Updates from Vicki Merrill

Do you ever feel like you are stuck in a “negativity rut''? Your thoughts travel to the worst case scenario almost immediately, your anger is quick to bubble to the surface, your outlook on life’s daily activities is a wee bit miserable, and the smallest problems can seem catastrophic...

 

My friend, you don't have to stay in that place. You can break that cycle and walk through that valley to the other side. It will take some practice. It will take some concentrated effort and re-training of your brain, but you can do it.

 

A more positive you is possible. Let’s look at a few new habits that will help you on the journey...

 

 

Most likely you don’t even realize you are living with a fixed mindset - it’s how you’ve always reacted; it’s how you’ve always viewed XYZ. When this negative, fixed mindset clouds your view, you are unable to even see the opportunities and blessings that life sends your way. 

 

Awareness is the key. You won’t be able to move forward in becoming more positive without first identifying what needs to go. 

 

Stop and think about how you respond to difficult situations, or circumstances. Grab a journal or notebook and write them down as they happen throughout the day.

 

Maybe your kiddos or spouse make a mess in the bathroom or leave crumbs all over the table. Write down how that makes you feel. Do you walk past a mirror and see your belly drooping over your pants? Maybe that coworker got the promotion you’ve been working for. 

 

What thoughts cross your mind? Write them down. 

 

Keep this journal with you and jot down your thoughts and reactions as you go about your day. Before bed, review them. Notice any patterns?

We have talked about this before…you get what you think about whether you want it or not...

 

 

After a few days you will start to see how you generally react or respond to life’s annoyances...now, how you can change that thinking??

 

Get out that journal or notebook and pick out a few phrases you caught yourself muttering over and over. Write those down on a new page, but leave room for a re-work. 

 

Perhaps you heard yourself say, “There’s no way this will work.” Now take a moment to think about how you can turn this into a positive statement. How about, “I love a good challenge; I am going to approach this from a different angle.” See or feel the shift?

 

Let’s try another. Maybe you often think to yourself as you walk past the mirror, “I will never lose this weight. Who would love this?” Yikes - what a punch to your inner self! How can you stop this negative talk in its tracks? Try → “I can make small changes that will lead to healthy results. I am beautiful no matter the size of my pants.”

 

This exercise will challenge you to have a new perspective. Attack those negative thoughts and take them captive. 

 

 

We have so many things to be thankful for, but we often overlook them or take them for granted. That soft bed you sleep in - blessing. Those clothes you wear every day - blessing. That car you drive - blessing. That paycheck you receive - blessing. That air you’re breathing in - blessing. See how the simple things in life, the ones we often consider as just “part of life”... we can count them all as blessings! 

 

Starting the day off with a heart full of gratitude can really make an enormous impact on your attitude. According to a study done by The University of California and Washington University, expressing gratitude increases joy. Joy, in turn, increases gratitude. What a great cycle to be stuck in! 

 

You can also set your intentions for the day by repeating affirmations aloud. Start telling yourself the story you want to be a part of. Use positive language; speak truth over yourself. Try these…

 

 

We know fragrances can have quite a powerful impact on your emotional state. As soon as you take a whiff, those molecules travel up your nose to your olfactory receptors, that then relay messages to other parts of your brain. Your sense of smell is the only one of the five senses that is directly linked to the limbic lobe of the brain, the emotional control center.

 

Did you know? Sesquiterpenes can increase blood oxygen levels in the brain. Guess where those are found? You guessed it - those essential oils sitting on your shelf.

So grab those oils and inhale or diffuse them! Find what works for you and use them consistently! 

 

 

 

Take a few moments today to reflect on the things you surround yourself with - your friends, family, coworkers, music, tv, social media, podcasts, books, etc. Are they positive? 

 

Do you remember that old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out”? Same is true today. If you are surrounding yourself with negative influences, your inner thoughts and attitude will most certainly be negative.

 

Sift out the bad and start focusing on what positive influences you can begin implementing. If it’s a toxic relationship, take the steps required to set proper boundaries. If it’s something toxic on social media or perhaps gloomy, depressing music… change that! Remove it. Delete it. Do what it takes to set yourself up for success in this area. 

 

Foster the positive relationships you do have. Play upbeat, uplifting music. Read books and listen to podcasts that inspire you, not give you nightmares. Watch comedy shows and laugh! Bring in so much positivity that there’s no room for negativity. 

 

Maybe one of the most important things you take away from this is to turn failures into lessons.

