Hand, Foot and Mouth...OH MY!!

So my sister called and told us her boy had come down with hand, foot and mouth disease and was most contagious during the birthday party last Saturday (May 21st). On the 25th, Sophie had a fever and a few red bumps so Steph put some On-Guard and Melaleuca on the baby and we ran a diffuser with On-Guard throughout the night. She only had a fever of 99.3 degrees to begin with and it never got any worse, but in the morning the red bumps had become noticeably worse and were spreading.

(At this point in the post I had a picture ready, but we decided a picture of the baby's lower region shouldn't be blasted all over the web - just Google "hand foot and mouth disease" and click on the images option to see what it is)

Anyway, on the 26th we put Melaleuca, Lavender, and Coconut Oil on her underside, since the sores were mostly there, and then put Cinnamon and Oregano on her feet. We did the underside treatment twice with Cinnamon on the feet and Oregano once before her afternoon nap at 1:15pm. Steph changed her around every hour and kept putting oils on her.

The 27th just had brighter spots and more discomfort as the sores spread over her lower region and her knees and feet. She wanted to be held all day. Poor Steph was home alone with her and the other two.

On Saturday, 28th, I tried a new tactic. We have a bottle of Purify in our case that lists as the third treatment option for boils in Modern Essentials (right after Melaleuca and Lavender) and I generously applied it before her mid-morning nap. The sores started drying up right away on her lower region and the knee sores started calming down. After the next treatment she was eating hungrily again (apparently this illness makes eating a literal pain), and after nursing she was walking and playing like normal despite the bumps on her heels.

L to R: Top - May 26, 27   Bottom - May 28, 29

 It has been continual progression from thereon. Whenever we apply the Purify, the bumps stop spreading. She even walks on the bumpy feet. Things are looking up for her.

[SEE NEXT POST - HFMD - ROUND 2!!!]

Note that the sores stopped spreading after the 28th (first shot of Purify) and just scabbed from then on. You can use the three sores from the 26th as a reference through the four pictures.

Fighting off Yeast!

One of the worst parts of being me is my inability to swallow pills.  I have this irrational fear of swallowing them.  I am convinced that I would do drugs to be able to get passed it - unfortunately you have to swallow them.  After spending at least a decade of my life wishing someone could hypnotize my irrational fears away I came across the oils.  YAY!

I have since been learning about yeast and the horrible effects it has on our bodies and emotions - including this list that specifically effects several members of my family:

Anxiety

Depression

Fibromyalgia

Celiac disease

Moodiness

Digestive issues

Eczema

Hypoglycemia

Bad menstrual cramping

It also can create:

Body odor

Alcohol cravings

Sugar cravings

Vaginal yeast infections

Memory Loss

Bladder weakness

Joint pain

Seizures

And the list goes on and on and on and on!  So many of our troubles are caused by yeast and we didn't even know it.  When we took Sophie to her 1 year appointment the doctors wanted to solve her weight "problems" by feeding her SUGAR which feeds the YEAST which is most likely the CULPRIT of her lack of weight gain in the first pace.

doTERRA offers some AWESOME products to solve the yeast issues and I have read some amazing first person accounts of people have have conquered the yeast within only 6 weeks!  The products that they used are GX Assist and PB Assist+.  You basically use the GX Assist for 10 days and then switch to the PB Assist+ for 5 days.  At the beginning it usually takes more than 1 cycle to fight off the yeast.  It can take even 3 or 4.  The GX Assist causes your body to work really hard though, so you'll want to take a 2 week break after a few goes.  Once the yeast is balanced you can regulate everything by doing a monthly 5 day regime of PB Assist+ and then doing the GX Assist cycle once per year (or more if you notice your body needs it).

But, seeing as how I can't swallow pills to get rid of my anxiety or to get rid of my yeast to get rid of my anxiety I am going to use oils that Dr. Hill recommended before GX Assist came out.  And somewhere in my 10 days I'll figure out some good probiotics that I can EAT as opposed to swallow. :)  And maybe after I conquer the yeast I'll be able to handle things the easier way.

Candida Yeast Cleanse:

4 drops Melaleuca
4 drops Lemon
2 drops Oregano
Once per day - in a capsule (I will rub them on my feet) - for 10 days.
*Cut this in half for children
Follow with 5 days of probiotics.

