Shall we venture into one of my most favorite subjects surrounding natural health and aromatherapy? I can honestly say how healthy and alive I feel at the wonderful young age of 45, due to my passion of setting examples of a healthy lifestyle, so that those I encounter are encouraged to do the same. When it comes to vitamin nutrition, I am an avid student, striving to learn all I can to live a long, healthy and fruitful life.

Incorporating aromatherapy and finding the highest quality of essential oils to maintain physical, emotional and spiritual balance is essential. Those who know me, can attest to my love of the scent and many beneficial uses of my favourite herb, lavender.

Lavender Highland is an evergreen, woody shrub that grows about 3 feet high. It has pale green, narrow leaves and beautiful, violet-blue flowers. The entire plant is highly aromatic. Lavendula vera is also known as Lavendula officinalis and Lavendula angustifolia. All these names indicate a true lavender. The essential oil from a true lavender is prized for its ester content. (Esters provide a relaxing quality with a sweet aroma.) The best Lavender in the world, with the highest ester content, comes from the high-mountain region of Provence, France. This is Oshadhi’s Highland Lavender. No other Lavender compares to its exquisite aroma and unsurpassed therapeutic qualites for skin care, first aid, and stress.

Another favourite is Geranium Rose Organic. There are many species of Geranium and hundreds of varieties. Amongst them, there are a group that are used for their essential oil. The most common are Pelargonium graveolens, asperum, roseum, odorantisimum, and radens. Geranium is a perennial shrub with serrated leaves and small flowers, growing from one to three feet high. The entire plant is aromatic. As a group, the Geraniums have been ever-popular, once believed to be a great healing plant. The essential oil is one of the most versatile and seems to be particularly good for women.

As always, I am impressed with the selection of these great essential oils, along with organic skin and personal care, vitamins, minerals and much more, as can be found at Choice Nutritionals.

Our bodies are our temples, and it is important to care properly for the Skin we live in. Just like a sponge, everything we put on our Skin enters our bodies. Educating ourselves on proper Skin care is essential to the health of our Skin and bodies.

If you wish to learn more about maintaining the health of your Skin, renowned industry leader, Celeste Hilling, hosts an informative and fun-filled 13-week series that brings together leading experts to help listeners navigate the myths and common misconceptions about skin and beauty. This series lets consumers take charge and start making smart choices for a lifetime of radiant skin and positive self-image. Tune in to World Talk Radio live each Thursday at 12:00p, starting February 14th. Playable versions and downloadable Podcasts of each show are available through the World Talk archives 24 hours after it airs. You may wish to bookmark World Talk Radio and possibly subscribe to their email list.

Well then, while we are on the subject of skin care, I will share our most recent experience. My daughter discovered her first bit of acne, and tried to get rid of it on her own. I asked her not to mess with it, and to please let me investigate a natural remedy, as I do not have a problem with acne myself.

So, let me offer this helpful Tip.

How to treat acne with Honey..

Things You’ll Need:

1 tbsp. almond oil
Honey
Lemon juice

Step 1:
Make a honey and almond oil cleansing mask to combat acne and prevent further outbreaks. Mix well 1 tbsp. of almond oil with two spoonfuls of natural honey. Apply a light layer of the cleanser to the effected area, massaging gently in a circular motion. Allow the cleanser to sit for a half an hour and rinse with warm water and a soft cloth.

Step 2:
Add a few drops of lemon juice to the cleanser for greasy skin. Start with a small amount and increase depending on the oiliness of the skin.

Step 3:
Use your honey and almond oil acne treatment daily to maintain acne-free skin and a healthy glow.

Step 4:
Store your honey acne treatment in the refrigerator. The honey and lemon will not go bad, however almond oil is highly perishable.

Honey is very useful for the treatment of acne as due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Unlike many over-the-counter and prescription acne remedies that can dry and irritate the skin, honey is soothing and can be applied topically and taken internally.

