I got sick the week before Christmas and have only really been back on my feet today. It was an amazing feeling to be able to get the kitchen mostly cleaned up today! I was frustrated that I wasn't able to do everything for Christmas that I wanted to for my family, but learned a valuable lesson in flexibility and not piling stress onto my family by trying to push myself more than I was able. I'm thankful that I was able to see where my limits were and adjust accordingly. It ended up being a relaxing, enjoyable day, all things considered.
Usually I am able to nip it in the bud when I can tell I'm getting sick, as I've referenced in my past posts about essential oils and home remedies. I know my body well enough that I can usually tell that first "tickle" and can stave the illness off. This time it came on so full and fast and without warning that honestly, I resorted to Nyquil to knock me out as well as deal with symptoms for a couple of days. My throat was so sore pretty much immediately that I thought it was strep throat, but the dr.'s office confirmed that it was viral. Honestly, I'm sure I could have done more with essential oils than I did, but I am still learning and my knowledge isn't comprehensive enough for me to immediately sort out what I needed in order to handle things that way exclusively. Once the worst of it wore off, I then was dealing with congestion that was trying to settle into my chest and sinuses. Brittany started with the sore throat and I had a brain freeze trying to remember what to do naturally because she can't take any OTC medications. Then I remembered a recipe I learned about 2 years ago at the essential oils workshop I took. It's for a cough syrup that you make, blending three different oils and then taking a drop with about 1/4-1/2 tsp. honey--and boy howdy, does it ever work! I took it regularly from that point up until today, and it did a great job of clearing everything out and keeping the cough productive. I was especially concerned with this because some people around where I live are coming down with bronchitis and pneumonia as secondary infections from these kinds of viruses, and besides not wanting that myself I have no interest in my daughter dealing with something that serious, with everything she already deals with. Thankfully I had all the oils on hand, and funny enough as I was placing my order last month I kept having it come to mind to order eucalyptus radiata, which is not one I usually have. I don't think that was coincidence, and am thankful for that heavenly help. :) Here's the recipe:
Essential Oils Cough Syrup Recipe:
In clean dropper bottle, blend equal parts tea tree, eucalyptus radiata and myrrh essential oils. I did about 10 drops each to have a pretty good supply. Put 1/4-1/2 tsp. raw, organic honey on spoon, add a drop of oil blend, and take by mouth (make sure you are using certified THERAPEUTIC, FOOD GRADE oils only when using for internal use). This soothes sore throat, and is a great expectorant as well as cough suppressant.
A lot of people don't realize that there are different types of eucalyptus and that they have different uses. The company I purchase from, Ancient Legacy, has three different types: Eucalyptus Globulus, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Eucalyptus Citriodora. I found a great link that explains the difference and uses really well, and looks like a good, comprehensive resource for learning about oils and how to use them. I'm impressed with the wealth of information on this site and thought I'd provide it here. My experience as I've talked with people about essential oils has been that many hear about how great they are but don't receive information on how to use them. Here's a great place to start, regardless of the brand you choose to use! The link I'm providing takes you straight to eucalyptus; you can click around the site for more information, as well as information on other oils.
The author of the site uses oils from Young Living. I haven't used Young Living myself, but in addition to Ancient Legacy I am impressed with the oils I have tried from DoTerra (DoTerra only has one Eucalyptus oil, however). I'm trialing their peppermint right now to see how they compare, because with all the experimenting I've done I've always ended up back with Ancient Legacy. I have to say that I'm equally impressed with the DoTerra peppermint so far. Most that I have tried, although deriving benefit, have had a smell that drives me crazy and/or it's taken a much larger amount of the oil to get the desired result. With Ancient Legacy peppermint, the potency and concentration is so high that you don't even need a drop to clear the sinuses out. I use it all the time and the bottle lasts forever. I'm finding the same to be true with DoTerra. One of the reasons I went with Ancient Legacy when I started a couple of years ago is because of the certifications they have, which includes certification from the Aromatherapy Board of France. This is one of the most sought-after certifications because it gives the company access to a greater variety of sources to get oils from, as well as allowing access to higher grades. This certification also ensures purity levels, which is essential for me because of my daughter's sensitivities.
