Wellness Wednesday - Let's Get Oily!

First of all, don't you love how I've stuck with the Wellness Wednesday theme...stuck with the title with complete disregard to the actual day of the week??  I'm just cool like that!

Another way I'm super cool, you ask?  Well, I only admit to crunchy behavior when said crunchy behavior is en vogue.  I wanna be a cool kid.  Still.  So...here I am, finally sharing something I've been doing for a WHILE because now...all the cool kids are doing it!

Young Living Essential Oils

We have been using Young Living oils for general health support for the last five years over here at The Prince House.  In the last 6 months, there has been a huge trend toward oils.  I don't know why, I don't know what the catalyst was, I don't know if all the dollars earned from this boom in business are being used in kind and smart ways...regardless, I am thrilled!

I am thrilled for a few reasons:

1.  Anytime we become more aware of the products we use (health care, home cleaning, beauty/self care products, etc) and choose more organic, REAL ingredients, we are better for it.  I try to move toward less or no chemicals with every purchase.  My go to cleaner (think Formula 409) is a product from Young Living called Thieves Household Cleaner.  While it does still have some hard to pronounce ingredients (surfactants made from natural sources) it is a 'clean' cleaner and disinfects without the use of scary antibacterial chemicals.  My personal skin care routine has become a mixture of essential oils (frankincense, lavender, etc), coconut oil, baking soda, and epson salt.

2.  As a mom, I love having something safe and natural to reach for when the kids are sick.  Thankfully, all of the illness we have had are of the 'let it run it's course' variety.  But, even if you know the best thing to do is to let it run it's course, you still have a sick and miserable child (or three) on your hands!  I use essential oils to alleviate the symptoms without altering how the body naturally fights the illness.  Lavender for pain from an ear ache, peppermint for tummy trouble, RC (Young Living's blend of eucalytus, pine and peppermint) for respiratory issues, Thieves to shorten the duration and **hopefully** prevent the whole house from getting 'it', Peace and Calming - well, for peace and calming, and Stress Away and wine for me.

3.  I just love it anytime we as a culture trend away from the 'I'm sick, figure me out, give me a pill and don't ask me to change' mentality and move toward anything that looks like 'It's my body, I'll take care of it the best way I can, and I love to learn new ways that can naturally help me do a great job'.

I am a distributor with Young Living.  If you would like to try an oil or two, I will pass along my wholesale discount to anyone new to the oily life!  If you are ready to jump in, Young Living makes it very easy...the Premium Starter Kit comes with a home diffuser and 11 Everyday Oils for $150! (A savings of $150 over buying all components individually at retail prices!)

While I am still not a fan of multi-level marketing sales, this company does a lot of things right...my favorite is that there is no requirement for any further action past the Starter Kit.  If you get it and it's just not for you, they can never hear from you again and that's ok.  Or maybe it will make a huge difference in your health and that of your family's....build a business!

I am loving my new role as the oily leader of my little group.  I am passionate about learning, doing it right, finding better resources than Pinterest for the decision I make for my family's health, and sharing information. I also am a part of an excellent, bigger team.  I have surrounded myself with women (incidentally!) that are well versed and experienced in the use of Young Living products!  If you'd like more information, let me know!  If you are ready to sign up, here are the details:

1.  Go to: Distributor Sign-Up
2.  Make SURE to check Wholesale Member (so that you will get the wholesale discount.  Prices linked above are RETAIL prices)
3.  Enter #1168979 into Sponsor and Enroller ID.
4.  Fill our your information.
5.  Select your kit.  (RECOMMENDED: The Premium Starter Kit - you get the home diffusor + 11 oils in this kit.)
6.  Choose your Essential Rewards package or opt out (I recommend you opt out in the beginning.  Try your new oils and then you can set up for Essential Rewards later if you choose.)
7.  Add any other items.
8.  Check-out!

In Health,
Erin

Disclaimer:  While I am a doctor, the most important part of patient care is the individual case history.  If you plan to treat these oils like medicine for your family, then learn and understand them like medicine.  The more aware we are about ALL things that we put into and on our bodies, the better we will be.

Wellness Wednesday: Bone Broth

We have had a round of less than well over here at the Prince House.  Nobody had it severely.  Nothing lasted too long.  BUT, everyone had it...one after the other.  It made for a whole lot of living room sitting, baby carrying, butt wiping days, all in a row.

Here's what I tried to remind myself through these few weeks.

1.  You can do things 'right' (eat good food, get rest, supplement your diet, have good hygiene, etc) and still get sick.

2.  Sick means short term inconvenience, but long term benefit.  Growing an immune system means USING that immune system.  Truly healthy means that sometimes you run a fever and vomit out the bad stuff!

3.  Our bodies are smart.  Need for rest, increased thirst during a fever...these things happen without any help from a momma when a little body is fighting a bug.  It's really remarkable to watch.