Winter is a time when we enjoy the safe and warm comfort of staying inside our homes. It is the time of year when we may start to feel lethargic, depressed, or irritable. Even though winter brings special holidays that make us want to feel festive and optimistic and you can feel spring coming, we become affected by the lack of sunshine in our lives. To combat the winter blues, we love to surround ourselves with pleasant scents.

Essential oils may bring balance to our hearts and peace to our minds. They may help to cleanse, release, and balance our thoughts. Let the aromatherapy shine. Scent has a great effect on our emotions. Scientists are increasingly interested in the connection between fragrance and memory triggers in the limbic brain. They are also researching pheromones – fragrant substances that may influence physical attraction. Personal attraction or aversion is influenced by odor. Without the ability to smell, there would be very little attraction. Our body has special glands that produce a very personal perfume that changes according to our mood or state of health. Fragrance may create well-being or discomfort. If you have difficulty adapting to a new situation, or letting go of the past, a new fragrance may help create a fresh mood. It may help you change your attitude or find a new positive reaction. A pure essential oil will not create an aggressive feeling; rather it will have a positive, balancing effect.

We each have our own personal reaction to every scent. Smells, moods, and short and long term memories are all stored in the limbic part of our brain. Dangerous or negative odors set our subconscious in the awareness stage. Positive smells like our babies’ skin or our mothers’ fragrance will bring a pleasant reminder of a positive experience for decades.

Helping our body and psyche with scent has a history stretching back for many centuries. The very beginning of the practice of medicine has been connected with mythical rituals, magic, or religion. We may say that the history of scent began with incense burners and has continued through experience with aromas and essential oils up to the present day. The methods of treatment were based on philosophical ideas that looked at a direct connection between man and nature. In ancient civilizations, medicinal herbs were evaluated by their taste and smell. An interesting example from the history of essential oils is thyme. The name “Thyme” is derived from the Greek word Thymiama (incense) and means courage, health, or sacrifice. It was a sign of high respect in ancient Greece to say to someone that he “smells of thyme”. Roman soldiers often added thyme to their baths to give themselves strength, health, and courage.

Rosemary played an important part in the Roman tradition of eliminating evil spirits. In the Middle Ages, it was a part of Hungarian water, a distillate of rosemary, lavender, and turpentine. According to alchemistic understanding, this was the first water of life. Many preserving properties were attributed to Carmelite water, a distillate of lemon balm, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

The seductive power of scent has always been known. The sense of smell may help create love and desire. Smell influences us much more than we think. The natural scent of flowers, essential oils, and compositions in the form of perfume, are more than just a pleasant smell. They can promote relaxation, sensuality, or spiritual depth. According to research on flowers by P. Jellinek, “esters of phenylacetic acids, fatty aldehydes, and alcohols are responsible for the aphrodisiac effect of various flower scents (jasmine, neroli).”

Extensive studies by occupational psychologists have shown that lemon or rosemary scent may help with concentration, nutmeg may reduce stress, and lavender, interestingly, promotes a desire to buy things. Large Japanese companies are using scent throughout their employees’ workstations to help improve their performance – lemon in the morning for pick-me-up feelings, rose at lunch time for relaxation, and wood scents in the evening for stimulation and refreshment.

Another interesting discussion would focus on stress levels in our civilization. More and more studies are being done to prove that essential oils interact well with the receptors of the psychosomatic network and they may, in a soft and gentle way, restore harmony in our systems.

Aromatherapy is using the knowledge of the effect of scents on the body and mind. With the help of the purest essential oils we may influence our stage of mood or form of somatic anomalies. Compared with synthetic products, aromatherapy has a much higher risk-free profile.

