1: My Story & How to Use Essential Oils

Welcome to the Cultivating Abundant Life Podcast! I'm Kait Palmer, and I am so excited to share some oily knowledge with you! In this episode I'll share my health journey and the major part that essential oils played in it. I'll also share how I use essential oils, to get you ready to learn so much more about them in future episodes! 

Transcript

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Hi! And Welcome to the first episode of the Cultivating Abundant Life Podcast!

My name is Kait Palmer and I am passionate about helping people cultivate better lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have a lot of fun things I want to share with you with this podcast–from emotional release to earthing to caring for your pets to incorporating the enneagram with your oils to how to use oils in your garden!

A little bit about me–I’m a Southern California native, have been married to my husband Matt for 14 years, and we have three wild and unique girls who are 10, 7, and ALMOST 6. We live in beautiful Southern Oregon and love being outside in the forest, floating along the rivers, or taking day trips to the coast. My career background is in communication and marketing and I got to do some fun things like marketing at a megayacht builder in Seattle. I left that world when I had my first daughter, but continued working from home as an editor for a university. When I unexpectedly started earning more teaching people how to use essential oils and live a cleaner life, I left the “corporate” world for good. I’m a certified yoga teacher, and have been sharing and teaching classes on how to live a healthier life for the past nine years. 

As a mama, I take on the responsibility of researching the best health choices for my kids (and pets) and myself, and love sharing what I’ve learned with people who may not have the penchant for research that I do. 

Today though I wanted to share my personal story with you, to help you understand where I’m coming from and why I am so passionate about this. I’ll also describe how I use essential oils.  I am not a doctor, and information provided in this podcast has not been evaluated by the FDA, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information provided here is in no way intended to replace medical care. Consult with the healthcare authority of your choice and remember–you always have a choice! 

In July of 2006 I was hit with my first …..well I can’t exactly say but it was an intense head issue. If you’ve ever experienced this issue, you know how all-consuming and painful they can be! Since then, I’ve been on a health journey from conventional medicine to alternative health options. That’s why I originally completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training program–in hopes I would find relief! While it did help marginally, and I do love yoga, it was not the fix I was hoping. I spent the next 7 years trying just about everything you can imagine to help with them. At one point I remember telling my husband that if I found evidence that implanting an amethyst in my forehead would bring relief  I would do it! In my personal experience though, doctors failed me. I finally realized after 3 years that my issues were tied to my hormone cycle–none of my doctors ever made that connection. Twice a month for 4-7 days I’d be down unless I was on “conventional” treatments–which left me feeling dazed and slightly numb. 

I decided to learn about what affects hormones and--SURPRISE! Everything does! So I began to learn how to clean up my diet. I started with cutting out conventional dairy and mass market meat. I learned how to read labels for what I used on my body and in my home. The degree of intensity lessened but they still persisted, and when I was pregnant with our first daughter it was misery. I was in the ER or Urgent Care 4 times only to be told, “sorry we can’t do anything--you’re pregnant.” They would all ask if I had tried Tylenol (which didn’t even touch it), and at the last visit when the doctor asked that I yelled, “Have you tried YODELING?! Because THAT does about as much good!!!” I did repent later…

When my oldest daughter was about a year old we started thinking about the next baby, and I began to dread the pregnancy. The intensity of these issues had lessened as I cleaned up our diet and the products I used in our home, but I still was reliant on $300 worth of medication every month. Often just realizing I didn’t have my meds with me or I was running low was enough of a panic to trigger one. I felt enslaved to my body…worrying about planning a trip or activity only to have it thwarted by this. 

We were buying goats milk from a local farm and one day the farmer Jennifer, who knew what I struggled with, asked if I’d tried essential oils. During my yoga teacher training I went through a course that included a segment on aromatherapy, and had gone to Whole Foods with high hopes and bought a bunch of oils...that did nothing. I told her I had “tried oils,” but they didn’t work. These--she assured me--were different. I shrugged it off but she literally stuffed a little blue bottle into my purse as my arms were holding my toddler and urged me to try it.

I forgot about it. Honestly. Until the day my grandma moved to OK from AZ and we were unloading her moving truck. I could feel the aura and I desperately searched my purse for my meds...only to realize I had none. I did, however, come across a little blue labeled bottle. I had NO idea how to use it so I just put it where the tension was starting to appear, and kept unloading the truck in the sticky June heat. An hour later I realized...I was fine. For the first time EVER, something besides heavy meds had worked. 

That was in 2013 and as of this date, other than seeing my midwife during and post-pregnancies I’ve not needed to see a doctor. I never refilled my prescriptions. I have three kids and after learning about oils, we’ve had two medical issues that required a doctors’ visit in all that time. There’s absolutely a time and a place for western medicine–I’m not going to attempt to remove an appendix in my bedroom! But for the most part I’ve learned to deal with things at home. 

