New Blog to Follow

                         We now have a new blog on Essential7 

Please follow us there for the most up to date information on essential oils and how to improve quality of life.

We offer discounts and wholesale pricing on therapeutic grade essential oils 

People Friendly Sunscreens

With summer at hand, shoppers thinking about fun in the sun are checking out the sunscreens and after-sun lotions that flood the marketplace. When we buy one of these products, we assume it's safe.  We trust that we would never be sold something unhealthy, or even harmful.  We trust that the companies who are producing these creams are looking after our best interests. Believing this, we spray ourselves from head to toe, and lather our skin with concoctions that we've been promised will keep us safe, products that promise to protect us from the sun while we play.

But are we safe in using these chemical concoctions?  Recent studies indicate this might not be the case. The products we so trustingly use for our families and ourselves may actually cause exactly what we are hoping to avoid, and then some. In my research I have learned that the chemicals in sunscreens may actually cause more harm than good.

Today, more and more people are becoming vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D plays an important part of our nutrition, and helps our bodies absorb calcium.  Studies suggest it may also play a role in supporting the pancreas with the production of insulin. Vitamin D deficiency, I believe, is because of the use of sunscreen. Sunscreen blocks our body's ability to absorb vitamin D from the sun, thus causing low levels of vitamin D.

On a happier note, there are natural products we can use without compromising our health.

Several years ago I heard about coconut oil.  I did some research, and found Dr. Bruce Fife, the leading expert on coconut oil.  He mentioned that coconut oil was the only sunscreen used by people in the tropics, for many, many generations.  Coconut oil protects the skin from skin cancer and sunburn, without blocking the UV rays which are so beneficial for the body. The oil does this by preventing free radicals caused by over exposure from the sun.  

I buy coconut oil in a glass jar to avoid the leeching of plastic into the oil, which we now know can cause hormone challenges. I also like Whole Foods Brand, and Dr. Bronner's Fair Trade Coconut Oil. If you are looking for something less greasy, I like Caribbean Solutions. They are non-toxic, and ocean-friendly. Dr. Bronner also offers a children's formula.

If you do get a little too much sun, I have always used Therapeutic Lavender essential oil.  It takes out the bite right away, and the next day the red is gone.

Be "Sun Smart."  If you are fair-skinned, limit your time in the sun and wear the proper clothing.  Educate yourself.  Never assume that just because a product is on the shelf that it's safe.  My motto is, "If you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin."

Research and references
 The Environmental Working Group  published an article about the myths of sunscreens
Coconut oil nature's sunscreen
.To purchase Lavender essential oil go to http://www.wisdombynature.net/

The above statements have not been approved by the FDA.  This is for educational purposes only and not intended to diagnose, treat or prescribe

The Barefoot Doctor

While exhibiting at the Mountain Pose Yoga Festival in Copper Mountain, Colorado, I was explaining what I do. A wonderful soul said so you're a "Barefoot Doctor".  I had heard the term before and had a vague idea of what it meant, but I didn't give it much thought until much later when I was again asked what I do. Thinking about it, the words  "Barefoot Doctor" immediately came to mind.

I, with my ever-curious mind, decided to put more thought into it. What I realized is that a "Barefoot Doctor" is EXACTLY what I am. Let me tell you about barefoot doctors.

In China barefoot doctors were farmers who, having received basic medical and paramedical training, went out into the rural communities of China to treat the local villagers. The idea was to bring health care to the areas that the urban doctor would not go.  They promoted basic health care and provided education on preventive measures, family planning, and treated common illness.  The name "Barefoot Doctor" came from the southern farmers who worked barefoot in the rice paddies

Now I'm not saying that I work in the rice paddies or that I live in China. But what I do is travel to areas far and wide to educate people on the basics on how to improve their quality of life, teaching how food is our first line of defense in healing the body.  Not the latest and greatest new fad diet or gizmo that will suck away fat and tighten our skin to make us look years younger.  Eating right and taking care of our minds and spirits will make us younger and have a glow that is natural.  That's what my work is about - getting back to the basics, understanding that we have everything we need - right now - under our noses to improve the quality of life at any age.