Have you ever sat back and noticed how sick kids (and people in general) are today? What’s so different? It seems like society is so scared to touch or breath in anything. All you have to do is turn on the news and there are new reports and statistics on the next thing that is unhealthy for us. I am just waiting for the report on how breathing is harmful for our health- actually I think I’ve heard something pretty close about how dangerous the air we breathe is *sigh*Â . I could go on-and-on about the many things that are unknowingly harming us everyday, and I’m no expert- it’s all common knowledge really.
But today, I want to focus on the few things we cling to when we feel the need to be healed the most: our medicines. Now, I am not going to tell you to go through your cabinet and throw everything away. I am no doctor. I am no professional. But I am a mother who has researched and found much better solutions than filling my family with harmful toxins when we are feeling yucky.
My first “ah-ha!” moment came when I rushed my daughter to our local urgent care facility. She had a terrible cough, runny nose, fever- all the usual. Our first instinct today, which may say a lot more about our society than we think, is to rush off to the doctor and get a prescription to fix all of our needs.
But when we got there, the doctor blew my mind- and I am so thankful he did!Â
Our daughter was only 4 at the time and we were asking which over-the-counter medicines would work best. He looked at us and bluntly said, “None of them.” I’m sure the looks on our faces were priceless: confusion, dropped jaws, big eyes. None of them?! Well what were we supposed to do to help her? He then proceeded to explain himself, “All you are doing when you buy majority of over-the-counter medicine is putting money in the big wig’s pockets. Not only that, many medicines can be harmful for children under the age of 12, especially cough medicine, even if they are labeled safe for younger children.”
Two things stuck out to me, that I think about often: the medicine I had been giving my children for years could be harmful to them and all we are doing is making the rich richer… it makes sense. They are selling a product, something we THINK we need. Everyone has them in their cabinets and when you run low you go out to the store to stock up on more just for that random middle of the night “MOMMYYY!!”
Then, it made me think. When our children are sick all we want to do is help them, right? We give them this medicine (every few hours) and feel better about ourselves because we are doing what we can to ease their pain and help them recover- or are we? Do they get better? Yes. But at what cost? Do we REALLY know what we are making our kids ingest for hours upon hours until they are back to their normal selves? What consequences are we building up for the future? Could this be why cancer is now so prevalent in our society? I don’t know. Like I said, I am in no way a professional, but it does make you wonder.
So the next part comes…
What are we supposed to do?!?
I will circle back to that eye opening doctor’s visit. We asked him that very question. He looked at us and told us what he does for his kids. Sore throat? Make them drink/eat local honey.
Excuse me? I am not sure which prairie he will be saddling up his horse to ride off to after work, but this is 2014 (well, it was) and there has to be something better than that. Isn’t there?
Then I got to thinking, well, what did they do back in the day without all of this medicine so easily at their finger tips? How did those mothers help soothe their aching child? Doesn’t it say in the bible that God has created everything we need right here on this earth? Wouldn’t that include things to help us fight sicknesses- all natural medicines?
And that’s where my research began. Weeks later my cabinet (not my medicine cabinet- it still has emergency essentials- but a new cabinet I had cleared out) was filled with essential oils, honey, diffusers, and resource books to help me when I didn’t know what to use. I quickly found out that lavender is one of the BEST essential oils to have in stock when a sickness arises. Lavender helps reduce fevers, calms a restless child, and even relieves stress.
A little side note: I had been prescribed anxiety medication and was at the point where my doctor was advising me to increase my prescription, but I did not want to spend my life dependent on medication and constantly upping the dose every time my body got use to it. It was around this time that all of this happened with my daughter and I began researching natural ways to help with sicknesses. Lavender was also highly recommended to help with anxiety, stress, and depression. What could it hurt? So I began diffusing lavender each night as we slept and
I have never had to take anxiety medicine again- that was over 2 years ago!
I am even to the point now, where for the past year, I do not diffuse lavender at night anymore. Mainly because I forget, but the point is it is not something I became dependent upon. I actually do not need any medication anymore (natural or prescribed)! I have had a few days where I could tell it was setting in, but all I would have to do is whip out some lavender and viola!
Right there was proof to me that the oils had to be doing something! I was at a point where increasing my dosage was the “only option” and I found a way to stop taking it all together- AND feel better than ever!
Okay, sign me up for the next Caroline Ingall’s homesteading class (;
Alright, I’m completely over exaggerating. I am too prissy to be outside homesteading and killing animals, but I CAN do this!
In our house, we have oil diffusers in almost every room. I have my own little cabinet stocked with my 100% all natural essential oils (that part is very important- your oils need to be all natural, no added fillers).
I use these oils everyday for almost everything!
Stinky dog? I’ve got an all natural spray for that. Restless children who do not like naptime? Yes, I’ve got an all natural spray for that! Sick kids (or husband)? I’ve got 5 different oils to diffuse depending on the sickness. Sore throat? You better believe we have some locally grown honey up in that cabinet too! The list seriously goes on and on!
I even got my mother-in-law, who had stage 3 ovarian cancer (Yes, HAD- she is officially in remission!!), Â hooked on the oils too. After chemo she would diffuse oils to help with her pain and nausea. At one point, she was even using a diluted solution of peppermint oil to help relieve some pretty severe nausea pains- and it helped!
My husband says I’m obsessed. And that’s okay, maybe I am! But one thing is for sure, we have not opened that medicine cabinet in a LONG time!
Now it’s your turn. I would love to hear from you! Do you use any oils? If so, what are your favorites? Do you have any questions? Comment below!
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