I am expecting some horrible symptoms within the first few days as the yeast begin to die off.  Wish me good luck!  I can hardly wait to be rid of the clinging, clawing beasts.

Soaked Multi-Grain Bread Recipe

This is an adjustment to a bread recipe that my sister-in-law sent my way.  I guess she sent me to 2 different versions and I tried the original one yesterday and I know why she changed it - it wasn't nearly as good.  So, here is EXACTLY how I LOVE it!  I use it for dinner rolls and loaves of bread.  I love to use the dinner rolls for sandwiches as well.  SO EASY!

5 1/2 C freshly ground organic whole wheat flour
1 C organic old-fashioned oats
6 Tbsp plain yogurt
2 1/2 C water (divided)
1/2 C olive oil
1/3 C honey
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp sea salt

Instructions:
Mix flour and oats. Pour yogurt into measuring cup and add water to equal 2 cups, then add that and oil and honey to flour and oats to form a dough ball. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight (to neutralize phytic acid).

Combine yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and let sit 5 minutes. Incorporate into dough (such as in stand mixer). Let sit 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and salt and knead for 8 minutes in stand mixer (longer if by hand).

Divide into two loaves and place in buttered 9x5 loaf pans. Allow to rise to top of pans, 1-2 hours or more. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until dark golden brown on top.

For dinner rolls divide into 24 pieces and place on butter cookie sheets.  Let rise 1-2 hours.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.

***You can make all kinds of changes to this recipe to make it work for you, this is just my favorite.  It is super healthy and easy and yummy!


To learn more about soaking and it's nutritional benefits here are a few websites:
The Nourshing Gourmet
Health Banquet
Passionate Homemaking

We aren't grinding our own wheat yet, since we don't own a grain mill, but we're taking it one step at a time.

Stephanie's dōTERRA Story

I was first introduced to doTERRA the day that I brought Sophie home from the hospital.  My friend came to visit and she was so excited about her new oils, that she just HAD to bring them with her.  I barely paid attention and then my husband was on lock down in a grocery store because of some crazy shooter!  Needless to say I didn't care.

When Sophie was 2 months old she had a super stuffy nose.  We couldn't figure out what the problem was.  The doctor thought it might be RSV, so he sent us over to the hospital to get her suctioned out.  Unfortunately they got NOTHING!  Good news though - our little lady had learned how to breathe through her mouth. :)

6 months later we were suffering through week three of this horrible cold/flu thing.  Caleb, Sadie, and I had suffered through it, Justin was on his worst day, Caleb was starting round 2, and Sophie had the sniffles.  I knew in my heart that if Sophie got this she was going to be in the hospital with RSV, so I called up my friend and basically ordered and begged her to come over and oil up my kids.

After oiling up the kids with On Guard, Breathe, and one other oil (I couldn't remember which one) for about 24 hours Sophie was cured, after 2 days the toddlers were cured.  Justin suffered through life for a while, because he didn't use the oils diligently.

After this experience I knew I needed to learn more about the oils.  I learned that I could possibly cure my depression, so I was on a quest.  I figured that I'd just go online and order some oils.  I found a website where I could get different oils for like $3-$20 per bottle.  That was so cheap compared to doTERRA!  I kept feeling really horrible about spending the money on those oils though.  After some thought and some prayers I decided that I would NOT buy the doTERRA oils unless I felt very strongly after the class that I should.  Of course I felt like I should!

The people at the class were so amazing.  I've been to plenty of MLM meetings in my life and this was unlike any other.  It was truly a class.  I could learn from the lecture as well as from the people around me.  And I learned plenty.  And ALL of the stories were first hand experiences.  I felt like I was chattering with Mom's about their baby taking its first steps or something.  It was awesome.

It's at that class that I discovered my Orange Crack.

Coup de Croup

A few weeks ago Sadie woke up with a cough.  No big deal, it didn't sound bad, but I wanted to knock it out right away, so I headed up stairs and rubbed some On Guard on her throat.  She stopped coughing and stayed asleep through the night.  Two days later she woke up on the morning with a cough, no big deal, we did the same thing and she went on with her day without another cough.  Things changes very drastically later that afternoon.

