I was raised in a health-conscious family – but it wasn’t until my 20’s that I really started evaluating and redefining what ‘health’ meant for me.
My commitment to seeking optimum wellness truly began when Xavier & I decided to start a family. I went to the Doctor, made sure all the boxes were ticked to get the ‘green-light’ for ‘trying to conceive’, started my synthetic prenatal vitamins and then we got down to business… We were good at the business part? yet thus began our journey with infertility.
It took us over 3 years before we were able to conceive Camilla… and while I sometimes wondered if I would ever get through that rollercoaster of vulnerability and heartache, in the end, I am grateful for the awareness and faith that transpired all the same.
Despite a brief period of unsuccessful infertility treatments, I started to really get in tune with what my body & mind needed to become healthy. In this process, I leaned more and more toward ‘alternative’ therapies, homeopathies, clean living and whole food nutrition. It was during this time that I was introduced to Essential Oils. I absorbed the information and gradually built my supply while replacing my conventional ‘wellness’ supplies, personal care & household products. Ultimately, we canned the infertility treatments and embraced a holistic overhaul to our everyday lives, nutrition, preventative care and wellness measures. Within a few months of these various changes and not long after having ‘normal’ cycles for the first time in my adult life, Camilla signed a 9-month lease in my belly.
Today, we rely on oils for so many of our every day needs as well as to support our health when dealing with various ailments. I have used them to make homemade just about everything in the realm of baby care. I used oils to assist in natural labor as well as in both prenatal and postpartum care. I have replaced almost all our cleaning and personal care products with essential oil based products. I use them in cooking and baking. I have made beautiful Christmas gifts like sugar scrubs and bath bombs for friends and family. And a good chunk of the time, I even feel like I know what I’m doing!
More recently, we’ve also learned that Camilla (and either Xave or I) carry a gene mutation (Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), which essentially inhibits our ability to process folic acid and to effectively eliminate toxins through our liver. This elicits a genetic predisposition for countless potential health consequences (including midline defects such as spina bifida because of the inability to absorb synthetic folate). But by reducing our overall toxin exposure, we substantially reduce our risks. While I did not know our diagnosis when we started incorporating oils into our everyday life, I believe my encounter with them prior to pregnancy was a blessing, as had I continued with typical toxin exposure, we may not have been so fortunate with Camilla’s health.
Since the time we have started utilizing essential oils, I went from experiencing chronic seasonal allergies with recurrent sinus infections and 4+ rounds of antibiotics a year to not having had a single dose of antibiotics in over 5 years. I went from not having a period but every 90-110 days (despite what you might think, this is actually a very bad thing J) to every month. Xavier has had 2 work-related bacterial infections for which he was prescribed antibiotics, but did not end up needing. We have managed various illnesses including strep throat, croup and one ear infection in both girls without needing medication. I truly believe we prevent many further health issues by using oils in our everyday life as opposed to toxic-laden products. Neither our daughters has needed a single dose of ‘western’ medicine in their lives thus far. This is not to say the Essential Oils were entirely responsible for any of the above; but they most certainly supported our wellness through these times.
Regardless of this, I am still very much grateful and humbled by the advances of modern medicine. I know we are fortunate as a family to not have been at the mercy of more interventions thus far in our lives. And while I believe there are many other elements to health and wellness, I have no doubt that essential oils play a very important role in our story. After having experienced the benefits of Essential Oils, I will without a doubt continue to commit toward a toxin-free lifestyle by incorporating them into our everyday life.
I do feel genuinely passionate about essential oils and helping others on their journey of a healthy lifestyle, so if you want to learn more or get involved, I’m happy to help you along. Thanks for listening 