Don’t you just love the smell of peppermint? So refreshing and invigorating. Peppermint oil is would probably rank in my top 5 for most-used essential oils. Here are a few ways that I use peppermint oil and see great results:
Nausea – If I’m ever feeling queasy or nauseous, I either rub some peppermint oil on my stomach or breathe it in. I’m always amazed at how fast it works and keep applying every 20 minutes or smelling it until I feel better. This, along with activated charcoal, seriously saved me when I got food poisoning 3 times (why, oh why!?!) last year.
Headaches – Whenever I get a headache, rather than popping not-so-safe aspirin or ibuprofen, I put some peppermint oil on the roof of my mouth, back of my neck and top of my forehead and within minutes, I’m back to normal. *Warning: be careful to not get it in or close to your eyes or it will sting. If you do, wash out with olive or coconut oil rather than water.
Anti-Itch – Last summer, when I got hives as a result of stress, peppermint oil was the only thing that would relieve the itching. It’s also a great option for bug bites and sunburn as the oil is very calming for skin inflammation. You may need to dilute peppermint oil with coconut oil before applying directly to your skin as it can irritate sensitive skin in its concentrated form.
Allergies – Peppermint oil is great at helping clear out my nasal passages and reducing sinus inflammation caused by allergies. I use this in my essential oil allergy blend LLP (Lavender + Lemon + Peppermint) and diffuse all the time during allergy season. Read more about how I fight allergies naturally here.
Energizer – Afternoon slump or just need to focus at work… I diffuse peppermint at my desk at work and it does wonders for getting me through the rest of the day.
Fever Reducer – The couple of times I’ve had a fever in the past few months, I’ve used peppermint oil on the back of my neck and forehead with a cool compress and brought my temperature down to normal without medication.
Decongestant – When I have a cold, I mix peppermint with eucalyptus oil and coconut oil and applied to my neck and chest. It acts as an expectorant and helps open up airways and clear out sinuses. This was especially helpful to me when I was coughing a lot.
Muscle Pain Relief – Anytime I have sore muscles, I use peppermint oil to help relax them and relieve the pain. It’s also a main ingredient in one of my favorite blends of essential oils for pain relief – the Deep Relief Roll On. This was amazing to rub on my feet and legs each night after walking miles a day at Universal Studios & Disney World.
Oral Care – Of course, peppermint is a well-known breath freshener. I mix it with a bit of water and use as a mouthwash. It’s also in my beloved brushing blend OraWellness – read more here about why I will never go back to using regular toothpaste!
Bug Repellent – Ticks & mosquitoes apparently hate peppermint, so I use this in a pest-repellent spray for my dog every day. For some reason, bugs don’t like me, so I don’t have to use anything personally, but you can use it for people too. For my pup, I mix up distilled water with a few drops each of peppermint + eucalyptus + Thieves + citronella + tea tree in a spray bottle; besides protecting her from fleas & other bugs, it makes her smell great. Here is an actual recipe for homemade bug spray that’s very similar.
I’m so grateful to have added a variety of essential oils to my “medicine cabinet” and to now have a safe, effective way to address symptoms immediately when they arise. I have chosen to buy the Young Living brand of essential oils because I’ve done my research and I trust the source and the purity of the oils they grow & produce. If you are interested in trying out essential oils, visit this page on my blog for more details or leave a comment and we can chat more.
Have you been looking for a natural way to address any of the symptoms above? Do you use peppermint oil in other ways that help? I’d love to hear about it!
There’s nothing better than waking up, checking the forecast & seeing this:
But then, I check the other forecast. The one that tells me if I can actually go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather…
This time of year is awful for my allergies. The cedar gets me the worst… can anyone else relate?
I used to reach for allergy medicine or anti-histamines to get me through, but after many years rotating through, they eventually stopped working. And I don’t know about you, but anti-histamines make me feel sleepy and sluggish so it’s hard to get up and go to work. Plus, the purpose of those is to dry you up, so they are dehydrating. In search for something that would help provide some relief, I’ve discovered a few ways that have really helped me control my allergies:
1. Use a nasal rinse. This will clear your sinuses of allergens & bacteria. Plus, it moisturizes your system, thinning the mucous to keep it moving through the system and reducing post-nasal drip. The saline mixture added to warm, distilled water works wonders for clearing my nasal passages and keeping me from getting too stuffy. I use this kind – you can find it at nearly any drugstore.
