Hey, are you prepared for winter wellness? We are big believers in supporting our immune systems. We believe in doing all we can to prevent sickness and working with the tools we have. I would like to tell you about a popular tool we use in our family. It’s an essential oil immune blend, made of the essential oils of orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, tea tree and rosemary.
A few months ago I was in a meeting with one of the main developers and researchers on our company’s scientific team. He was explaining a study they had just completed at the University of Oklahoma. It’s in the process of being published, but I’ve learned that it takes a long time to get through that process. For now I’ll just summarize.
Immune System
We are exposed to microorganisms all the time in our daily lives. Our immune system is working every day to defend us against the microorganisms we come in contact with. When something extreme happens in our body to upset our homeostasis, i.e. We don’t get enough sleep, toxic overload, too much white sugar, extreme stress, traveling for the holidays, finishing finals, etc. Our immune system is weakened and our bodies allow a virus to attach onto a cell.
The virus then injects the virus DNA into that cell and the newly infected cell begins to duplicate. Fast. It creates thousands of “copy” virus cells, and as a result we get sick. Our body then has to work overtime to kill and clear out all the infected cells. How does the body clear them out? Some leave through our digestive system, but many are pulled out in mucous from our nose and throat. It’s an unpleasant process most of us have experienced.
So, how can essential oils help?
First, let’s talk about the study done by the University of Oklahoma. They showed this essential oil blend was 90% effective against stopping an infected virus cell from duplicating. In other words, if you start treating a virus with these immune oils as soon as you start to feel it coming on, you will slow or prevent the duplication of the viral cell. Fewer viral cells mean that either you don’t get sick (that’s optimal) or your body makes way fewer copies of the virus cell. Thus making it easier to kill the fewer amount of sick cells and helping you get over the sickness quickly.
It’s important to note here that there is a window. If you catch it early (before your body makes tons of copy cells) then you’ll prevent the worst. If you miss the window and your body has already made thousands and thousands of virus cell copies, you’re probably going to go through the 5-10 days of cleaning out the sick cells. I would personally still use immune oils to try and shorten that time, but your body will still have to deal with what has happened.
Here’s how we use immune oils at my house.
If I feel sickness or something coming on, like a scratchy throat or a runny nose, I get it into my body quickly. If you have a high quality source for these oils, they are considered safe to take internally. I personally like to drip one drop straight from the bottle into the back of my throat. It numbs my throat and I can feel it fighting the infection immediately. However it is EXTREMELY STRONG. So be prepared for a powerful taste!
If you’re not that daring you can put a drop on your finger and put that in your mouth. Or put a couple drops in some water and gargle it and then swallow it down. It’s really nice in herbal tea. Other options would be to put some in an empty veggie capsule (I’d use 3-5 drops) and swallow that so that you don’t taste it, or you can rub some oil directly on the bottom of your feet, which is what I do when my little ones come down with something. I like to drink 1-2 drops of the blend in peppermint tea, or rub the blend, diluted, on the front of my neck and behind my ears.
Immune Oils
We try to use immune oils on a regular basis so we catch things early, even when we don’t know they’re coming. These oils are super anti-bacterial and anti-viral.
My kids have actually come down with a bug this past week. I’ve been using lots of essential and so far I haven’t had as much as a sniffle. They are moving through it quickly (with a few extra naps – hooray) and only spending a day and a half instead of the usual 3-6, feeling down. The baby, who is chugging away at her water with lemon essential oil has a runny nose but no other symptoms.
Hope you’re prepared for winter wellness!
