While there are all kinds of interesting things that people presume to know about me, there is one thing that many of you may be surprised to know.  For two years I did nearly all of my work, writing, recordings, interviews, and even radio show broadcasts from the comfort of my bedroom. Hooked up to a heating pad, usually a couple doses of pain medication, my laptop and cell phone.  I was exiled to my bed for nearly 3 weeks of every month. Why? Well, I’ll tell you. But don’t worry. This story has a very good ending.

I suffer from endometriosis—Stage 4.  Endometriosis, for those of you who don’t know, is essentially decayed, bruised, and compromised cells which typically originate in the uterine wall. Unfortunately these cells think they own the place and start expanding outside the uterine wall, on the ovaries, strangling the bladder, or wherever the heck they feel like going.  In spite of having 4 various surgeries to handle this problem,and  a whole lot of prescription cocktails, I haven’t been able to kick it; and as time has gone on, it’s only gotten worse.  By all accounts (and urging and pleading from doctors, sisters, and friends) I should have had a hysterectomy at least 5 years ago, if not longer.  But I wasn’t comfortable with the side effects of a hysterectomy and frankly, the primary factor in avoiding it is because I’ve refused to give up on the whole having children thing.*  The pain is right at the center of my body. I don’t cough, sneeze, laugh, or move without feeling it.  As such, one isn’t exactly motivated to move (especially for exercise) when you’ve got pain.  As such, the weight just kept getting packed on. Of course the excess weight, stress that this was not the quality of life that I had envisioned for myself at this age, and the clinical and situational depression certainly didn’t help anything. So, I did what most other people do in such circumstances—I coped as best I could; which included taking pain medication whenever I did have to go to church or teach a class or do a fireside. While the pain medication could result in some more entertaining classes perhaps, I knew that every dose I took meant I was leaving behind another toxic chemical footprint in my brain, liver, and other vital organs. One day my husband and I had quite the row. As it turns out, my then hubby was seriously worried about me. He didn’t want to have to come home someday and find me in a coma, the midst of a heart attack, or worse.  While he didn’t say it, I think he was hoping that I would just have the hysterectomy and work on dealing with the consequences as best as we could from there.  But it really just felt wrong inside me—not to say that my “crap-ometer” worked the best under these circumstances.  So I did the only thing I could do. I prayed, and prayed and prayed--and then I researched.  I just wanted help to find something that I could turn to for help on this matter. The inactive lifestyle was only making me worse in so many other areas as well. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’ve been studying essential oils for over 10 years. I’ve bought them, used them, etc. But I have to say, I never experienced those amazing results that I read about—even though these were scientific studies that I was reading. So I just figured that I was the lone exception to that solution, just like I was to the FOUR surgeries I had to supposedly take care of the endometriosis, plus the litany of medical cocktails, shots, and other protocols I endured over the years for this issue. Nothing seemed to work on me. I felt like a freak of nature. But my prayers and research kept bringing me back to wanting to do more research on essential oils.  I won’t get into all of it, but suffice it to say I realized that it wasn’t that essential oils weren’t effective on people, it’s that the essential oils that are so abundant in the market today are so adulterated, diluted, and messed-around with that they are rendered not only ineffective, but in many cases are downright dangerous to a persons’ body.  However, through a series of coincidences I stumbled upon a premium quality source. And within that source I discovered an essential oil that I had never heard of, in spite of nearly a decade of passionate study.  Ravensara essential oil. Well of course I’m going to share with you that Ravensara Essential Oil was a partial answer to my prayers.  Now I usually only have a handful of rough—relegated to the bedroom days—instead of weeks every month. The pain is still there, but it’s no longer the star of my show.  Ravensara essential oil, among many other things, is amazingly effective in easing muscle strains as well as arthritis pain.  But guess what? Like any quality essential oil that hasn’t been messed around with, it actually made a huge impact on several other health issues that I had just owned over the years as being a part of my life. You see, Ravensara essential oil is to Madagascar what tea tree oil is to Australia. In fact, it’s STILL used in the traditional medical system in Madagascar, and once you delve into all that this oil can impact in a person’s life, you’ll understand why. One of the most important things I should share with you about this particular essential oil is that for starters I’m a bit suspicious of any Ravensara essential oil that doesn’t at least originate in Madagascar. The reason being is for years (even still today) Ravensara essential oil is deceptively labeled on many essential oil bottles. Unfortunately, there are still a whole lot of companies that are selling Cinnamonomum camphora ct. 1.8-ceneole as Ravensara essential oil.  NO BUENO!.  In fact, I was recently on a really good website, that clearly wanted to help their customers, but were unwittingly offering them this incompetent substitute as Ravensara essential oil. If properly labeled it would read Ravintsara, which can actually be toxic to sensitive or highly compromised auto-immune systems. The two oils are VERY different in constituent make-up. Thinking they are the same thing is thinking that gasoline and water are both drinkable.   So be sure that you check and double-check that you’re getting the real stuff.

