime. The instructions were to drink first thing out of bed, on an empty stomach. I was not excited to start out my day with a glass of salt water. Honestly, it sounded disgusting. <grin>

However, over the 3 days, it became a wonderful ritual. It actually wasn't as salty as I imagined it would be. Then I thought I would look online to find out why one would want to drink solé anyway; what were the health benefits?

Apparently, the Himalayan sea salt is filled with minerals that the body needs, and the process of making it into solé energizes it so that our body can take in the vibration of the elements for a 24 hour period, stimulating the digestive track, metabolism, and nourishing our bodies. Here are some other benefits I've read about solé:

• Supplies the body with a natural energy that can last up to 24 hours
• Effective in balancing irregular heartbeats
• It harmonizes the alkaline/acidity balance in your body and normalizes the blood pressure
• It dissolves and eliminates sediment deposits which can lead to stones and various forms of arthritis, kidney and gall stones
• Vital to making the structure of the bones firm
• Helps to clean our lungs of sticky phlegm and excess mucous, as well as a cleaning of our sinuses
• Vital to the nerve cells and the communication process of our cells
• Helps the absorption of food particles through the digestive tract
• Drinking sole aids in the prevention of muscle cramps, and helps with sleep regulation. Sea salt is a natural hypnotic.
• Vital for maintaining sexuality and a healthy libido
• Natural antihistamine that helps you breathe better

I've been drinking solé daily for about 3 weeks now in the morning to start my day and one thing I've noticed is that I had an eczema patch on my hand that was flaky and very rough that was not responding to conventional treatment, and after drinking this daily, it has improved drastically. I have not read it yet (I just ordered it), but there is a book called Water and Salt by Barbara Hendel and Peter Ferreira that talks more about the benefits of solé.

Making your own solé is very easy. You probably all know that salt dissolves in water, but did you know that if you keep adding salt, you'll eventually come to a point where it is fully saturated and will no longer dissolve? That's what you're going for with this recipe:

Put 2 or 3 large Himalayan salt stones in a glass container with lid. (I bought a solé kit locally at East West Bookshop which was a container of stones and the recipe.) Cover the stones with a good-quality water (about 2-3 inches above the stones), cover the container and let sit for 24 hours. If the salt is all dissolved, add another salt stone and wait another 24 hours. If salt remains at the bottom, it has reached the 26% saturation rate and you're ready to go! Add 1 teaspoon of the solé mixture to a glass of water and drink slowly on an empty stomach, before breakfast. I usually add some squeezed lime to mine.

Please let me know if you try this and what benefits you may receive from it!

Important Info: None of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA. This product and post are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should anything be considered a prescripton or guarantee of any health benefits. Please consult with your physician or other health care provider before starting solé drinking therapy if you have issues with sodium and/or other health concerns.

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Give the Gift of Wellness

Did you know that Butterfly Balance Wellness Center offers gift certificates?

Give the gift of health and wellness to your loved ones this holiday season. Until December 31, 2012 I am offering a special holiday discount - purchase a $90 gift certificate (good for one session of Health Kinesiology or Reconnective Healing in the next year) for only $70. And if you purchase a package of 3 gift certificates, you will receive the $20 holiday discount on top of the usual 20% package discount! Please contact me to purchase.

Interested in essential oils as gifts? Young Living offers high quality essential oils that I use in my practice, and they have many seasonal items that would make great stocking stuffers and holiday gifts. Please visit my Young Living website to purchase those items. Ask me how you can save money with distributor discounts.

I've also set up the Butterfly Balance Wellness Shop which offfers items (via Amazon.com) that I personally use in my home and/or practice, or that come highly recommended by my holistic colleagues. Click here for the shop.

Wishing you and your loved ones all the best during the holiday season!

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

What is Earthing?

A Health Kinesiology colleague of mine mentioned Earthing on Facebook recently. I had never heard of it before, so I looked over the website at Earthing.com and decided to check out of the library the book Earthing - The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? by Ober/Sinatra/Zucker to learn more.

Earthing is described on their website:

Throughout history humans walked barefoot and slept on the ground. But modern lifestyle, including the widespread use of insulative rubber- or plastic-soled shoes, has disconnected us from the Earth’s energy and, of course, we no longer sleep on the ground. Fascinating new research has raised the possibility that this disconnect may actually contribute to chronic pain, fatigue, and poor sleep that plague so many people.

