I’ve been a physical therapist for 10 years. Starting out in an out-patient orthopedic setting I pretty quickly began feeling like I was missing something. I needed to learn more. I didn’t have all the answers. Or something was lacking from my skill set. I started practicing myofascial release about 9 years ago, and it changed the way I looked at therapy. I realized I loved treating difficult cases, people suffering from unusual symptoms or chronic pain. A few years ago I expanded my skill set to include craniosacral therapy and visceral (organ) manipulation. This trio of myofascial (muscle & connective tissue) release, craniosacral (nervous system), and visceral manipulation revolutionized the way I saw and treated the body. It became more about “how can I be used as the conduit through which healing energy could be utilized by the client’s body in order to heal itself?” more than “how can I impose my will on this person’s system?” I gained a different perspective on how amazing the body is when given the right opportunities and encouragement toward healing. How decades-old injuries can get “trapped” in tissues and are still capable of release years later. How emotional and physical trauma are intertwined and often cannot be cleared independently of each other. How does this relate to oils? Keep reading!
After I had my second baby 5 years ago, I was first exposed to essential oils. I wasn’t sure how to use them at first, so I was slow to catch on. All I knew was that I was becoming increasingly concerned about the chemicals I was using to clean our home, our clothes, air fresheners we were using to “eliminate odors”, body products, medications, etc. and how these might be affecting my babies. As I started slowly researching oils and their uses and benefits I became curious. I started experimenting with combinations in my diffusers. I found recipes to use if any of us were sick, had a sore throat, were stressed, needed to focus, how I could clean with them. The more I learned about toxins in our environment (that are relatively unavoidable), the more I realized there were hundreds of toxins lurking in the products under my sink, in my medicine cabinet, in my makeup drawer, on our counters, in my laundry room, and in my shower that I did have some level of control over. They were everywhere! Did you know the average woman applies over 300 chemicals to her body daily through soaps, makeup, hair products, and lotions alone?! If you’re curious about products you are using to clean with check out the Environmental Working Group’s site at www.ewg.org to search for your products and how safe their ingredients are. And many chemicals haven’t even been fully tested yet, but of the ones that have several are known to cause asthma or endocrine disruptions (which is often one of the initiators in disease processes).
As I was learning some of this frightening information, I was also simultaneously witnessing firsthand the detrimental effects of toxin exposure, especially when combined with a compromised system that had previously experienced physical or emotional trauma. Some of the people I was treating were really sick. Hormone imbalances, physical pain, emotional suffering, heightened sensitivities, neurological conditions, etc. Treating these conditions takes a holistic, total system approach. It’s no longer only a physical problem. Their entire systems often needed a reboot.
I realized I needed to make some changes for myself. Slowly, I started experimenting with making my own products. It was energizing and empowering. Some of the first and most obvious choices for me were the products I was putting directly on my skin that were harmful: lotions and deodorant. Quick to follow were kitchen and bathroom cleaning products. As I learned some of the amazing anti-microbial benefits of multiple oils: lemon, lavender, peppermint, tea tree, rosemary, cinnamon, clove, orange, the list goes on, I realized not only am I safely and naturally cleaning my house, but by breathing in the oils I’m detoxifying my body at the same time! I realized I can clean my bathroom or kitchen counters with homemade oil and water based cleaners with varying dilutions of oils (stronger for the bathroom) rather than have a million bottles under my sink for every object I’m cleaning, I just have a few that cost me so much less to make than to purchase at the store, especially since prior to making my own, I had switched to the natural, organic cleaners.
I found recipes for making salves for regular everyday uses that we started using as a family. My healing salve and immunity salve blends I use on the kids almost daily. I keep little containers in my purse so when somebody complains about a sore throat on the way to school, or gets a cut at the park, a sunburn at the beach, a mosquito bite, a runny nose, etc. they get some salve slathered on them, hubby included. My kids know to ask for the tummy oil for their upset tummy, or the healing salve for their cut. If I burn myself in the kitchen, I head straight for my cabinet for the healing salve.
As a medical professional, I understand the importance of eliminating the cause of the pain rather than masking the symptoms. I think sometimes we forget the importance of this in our accepted Western system. If inflammation is causing my nerve endings to freak out and send pain messages to my brain, rather than tell my brain to ignore that sensation and numb it, I like to apply an anti-inflammatory plant based product that reduces the cause of the pain—the inflammation. If someone can’t sleep because they are stressed and likely over producing cortisol (the stress hormone), oils that help break down cortisol levels in their system will allow them to fall into a deeper sleep better. And what a great benefit that those same oils will at the same time detoxify their liver and kidneys, the organs whose functions are to assist with nutrient processing and system detoxification among other things.
As I received more requests from friends for specific salve uses (i.e. muscle aches, joint pain, scar reduction, hormonal balancing) I experimented with creating new blends to satisfy those needs. So that is where the remaining blends come in. I hope you find one that for an ailment you have or decide to get one for a friend! This is the perfect season for gifts!