Ravensara essential oil is most widely known in the medical studies as being an anti-viral (Just look up Ravensar Anti-viral studies and you won't sleep for a week while you read them all!). Yup. There’s that word again. Anti-Viral. Have you ever gone to your doctor when you were sick with something and have him tell you that he can’t help you because it’s a virus. As you hopefully know, anti-biotics don’t work on viruses.  The mainstream medical system is quite helpless in battling viruses. So, whenever I’m up against that kind of problem, I always reach for an essential oil—the majority of which have anti-viral properties.  Ravensara essential oil is particularly effective in handling some of the more dangerous, respiratory viruses. In fact, it’s the go-to solution for whooping cough in many areas of the globe. Did you know that in Spain, if you go to a doctors office for a viral infection they will actually OFFER you Ravensara essential oil? (The cameraman from a show in France was telling me all about while we were filiming for a show they were doing. Fascinating!)  A flu or any respiratory complication will be well served by Ravensara essential oil—especially when it’s teamed with Eucalyptus (Radiata). When battling sinus infections, allergies, and even the common cold, Ravensara will make an undeniable impact. I’ve never had a client NOT notice a big difference when needing to clear sinuses or breathing passages. One of the bath salts I frequently suggest has both Ravensara essential oil and Eucalyptus (Radiata) in it, and I have had a lot of calls from moms who newly discover such an option reporting that their kids are suddenly ready to go back to school after a 20 minute soak in a hot bath with these oils and dendrite salt. Now, about some of its other merits.  Tight muscles, menstrual discomfort, muscle aches—especially those caused by emotional stress—benefit from the application of Ravensara. It’s frequently used effectively as a muscle relaxant and an analgesic. One time I had an unexplainable sharp pain in my calf for two days and finally I soaked in the bath salt combination and the pain completely went away in a matter of minutes. But the reason why I say “especially the muscle aches caused by emotional stress is because one of the other common uses for Ravensara is in subduing depression and anxiety (probably one of the reasons why it helped me so much at that particular time). It’s also highly effective in addressing shingles (which are very painful in an adult AND are viral), cold sores (also usually caused by emotional stress and are viral) as well as genital herpes. When I think of Ravensara I think of muscles, emotional compromise, and respiratory matters. (I realize that there are a lot of essential oils that do so many things, so I always try to compartmentalize them like this to keep them all straight.) While a good Ravensara will be one of your more expensive essential oils (in the similar cost league as Frankincense, Myrrh, Helichrysum, and Copiaba) one drop does a whole lot and thus makes it’s investment well worth it to me! While Tea Tree essential oil is highly regarded as a great immune system fighter, Rosemary and Lavender are 10 times more effective in that regard. Ravensara though, is TEN TIMES more effective than either Rosemary or Lavender though. So it’s clearly one to have.  It has a 9,829 ORAC value on the anti-oxidant scale. So it’s great for everyday use.  It’s also been proven to combat the Staphylococcus Aureus (staph infection) as it’s a powerful anti-bacterial agent as well. Being septic has become an increasing danger amongst newborns in our nation over the last 5 years. Also, men have started bringing it home from the work place more often (still undetermined as to why, though)  Since being septic is a life or death scenario, to me it’s important to use something that will literally KILL the bacteria, not just put it to sleep. The nice thing I love about oils in general is that you don’t need to use them “just in case” a compromised health issue arises. If used consistently, they will actually help to nourish the cells for that particular area of our body and eventually eliminate the issue altogether. You can completely eliminate allergies and “seasonal sinus infections by building up your respiratory and immune system with this friend.  I started applying a drop of Ravensara every night on my sternum after battling allergies in the dry Utah air for over a decade. After three days of this minor addition to my nightly routine, I found myself working through the day without needing an allergy pill. And I don’t have to do the hacking in the mornings like I used to. Yippee! One more prescription I don’t have to get filled! This is a big deal to me since my allergies would ALWAYS turn into an all-out cold almost every single month when my menses cycle would drain my immune system—making me that much more of a bear to be around. To summarize the aspects to this wonder oil, it’s anti-microbial, anti-allergenic, anti-depressant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-spasmodic, aphrodisiac, diuretic, expectorant, relaxant, and of course, anti-fungal. As such, it’s a great immune builder.  It’s also a very effective companion oil for rheumatoid arthritis!   If you combine it with a rosewood or tangerine essential oil (my personal favorite citrus oil), it’s a great pick me up, even effective in overcoming apathy. You can also use it effectively with Frankincense, ginger, or grapefruit to help your mood. So kick the tires on this helpful essential oil and you’re sure to find some positive effects in your world. *Please refrain from making your kind suggestions as to how I can rectify this matter, Friends. It really is a very personal decision for every woman and though you mean well, it may not be as well received as you would have liked it to be. I assure you that I’m in good hands—His—on this matter. But I will still say THANK YOU for your kind concern.