doTerra: Hmm, Seems to be Working

Might just be all in my head, but when using those doTerra oils from Holly Hatch I was posting about earlier, I pretty much think I felt better.

Thyroid problems are rude. They sap your concentration, make you feel ache-y and not too motivated to get out there and run for miles or whatever. You want to sleep a lot, eat carbs, etc. It just makes you feel sluggish. Not good for someone like me that likes to be on the go during ‘off’ hours.

So, being the investigative type that I am, I had to know WHY the oils do whatever it is they do. The customized thyroid-healing oil Holly mixed up for me had equal parts of lemongrass and clove, then a little frankincense, too.

Clove is a stimulant that boosts circulation, digestion, and metabolism. It stabilizes blood circulation and regulates body temperature (something ‘thyroidians’ constantly struggle with…we’re always cold). It helps with inflammation, muscle cramps, headaches (another thyroid side effect), and pain.

Lemongrass boosts the stomach and its functions (try having a normal metabolism with a sleepy thyroid. Hint: it ain’t happenin’.) It helps with rheumatic joints, migraines, and pain, and even fever, like a natural and less-dangerous aspirin. Lemongrass also eliminates toxins from the kidneys, pancreas, liver and bladder, and fights off bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.

No wonder I was feeling so much better!

Lastly, frankincense calms the mind and stimulates brain function. If you know anything about the added emotional stress thyroidism can cause, you’ll appreciate this. We sufferers can get anxious, and we can get depressed, too. It's a crap shoot from day to day, you just never know what you'll get. Frankincense also helps with sore joints, and is an anti-inflammatory.

So, now we’ve got three essential oils going to bat for my joints and inflammation. Nice. As an added bonus, frankincense is also good for the skin. With thyroid issues, your skin (especially on your face) can do some super, duper weird things. My forehead had what seemed to be an incurable dry patch for a couple of years, and nothing I did helped. I also get red blotches from time to time that I’m not so crazy about. My oil research says that can be resolved. Not only that, but frankincense can even improve your skin’s elasticity and smooth fine wrinkles. It’s also…surprise…an antioxidant, like the other two.

An added bonus of ‘Frank’: Memory retention. At the height of my thyroid’s joy ride, I could hardly remember my PIN number.

So, to sum it up in an Amy way, I’d say these oils are removing pain, inflammation, headaches, making my organs run better, regulating my temp, detoxifying, calming my mind while revving my brain, and even improving my skin.

I'm so okay with that.

Just an Amy Theory, but I'm wondering if these oils are giving my body a long enough of a break from my symptoms that it now has room to heal itself. I'll have to ask Holly, she knows all this stuff. 

Also wondering what would I have to pay for traditional meds that did all of that?

The oils I'm getting from Holly are under $50.

I’ll think I’ll just keep doing the doTerra thing.

Spray of Sunshine

Although I've always wanted to be the tan girl, genetics fought against that.

If you're of German and English descent, you'll know the meaning of true white (it's so bright, it's got a tinge of blue).

As a teen, I'd lie out in the sun with my olive-toned friends, and every time the outcome was the same: they'd turn brown, and I'd turn this interesting shade of maroon.

In the 1990s, just before a high school class reunion, I thought I'd hit pay dirt where a tan was concerned. Armed with a bottle of bronzer, I applied and reapplied every three hours until I looked like a blond Native American Indian. Becoming more skilled as I practiced, the streaks and blotches soon disappeared as my methods improved.

Being tan was new; I couldn't stop staring at my own brown arms. I loved it. People started commenting, asking if I'd just been on vacation. I wasn't embarrassed of the fact that I bronzed. Movie stars and models, not wanting to harm their best asset, wouldn't dream of a tanning bed or sun exposure. If it was good enough for Hollywood, it was good enough for me.

With the brand I'd used for a couple of years, I prepared for a trip to Oahu, Hawaii. The tannest guy on the plane trip over the ocean approached me, and in a humorous conversation, we compared brands. (He liked the Australian kind.)

I couldn't wait to hit the beach with my tan. I think the beach felt differently. The minute the salt water met my bronzed skin, a curious chemical reaction occurred. And I turned orange. Not just sorta orange, but Sunkist, nowhere-to-run orange. Worse, the sand acted as an exfoliant on knees and elbows, so now my 'orangutan' was checkerboarded, too.

There were no photos taken that day.

When Ashley Rupert of Spray of Sunshine asked if I'd like to try her bronzing system, you can understand my hesitancy. My biggest question was: Would I be orange.

For $20 and a fun chat with Ashley at her home salon, all was well. I was not orange, I was bronzed, the formula made me skin feel very conditioned, and all of that was just plain pretty darn awesome.

After I showed Ashley my 'after' photo, her comment was that we now needed to get my daughter (hand pictured) in, so that we'd match. :)