My most favourite scent is Lavender. I use the oil as well as the flowers. I burn the flowers to cleanse the rooms in my house and bring in good energy. I also like to crumble the flowers into a tub of hot water for a soothing foot bath… what a delight! It is no small wonder that this Magical plant is such a favourite in my home and to scent my body. As I have always associated this intoxicating scent with all that is wild and pure in Mother Earths garden, I will be most happy to share a bit more about this extraordinary gift of Nature…

Lavender and its Magical Properties…

You all know the pretty plant that is lavender. But did you know that lavender has magical properties? Well, maybe not quite fully certified magical, but close. Lavender essential oil is my absolute favourite essential oil. It has so many uses that it is always necessary to have it on hand. Not only does it smell great, it has important curative powers. Here are some of the ways that I have used lavender essential oil.

Burns or scalds~
This works best if applied neat (undiluted) to the area affected by the burn or scald. The skin should be intact, use your judgment. It takes away the pain quickly and the skin heals with almost no sign of damage. This includes sunburns. If you are sensitive to the oil in its pure form, dilute it accordingly in a small clean spray bottle with water. This is quite soothing and refreshing.

Pimples~
Your adolescent will love you for this remedy. Because lavender oil is antibacterial, it destroys pimples and the associated bacteria quickly and easily. Apply it neat as soon as you feel a pimple developing and the pimple is banished shortly. If you didn’t catch it in time, it makes pimples come to a head faster and it helps with the swelling and redness.

Sleep & relaxation~
Just a drop or 2 to a cotton ball or tissue placed beneath the pillowcase under your head at night makes you sleep more soundly and more quickly. Lavender has amazing relaxation properties that will leave you refreshed in the morning.

Migraines or Headaches~
Apply a drop to your temples or the back of your neck and massage into the skin. This helps with both tension headaches as well as migraines. For some people with migraines, the smell may be too strong during the acute stage of a migraine. During this time you can apply the lavender oil to the muscled area between your thumb and forefinger on the backside of your hand (both hands). This is an acupressure point associated with headaches.

Insect repellent and insect bites~
Just like citronella, lavender has the ability to ward off mosquitos and flies. Additionally, it can help calm the itching of an insect bite. I can really attest to this one as I am the world’s number one mosquito attractor.

**A word of caution. Those with sensitive skin cannot always tolerate direct application of lavender oil to the skin. If that is the case for you, you can dilute the oil with a carrier oil such as almond oil or jojoba oil. European made essential oils are the best for now unless you know the source that you are getting the oil from is organically grown. Europe has standards for the production of essential oils, the United States does not. Because of the extreme concentration of essential oils, they should always be organically grown. As always, be wise and use your own best judgement!

Everywhere I look these days, I am surrounded by so many ideas of romantic gifts to enchant and delight ones true Love. Since days of old, the traditional love letter, at times accompanied by flowers and trinkets have served to bring smiles and blushes to lovers all around the World. Naturally, a delicious assortment of sweet and fancy candies are always a favourite treat.

Now, I don’t know about you, but my favourite candy  is… you guessed it… chocolate! I absolutely love chocolate in all it’s delicious forms.

And seeing as Valentines Day is a special day set aside for lovers, I would like to share a wonderful idea which is certain to bring delight and enhance those most intimate moments. Organic Chocolate Massage Oil is a perfect Valentine’s Day gift. Totally organic and made with pure chocolate, and including Organic Palm Fruit & Sunflower Oil, Apricot Oil, Light Coconut Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Natural Vitamin E, and Cocoa Absolute, this is a natural gift that is certain to bring sweet pleasure to ones romantic moments, and may be added to your bath as well.

I found this totally romantic gift at Kate’s Caring Gifts, where you will find a wide selection of Earth friendly, and sustainably manufactured gifts for friends, family, and yourself. Oh yes, as an absolute must for the Vegan in your life you may wish to see what you think about Kate’s Organic Vegan Chocolate… yummm!

Well, as you know, I am always on the lookout for these great places to enhance my natural lifestyle, and am truly happy to share. I have made it a point to bookmark this site, and you can be sure I will be visiting often.