When Sadie woke up from her nap she was hysterical.  She was coughing intensely and could barely breathe.  Her chest and throat were sinking in she was struggling to hard to get air.  She was anxious and so was crying on top of it all.  Needless to say, I started freaking out.  I got out my oils and started obsessively calling Justin (I didn't have the van after all).  Of course he wasn't answering the phone at all, because he was at work.  I was leaving messages of her nasty coughing and rubbing oils on her.

I rubbed Breathe on her chest and back.
I rubbed Lemon, diluted with Fractionated Coconut Oil on her back.
I rubbed Frankincense on her back for good measure.
I rubbed Lavender on her feet to try and calm her down.

All the while I was freaking out because my daughter couldn't breathe.

After about 10 minutes she was a little bit calmer, so I sat her on the couch in front of a movie with a sippy cup of water, so that she would stay hydrated.

After about 20 minutes her chest, and throat, for the most part weren't sinking in anymore.  She was smiling and laughing and nibbling on her saltine crackers.

After about 45 minutes her chest wasn't sinking in anymore, her breathing was still shallow, but she was upstairs playing with friends (I called a friend, because I was freaking out!  I needed a second opinion on some rash she had gotten, plus they were going to take us to the ER.)

So, this mysterious rash, was sort of like an allergic reaction it seemed.  It cleared up easily with Lavender.

I took Sadie to the doctor that night (5 hrs later!) and they told me that she probably had the croup and that tonight would be the worst night, based off of my time line, so to keep her close and to either pick up a prescription for liquid steroids or to give her a shot.  We just ignored the prescription altogether, because the doctor said it would help keep the airways open and all I could think was "I did that with the oils, why would we need steroids?"

When we arrived home, Justin rubbed some Marjoram, Eucalyptus, Lemon, and Fractionated Coconut Oil on her back while she was asleep on the couch and gave her a blessing.  All she had left in the morning was phlegm, which we soon discovered could be cured through an extra dose of Marjoram rubbed on her back.  What a blessing the oils have been. :)

My Orange Crack

When I went to my first doTERRA class I got scanned (using the Compass scanner) for which oils my body was in need of.  I had seen this sort of scan done before, so I was really interested and excited about having it done on myself.

As I stood in line for what seemed like a century I watched each person in front of me and whether they had 5 or 50 bio-markers out of whack they seemed to need at least 5 different oils.  Well, little ol' me just coughed it up to being a sales tactic.  WRONG!

My turn FINALLY arrived and I had 21! bio-markers out of whack and only 2 - YES, I sad 2! - oils needed to reel my body back in.




Oil #1 - Wild Orange


Oil #2 - Zendocrine



Of course, I automatically wanted to know what these 2 oils could do for myself.  Vona explained them to me a bit and I sort of had an idea.  The next day, however, I read about them in her book "Modern Essentials" and discovered a few things.

Wild Orange helps with anxiety and depression (no wonder the oils that I had been trying weren't working - this is what my body craves).  Wild Orange is made from the orange RIND (as in the skin, the peel, whatever you want to call it).  I couldn't help but become extremely excited.  I have always intensely LOVED the smell of oranges, but until recently couldn't even handle orange juice.  In fact the first time I started drinking orange juice more than once per year was when I was 18.  I never understood why I could love the smell and hate the taste.  LIGHT BULB!  I decided to buy the Wild Orange - it's only $10.50 as an ISP - along with my Family Physician Kit and I have never regretted it.  It is the most important oil to me personally in our collection.  I call it my Orange Crack.

Zendocrine is an oil blend that basically helps to clean out some of your main organs - kidneys, liver, etc.  As I read about this oil I had another confirmation that the oils were good, that the scan was accurate, and that I needed to get in on this!  My last 2 pregnancies I have suffered through Obstetric Cholestasis (quickly explained this means that my body is over run with bile acids, because my body can't process them fast enough or more are produced than necessary, etc.  It is a serious liver issue that can result in stillbirth and which causes INTENSE itching that can rarely be helped.) and so scanning for this oil A - let me know that that I wasn't being played here and B - let me know that this liver issue is probably ongoing for me (which I had never considered).

Moral of the story - get scanned, so that you can find your Orange Crack!

Major Marjoram Backrubs

So, we went through a horrible one day shot of the croup two weeks ago. Our middle child came down with it and Steph kicked it in the butt with a slew of oils (see her upcoming post). That night I gave the little girl a backrub with Eucalyptus, Marjoram and Coconut oil. We prayed and blessed her and went to sleep. She woke up great the next day with nothing, but a phlegm cough.

