The Pharmacist

When I think back to the life I was leading at the beginning of 2015, it kinda makes my stomach turn. I used to joke that if someone went into my medicine cabinet, they would say I looked like a Pharmacist! When you go through Chemotherapy and have four surgeries along with an anxiety problem and depression, you start to collect a lot of prescription meds. I had one medicine to take care of one issue, and another one to help the side effect, that the one before it caused. It was crazy! Along with all of the prescription meds, I had the common bottles of `Tylenol, Advil, Gravel, Pepto, muscle relaxants etc...whatever we needed when an issue or illness would arise, and Like many of us, I thought this was how you dealt with these thing. You go to your doctor, they prescribe you a medication, it makes the problem go away and you move on. This is what I had been doing my entire life, how was I to know any better? The big problem was that after going through 2 miscarriages, Cancer, the death of a family member and four surgeries in the span of 2 years my problems couldn't just be fixed with medication, it was only masking the real issues that needed healing. Like putting a big ass band aid on an open wound and “hoping” it will just go away. What I needed I couldn't find in a medicine cabinet, or at my doctor's office. One day I found myself standing there looking at my FULL medicine cabinet feeling so toxic, and weighed down, I remember taking a deep breath and thinking “how did it get this out of control?” Was I going to be dependent at the age of 27 on pharmaceuticals to make me “feel” good?” It was so bad, I couldn't even remember what some of the meds were even for! I want to quickly point out that I am in no way against pharmaceuticals, they saved my life when I was going through Cancer, but I needed a change after it all, I was done! I decided in that moment that something needed to change, I could no longer go on this way. I had lost two babies, was crazy depressed and beyond anxious all the time that I wasn’t living anymore, I was surviving. I needed to detox my body and my mind asap or I was headed down an even darker path than I was already on. (If you read my blog post on My Story this all ties into the moment when I declared to my husband that I needed help! This was when Doterra essential oils came into my life, and this is when I made the choice to get back to being ME again.) Can I share something though? Here’s the thing, and I’m going to be so real with your right now. I had to make the choice to change my life. I know countless numbers of people who talk about making the change, and want to make the change but aren’t willing to do the work to make it happen. At the end of the day you can talk to those people until you are blue in the face about what they could do to help themselves but ultimately it’s up to you.

I was ready, my body was screaming at me (future blog post about that topic) and I knew there was no way in hell I was going to have a successful pregnancy if I didn’t do something about my situation. So I quit my role as my medicine cabinets Pharmacist and I cleaned it out! I filled it with essential oils, and natural solutions, I made my own DIY recipes for headaches, stomach upset, nausea, muscle aches and pains, I was blown away and my world opened up when I realized “wait I can still have all the solutions to keep me feeling good and healthy without any of the side effects?” MIND BLOWN! And for anyone reading this I want you to see that you have options too, there is never just one way of doing something and when it comes to our health why shouldn’t we know all the options?

Here are my top 6 medicine cabinet essential oil must haves!

1. ZenGest - This is Doterra’s Digestive blend - Bloating, gas, upset stomach, indigestion, this is the best!!! Think of how many medications you could replace with this one bottle!

• Add a few drops to water to take internally or rub on the stomach before flying or taking a road trip for a calming aroma.

• Have ZenGest on hand when enjoying heavy holiday meals to promote digestion.

• Take ZenGest with you when traveling or trying new foods to soothe occasional stomach upset.

1. Peppermint - This is my go to for headaches or nausea.

• Small swipe of peppermint along my hairline, and back of neck kills any headache

• 1 drop in hot water makes a delicious peppermint tea and soothes the stomach

• Mix a drop of Peppermint oil with a drop of Lemon essential oil in water, take a sip, and swirl it around in your mouth for a healthy, refreshing mouth rinse. One of the key ingredients to this mouth rinse is the menthol found in Peppermint. Menthol has been used for centuries for its ability to cleanse and freshen

1. Deep Blue (soothing blend) - this is my new muscle relaxant - Rub Deep Blue to soothe tired, sore, achy muscles and arthritis pain.

2. Balance, Wild Orange, Citrus Bliss - These are my go to oils to help keep my anxiety in check. - every morning when I wake up, I put Balance (Doterra’s grounding blend) on my feet, and a drop of Wild Orange, Lemon or Citrus Bliss in my hands and take a deep breath in. These oils are all very uplifting to the mind and body and promote feelings of joy, and for me I find they help calm my mind.

3. Lavender, Serenity - Do you take sleeping pills or struggle to get a good night's sleep? These two oils are known for their ability to calm the mind and body and lessen stress so you can have a restful night's sleep. Rub a few drops on the bottom of your feet, back of neck, put a drop in your hands and take a couple of deep breath in.

4. Easy Air - Doterra’s respiratory blend is one of my favorites. This blend is my version of Sudafed or cold medication. It clears the airways to help you breath, and is great to diffuser beside your bed to promote a restful sleep. Easy Air comes in a few forms, one of my favorite's is their vapor stick, it replaced my Vick’s addiction and never leaves my bedside!

I could go on and on, as the possibilities of what these oils do is endless. If you want to learn more about the oils I’m always around to chat with you…..my favorite thing to do is talk health and oils, so feel free to reach out anytime!

XO

Andrea