Enjoy!

As long as I can remember, I have chosen to feed my body those vitamins and herbs which represent the most that is pure in Nature. I prefer natural cures for that which ails myself, my children and my loved ones. I always recommend seeking that which can be found in nature, in it’s most pure and whole form, as a first defense against illness as well as in healing ourselves once we are in the midst of an ailment.

Prevention is half the battle, so if we feed our bodies that which nature so generously provides, through taking nutrition supplements & nutrition supplement as a part of our daily regimine, I truly believe we can live longer, healthier lives. Granted, one must choose wisely when it comes to eating foods which are as natural as possible as well. Knowing what is in our food is so very important as well. Read those labels! Seek only the most natural and fresh foods whenever possible. Be wary of foods which are loaded full of preservatives and ingredients in which you do not know what they are. It is important to educate yourself, and your family, and give our bodies the foods in which the Creator so generously has provided us in Nature.

I am pleased when I find a new source of natural vitamins and herbs. I have found a great place to add to my natural supplimental arsenal called Choice Nutritionals. As quoted from their site…

“Garden of Life believes food is the best source of nutrition. This is why we circle the globe searching for the richest and purest whole foods (raw fruits, vegetables and herbs) available to make our products. We accept only the finest whole foods, grown in rare, nutrient-rich soil beds to create formulations of the highest quality. From the cereal grasses and vegetable juice powders in our Perfect Food® supplement to the whole fruit juice powders in Fruits of Life™ and Radical Fruits® supplements, we strive to pack as much whole food nutrition as possible into each and every Garden of Life™ product.

Each whole food we gather is fermented using our proprietary Poten-Zyme™ process to enhance its nutritional value and make it easier to digest and absorb. This process results in powerful whole food nutrition optimized for your body’s unique needs. It’s convenient nutrition you can use to achieve better health.”

 

 

When seeking those most pure in the world of vitamins, minerals and herbs, remember your options. I shall definately consider adding Choice Nutritionals to my list of places worthy of utilizing to stock up on my supply of natures finest.

Almost everyone occasionally suffers from a minor unpleasant headache caused by stress, sleeplessness, diet, tension, or exposure to irritants like synthetic perfumes. Refreshing or soothing essential oils may help induce a warm and pleasant atmosphere and assist in relaxing and rejuvenating your mind and body.

Quick Aromatic Blend -
7 drops Lavender
3 drops Roman Chamomile
2 drops Peppermint
2 Tbs Massage Lotion
Massage the temples, forehead, neck, and shoulders.

Stress-Soothing Massage Oil -
2 drops lavender
1 drop ylang ylang
2 drops petitgrain
Add 2 drops lavender, 1 drop ylang ylang and 2 drops petitgrain to 5 teaspoons of massage oil base (or any plain base/carrier oil) to the massage base. Stir gently to mix and massage into body.

Other Essential Oils for Relaxation: Bergamot, roman chamomile, jasmine, marjoram, neroli and rose.

Hand Bath -
5 drops Lavender
2 drops of Marjoram Sweet
3 cups of warm water
Mix oils and water in a hand basin and soak your hand(s) for a few minutes.

Icy Compress -
1 quart ice cold water
2 drops Peppermint
1 drop Marjoram Sweet
2 drops Ginger Root
Soak a clean cloth in the mixture and apply it to your forehead or neck.

Relief Bath -
3 drops Roman Chamomile
3 drops Lavender
2 drops Marjoram Sweet
2 drops Thyme
Disperse the oils in the bathtub and soak in the water for 20 minutes.

Research has also shown that eliminating certain foods and adding enough water to your diet may help to prevent recurrences.

Relax and Enjoy!

Note – Information and statements regarding Aromatherapy have
not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure, or prevent any health condition or disease. Contact
your Health Care provider immediately if you suspect that you
have a medical problem, or may be prone to an allergic reaction.