2. Essential oils have worked miracles for me with my allergies. In particular, I use a combination of Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint (aka the LLP bomb). I put them in my diffuser, put 3 drops of each in a capsule to swallow or put them in a spoonful of local, raw honey. There are also a few other oils that can be super helpful with symptoms of congestion – RC & Breathe Again – or sinus headache – Copaiba. Read more about how essential oils can improve your health here.
3. Nothing relieves my itchy eyes better than Can-C Carnosine Eye Drops. It is the best eye drop out there; even though it’s not specifically for allergies, it is a great moisturizer and completely safe. On a side note, I’ve read stories that it has even helped people improve their vision or cataracts.
4. I recently discovered a homeopathic tincture called Allergena. They have blends for specific regions (Texas is Zone 5), or for allergies to pets, mold, dust, and several others. You put a few drops under your tongue every 10 minutes as long as you feel symptomatic until you don’t. It works super fast to provide relief for sneezing, runny nose & itchy eyes.
5. A couple of times a day, I take Natural D-Hist. My doctor recommended it originally for my stress hives last year, but it also helps with seasonal allergies. The blend of healthy ingredients helps relieve irritation from increased histamine response. Although it doesn’t provide fast relief, I have seen a lot of benefit by taking it consistently every day.
6. While it’s not realistic to always stay inside, it helps to keep your indoors an allergy-free environment to give your system some reprieve. Take a shower each night and wash your hair to get the pollen out. Put your clothes in a hamper when you get home for the day. Leave your shoes at the door. Wash your sheets and vacuum often. Close your doors and windows. Run an air purifier to remove those particles from the air – this is the one I use.
7. Eating a healthy diet is a crucial way to reduce inflammation & mucous production. Organic fruits and vegetables will help provide vitamins and antioxidants. Avoiding dairy and sugar will help lower your body’s inflammatory response and keep your immune system functioning properly. Staying hydrated is also important; water helps control levels of histamines in the body.
Do you have any other ways that help you control your allergies naturally? Thinking about trying any of these out? I would love to hear feedback on how these work for you!
Is it possible that the majority of illness originate from something as simple as dehydration? Could we be treating ourselves with medicine when we should just be drinking more water? I recently read Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj, MD, which explores this possibility.
Our body is made up of 75% water, and in particular, our brain tissue is 85% water. Adequate hydration is essential to our bodies and brains functioning properly to stay healthy. But many of us are suffering from chronic dehydration because we live in a society where coffee, tea, alcohol and manufactured beverages like soda have become acceptable thirst-quenchers. While many of these contain water, they also contain dehydrating agents that only make our body’s more thirsty. And, sodas, in particular, are addictive (both the caffeine and sugar), taking away our natural thirst for water, even when it’s plentiful and available.
We tend to think that we are “thirsty” when our mouths become dry and we crave a drink. But this is actually the last outward sign of dehydration – if you are feeling this, your body is screaming for water. And as you age, your body begins to ignore “dry mouth” more and more, making dehydration easier. Our vital organs receive the water, nutrients and hormones they need to work only by enough water existing in the body to deliver those elements, so it’s obviously essential to our basic functioning. Just in case you need a few more reasons to drink more water, here are some that really stood out to me:
Morning sickness during pregnancy is the main indicator of a baby and mother’s dehydration. Water is essential to cell expansion during a baby’s first stage of life.
Chronic pain is a huge indicator of thirst. For a while, painkillers may work for pain monitored by the central nervous system, but eventually the brain will become so dehydrated that it will register all pain until it gets enough water. And, until it does, the pain will increase and the body will limit the mobility of those areas in order to “prevent the production of additional toxic waste” that water, if available, would wash out. If you are experiencing consistent back pain, leg pain or headaches, take note.
Dyspeptic (gastritis, heartburn, constipation) pain is an emergency thirst signal. “Digestion of solid foods depends on the presence of copious amounts of water” and “water provides the only natural protection against the acid in the stomach.” Antacids contain a lot of aluminum (so does your deodorant, by the way), which combined with brain cell dehydration are proven causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Stop popping those antacids and drink a couple glasses of water instead.
