Winterize Your Body

Hello, All!

It's getting chilly in the mornings here at my house and it can't be denied that the winter season is fast approaching. While I'm enjoying Mother Nature's beautiful Fall colors and abundant produce, my mind naturally wanders into preparation mode. Like many of you, I'm giving more thought to electric blankets, storm windows and heavy socks. The furnace will need to be checked and the car's radiator flushed, too. Those of us who live in the Northeast know how important it is to winterize our vehicles. Have you taken care of that yet? And equally as important: have you winterized your body yet?

I don't know of too many people who give much thought to getting their bodies ready to withstand the assault of winter's more present germs and viruses. We seem to give more attention to what the car needs than to what our bodies need. Further, we don't give much credence to the necessity. Some folks will stock up on cough syrup, nasal decongestants and tissues. That's all well and good, I suppose, but it's definitely a backwards approach to winter time wellness. Yes, be ready for a cold just in case it comes, but work on preventing the cold first. Prevention is the key to wellness in any any season and deserves some extra effort at this time of year in order to make your body protected against the usual onslaught of illnesses that thrive during the winter.

Prevention of illness is based in your body's immune system. The many parts of your body work in concert to keep you protected from environmental invaders when they attack. Simply put, strong immunity is essential for wellness. Those who follow the rules of general good health already have a foundation of good immunity. The basic tenets of good nutritional habits, regular exercise and adequate sleep always apply; however, there are additional measures which you may not necessarily think of as healthful habits.......

Keeping yourself well hydrated is really important. Dehydration causes problems such as kidney failure, poor digestion, dry skin and the reduced ability of your body to release toxins and waste products. Taking care of your skin is also an important endeavor. Your skin is your largest organ and one of the first barriers against disease. Remember to use personal care products which are the most natural that you can find. Most shampoos, creams and lotions contain toxic chemicals. Just because it says "natural" on the label, doesn't mean it's necessarily so. Be wary, read the ingredients list and do your research.

Stress is also a huge problem for your immune system. Stress causes the body to produce a hormone called cortisol. This is the stuff we need for fight or flight. But if stress is constant, cortisol production continues, literally destroying your immune system over time. It also causes fast heart rate, high blood pressure, cardiopulmonary disease, elevated blood sugar, poor digestion, loss of sleep and more. So keep your stress level down by whatever method works for you.

These are just a few things that you may not have thought of as being important for preventing a cold this winter. There are lots of things you can do to keep yourself well. In the last several years I've taken a more proactive approach to my own health. Even so, I have not always done what's been best for my health. Eventually, though, I always get back on the wellness path. In four years I have had only one slight cold, and it was easily dealt with and quickly gone. I haven't just been lucky; I've been working on my immune system. Since my plan has worked for me, perhaps it would work for you. Let me tell you about it.

• Every day I drink an ounce of Ningxia Red, Young Living's super nutrient infusion. This juice is so good for you in so many ways that I can't go into here. I stock a few extra bottles on the shelf for winter.

• I take a handful of vitamins, minerals and herbs every day to supplement my food. Vitamin C is a powerful and inexpensive antioxidant which I take in higher doses over the winter months: 4,000 milligrams per day.

• I drink more water over the winter to keep my kidneys working well. The kidneys are key in filtering out toxins. They work much better with more water.

• I take extra care of my skin with Young Living lavender oil. Together with a vegetable oil blend, it's a wonderful and soothing all-over body treatment. I also use all natural and pH balanced MSM lotion.

• I try to get some additional sleep during the winter. Resting isn't my best thing -- I have so much that I want to accomplish! But I keep trying.

• And finally, there is no doubt that I have been more well since I began using Young Living Essential Oils. I apply them to my skin, inhale them, diffuse them and swallow them every day. Their use is a key component of my wellness plan.

So.....I'm only human and my immunity is not such that I feel as strong as I could feel in avoiding colds and flu. I need a back-up plan, and I have one which has worked for me over and over -- and over again. Since this is tried and true for me, perhaps it would help you. I never keep this wellness stuff to myself. (Whadya mean, you've noticed?) At the first sniffle or tickly throat, here's what I do:

• I increase Ningxia Red to twice daily.

• I begin Zicam Nasal Gel (from the drug store), an all natural zinc product, according to the package directions.

• I force fluids: as much warm, caffeine-free liquid as I can hold. Broth, boullion and herbal teas are what I like.

• I take internally: Thieves essential oil blend and wintergreen oil in a capsule, alternating with oregano and tangerine oils by the same method.

• R.C. essential oil blend gets applied topically, inhaled and perhaps diffused.

I keep this routine up for at least 48 hours, even through the hours of sleep, until my symptoms abate, then for an extra day or two to be sure. I have such faith in this method that I would never think of being without these things.

