Essential Oils: Slap a Cold, Kick a Fever!

It's that time of year, everywhere you look.. You can't seem to get away from it, no matter how hard you try. It's cold & flu season, and if you refuse to get a flu shot like me then you are washing your hands nonstop and avoiding anyone who dares to clear an itch in their throat within a five mile radius. These days I'm avoiding human contact with anyone who shows any signs of sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head or fever.

Moms don't get days off, especially Mom Bloggers!

I often get asked what I use on my kids when they do come across the occasional cold. So I'm sharing it all with you! Now, I usually diffuse Onguard essential oil in my boys room at night whenever they are in contact with a lot of children (which is weekly), I also apply to the bottoms of their feet. Usually if one of my little guys shows any sign of a sniffle I will apply diluted Onguard and rub on the Thymus for some added immune support (many times this is enough to cut whatever it was off at the pass). This, along with tons of hand washing are pretty good at keeping everyone generally healthy for the most part.

Occasionally (much less frequently since I started using essential oils as a means of preventative maintenance), they will come across something that they have to work through and in this case I use an arsenal of essential oils until I see symptoms subside. I keep the following in my medicine cabinet at all times.

• Onguard Essential Oil Blend
• Breathe Essential Oil Blend
• Lemon Essential Oil
• Eucalyptus Essential Oil
• Breathe Throat Drops
• Onguard SoftGels

In case of fever I would also add Lavender or Peppermint oil to the mix. 

The Onguard blend as I mentioned before is great as added immune support, I diffuse this as well as rub it on their feet and/or chest (Thymus). This is in addition to anything else I am using to treat symptoms.

If there is a lot of chest congestion and sinus pressure I apply a diluted Breathe blend on the chest as well as the feet. This usually helps to make breathing a bit easier, clears your sinuses right up (even if only for a little while). When I notice they start to struggle with breathing again I reapply, these blends won't completely erase the cold but it will help make us more comfortable throughout and it seems shorten the length of the cold.

I also apply diluted Lemon Essential Oil along the spine to help cut some of the congestion. For myself and my husband I will just add some Lemon Oil to a glass of water and it really helps ease coughing and break through some of the congestion. Children are not supposed to ingest any essential oil before the age of six so for now I just apply on their spine and I notice the runny nose takes a break for a few hours.

In order to bypass those night time interruptions due to sinus pressure/ congestion/ or constant coughing I diffuse  Eucalyptus Oil. I usually double the dosage when they are really stuffed up, this helps us all get a lot more rest (sleep is essential for a speedy recovery). This, along with a healthy diet, plenty of fluids, my "magic soup" and lots of mommy cuddles will usually do the trick. Before you know it they are up and running ready to drive me crazy keep me going.

If there is a problem with fevers then some Lavender Oil on the temples and forehead should do the trick. For a high fever that wont quit or keeps spiking I add some Peppermint Oil to the temples and/or feet, this usually brings it back down pretty quickly. To be clear, if the fever is scary high or persists, this warrants a trip to the pediatrician. I'm all for taking the natural route as much as possible, but I am not wreckless with my children. I also highly respect the opinion of my pediatrician, which is why I have chosen him. I mean, I was able to reach this man on Christmas Eve at 9pm when I was a new mom dealing with an infant who had severe acid reflux. Let's just say I'm a believer!

Now, during all of this "mommy-care" I have to be responsible and be sure to take care of mommy as well, otherwise I'm no good to anyone. So to help me stay healthy while caring for everyone else I make sure and stay on top of my vitamins, food and water intake, sleep schedule (ha, ha), AND I make sure and take my Onguard SoftGels. Moms need all the added immune support they can get when dealing with a germ filled household.

If I start to get that "scratchy throat" that usually warns me a cold is on its way, then I will start using the Breathe Throat Drops. These are very soothing and help feel as though they open up your airways and take away that tight / dry feeling in the throat. This along with the SoftGels and a little Onguard oil to the throat usually help fight off anything that was trying to form. If not, then I just follow the same protocol listed above with a lighter adult dilution.