“Fully 75 percent of the weight of the upper part of the body is supported by the water volume that is stored in the disc core.” While proper posture is helpful, adequate water is essential if you are experiencing back pain. Exercises that stretch the back and help “vacuum” water back into the disc space will help both neck and back pain. I personally find that laying on the bed with my head off the edge for a minute or so helps a great deal. Of course, my chiropractor adjustments help tremendously as well.
Dehydration affects the regulation of body temperature. Many migraines and headaches are caused by “heat stress” because of dehydration that may occur due to lack of drinking water, drinking alcohol, or an allergic reaction that releases histamines (blocking hydration).
Dehydration leads to stress in the body and causes hormones to go into crisis mode. As a result, dehydration contributes to chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.
Using caffeine to override your body’s available energy will lower levels of stored energy, meaning that your hormones will not be able to react appropriately later and the brain has less energy to work from, leading to less focus and attention span. This dehydration effect is exacerbated when elderly people with memory problems or children with learning disorders drink anything other than water, especially soda.
Adequate water and salt intake are essential to maintaining blood volume that prevents hypertension. The body will do all it can to retain water and sodium (helps balance water in and out of cells), yet the current “treatments” for hypertension prescribe diuretics. Water is the best diuretic – if you are drinking enough water, your body will respond and eventually flush out the toxic edema fluid rather than the water your body desperately needs.
Cholesterol is essential to the function of our cells because it helps our cells retain water. In the state of dehydration, you will develop high cholesterol as its working in overdrive to prevent cell dehydration.
“The sensation of thirst and hunger are generated simultaneously to indicate the brain’s needs.” We cannot tell the difference, and thus often overeat when our body’s are really just crying out for water. Then, dehydration causes our brain to crave more energy, thus causing us to crave sugar. So, we overeat, eat unhealthy foods and gain weight simply by being dehydrated.
“Asthma and allergies are indicators that the body has resorted to an increase in production of the neurotransmitter histamine, the sensor regulator of water metabolism and its distribution in the body.”
In some cases of chronic dehydration, our brain begins to inhibit insulin so the pancreas can provide water for food digestion – a crucial function to provide energy to the body. Ultimately, this can cause insulin-independent diabetes, and instead of drinking more water & eating a balanced diet to get the body to behave normally again, people take chemical override medications to force the body to produce more insulin.
Salt is crucial to ensuring we have an “ocean” of water outside our cells, but the table salt we eat in most foods is a chemical and not mineral-rich. Remove sodium preservatives and table salt from your diet and replace with unrefined sea salt to keep your body’s hydration in balance.
The simple way to prevent the damage from chronic dehydration is to drink enough water. Your body needs a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day, more, especially, if you are drinking alcohol or caffeine. If your urine is not colorless, you are not hydrated enough. Drink water slowly, throughout the day. I typically drink a glass of water before and after each meal, and then at least one in-between each meal as a rule of thumb. If I am feeling sick, my allergies are flaring or my back pain returns, I immediately drink lots of water, and only water, until the symptoms pass. I have truly noticed a difference.
Are you drinking enough water? If any of the above dehydration-related illnesses stuck out to you personally, you must read this book. It has very detailed chapters on each of the effects of dehydration and testimonials for how water has healed people. Go read it (or borrow from me!) – it’s fascinating!
I’ve been battling intense allergies for the past two weeks, so I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last post. I have to admit that I became a bit discouraged, starting to believe that this new healthy lifestyle wasn’t helping at all. But I realized that I need to reflect a little and remember how far I really have come with my health. Since I haven’t shared my story with you yet, I thought this would be the perfect time…
For as long as I can remember, I have been sick or in pain most of the time. While it’s never been anything super serious, I’ve definitely had a few debilitating days. For the most part, it’s simply just kept me from enjoying life to the fullest. Throughout my childhood, I got sick pretty often, mainly suffering from respiratory illnesses, and I’ve always had nearly constant back pain. I moved to Austin at age 6 and developed allergies and asthma, often developing into a sinus infection, pneumonia, bronchitis, you name it, and then of course, taking lots of medicine. I always complained of back pain as a kid and my parents did everything they could to discover the cause: taking me to multiple doctors & specialists, having MRIs & xrays and doing physical therapy. No one could figure it out. When I reached middle & high school, participation in sports only made it worse, and I started to have shoulder pain as well. Doctors prescribed muscle relaxers, Advil or physical therapy to manage the pain. Then, with the onset of puberty came acne (and other hormonal problems). My dermatologist prescribed an antibiotic for the acne, which I proceeded to take for only the next 8 years.