A week and a half later she still had the phlegm and we were tired of it. So we looked up in our Modern Essentials books and found Eucalyptus and Marjoram listed again. Using those two and a bit of Lemon with the Coconut oil again I massaged over her lungs on her back and she went to bed. The next day it was gone.

Just yesterday, Steph was hosting a "Mommy Wellness Brunch," and I was at a work meeting right before. A girl, Kim, sat next to me and was coughing. I had used Breath and On-Guard to kill the nasty cold virus she had, but she was still congested. On a prompting, I asked if she wanted to come to the brunch and get scanned with a compass scanner to find out how to fight the mucus. She agreed.

At the brunch, she learned about the oils and got her scan done. Guess what the top item was? Yep, at a astounding 17/21 (that's markers it fixes verses those out of whack), Marjoram came in first place. She took a sample home with her and that night had her husband massage it into her back (no other oils). I checked up on her today and she slept soundly and the lungs are almost completely cleaned out. WOO-HOO!!!

The coolest thing about this is she has suffered with congestion after colds for years. It sometimes leads to bronchitis and other nasty things. Finally, she has a treatment for the mucus that has kept her down and out. Did I mention I love these oils?

Breathe is my new Inhaler!

This was my first oil that worked wonders for me. I am an asthmatic from nigh on birth. My asthma is exercise/allergy/illness induced and can floor me if it hits. For years I was stuck on inhalers, both preventative and rescue, and I hated it. Not only do they taste nasty, but when I am having an episode they force my lungs open which feels like someone is pumping up my lungs with a bicycle pump past their normal size. Worst part is, you have to repeat every four hours until you are better and mine last for days.

Then I was on a trip to my parents home and encountered pet hair - my arch-nemesis! Cats floor me for days (with benedryl) and dogs aren't much better. I was only armed with a small vial of Breathe and a little bit of Balance, but you work with what you've got right? So I used them for the weekend.

When I got home again, I noticed something odd - there were no residual effects. I wasn't still wheezing or having asthma problems. It was all clear! Even with inhalers that has never happened in my life! Naturally, I was eager for the next attack to commence and had my Breathe ready. It didn't take long.

This time I was late for work and had to run. It was only a couple of days after the trip and normally my asthma would still be bad enough that walking was the fastest speed I could manage if I wanted to breathe anytime soon. I managed a good pace (for an out-of-shape father of three) and got to work with an attack in swing. Dutifully I put two drops of Breathe under my nostrils and tried to inhale air like a normal person. Five minutes later the breathing was way easier and after another five the symptoms were gone.

Now that is the part that got me - they were gone! No later doses. No taking it easy to avoid repeats. Nothing. The whole attack was swept away. No inhaler ever, and I mean ever, finished off an attack like that. I now carry it with me all the time and I never worry about my asthma because I know it will be taken care of if needed. I LOVE THIS STUFF!

Justin's dōTERRA Story

Sadly, being the man, I was the more skeptical one in the marriage. My wife called a friend over after we'd been dealing with yet another round of this nasty cold that had been wiping our family out. She brought her set of oils and put them on all the kids and even me. Over the next day the kids recovered, but I didn't continue using them so I developed an ear infection.
Once that was clear and life had returned to normal Steph told me she'd be going to a doTERRA class with a friend to learn more about the oils and promised not to buy any unless she was certain it was the right thing to do. An hour and a half into the class she calls me to say, "We're buying these oils."
At the time, we were pretty broke and the thought of buying oil seemed ridiculous to me. I could think of lots of other things that money could do for the family instead. We argued a bit and the next day I apologized for being a jerk and we bought them.
Shortly after wards I made a trip to my parents and had some encounters with pet hair (I am full of allergies and suffer from asthma so animal hair knocks me out). Steph had packed some Breathe and Balance for her folks who live near mine, and once the symptoms set in she agreed to have me use them. For the first time ever, I survived the trip without drugs and with no lingering asthma. I was finally sold.
We now have a sizable collection of oils and have treated everything from asthma to croup to infections and even depression and anxiety with them. I have been using the Life-Long Vitality Pack and watched my knee pains disappear. These oils really are Mother Nature's medicine cabinet.