So I hope you can understand why I’m so passionate about essential oils and living clean. Oils weren’t the “magic bullet,” they were the final missing link that drastically changed my life. They first took care of the symptom, and then I learned to use other oils and supplements to take care of my endocrine system and address the root of the problem. When I don’t manage stress, am not conscious in how I eat, and skip out on exercising and sleeping well I notice an increase in my “issues.” However I’m no longer hiding in a dark room literally banging my head against the wall. The intensity is nowhere near where it used to be–my intensity level now is a 2-4 as opposed to a 7-10, and they don’t come during my cycles really anymore. 

Since we have big brother who cares SO MUCH about your health (as evidenced by the last two years, of course), I can’t say specific diagnoses we’ve dealt with naturally. I am not a doctor, just a woman sharing her experience. Consult with the healthcare authority of your choice and again–you always have a choice!

But know this--YOU are in charge of your health. No doctor on earth knows your body like YOU do. So put your big girl panties on and be responsible for doing the legwork to read labels and take care of your body so you can do the things you want to do for as long as you want to do them. If not for you, aren’t those you love worth doing it for? The three doctors, one naturopath, and one acupuncturist  I saw didn’t figure out...oh gee she gets really really bad problems twice a month? Maybe it’s hormonal?! Looking back it seems so obvious to me now...how did they all miss it? They just wrote prescriptions or suggested supplements...never any other suggestions. 

Think about this–if I can’t tell you that taking Vitamin *Dee*  is beneficial for your immune system, just imagine all the nuggets of truth I can’t say on here about essential oils! It’s like if someone asked me everything there was to do at Disneyland, and all I could say was, “Disneyland is an entertainment park.” I’d be leaving out all of the fun and magic and food and experiences, right? So I’m hoping that in these podcasts you read between the lines, and maybe dig a little deeper into what these liquid natural gifts have peer-reviewed and published studies showing they can do. Often you’ll hear me share HOW I use an oil, but maybe not WHY I use it there or in that manner. 

I am a Young LIving Brand Partner. I swore I’d NEVER do something like this…I’m not a Mary Kay lady and certainly not a sales person! But when something changes your life so drastically you tell everyone about it, it sort of came about organically. I’ll celebrate 9 years with this awesome company in June, and really do admire their whole process. I’ve been to the St. Maries farm in Idaho and the farm in Mona, Utah. I’ve gotten to harvest blue yarrow seeds, plant lavender, see the melissa seedlings in a giant greenhouse and get invited back by the farm manager to help with planting season (we were traveling otherwise–duh!). I’ve asked the workers how they like working there, and so far everyone I’ve talked to loves it. The farm in Ecuador has a two year waiting list to work there! They farm everything organically, they hand weed, they periodically test to determine when the best time to harvest it…I could and probably will do an entire podcast on their farming and distilling practices because I’m a total nerd who LOVES all of that! If you want to learn more now, you can check out SeedtoSeal.com or click on the Essential Oils page on my website–cultivatingabundantlife.com They do tons of testing–you can read about all of that online as well–and you can rest assured that the oil you get in that bottle is the purest you can get. There are no fillers, nothing that was made in a lab, nothing synthetic. 

So let’s talk about the basic ways to use essential oils. There are different schools of thought when it comes to usage–English, French, German…they all have different takes on usage. We can do a whole podcast on that in the future, but the way I’ve learned and practice is the French Model. We use essential oils aromatically, topically, and internally. 

Aromatically is pretty straightforward–you smell it! It can be as simple as opening up a bottle and smelling it! You can diffuse it with a diffuser–we have 6 or 7 in our house! You can put a drop or two on a wooden clothespin and clip it to the air vent of your car, apply some to diffuser jewelry like leather or lava stones. My kids like to put a drop on their favorite stuffy or blanket to smell through the night. You can add some oils to water and witch hazel and mist your sheets with it (the witch hazel helps hold the scent on longer).

Next use is topically. Ya slather the stuff on! A few things to know first–some oils are “hot” oils. Cinnamon, clove, oregano, Thieves, peppermint, wintergreen, lemongrass–all of these can be a bit strong for some skin types to use neat, or undiluted. It doesn’t mean you’re having an “allergic reaction” to them, any more than rubbing cayenne pepper in your eyes and them watering is an allergic reaction. This really depends on your skin type, and what your body is going through. For me and my family personally, we rarely dilute essential oils when using them topically. However, when my kids are maybe fighting something off, I’ve noticed their skin will pink up a bit using one of these oils, and in that case we dilute with a carrier oil. A carrier oil is any fatty oil–coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, jojoba oil, etc. This slows down the absorption of the oil into your skin. It doesn’t “weaken” the oil. 