 

You are not always going to get this “positivity thing” right. You will have “off” days, moments where you lose your cool, situations that put you in a funk. Don’t let them derail you…even when someone reminds you that you messed up…because they will…I promise...LOL

 

Take what happened and learn from it. Figure out how to avoid those situations or how to handle them more effectively the next time you encounter them. Break the cycle. Stay the course. Become the change you want to see. 

 

Hey, hey, my friend!! Ready to continue our chemistry journey? We’ve talked how your oils are affected (or not affected) by heat, cold, light, air, adulteration and shelf life…now let’s talk about water…

 

What’s your guess? Does water affect your oils?

 

Are you one who likes to use your oils in your bath or shower?? Dr. Stewart tells us there is really no problem  with the water changing the chemistry of the oil. He says the challenge is to add the oils to your bath so that those concentrated little drops don’t come into contact with sensitive body parts and cause unpleasant burning. He suggests combining the oil with a gel or with Epsom salts and pouring the mixture under the running faucet so the oil is dispersed throughout your bathwater, and not floating around in concentrated areas. He also said mixing aloe vera or a liquid bath soap in the tub before adding your oil also helps by emulsifying and dispersing the oils harmlessly throughout the water. 

 

Be sure to choose your oils carefully though…Hot oils like peppermint, oregano or cinnamon could result in a "memorable" experience…be sure to use common sense… 😉

 

By using your oils in a hot bath or even a whirlpool, it allows your body to absorb them through your skin as well as through inhalation. Soaking in a hot tub with a few drops of eucalyptus or another oil high in 1, 8 cineole, is a good way to get relief from those symptoms of being under the weather and for breathing support. Be sure to look up that 1, 8 cineole and see what it’s secret is!!

 

You can also check out your Essential Oils Desk Reference for more info on how to use your oils in your bath.

 

So, what about diffusers? Did you snag a few more this week during that incredible sale?? I did…you can never have too many diffusers…Anyway…

 

Some inexpensive diffusers operate by floating the oils on a surface of water in a tray with a fan that blows through to disperse the oils into the air. Some chemical alterations may take place, but that isn’t the problem. The problem with these fan type evaporation diffusers is that the lightest compounds in the oil blow off before the heavier ones, so you never get the whole oil into the air at the same time. Some oils, like cassia and cinnamon, are denser than water, and don’t even float, so they wouldn’t work in a diffuser like this at all.

 

The best diffusers use atomization. Oils are forced through a pinhole by a high pressure stream of air and it then explodes into billions of droplets so tiny that they consist of only a few molecules each. The oil vapor that results contains all of the ingredients of the oil in the same balance as it was in the liquid form, so you get all of the effectiveness and benefits. 

 

Spraying the oil at a high velocity through the nozzle also energizes the oil, raising the level of oxygen carried by the molecules and increases its frequency, so the healing potential of the oil is increased to a higher level. 

 

Using oils on your skin alters the chemistry of the oils based on your chemistry. If you have ever smelled a perfume from a bottle and then sprayed it on, you know that firsthand. You don’t know what it is going to smell like until you apply it. The resulting smell is a chemical combination of the perfume and its reaction to the substances in and on your skin. A perfume that smells great on one person may smell yucky on another, depending on their unique chemistry.

 

The sweat glands of your body brings waste products to the surface which are eventually washed away when you bathe or shower. They are usually proteins or decompositional by products of proteins. Essential oil compounds can react with these substances, changing the smell, and even alter some of the constituents that pass through your skin and into your body. Since no two people have identical bodies or chemistry, oils may not have the same effects on different people.

 

The therapeutic effects of an oil are a combination of the chemistry of the oil and the chemistry of the person receiving the oil. This is one reason different oils work, or don’t work, for different people and the intelligent application of oils requires some experimentation on your part.

 

Experimenting on your own with pharmaceutical drugs would be dangerous, but playing with the oils is safe enough for anyone who simply uses a little common sense and doesn’t go to extremes.

 

Any local friends interested in a women’s wellness event?? Local women, businesses, health related, coming together to share what they offer? Maybe a class or two? Sample sessions? I’m considering pulling one together for Nov/Dec if there is enough interest…know anyone who might like to share what they do/offer?

Let’s talk Light and air as we continue our trek through part of Dr. David Stewart’s book, The  Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple.