So, there you have it: my comprehensive plan (and back-up plan) for wintertime (and all year) wellness. Young Living Essential Oils have changed my life. Never have I felt so ready for whatever germy things the coming season might bring. I've been working on my immune system for years and I'm definitely reaping the benefits of what I consider to be the most "essential" ingredients for health.

I have no cold or flu toxic "medicine" in my medicine cabinet. I have Young Living Essential Oils. I haven't winterized my car yet, but I have winterized myself. Have you winterized your body yet?

Wishing you the best of health!
Jude

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If you'd like to know more about Young Living Essential Oils, you can click on the link which you'll find right up there under my picture. Or you can call or email me anytime!

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Jude Ker
315-255-3066
wellness@desker.net
www.youngliving.org/judithanne53

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The information contained herein is given for educational purposes only.
It is not meant to treat, prevent, mitigate or cure any disease.

The Only Thing for Burns

Hello, All!

Last week I picked up a hot pizza pan. I thought I had the pot holder well-placed -- but I didn't. My thumb got burned and began to get red and swollen right away. Mom would have had me hold my burned digit under cold, running water. Gram would have applied butter to the area. Me, I use Young Living lavender essential oil. This incident with the hot pan reminded me that I should remind you: lavender oil is the only thing for burns.

We Young Living folks call our lavender oil the Swiss Army knife of oils because it has countless uses for everyday life. It's the most purchased of all the Young Living oils, and arguably the most widely used for the most diverse purposes. Since summer is rapidly approaching, I thought that this was a good time to tell you of how great lavender oil is for burned skin. Not only does it stop the pain, it prevents further tissue damage and provides oxygen to those poor burned cells to help speed healing.

When I was on vacation in Maine a few years back I thought it was a good idea to go trooping around a treeless island all day without any protection from the sun. When I returned from my outing my face and neck were as red as a Maine lobster. I applied lavender oil right away and I kept applying it hourly for the rest of the day, and frequently through the next couple of days. The initial burning pain vanished immediately with the first application and it never returned.

Even though I had heard about the wonders of lavender oil for this purpose, I had never had a chance to test it's worth. I want to tell you that I was absolutely convinced of it after that episode with Old Sol. And as I continued to apply it time after time, I was so grateful that I didn't have to apply some smelly, greasy, toxic cream to my skin.

Essential oil of lavender from Young Living is the only thing I use for burns of any kind. If you think you'd like to try some on your next burn, please make sure you don't purchase your oil from the local MegaMart. There's lots of "lavender" oil out there and most of it is labeled 100% pure and natural. Chances are good, though, that these oils are badly processed making them useless for healing and dangerous for burned skin. Only use the oil that's guaranteed to be pure, organically grown, gently processed and independently tested for it's therapeutic value.

The morning after I came into contact with that hot pan, I had no sign of having been burned. I love my lavender oil and I would never want to be without it! Be prepared. Call me to place your order and I'll send along a free list of some of the wonderful uses for this wonderful oil. Just like the heat of summer, burns in the kitchen are inevitable. So consider buying an extra bottle to keep next to the stove. And just one more piece of advice: when you go out into the sun, wear your hat!

Wishing you the best of health!
Jude

PS: Look right to find my contact info. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Take Care of the Earth

You may believe that God created the Earth and its many inhabitants. You might believe that evolution brought us here. Or perhaps you think that God created evolution. Whatever it is that you believe about how the Earth arrived, you should have no doubt that we need to take care of it. How are we going to do that? Earth Day is a good time to consider what you could do to keep the planet a little cleaner.

Quite a few years ago there was a commercial on television that showed an American Indian chief surveying his lands. He saw garbage heaped up and the filth from a disrespectful human race covering the Earth’s beauty. The tear which trickled down the Indian’s face was all the message I needed to cause me to begin taking care of the Earth. I’ve been reminded of his saddened face over and over in my mind’s eye when I’ve seen how we have all abused our home. Over the years I have tried to be kinder, cleaner, more natural because I know that whatever I do affects the Earth.

Just our being here, whatever we do or don’t do, has an impact on the planet. I’m sure you’ve heard about our carbon footprint, and what measures you might take to help reduce your own footprint. There are lots of things you could try. You won’t need to look very far to find some ideas, motivation or even step by step instructions. But have you thought about what you eat, drink and apply to your body as being harmful to the Earth? It’s true; all of our personal stuff has an effect.

I read a few weeks ago that chemical drugs are in our water. It was broadcast by the media as if it were something new and surprising. I wasn’t surprised, though. I knew that those countless substances which we can’t digest are excreted back into the land and the water. The chemicals of drugs, processed foods, personal care products and anything that’s not organic has an unhappy effect on the planet. And this is getting worse and worse as we use more processed goods. I wonder how long it’ll be until our water is too contaminated to drink and our ground is too full of chemicals to grow food.

