Tag: essential oils

Snow Day!

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

While the weather outside is cold and snowy, my plan is to work on more holiday gifts.  The last package went to the post office this morning.  Ken tackled the roads in his truck – I think my car would have gotten stuck in our road since we’ve not been plowed out.  We got about 5 – 6″ of snow and they’re calling for another 1 – 6″ depending on who you listen to.

The weather for today is supposed to be more snow.  The weather for tomorrow is supposed to be frigid with below zero temps.  This seems like the best time to turn on Netflix and work on a crochet project.  I’ve got two or three left to do for holiday gifts.  Then Ken gets to do the wrapping.

The meds for my sinus infection kicked my butt.  I’m done with them for now but I think the sinus infection isn’t gone.  It may be time to go back to an ENT to see if he’s got other options he can give me or better drugs.

I’ve been sleeping a lot.  I get up and do a couple of things.  After which I feel like I’ve run a marathon and want a nap.  I keep reminding myself this is my body’s way of telling me it’s healing.  I need to slow down and let my body recuperate.

Since I don’t do well with cold air, I’ll be staying inside and crafting.  I’ve got a number of projects to finish for the holidays and a few others to finish in general.  It’s something I can do while I’m resting.  Ken’s filled the humidifier with water and essential oils.  I’ll put on Netflix with West Wing or something else and crochet and nap throughout the rest of the weekend.  Hopefully by Monday I’m feeling more human.

Simple Solutions

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized

Health issues can be a struggle.  Our society has turned to science to “fix” us.  In doing this I think we’ve forgotten some of the best and simplest solutions to some health problems.  Most people are quick to go to their doctors and say “I can’t sleep I need a pill” or “I can’t breathe, give me a pill.”  

A friend and I were just discussing how physical activity can lead to sore muscles and other aches and pains.  I believe that we are so used to our non-physical lifestyle that our bodies have forgotten what it is like to lift and work hard all day.  In the old days, people spent most of their days doing physically taxing chores.  Their bodies were used to the demands put on it.  Now though we spend more time on our computers than physically working. 

There are several things we can do to ease some of the aches and pains.  Massage, meditation, essential oils, water therapy, heat, ice are just some of the easy solutions.  I have headaches and migraines.  Often it is due to stress.  All of my stress sits in the muscle in my right shoulder blade.  If I can get someone to work out the knot I get, the headaches go away or at the very least ease enough to begin the healing process.  Massage is also good for aching joints and a variety of other things.  It is amazing how putting your hands on someone to move their muscles can help them heal.  They have the touch of another human which gives them a feeling of being cared for and the massage to help the process.

Meditation can also have the same effect on a person.  It calms, reducing stress and lowering blood pressure.  It relaxes which will help with insomnia and other sleep issues.  Essential oils can help with relaxing or energizing as you need.  One scent may make you relaxed and help you sleep and another may help you wake up. 

A hot bath or shower will ease aching muscles, clear lungs, reduce stress, and more.  Combine it with essential oils and it works twice as hard on the issues.  A heating pad or bag of ice can help focus healing in one area.  If you stop the pain and rest then the body will work on fixing the problem. 

I’m not a health care provider in any way.  I have suffered from pain in one form or another for a long time so I know these things work.  They are simple, easy, and effective.  Please remember though if something is different or doesn’t go away with these simple home remedies to seek out a health care provider.  Most of these solutions have helped me go to the doctor less which means less money out of my pockets.

Colds

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized
Wednesday night my throat started to hurt.  It was scratchy and dry.  I actually lost my voice at one point during the evening.  Ice cream went a long way in easing these symptoms.  By the end of the evening my head was stuffed up and I had that clogged feeling as well in the back of my throat.  I was feeling pretty miserable. 
Thursday I got up and used eucalyptus in my shower.  I left the fan off so the steam would just linger even while I was drying off.  I was tired all day and just wanted to go home for a nap.  I made it all the way through work though.  When I got home Vicki had made a pasta dish so it would be easy on my throat.  She also made me hot cinnamon tea.  Now I’m not a tea or coffee drinker but this tea was pretty good.  It definitely helped with the throat.  She also pushed the fluids with me, got me water and an Izzie (best drink ever).  I spent the evening working on fleece blankets.  Oh and don’t forget the ice cream which again feels really good on my throat. 
Friday I took another eucalyptus shower.  I had the fan on this time so the steam didn’t linger which was probably a mistake.  I have a shorter day at work so will hopefully get to go home and finish the fleece blanket I have started.  I’m also hoping for more cinnamon tea and lots of relaxing. 

Yesterday and today I’ve been resting a lot, pushing the fluids, and staying out of the cold.  We had a hearty soup filled with good veggies especially onions and garlic.  Still the cold has settled into my head and throat.  Hopefully my preventative stuff will keep it from getting horrible.  I really don’t have time for a cold…

Upper Respiratory Crud

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized
Here in Wisconsin the weather has turned cold, the germs are bouncing everywhere – particularly at the University with lots of students pushing themselves too hard, and the crud has started with cold like symptoms.
I used to get bronchitis at least once a year, sometimes more often than that.  I’ve found something that helps stave off all the upper respiratory gunk that visits us during the winter months. 
First let me say I’m not a medical professional and what I’m about to tell you is my home remedy that works for me.  (This is my disclaimer.)  As soon as I start to feel clogged up or have any of the gunk symptoms, I add in what a friend humorously calls my dragon’s breath to my shower in the mornings.  The dragon’s breath is essential oils – equal parts of lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus – mixed and in my bathroom.  I like to use the natural oils I feel they are more effective and have a better scent. I dribble some of this mixture onto some river stones that I keep in a bowl.  Then I place the bowl in my shower not directly under the spray.  I leave off my fan and turn the water on as hot as I can stand it to get a lot of steam.  Then I just go through my morning shower routine. 

Most of the time, it helps ease the symptoms and stave off a full blown cold or bronchitis.  I do still get colds but I haven’t had bronchitis since I started doing this.  I do other things too like adding in Welch’s grape juice (the all natural stuff) which is higher in vitamin C than orange juice and I can drink (can’t drink orange juice – too acidic).  I also try to get more sleep (stop laughing it happens sometimes) and do whatever possible to prevent the crud from creeping in.