 

Essential oils should always be kept in opaque or dark colored transparent bottles.  In ancient Egypt and Biblical times, oils were kept in alabaster boxes or jars of limestone, marble or fired ceramics, and usually sealed with a translucent or opaque layer of wax. 

 

Today most properly packaged oils are in dark amber (brown) or dark blue glass bottles. If you should see an oil for sale, claiming to be “essential” and it is in a clear white bottle, it is either not a true essential oil, or the packager simply didn’t know any better. Sadly, whatever essential oil may have been there has been long since destroyed by light.

 

The tiny size of the molecules are responsible for the aroma and therapeutic value of an oil. These tiny  molecules are aromatic because they are light enough to evaporate, get into the air, and enter our noses so we can smell them. Small molecules are therapeutic because they can penetrate the skin and muscle tissue, pass through the blood-brain barrier, and even through cell membranes, working right at the cellular levels and right down to your DNA.

 

If your oils are exposed to light for a long time, the small molecules join together to make larger molecules. These large molecules don’t easily evaporate and they have no aroma at room temp, nor can they penetrate body tissues or enter into your cells. They have no therapeutic value like those small molecules do.

 

Basically, light will eventually destroy an essential oil, chemically altering it into a substance that is no longer of any value aromatically or therapeutically.

 

But don’t worry if your bottle tops are off while if you blend one oil with another, or if you get into doing Raindrop or Neuroauricular techniques. A few minutes, or even a few hours exposure won’t substantially change the composition of your oils….we are talking about exposure to light over days, weeks and months. That will destroy an essential oil.

 

Now let’s talk about air and what it will do to your oils. Dr. Stewart tells us that extended exposure to air will cause an oil to oxidize – the molecules of the oil will take on extra oxygen atoms, which will change their chemistry and therapeutic actions, maybe even destroying it all together. For example, the main ingredient in all citrus oils is d-limonene – it has a very faint fragrance of “citrus”, like orange or lime…it is not strong. But when limonene is exposed to air for a long period of time, what doesn’t evaporate can oxidize into another compound called limonene oxide which smells like turpentine… D-limonene is thought to be a cancer fighter (I have hinted before that you are given hints to research when you read the descriptions of the oils!!) but the benefits of limonene oxide are dubious and unknown and certainly not the same as d-limonene.

 

Most essential oil bottles have airtight caps along with non-reactive plastic or Teflon dropper caps that make it extremely difficult for any air to circulate into and out of the bottle even when the caps are off – even for an extended period of time like overnight.

 

 

That “under the weather season” is fast approaching, too. What are you doing to stay above that wellness line?? Ready for something different?? Ever tried elderberry syrup? How about a foot detox?? Or a Raindrop session? All incredible body support at the cellular level for so many things beyond immune support…Booking here at my house, at  a local salon and I can even come to you. You will be amazed at your energy level, how much better you sleep, that brain fog might dissipate, hormones may balance out…overall body support is always the answer, my friend. What’s holding you back from feeling your best?? Message me and let’s get your session booked. 

Hey, hey, my friend!! Thought we'd learn together from Dr. David Stewart’s The Chemistry of Essential Oils  Made Simple, and talk flames, candles, hot beverages and what if your oils freeze…

 

You already know that the temp inside your car on a hot day won’t damage your YL oils, but the heat of a candle will damage any oil. We are talking about 300-400F, which is well above distillation temps, and causes much of the oil to decompose or even burn completely.

 

Diffusers that work by putting oils on a ceramic or metal tray with a candle flame or other heat source underneath will vaporize some of the oil intact, but will actually destroy most of it, including any therapeutic value it had. You may get a smell, but you won’t get much therapy. Let candles and flames be recreational aromatherapy, not a means for serious healing. If you want to fill a room with a smell and candle light, burn scentless candles while diffusing your favorite oils,  or grab some battery operated candles. My answer?? The Lantern diffuser on candle flicker mode, right??

 

When it comes to fire, you should also keep in mind that all essential oils will burn. They are not explosive or highly flammable, but in the presence of a flame, they can catch fire. They become dangerously flammable only if they have been diluted with an alcohol, like methanol, ethanol or propanol as is done in some countries like Taiwan. Another reason it is so important to know your source and the purity of your oils...