The remedy for the disconnect is simple. Walk barefoot outdoors whenever possible and/or sleep, work, or relax indoors in contact with conductive sheets or mats that transfer the energy to your body. People who do on a regular basis say they sleep better, feel better, and have more energy during the day.  This simple practice is called Earthing, and it is both a technology and a movement which is transforming lives across the planet.

Earthing is safe and natural, for people of all ages, young and old, but it is not medicine or a substitute for medical treatment. If you have a medical condition, see your physician or healthcare provider.

 HOW TO EXPERIENCE EARTHING…NOW

Go barefoot outside for a half-hour and see what a difference it makes on your pain or stress level.  Sit, stand, or walk on grass, sand, dirt, or concrete.  These are all conductive surfaces from which your body can draw the Earth’s energy.  Wood, asphalt, and vinyl won’t work.  They are not conductive surfaces.  Experience for yourself the healing energy of the Earth at work. 

I found this particularly interesting, as I have some health issues involving inflammation (which they claim can be helped by Earthing), and I have NEVER enjoyed going barefoot. Especially outdoors. As a child, if my mother put me in the grass with bare skin touching it, I would scream and cry. So, if this was true about earthing, I was NEVER getting grounded from the earth and enjoying the benefits of its energy, as I never touched it! Even at the beach, I was the geek wearing sneakers on the sand. :)

The website sells products that facilitate earthing, but as they mention in the quote above, you can do it for free by standing outside barefoot (it's just not always practical in certain climates or situations to do so, which is why they sell products as well). I was on vacation a few weeks ago in a warmer climate and decided to give it a try - standing outside barefoot on the patio, and even venturing briefly into the grass, which was HUGE for me. (I'm sure there's a health kinesiology correction needing be done there - ha!) I did this every single day for maybe 5-10 minutes, and every day that I did it, I realized that when I went to bed that night, I actually slept straight through, and felt refreshed when I woke up. I was very intrigued.

Knowing I was not going to be walking barefoot in Seattle in winter, I ordered the Earthing Universal Mat. The mat ($59 plus shipping) comes with a copy of the Earthing book, an outlet checker (to see if the ground is properly working in your outlets), a ground cord, the rubber mat and an optional cover for the mat. You plug the cord into the ground hole on a 3-prong outlet, and then attach it to the rubber mat. You can put any bare skin on it - whether it's your feet (which is what I do), or put it under a keyboard and rest your arms on it, or put it in your bed while you're sleeping. The mat arrived the day I returned from vacation and forr about 10 days I noticed that my sleep continued to be restful and uninterrupted, and I find I have far more energy. It's been easier to get out of a chair (which can sometimes be a challenge with arthritic knees). I think it's too early to make any judgments on the use of the Earthing product and it's effectiveness on my health, but the preliminary results are promising.

I also decided to purchase a small Earthing Body Band Kit ($20 plus shipping) which allows me to hook into the earthing/grounding energy while sitting at the office. I have the orange band around my ankle at the office, although I do have to remember to disconnect myself before walking away. :)

I will share with you in a few weeks about my continued experience with Earthing. Have you heard of it before or tried it? I would love your feedback as well if you've done it, whether the experience was good or not. And remember, you can try it for free by simply getting outside and connecting with nature barefoot!

  

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Non-Toxic Floor Cleaning

When I first started getting interested in improving my health and “greening” my home to make it less toxic, I started replacing many of the cleansers in my home with natural, non-toxic versions. But I’ve found a series of options that I am very happy with in terms of keeping my home clean and safe for myself, animals and children.

The toxic chemicals found in many cleaning products are a hazard not just to the environment, but to our personal health – causing problems with lungs, skin and internal organs. I have spent a lot of time in Health Kinesiology sessions for myself and clients to help detox from these toxic chemicals, many of which just keep building up inside our bodies and causing a multitude of health problems. While I was aware of how these cleansers affected me, I felt particularly bad when I realized my cat is walking and laying on the floors cleaned with these products, and then licking himself clean, no doubt ingesting them, not to mention inhaling the fumes from close up.