It’s so hard to get away from all this processed junk. It’s all around us and a lot of it is just so convenient and helps us get more work, more play, more sleep into our days. But think about it for one minute: whatever we do goes back to the Earth. And then think for one more minute of something that you could do to help this beautiful planet that we call home. There are natural foods out there, natural products which are minimally processed and natural medicines which are better for the Earth – and better for us as well.

It seems like a huge burden to think about having to take care of such a huge planet as this one. But if each one of us does one or two things in the way of care, we will all be better off. Think organic. Think unprocessed. Think natural. Just think about it for one minute. Choose something and act on it soon and consistently. What goes around comes around and respect works both ways. If we each take care of the Earth, she’ll take care of us in return.

Wishing you the best of health!
Jude

wellness@desker.net
www.youngliving.org/judithanne53

Setting the Record Straight: Wintergreen Oil

One of my friends is a member of an animal-related chat group. A question was posted recently regarding wintergreen oil and whether it was safe to apply it to an arthritic animal. Someone posted an answer which stated, with no doubt whatsoever, that wintergreen oil is toxic, that it could be fatal and should never be applied to any animal or human at any time. Well, that's not exactly true.

Since I have the information and the evidence against this statement, I couldn't help but take the opportunity to educate these folks about wintergreen essential oil. While I was doing my research and writing up a response to the chat group, I thought that this subject would make a decent post for my own blog. So, here you have it.

It's true that many reference books and aromatherapy authorities, especially those of the British persuasion, contain warnings against the use of wintergreen oil. However, there is nothing toxic about the wintergreen provided by Young Living. Lab produced wintergreen, methyl salicylate, can definitely be toxic and I wouldn't use it.

In his book The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple, Ph.D. David Stewart writes:

"Isomers are two or more compounds with the same formula but different molecular structures. The formula for methyl salicylate is C8H8O3. However, the 8 carbons, 8 hydrogens and 3 oxygen atoms of this formula (19 atoms total) can join together in several ways thus creating molecules with the same formula, but arranged in different structural shapes with different properties. There are 25 isomers of the formula C8H8O3. Two are very similar to that of natural methyl salicylate, but not quite. When plants produce methyl salicylate, they make a specific single pure isomer -- only one of the 25. Laboratories can't do this. When a lab tries to produce a single isomer, they end up with mixtures of two or more isomers, not just one. This is significant because different isomers of the same compound can have entirely opposite properties -- some helpful, some harmful. So there is good methyl salicylate and bad methyl salicylate. Humans can make the bad while only God knows how to make the good."

There is a lot of bad wintergreen out there, but Young Living stands behind its wintergreen essential oil as being pure, organic, and without contaminants. It is independently verified to be of the highest grade of therapeutic essential oil and has stood the test of time and use for over 15 years. Any Young Living distributor would be able to give a testimonial or several on the benefits of Young Living wintergreen. Young Living wintergreen oil has anticoagulation and antispasmodic properties, and has also been used with great success as a vasodilator, an agent for reducing blood pressure and is highly anti-inflammatory, making it just the right choice for arthritis and many other inflammatory conditions. Wintergreen is in our supplements, our face creams, our soaps and even in our toothpaste.

Be so careful when you are choosing anything to put on your pets and on yourself. Make sure it's pure and not made in a lab. Don't buy it at the drug store or the grocery store. Make sure you know what you're using. I would certainly not hesitate to say that I have used wintergreen by Young Living on my face, on my joints, on my headaches and in my mouth. I'm here to tell the tale. I can say without any hesitation that Young Living's wintergreen oil is unequivocally the best on the planet.

You could site chapter and verse about "wintergreen oil" and it's toxicity. There is enough information out there for anyone to easily be able to give reference on the subject. These writings would be right for the most part. But you can never site anything of the kind regarding Young Living. Hundreds of thousands of Young Living distributors and customers can't be wrong about our wintergreen essential oil. It's good for use on high blood pressure, inflammation, muscle and nerve pain, joint and ligament pain, atherosclerosis, fatty liver and more. It's been proven and documented to be therapeutic, it smells yummy and above all it's safe!

For more information about the purest of oils, check out The Essential Oil Desk Reference published by Essential Science Publishing. You could check out my website, too. Or, you could contact me directly by phone or email to discuss the wonderful properties of wintergreen essential oil, made with care by Young Living. While I'm waiting for your call...

I'm wishing you the best of health!
Jude

www.youngliving.org/judithanne53
wellness@desker.net
315-255-3066