 

So, what about using oils in your favorite drinks? I love using them in all my drinks! I use grapefruit and lime, vitality of course, daily, and now that tea and cocoa season is coming back around, we will be using the peppermint, orange, lemon, cinnamon, clove and others…

 

Remember, one drop of oil can represent the concentrated essence of a large volume of leaves or plant matter. It has been said that a drop of peppermint equals the flavoring potency of more than 20 peppermint tea bags…that's more than a box of tea bags in most cases...so use it sparingly! You can always add more…but you can’t take it out…

 

But the question we are answering is if the heat of your tea or other hot drink will destroy the qualities of the oils and the answer is no. The rule is simply that if it is not too hot for you to drink, then it is not too hot for the oil either. However, when you add oils to a beverage in a pot heating over your stove, try not to let it come to a boil, but don’t worry if you forget and let it boil, just drink it anyway. No harm done.

Using oils in your drinks benefits your digestive tract; you get to enjoy the flavor and smell; and they are absorbed directly into the sensitive tissues that line your mouth as well as through your nose, going straight to your lungs, brain and emotional center. This time of year is a perfect time to add a drop of cinnamon or cassia vitality to your hot apple cider…you can thank me later…

 

Always make sure the oil you want to use is GRAS – generally regarded as safe – for internal use. Read labels or look at your desk reference. Common sense and moderation are key. The white vitality labels make it super easy, but not all oils that are safe for consumption are in our vitality line yet, so hop on google or grab your desk reference and look them up!

 

We’ve talked heat. Now let’s look at cold. If you live in Maine like I do, some of your oils are delivered in the freezing cold of winter and have been outside in the back of an unheated truck all day. I have received some that are a little thicker than usual or even partially frozen. 

 

No worries! Even in the extreme, cold never hurt any oil, regardless of whether it is essential, expressed, absolute or a carrier blend. If your oils are ever chilled to the freezing point, don't apply any heat to thaw them out. Just keep the lids on and let them warm up gradually to room temp and they will be just fine!

74 days. What happens in 74 days? Yup...you guessed it. LOL Are you a "shop early and get it all done" type of person, or a "scrambling at the last minute" one?? Next week, YL will be having a week long sale full of favorite products, bundles and I'm even hearing talk of a new diffuser like you've never seen before...so mark your calendar and be watching your email and in Intentional Wellness for updates and products! Not sure what to get "that" person we all know and love? I do offer gift certificates! These can be used for Ionic Foot Detoxes, Raindrop or Vitaflex sessions, Wellness plans, or product. One size fits pretty much anybody! LOL 

Ready to schedule your session so you know what a blessing it will be for someone else?? Hit reply and let me know!

So...you do an Insights scan, or you look up an issue in the Essential Oil Desk Reference, and...you don't have the "right" oil. Now what do you do?? Easy peasy! Use what you've got!

Yes, the molecules of specific oils are specially suited to stimulate certain receptors in the body. Some administer best to your digestive tract, some to the cardiovascular system. Others work best on the muscles, or the pancreas, or nervous system...you get the point. 

Dr. David Stewart, in The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple, likens the oils to employees in a company that are trained to do certain jobs, but they aren't trained to do others. There are secretaries, machine operators, shipping people, customer service and sales people. But, when a company gets into a crunch in one department, they will sometimes call on these other departments to help with some temporary assistance, even though they are not trained in that department. Then, once the crisis has passed, those workers return to their normal duties.

Oils can do that, too. An oil may not be the "oil of choice" for a certain task, but in a pinch, it will still get the job done. How? Why? Oils follow intent. They respond to the directions you give them. Simply tell the oil what you want it to do, and it will happen. Dr. Stewart says they are not ordinary medicines created by ordinary means. They are God's agents for healing that He provided for us to use. Ezekiel 47:12 tells us, "There will grow all kinds of trees...Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing."  Revelation 22:2 says, "And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

Oils are not all chemistry. In quantum physics he says they would be considered "packets of possibilities" that will manifest what you intend. So, just remember, if you don't have exactly the oil called for, use what you have. You may be surprised. 

We had our youngest and two of our grands with us at a local lavender farm a couple of years ago when they all had a brown tail moth caterpillar walk on them. The tracks were already showing up on their skin. One grand had already had a reaction to this caterpillar before, and it wasn't pretty. Normally, I would reach for Lavender...I didn't have any. All I had with me? Stress Away. I used it on all of them. Guess what? Just a bit later you never would've known any of them had any contact with that little pest. Would I have used that oil if I had been home with my stash of oils? Nope. Never would've crossed my mind. I used what I had and trusted it would work. It didn't disappoint. 

Hope this gives you a little bit of freedom in using those oils!!