Now that things are back to 'normal' around here, I am in rebuilding mode!  Rebuild their gut health, rebuild their hydration!  We eat yogurt and drink kefir.  We drink a ton of water or herbal tea (the kids love orange!).  We (mostly) stay away from sugar and any processed food.

One thing I love for healing your gut is broth.  Homemade broth made with quality ingredients is one of the best ways to replenish nutrients and heal your gut.  It is a mineral rich and nutrient dense food.

For you science minded friends, The Paleo Mom explains the benefits of two of the amino acids found in bone broth:

“In addition, glycine is required for synthesis of DNA, RNA and many proteins in the body.  As such, it plays extensive roles in digestive health, proper functioning of the nervous system and in wound healing.  Glycine aids digestion by helping to regulate the synthesis and of bile salts and secretion of gastric acid.  It is involved in detoxification and is required for production of glutathione, an important antioxidant.  Glycine helps regulate blood sugar levels by controlling gluconeogenesis (the manufacture of glucose from proteins in the liver).  Glycine also enhances muscle repair/growth by increasing levels of creatine and regulating Human Growth Hormone secretion from the pituitary gland.  This wonderful amino acid is also critical for healthy functioning of the central nervous system.  In the brain, it inhibits excitatory neurotransmitters, thus producing a calming effect.  Glycine is also converted into the neurotransmitter serine, which promotes mental alertness, improves memory, boosts mood, and reduces stress.

Proline has an additional role in reversing atherosclerotic deposits.  It enables the blood vessel walls to release cholesterol buildups into your blood stream, decreasing the size of potential blockages in your heart and the surrounding blood vessels.  Proline also helps your body break down proteins for use in creating new, healthy muscle cells.”

The quaility and taste of homemade versus canned is pretty evident in a picture:

Homemade on the left, Whole Foods Organic Stock on the right

Here's how I made it:

1.5 - 2 pounds of chicken bones (I save these over time and keep them in the freezer)

1 onion

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 T apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic

1 T salt

Put bones and 1 gallon of water in to a large stock pot.  Add apple cider vinegar and let sit for 20-30 minutes (this helps to break down the bones).  Add the vegetables and bring to a boil.  Add the salt and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover.  I let this then simmer on the stovetop for 24 hours.  For the first few hours, you should skim and discard any 'suds' that gather on the top.  After that, you can completely neglect it until the next day!

When it's finished, I let it cool for about an hour.  Then I strain it into a second stock pot.  Next, I pour through some cheese cloth to fill my mason jars.  I keep mine in the fridge and use within 5-7 days.  You can of course freeze it at this point.

We sip it, straight up.  I make chicken and vegetable soup with it.  I use it to make rice or quinoa.  Go crazy!

Enjoy!

Wellness Wednesday - An Intro

I had this whole other life before I was a mom.  It's a foggy memory, at best, but I know it existed.  In that life, I was educated by book and life on the human body and it's workings.  Life is different now.  Now, I am reminded of that era only once a month...when I notice the bank draft for the payment on the mortgage sized debt on my big brain.  Sure, I adjust Dan and the kids some, and you know I politely offer force my opinions on practice management on Dan occasionally.  But, for the most part, I call on the professional chiropractor part of my brain VERY infrequently.

I have recently become very aware, though, that the lifestyle that comes with that - what has become just our normal life - is a different approach to managing a family's health than most.  It's not the only way, but our way is different than some.  

And so, not as a health care professional, but as a mom who is just trying to figure out what works best for us, I thought I would share some of the things that we do that are maybe not the conventional approach.  Take 'em or leave 'em.  I hope that this can be a discussion of many wellness type options out there so that we can all learn something.  I hope this does NOT become a place for heated debate.  I don't have the stomach for it.  Some people love to ruffle a feather with their out of the norm stance.  I do not.  I don't have the time or the sleep reserves for this to get heated.  If this isn't up your alley, know that I'll always post these topics on Wednesdays (unless it's Friday (sheesh!!!)) under the title Wellness Wednesday.  Skip it.  Come on back on Thursday and see some cute pics of my littles.  Basically, be kind.

Here are some items on the list to be discussed:

Chiropractic

How We Deal with Sickness

My Medicine Cabinet

Essential Oils

Bentonite Clay

Bone Broth

Apple Cidar Vinegar

What We Eat

Whole Food Supplements

What else do you want to talk about?  

I'm excited about this, friends!  I have become encouraged by some unlikely sources to share what we do to maintain health.  I think we are moving into a strange season of health care here in our beloved country.  My feeling is, that the more empowered and confident you are to manage and maintain your family's health, the better off you will be.

See you Wednesday to hop on in...

The Momma Formerly Known as Dr. Prince