Today I want to focus on floor cleaning, since it’s one of the last green cleaning products I considered when switching over, and there are a lot of wonderful options out there now. Note: do check with your floor manufacturer for any special instructions on using these alternative products. Even simple steam can be damaging to some floor surfaces.

Young Living Essential Oils makes a wonderful product line called Thieves. Thieves essential oil blend was created based on the historical tale of four thieves in France who protected themselves from the black plague with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing victims of the killer disease. In modern days, these same herbs and essential oils have been found to be an effective barrier against topical and airborne microorganisms. Young Living’s proprietary Thieves oil blend includes clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon, and eucalyptus. Thieves has been university tested and found to be highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health. Their Thieves Household Cleanser product is an effective, safe product for cleaning floors (as well as other surfaces in your house). Here is a brief video about the Thieves line:

 

I was reading an article recently called How to Eco-Hack your Swiffer Mop, which is what gave me the idea for this post. In her article, author Sayward Rebhal explains how she replaced the wasteful, disposable mop-head with a washable, reusable terry cloth towel, and how she refilled the chemical cleanser container with a green solution. She used vinegar, but Thieves Household Cleanser would also be a good option, as well as other green cleansers. Not only would this save money, but a non-toxic cleanser would be greatly beneficial to both your family and the environment. I wish I’d read this article before giving up my Swiffer Mop for greener solutions!

Biokleen is one of my favorite brands of green cleansers, and one I will write more about in the future. They have multiple green products that work on floors, from bare floors to spot cleansers for our rug and – a big surprise to me – a cleaner made just for carpet shampoo machines! I was ready to toss out my Bissell shampooer because of how strong the fumes were from their cleansers. Now we use the Biokleen Carpet & Rug Shampoo exclusively. It does a wonderful job of cleaning our rugs with an almost non-existent smell, and we can feel comfortable about the safety of the product for our health.

Another product I recently purchased is the Shark Steam Pocket Mop. This is a lightweight floor cleaning mop that uses the power of steam to clean and disinfect bare floors. The pads are machine washable and all you need is water to produce the steam needed. It has done a wonderful job lately on our vinyl kitchen floor which takes quite a beating!

Whatever method you use, I hope you’ll consider switching over to a less wasteful, less toxic alternative for cleaning your floors and coming in for a Health Kinesiology session to begin your body’s detox of these chemicals.

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Eliminating More Plastic

I've been on a quest for a while to eliminate as much plastic in my life as I can, especially where food is involved.

As a former Tupperware salesperson, my house was filled to the rafters with plastic items. Well, until I started hearing about the dangers of plastics from a Green perspective - specifically, the dangers of BPAs (Bisphenol-A) and what happens when plastic is heated with food in it and the dangers that can come from it. 

I was mostly successful with my conversion, except for one thing: cups big enough for my morning protein smoothies. Our glass drinking glasses were not large enough, and we'd continued to use our 30 oz. Tupperware tumblers. I know I wasn't using the cups for heating and storage, but in a perfect world I wanted to eliminate drinking out of the plastic, especially when I do it daily. It's not ideal when you spend your time making sure all your smoothie ingredients are organic and healthy, and then drink it out of plastic!

I was sitting in a vegan organic cafe near my house (Chaco Canyon), drinking a smoothie out of a stainless steel cup, and I decided to buy some from them for drinking glasses, but at 16 oz. they were still not large enough. But when I looked at the label on the cup, I realized that they were actually shaker cups (you know, for mixed bar drinks) and started searching online to see if they made them larger. Eureka! 26 oz. stainless shaker cups! At $2.99 each and reasonable shipping, I highly recommend them. (I don't receive any incentives if you purchase them at that link.) Food Service Warehouse also sells a 15 oz. version for $1.99.

Dishwasher safe, they don't stain or take on odors like plastic, and they are low profile and nest so nicely that they take up less room than the plastic or glass in my cabinets. Plus no nasty BPAs being added to your body. What's not to like?

I have BPA samples (and other toxic substance samples - all in energetic form so as not to be harmful to anyone) in my Health Kinesiology test kits, which I can use in corrections to help the body recognize it and learn how to process it out of our system. But it's always easier to keep things from happening than work to fix them later!