That pretty much wraps up my cold care remedies. I love having natural options for my family. If you'd like to learn more about the essential oils mentioned above just click here. If you are in the Delray Beach area come join us for free Essential Oil Education classes offered monthly at The Salt Suite. The next class is scheduled for January 29th at 6pm. You can RSVP for the class at EssentiallyErika@gmail.com.

If you would like to learn about other all natural options that are available over the counter, you can check out my previous post on Kids Relief Homeopathic Medicine.


Essentially Yours,


Erika

"Germs Are Not For Sharing"

Anyone who really knows me knows that I am a bit of a recovering germophobe. In fact I've had to learn to "curb" my 'tude towards germs and those who enjoy sharing them in order for me to keep some friends or enjoy any social activities.

I wouldn't say that I am currently "germ-friendly", but I'm certainly a bit more "germ-tolerant". With all of the online debates, and information swirling around leading to the conclusion that some germs are necessary in order to grow a much healthier immune system. I am aware, (nor is it my wish) that my children cannot grow up inside of a "germ-free" bubble. In my quest to find inner peace and allow myself to live more in the "now" I have learned how not to overreact to some of the inevitable germ sharing experiences that come with toddlerhood.

HOWEVER... I do feel as though there is a definite group of people (you know who you are) who take this approach to another level. And by another level I mean they downright do not care who they infect, where they spread their germs or why they should be more mindful. Let me start by just laying it all out there, all children are different and handle illness differently. What may just be a nagging runny nose for your child, can be two weeks of breathing treatments for another child! (As seen on www.youaretheroots.com) What may be only a day or two of inconvenience in your home with your ONE child, may be a month of recirculating germs for a family of FOUR.

Here's some advice:

If your child is sick, STAY HOME!

If you are sick, STAY HOME!

If ANYONE in your home is sick, do NOT show up to public places where there is bound to be tons of kids. i.e., birthday parties, theme parks, local parks, libraries, play dates, indoor playscapes, and certainly not MY house!

STAY HOME!

(And get better of course)

If you need to explain to your child(ren) why they cannot see their friends, feel free to read them "Germs are not for Sharing!"

I know there are certain situations that are just beyond a parents' control, but the majority of the time its only a matter of common courtesy.

On our recent trip to the www.schoolhousemuseum.org, I witnessed a mom hovering over the train table sneezing all over the children! Not to mention touching all of the trains, constantly intervening and would not allow the children to play peacefully or work out any "sharing struggles" amongst themselves. She was even touching other children re-positioning them at the train table! As I looked onto the room of poor unsuspecting children who would soon have sniffles of their own (myself and my boys included), and the poor parents whose holiday weekend was changing before their very eyes, all I could think was "I just ran out of Onguard!"

(My go-to germ killing powerhouse essential oil)
We said a brief goodbye the train table and we hightailed it out of there. I dilute Onguard with Fractionated Coconut Oil in a 1:15 ration (that's 1 drop of OnGuard to 15 drops of FCO, told you this stuff was powerful), that's all you need. I also use this oil in my all natural hand sanitizer recipe, if used before contacting germs it can act as a barrier until you can get to a hand washing station.

Needless to say, we've spent the rest of the week recovering from "Sneezy's" attack on us all, I wonder how the rest of the group from our excursion is holding up.

Since we were already pretty sniffly by the time my stash arrived...

(nothing makes a girl happier these days...)

I had to do damage control and put together what is lovingly dubbed as "The Cold Bomb".

Now this is packing the heat!!! (literally)

Cold Bomb Recipe:

5 drops Onguard
5 drops Melaleuca
3 drops Oregano

There are different variations of "The Cold Bomb", this is the one that worked for me. I put it into a roll-on bottle and applied every two hours for about 8 hours. Within minutes I was feeling better, and within a day my symptoms were gone.

This, mixed with some diluted doTerra Breathe (I also use this in my homemade vapor cream) rubbed on the chest a few times daily is more than enough to get you "Breathe-ing" for sure. The relief was instant I didn't have to wait for some cold meds to "kick in", and I didn't have to expose myself or my family to any chemicals in the process.

#DrMom to the rescue!


As always, if you need any more info on any of doTerra's oils you can find it at: www.mydoterra.com/erikasessentials

Now, I'm curious.. Where is the last place you or your little ones got sick?


Essentially Yours,


Erika