Saturday, February 7, 2015

I Finally Get It....

Sometimes, things we need happen to cross our paths. Even when we don't know exactly that we need them.  Such was the case with a friend that wanted me to try some essential oils.  I knew absolutely nothing about them but thought OK, I will take them home for the weekend and see what this is all about.

Now, the kit she gave me was some extremely expensive oil kit with a diffuser and lots of information.  I did some research and found it was a multi- level marketing business.  Not anything I would be interested in but the oils were intriguing.  What were these and why would I need them?

Just so happened my daughter was over visiting when I brought the kit home.  She was complaining of an earache so we dug into the kit and I watched as she applied a drop of Purification just below the ear that was giving her pain.  Within a few minutes, she mentioned her ear felt warm.  Withing 10 minutes she said she didn't feel pain anymore.  I called her the next day to ask her how she felt, she said she felt fine with no pain in her ear.  Interesting.

I returned the kit and pondered the investment but like any frugal single mom, I knew I had to be able to get the Essential Oils cheaper if I just shopped around.  Enter Amazon stage left!

Doing more research for comparable quality Essential Oils, I settled on Eden's Garden as a producer and ordered two, Peppermint and Thieves oil, because that was all I could afford.  As chance would have it, I picked the right ones for what was yet to come.

Now, I'm a serious cat person.  Its ridiculous really but I love cats.  I adore dogs but I work two jobs and having a dog wait for me all day and all those hours just seems cruel.  Cats really only want to be fed, their litter box cleaned and fresh water.  They enjoy seeing me come home every day but if I'm not there, they aren't waiting with any real passion for me to enter the house.

My oldest cat is 17 yrs old and my dear friend.  We have been through so much together.  As the years went by I began to prepare myself for the day when I would not have him.  One Sunday morning, I awoke to find him with labored breathing.  Enough for me to become very concerned. As the day progressed, it only got worse.  He could not lay down and his breathing became open mouthed.  He would not eat or drink.  I knew I was losing him.  I had my son dig a hole and prepared for the worst.

Then I remembered the two oils I had ordered.  I didn't know if they would both come in or if only one would come, so I had my son check the mailbox and he appeared with the Thieves oil.  I had done my homework and read of their powerful anti inflammatory properties.  I unscrewed the top and just let my old cat breathe in the aroma.  It wasn't difficult as his breathing was so labored by that time, he couldn't help but breathe it in.  I did this for a few minutes every hour until bedtime.  Before long he was laying down but I didn't know if that was a good sign or not at that point.

I awoke the next day and dreaded what I might find.  He was still alive, breathing hard but with a closed mouth.  I gave him more Thieves to  breathe and went off to work.  Coming home that afternoon, I again was unsure as to what I would fine, but he was still alive.  I continued letting him breathe the Thieves oil and offered him water.  He refused.

I continued to let him breathe the Thieves the following day.  Offered him food in my hand which he ate with purpose.  More Thieves oil breathing and more food, a little at a time.

The following day, he was up drinking water and eating from his dish.  I looked in amazement at a cat I thought would surely die was acting as if nothing was ever wrong with him.

This began my quest to learn about these amazing oils and what they can do.  I've since added slowly to my oil arsenal and have a good collection.  Eden's Garden has provided me with an opportunity to own and use Essential Oils at a very reasonable price.  I would never consider ingesting them, only for topical and aromatherapy purposes.

All in all, its been a valuable journey.  I now have viable alternatives to over the counter medications and that makes me happier than you can imagine.

Finally, I have learned about the oils and I get it.  Not sure how they flew under my radar for so long!

****Important -  It is critical to do your research on essential oils (EO). Choose only therapeutic grade oils.  These are highly concentrated extracts from plants and herbs.  Some will irritate your skin if not diluted with a carrier oil (coconut, sweet almond, jojoba or grapeseed).  Others can be used "neat" ( undiluted).  Its a bit of a different language but one worth learning.  There is a ton of information out there at your finger tips.  Just be patient and learn.