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Free Health Kinesiology Book

Are you an Amazon Prime member and a Kindle e-reader owner? If so, you can borrow an electronic copy of the book Health Kinesiology by Jane Thurnell-Read, absolutely free!

I recommend this book to people who want to understand Health Kinesiology in greater detail. It's very easy to read and explains about the history of Health Kinesiology, how it works, etc. You can take a look at the table of contents and some preview passages from the book at this link. I also have a copy of the paperback version in my office for clients to browse.

Jane Thurnell-Read is a UK-based health kinesiologist practitioner and teacher who practiced HK for over 20 years. She is now focused on writing and creating the test kits that I use in my practice.

If you don't have a Kindle device and/or no interest in Amazon Prime, the book is available for $14.60 (today's current price).

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Ode to Peppermint Oil, or Salvation from Stench

How's that for a title? :)

Monday in our house is garbage day, which includes pickup for compost - here in Seattle we can collect kitchen food scraps and put them into a bin for them to pickup and compost on garbage day. A few weeks ago, as I gathered everything up and opened the in-kitchen compost bin, I was hit with the most incredible stench of rotting food that should've been taken out a day or two earlier. (That leftover cat food doesn't smell so nice a few days later!) It was so bad that I was unable to continue what I was doing and left the kitchen. As my husband wouldn't be home for hours to help, I had to decide how best to deal with this situation.

While I keep most of my essential oils over at my Butterfly Balance office, I keep small sample bottles of all of my Young Living Essential Oils in my bathroom at home for personal use. I decided that Peppermint oil, with its strong minty scent, would be helpful. I rubbed a drop under my nose (dilute when using on sensitive skin like the face) and the scent was strong enough that I could continue collecting that stinky food waste and get it out of my house pronto! Think of it as wearing your own personal, non-toxic air freshener. :)

I didn't think of the side benefit I would receive though from doing this: two of the things that peppermint oil is good for is energizing and clarity. I found myself with some new-found energy to actually clean the kitchen! Peppermint oil is also good for dealing with headaches (rubbing it on the temples) and helps with digestion issues. Young Living's peppermint oil can also be taken internally - putting a drop in a glass of water for a refreshing peppermint flavor.

Important Safety Note: Young Living essential oils are exceptionally pure (which is why I use them and do not react to them like lesser quality scents), and many of them can be taken internally, such as Peppermint, Lemon, and Orange which are excellent in water as a flavoring. However, not all the oils can be taken internally, and many other brands are not safe to take internally at all, even in those scents mentioned). Please research which oils can safely be ingested before doing so. If in doubt, don't do it! I recommend the Quick Reference Guide for Using Essential Oilsby Connie and Alan Higley for information on usage and benefits of the Young Living Oils. This post is also not to be considered medical advice on the usage of oils.

 

Note: Due to FTC guidelines, I am now required to disclose that if you click on a link in this post (or any other post or link on my blog) and purchase Young Living Essential Oils, books/products through Amazon.com or nutritional supplements through AIM Companies, that I will receive a small commission as a result of those purchases. Thank you for your support.

Free Young Living Lavender Oil with Ylang Ylang Oil Purchase

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Young Living essential oils! From February 8–14 when you buy one 15-ml ylang ylang essential oil, you will get one 15-ml lavender essential oil absolutely free!

Ylang Ylang - Inspire passion with this exotic essential oil. Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) has a sweet, soft, flowery fragrance that has made it a romantic favorite. Ylang ylang is extremely effective in calming and bringing about a sense of relaxation, and it may help with releasing feelings of anger, tension, and nervous irritability. It has a long history in skin and hair care products, particularly in Asia, where it is used to promote luxuriant hair.

Lavender - Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has a fresh, sweet, floral, herbaceousaroma that is soothing and refreshing. Because it is the most versatile of all essential oils, no home should be without it. Lavender is an adaptogen, and therefore can assist the body when adapting to stress or imbalances. It is a great aid for relaxing and winding down before bedtime, yet has balancing properties that can also boost stamina and energy. Therapeutic-grade lavender is highly regarded for skin and beauty. It may be used to soothe and cleanse common cuts, bruises, and skin irritations

Offer is valid until 11:59 p.m. MT on February 14, 2012, with no limit per customer. Order online at my Young Living Store.