In college, everything got even worse. I was sick with bronchitis for the entire second semester of my Freshman year. Then, winter of Sophomore year brought even more illness. It started with my typical holiday seasonal allergies, developing into an apparent sinus infection compounded with bronchitis. Over the course of a month and a half, I was prescribed 6 courses of antibiotics and 3 steroid packs. Since I had a fever every day, the doctors also suggested Advil every 4-6 hours… for a whole month. My back pain became so intense that one doctor even said I “probably” had ovarian cancer… I didn’t. I saw 10 different doctors, trying to figure out what was actually wrong. No one could diagnose me. By March, my stomach became so inflamed from all those medications that I couldn’t keep any food down or sleep. It eventually culminated in a trip to the ER and a week-long stay in the hospital for gastritis.
I was furious, depressed and hopeless… I still didn’t have any answers and doctors were making me worse, not better. This was my turning point. As a last straw, I made an appointment to visit an “alternative doctor,” who immediately put me on probiotics to rebuild my immune system and my gut. She gave me some vitamins and changed my diet from the bland, carb-heavy “sick diet” to lots of protein and vegetables. Within a week, I was a different person, and continued to get better and better. That experience made me realize that there had to be something to this alternative, holistic medicine thing.
Since that time, I’ve been healthier – staying away from fast food, eating more veggies and taking vitamins. But, I still felt like my immune system just wasn’t performing up to par… it takes me awhile to get over being sick, I’ve suffered from hormonal issues (girls, you know) and I struggled with back pain daily. After watching a couple of great documentaries and reading some surprising health articles, I realized that even this was not normal and that I didn’t have to live this way. Providing even more motivation, after getting married a year ago, I inevitably began to think about my future children. I certainly didn’t want my kids to be sick all the time, and, I was frightened by the epidemics of food allergies and autism in kids today, not to even mention the possible (again, epidemic) fertility problems I could face trying to get pregnant someday. If you know me, you know I don’t accept “well, that’s just how things are” very easily. I was going to find answers.
Now, I read books, watch lots of documentaries, and keep up with new research and articles. I learn something new every day that I can put into practice immediately. Now, my healing comes from food that I can buy from a local farmer, not from medication – it’s much more delicious and there’s no long list of terrible side effects! I know that it may take my body a while to recover from all the toxins I put in it for so many years, but I have complete confidence that it will rebuild itself. God designed our bodies to heal themselves given the right nutrients. I’ve already seen a huge difference – pain and sickness are now in the minority in my life and I’m feeling better every day. Plus, I’m giving my future children a real chance to be healthy, and that will be the most rewarding result of all.
Is it just me, or does America seem to be getting sicker? I don’t remember so many kids having autism or food allergies when I was a kid. And it certainly seems like infertility problems have skyrocketed in my lifetime. Apparently, I’m not crazy, because, in fact, since the mid 90s, the number of Americans suffering from at least 3 chronic illnesses has nearly doubled. Oh, and the infant mortality rate is increasing, even though we are supposed to have better medical care and technology than ever. So, what’s changed? A few months ago, I watched a documentary (and did some research of my own) that opened my eyes to an interesting coincidence, pointing to what has changed in our environment that could be causing these health epidemics in America. Genetic Roulette, directed by Jeffrey Smith, won AwareGuide’s Top Transformational Film of 2012 award – to get the word out about the film, they are making it available to watch for FREE, this week only (through Feb 10), here. Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives may be the best documentary I’ve seen. It’s filled with testimonies from farmers & moms and facts & explanations from experts to back up everything it claims. I’m going to give an overview of the film, but I’ll never do it justice. So make time for about 80 minutes this week to sit down and watch; I promise you won’t regret it.
