Now you’re probably thinking that all these are hype and extreme cases. Maybe so. But what if they’re not?
You don’t know what you don’t know
The boys and I had a playdate yesterday and the mum was asking me about essential oils. She kept saying, ‘I hope you don’t mind me asking but I have no idea about this stuff. It’s all new to me.’
Back in the day (what . . . 20 to 30 years ago?), essential oils were primarily used for aromatherapy purposes. My mum used to burn oils in a little ceramic burner. It’s all quite different now!
Anyway, Vicks Vapor Rub came up in conversation which lead us into the controversy around these types of headlines.
(Keep reading . . . you’ll see why! )
Basically, we agreed, you don’t know what you don’t know.
You’re sick, you go to the doctor
We both grew up in a time where, if you were sick your mum took you to the doctor and, the majority of the time, you came away with a prescription. Understandably, our learned behaviour is to do the same with our kids.
Now headlines are saying that antibiotics have been overused and now superbugs are antibiotic-resistant, immunising your kids may cause autism, watch out for sugar content in medicines . . .
Fuck me!
The pressure of making the right decision
As a mum, I feel there’s SO many decisions to be made about what’s right for our kids, that it all gets overwhelming.
There’s extreme pressure, for me it’s self-inflicted, to always get it right. The health and wellbeing of my boys, the most precious things in my life, rely on me making ‘the right’ decisions.
Which leads me to making this bold statement . . .
We have to start questioning what we’re buying from the supermarket and the chemist, and putting into our bodies.
I know, I know, who has the time to read all the labels when your kid is sick and you just want them to feel better?!
But take a look at this . . .
This list of ingredients probably means nothing to you now but keep reading.
Petrolatum, ‘. . . this petrochemical can be contaminated with cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.’
‘Thymol is a mild local irritant. It can produce gastric pain, nausea, vomiting, central hyperactivity (eg, talkativeness), occasionally convulsions, coma, cardiac and respiratory collapse.’
‘Turpentine oil is possibly safe when adults use it on their skin or inhale it appropriately. When used on the skin, it can cause skin irritation. When inhaled, turpentine oil can cause spasms of the airways, particularly in people with asthma and whooping cough.’
And that’s just three ingredients.
I never questioned over-the-counter products
Until recently, I never questioned this type of product. It’s what the majority of parents use for kids coughs and breathing issues.
I had no idea of the alternatives and I put far too much trust into the corporations who are making these products.
‘Surely they can’t sell this stuff if it’s harmful!’
‘Supermarkets and chemists wouldn’t stock it if it was unsafe!’
‘There must be rules and regulations around making these products, to protect us.’
Apparently not which makes me even more passionate about essential oils.
Again, it could be all hype and there’ll be pro’s and con’s when it comes to using oils. But from my experience so far, I’d rather use oils than chemicals. That’s my choice and believe me when I say, I don’t judge you for the products you use.
So, I want you to know, after all that doom and gloom, that there are natural and affordable solutions available.
I haven’t taken the boys to the doctors once this year
Now I’m not saying they haven’t been sick . . . we’ve had runny noses and coughs. Oh, and one or two days of a high fever. But we’ve managed all this naturally.
How?
Every night my boys have diffusers going in their bedrooms. We put a respiratory blend, a protective blend and frankincense essential oils in them.
The diffuser puts out a cool mist – so no burning of oils like the old days – and I feel completely at ease having these in their rooms.
When we start to see signs of a cold or sickness, we use an immune bomb blend straight away. This includes:
The boys roll it onto the soles of their feet then put socks on to keep the oils from rubbing off on the floor. And I rub it up and down their spine. We do this every two hours or as often as possible, until the symptoms reduce.
Without fail, by day two or three the symptoms are gone. The boys might still have a slight cough but apart from that, they’re all good.
Bonus: through doing these things, I’m empowering my boys to be proactive when it comes to looking after themselves.
TRUTH: I gave my 5 year old ibuprofen when he had his fever
We were onto it and consistent with the oils but his fever was hitting 39.6 and rising.
We were using peppermint (diluted of course) across his forehead to cool him down, immune bomb every couple of hours but by late afternoon I could tell he was uncomfortable.
So I asked him if he’d like some medicine. ‘Yes please!’ he said.
Within 4o minutes or so he was feeling better. But we kept up with the oils.
Just to be clear, I gave him Ibuprofen not Pamol because he HATES the taste of it and refused to have it.
By the next day his temp was down and he’d perked up. I feel what we did worked for him.
NOTE: Essential oils should NEVER replace the advise of a doctor and always make sure you’re using them correctly around children.
Don’t wait until they’re sick
I firmly believe that it’s our daily action, of diffusers in the bedrooms and oils at the first sign of sickness, that has kept our boys healthy and well.
So my advice to you is do your research now. Don’t wait till your little people are sick!
And if you think you’d like to know more about how essential oils can help, I’d love to chat to you about them. Click here to message me and we can arrange a time to chat. No pressure or expectation to buy.
Feel empowered with essential oils
Right now, I feel empowered in managing sickness and injuries in our home. For me that’s having natural solutions and being proactive with my essential oils. And I like how that feels!
FINAL DISCLAIMER: Please know that I would NEVER not got to to the doctors if my boys, or I, needed medical assistance. I’m not stupid or naive to think essential oils are the be all and end all. I have a great relationship with my doctor and I trust her knowledge and expertise. From my experience so far, being proactive is paying off for my boys and I.