So most recommend, “Start low and go slow.” Start with a drop (or less–often I’ll put my finger on the top of the bottle, tilt the bottle, and use that), and see how your skin does. If it gets a bit red or feels hot, you can add a carrier oil right to the top of it. Some people get all specific on one drop of essential oil to one tablespoon of carrier oil…yada yada…I’m sorry but I’m a mama of three and don’t have time for that! If I dilute at all, I just put some coconut oil in my palm, add a drop or two of essential oil, rub together and apply. If diluting is your thing whether for sensitive skin or to make those dollars stretch–totally a good reason by the way–you can premix the essential oils with a liquid oil like fractionated coconut oil or jojoba oil and put it in a roller ball.

Another thing to be aware of is that citrus oils, and blends that contain them, can make your skin photosensitive. Just like girls putting lemon juice in their hair back in highschool to lighten it, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, or bergamot oil can make your skin much more sensitive to the sun. So if you’re using one of those oils topically, use it where the sun don’t shine!

Next safety item–don’t use essential oils in your eyes or ears. If, by chance, you do get oils in your eyes–and if you use a lot of oils it’s going to happen at some point–don’t try to flush it with water. Use a carrier oil around your orbital socket to draw the essential oil out. I’ve done this a number of times and other than my eyeball feeling cold with peppermint or a slight burning sensation with other oils, it’s not a big deal. 

For ears–do NOT give yourself a wet willy with the oils! If you are wanting to use oils for an ear issue, use the oil in the front and behind your ear, and down along your jawline.

Last way to use essential oils–internally. Now, a few years back the efF Dee Ay got their panties in a twist and said you can’t say you can smell that bottle of lemon and put a drop in your water as well…they have to be DIFFERENT things. So Young Living created the vitality line. If you see an oil bottle with a white label, all that means is it's a great one to use internally. Is there ANY difference between lemon and lemon vitality? NOPE! Not a thing! But if I’m talking about adding oils to a capsule to swallow or add to a salad dressing, I’ll be saying “peppermint vitality” or black pepper vitality, just to make big brother happy. 

The way I love using essential oils internally is adding lemon vitality, lime vitality,or  jade lemon vitality to my water or sparkling water. For oils I know will support certain systems in my body, I’ll put vitality oils in a capsule and swallow. Some people like to add their vitality essential oils to the capsule and fill the rest up with a carrier oil, for me I’ve never actually found a need to do that but you do you. So if I’m wanting to love on my adrenal system I’ll fill the capsule with nutmeg vitality, endoflex vitality, and maybe some orange vitality for good measure. You can add a few drops of peppermint vitality to a batch of brownies, dip a toothpick in oregano vitality and stir it into your stew, or add a drop of Thieves vitality to a hot mug of black tea. When using vitality citrus oils make sure you use them in a glass, metal, or ceramic container. Citrus oils can eat petrochemicals like plastics and styrofoam, so if you want to do a fun experiment, blow up a balloon and let a drop of lemon oil fall on it…it’s almost like an instant diffuser when it pops and that oil disperses in the air!

I’m going to wrap up now with the way I’ll start future podcasts–talking about a Young Living product I’ve been especially thankful for this past week! I have to say this week I have found myself reaching for Progessence Plus.Its designed specifically for women and made with natural, bioidentical progesterone from wild yam to promote well-being and feelings of relaxation, harmony, and balance.It has sacred frankincense, copaiba, bergamot, cedarwood, peppermint, and clove essential oils in it. If you find your hormonal cycles influence your emotional state sometimes, give this one a try! This was one of the game changers for me in terms of getting my endocrine system to a much much better state. I’d say this is a great oil blend for anyone with ovaries! In fact, my 10 year old daughter, who has begun to develop, just scanned for this oil last week on a zyto scan–which is a medical device that uses galvanic skin response to determine oils and supplements that help bring your body into balance. I SO wish I had had something like this when I was in my teenage years! This isn’t going to force synthetic hormones on your body, the progesterone is bio-identical and your body takes what it needs and metabolizes and excretes the rest. Fancy talk for pee, y’all. 

If you don’t know much about essential oils or where to get started, you’re in the perfect place!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to join me in my very first podcast. I hope you learned something and are taking away a little tidbit of information to utilize, and join me next week to learn more about what essential oils actually ARE, how they’re made, and what 5 oils I would choose if I was stranded on a desert island! 

Until next time, be well, and I hope you cultivate an abundant life this week. 

Bye!