So what’s the coincidence? It was the switch from eating whole foods to scientifically altered foods – the increase in Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). GMOs were created by putting the DNA from one species into another to get benefits from both. For our food and farming purposes, this means creating a seed that makes a plant produce its own pesticide or making it pesticide resistant so that farmers have an easier time fighting off bugs and weeks. It sounds like a great idea, except that it’s all a science experiment in genetic alteration, resulting in mutations and unpredictable side effects, creating toxins, allergens, carcinogens and triggering inflammation. It creates a new genetic sequence that our body doesn’t recognize as food and so attacks the foreign object. Wait, so how did all this get approved by the FDA?
I love me a good government conspiracy theory, but get the facts on this one: The FDA has claimed overwhelming consensus from scientists that GMOs are safe since 1992, but when internal memos were released to the public during a lawsuit, it was discovered that their research staff actually expressed health and safety concerns about GMOs. Unfortunately, their concerns were ignored because the FDA Deputy Commissioner, Michael Taylor, was also a former attorney & Vice President at Monsanto Chemical Company, the company that manufactures and sells GMO seeds to farmers. And Michael Taylor’s not the only commercial GM advocate that’s been appointed to a high government position in charge of our safety (ahem, Dept of Agriculture). Actually, the FDA doesn’t regulate these seeds; they ask these companies to do their own studies and remind them of obligation to provide safe food to the public. If you’re not familiar with Monsanto, they’re the same company that said Agent Orange & DDT were safe – do you trust them? Unfortunately, companies are motivated by money, so when they perform their own studies, the statistics are likely skewed to get the product to market faster. Often they are too short to identify cancer, birth defects, and infertility effects.
Interestingly, independent studies (those not funded by companies making money from GMO foods – look carefully when you research) show that since GMO corn and soy started increasing in farms in 1996, America has seen a huge rise in problems with the gut – inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal disease, Chrohn’s disease, chronic constipation, reflux. For your reference, today, about 88% of corn and 94% of soy is GMO; while you may not think you eat a lot of corn or hate soy milk, the products of corn and soy are in almost every processed, pre-packaged food item that you eat. Oh, and there seems to be a shared rise in diabetes, autism, alzheimer’s, heart attacks, thyroid issues, allergies, and autoimmune diseases as well.
The movie covers a variety of topics, each building upon the last… here’s a taste of what you’ll learn:
Insecticide in Food: The BT toxin used in GM corn & cotton is designed to break open the stomachs of insects to kill them. Seems to do the same to us, making our intestines leaky and allowing food to enter the body before our flora have a chance to respond. Stat: A Canadian study found BT toxin in the blood of 93% of pregnant women sampled.
Intestinal Damage: Many diseases on the rise are connected to intestinal permeability – the food is leaking into body and we are creating antibodies to those foods, naturally developing food intolerances & allergies.
Allergies: Food allergies are on the rise today due to intestinal damage. Although the allergic reactions to certain foods may not reverse, symptoms decreased when prescribed a high-quality, organic, non-GMO diet. I don’t want to be the mom who said: “What have I done to my children? What did I unknowingly consent to?”
Autism: The rate is sky-rocketing and one of the main health issues autistic people have are intestinal. Parents have seen great results switching to a non-GMO diet. Not saying this is the cause, but I certainly wouldn’t risk it.
RoundUp: Monsanto’s best selling herbicide to kill weeds is based on glyphosate, which steals nutrients. Plants treated with RoundUp will have reduction in available nutrients, so the animals eating it become weak and sick… and then we eat the plants and animals, making us weak and sick. When you are deficient in essential trace minerals and nutrients, diseases worsen and can become impossible to cure.
Birth Defects: Workers on farms sprayed with RoundUp suffered birth defects. Lab animals suffered severe birth defects and fertility problems from GMO soy; by the 3rd generation, some rats even lost the ability to have babies.
Mystery Organism: When researching the epidemic of livestock fertility problems, scientists found a NEW, unidentified organism with similar properties of fungus in a miscarried fetus. These livestock are eating high concentrations of roundup sprayed on corn & soy and GM alfalfa hay.
Cancer from Dairy: Scientists use the E.Coli bacteria to produce a hormone to increase metabolism and milk production in cows. Unfortunately, this causes painful mastitis in the udders, meaning more antibiotics and bovine growth hormone (rGBH) in the milk. IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor), found in these hormones, is known to cause cancer, especially in milk-duct tissues. After studies showed a 55-60% increase in breast cancer for women over 50, rGBH was finally banned in many countries outside of the US, though some American companies have stopped using it. Even several Monsanto scientists admit they won’t drink non-organic milk.
Kids & GMOs: Kids grow fast and have a higher metabolic rate, so they eat more and need more nutrition from their food. Their immune system is also under development, making them more susceptible to toxins. And epigenetics has proved that pregnant women can pass many of these toxins onto their babies.
Infant Formula: Most formulas have rGBH dairy and GM corn in them, and the soy-based ones have GM soy. Babies are the most vulnerable of all to these toxins.
Why GMOs? They say it’s the best way to “feed the world.” But really, we are using chemicals that cost more money, require more work and destroy the soil. “Just because science can do something, does that mean it should?”
GMO Myths:
Increases Yield (seeds are not sustainable; organic outperforms in droughts; all independent studies prove not economically better)
Increases Exports (we’ve lost 99% of corn exports to Europe)
Reduces Need for Herbacide (after few years, weeds change and no resistance; more pesticides applied to GMOs than conventional)
The government and scientists have reviewed and approved (Many scientists who have spoken up or disagreed with GMOs in the past have been attacked and had their reputations destroyed.)
Lastly, a few farmer testimonies:
GMOs in India – When BT toxin took over cottonseed industry, thousands of field workers & farmers complained of skin allergies & rashes and animals grazing on BT toxin fields got sick and died. BT cotton is unpredictable and when crops failed, farmers went into debt, creating a huge suicide increase – BT cotton farmer suicides account for 75% of the country’s suicide rate.
GMOs in South Africa – GM corn fed to cows and pigs had reproductive failure, pneumonia and cannibalistic tendencies; problems disappeared after weeks on non-GMO and then when ran out of seeds and started using GM seeds again, the symptoms reappeared in 60 days. All 50-60 farmers on a GM corn farm ate the corn 3 times per day; they suffered from severe headaches, flu like symptoms, and a few died; sickness cleared up after removing GM corn, then returned when GM corn used again.
GMOs in America – A miniature steer ranch started on GMO corn to save money and the cattle began to bloat up and die; they also became really irritated and angry. Another pig ranch reported that their pigs were happier and healthier, eating more, calmer, and incurred less medical costs after only 3 days just by switching to non-GMO corn feed. Later, the conception and liter rates increased and birth defects decreased.
My favorite quote in the movie is when an expert refers to GM science as “tobacco science.” For years, everyone (and their mom) smoked cigarettes, even pregnant women, without any idea that it caused cancer and birth defects. These tobacco companies were allowed to self regulate until enough scientists and medical professionals spoke out to prove otherwise, causing a tipping point. It finally forced the government to require companies to put warning labels on packages and advertisements. I’m hoping that we are nearing a similar tipping point for GMOs. People have the right to know what these products are doing to their bodies. If you get a chance, vote for required GMO labels on all food, and pray that someday we’ll live in a world where our kids won’t grow up with commercials for high-fructose corn (syrup) flakes all over tv.
But, friends, there is hope! Studies have shown that many health problems reversed when GMOs were taken out of the diet. So how can you avoid GMOs? The main offenders are: Soy, Corn, Cottonseed (oil), Canola (oil), Sugar Beets (sugar), Papaya, Zuchinni, Yellow Crookneck Squash, Alfalfa, and Aspertame. But ingredient labels can be confusing and indirect, so it’s best to look for the Non-GMO Project Verified label. You can even find an easy shopping guide, or download the phone app here.
Have you ever heard of GMOs? Will you watch the documentary?
Don’t you just love the smell of peppermint? So refreshing and invigorating. Peppermint oil is would probably rank in my top 5 for most-used essential oils. Here are a few ways that I use peppermint oil and see great results:
by F. Batmanghelidj, MD, which explores this possibility.
Healthy and Hopeful 