Do you have a passion for natural health, want to work from home, and receive FREE online education?!!

I spent thousands of dollars on my training as a Certified Nutrition Counselor and Naturopathic Doctor, and while I don’t regret it, I do wonder sometimes if it was necessary. For one thing, a lot of what I learned to help people the most was completely separate studying from the studying in those programs. The knowledge I use the most to help people was not from those classes. 

For another thing, they cost A LOT of money!

And for another, I now have access to free online education.

Yes, free online education! Not just in health stuff but in personal character and business training!

Does this interest you?

Have you wanted to help people get healthy naturally but just didn’t know where to start? And be able to do it from home and contribute to your family’s income?

If that’s you, I’d love for you to be able to join me in this movement to help people get and stay healthy naturally! And benefit your family financially if that is a goal you have as well! There is such a vast need for people to do this and it is a constantly growing field! 

And as someone who practiced alone for many years, I can tell you that the other benefit to this is being a part of a team! Having others to support you, offer their assistance as well to the people you are helping, having other resources and accountability to them from our team, etc., and having team activities to keep you going and continuously learning makes it SO much more rewarding and possible to do this! Because doing it alone can cause burnout FAST!

This is part of the free online training that is available to qualifying people. It is a program that is all online, can be done from a smartphone, and is at your own pace. A certificate is awarded for each level completed and you enter your mentor info when you start so that your mentor will receive notification of when you start and complete each training level! 

All that’s required is to be a Young Living wholesale member!

But this free online training is only available to members of Vital 180, a Young Living team under Royal Crown Diamond leaders Brenda & Scott Schuler! So not all Young Living members get access to this!

Those who become a Young Living wholesale member through me or anyone on my team will have access to this free training, our team’s support and resources, and my services and assistance for free.

What does this training cover?

Due to FDA constraints, this program is not able to cover many medical-type health things. The majority of it focuses on business training, personal development, and the basics of a natural lifestyle.

To supplement that training with natural health training, I have a list of textbooks and other books I recommend reading that helped me more than anything in my paid tuition classes. (I can only make this list available in our team’s private Facebook group for compliancy purposes.)

So what are the other benefits of having a Young Living business?!

Most people hear “network marketing” and think it’s a waste of time, a scam, and/or does not bring about substantial income. 

I did!

For two years, I researched essential oils to find the best quality and the most therapeutic essential oils, and hesitated to become a Young Living member because of my bias against network marketing. Even after I became a member to get wholesale prices on therapeutic oils, I still hesitated for a couple more years to actually utilize it and its resources in my practice. 

That was a HUGE mistake. I lost YEARS that were filled with potential! Not only could I have had better resources but all of our financial struggles could have been eased so much sooner! 

Check out this video where I explain what I actually came to discover about network marketing and why it is the PERFECT model of business for Christians!

But maybe you or someone you know pursued a direct marketing company like Pampered Chef, Thirty-One, Avon, or any one of the many others out there today. And it didn’t bring about considerable income. There are two things to consider:

1. With Young Living, you are helping change people’s health and helping them utilize God-given therapies. For those that have a passion for this, it is incredibly rewarding no matter what the income is.

2. Of course, we want our time to be worth it financially too! Consider this–Young Living is growing at an incredibly huge rate and is a lifestyle product. How often does someone you know need multiple new handbags? Or a baking stone? Not every single month, that’s for sure! But because Young Living offers natural alternatives for health care and support, these are consumable products that will be needed and used up on a daily basis. 

I have a member of my team who was a high-ranking Pampered Chef consultant for 10 years. In just SIX MONTHS of pursuing her Young Living business, she has done far better (financially as well as in changing people’s lives) than she did at the end of her 10-year Pampered Chef career! There are so many more possibilities with Young Living than other network marketing companies, and it’s one of the few where you can actually help people really improve their lives by improving their health naturally! 

Okay, so we can change people’s lives, and that’s awesome! But we all need to know–Is it really profitable too?!

An updated Income Disclosure Statement:

How long does it take to reach these ranks and income levels?! It all depends on the person. I decided just under one year ago to actually pursue Young Living’s business opportunity (after having been a member for a few years). In the last year, I have reached Silver rank and am on track with my monthly goals to hit Gold rank by January. Then my husband will retire from his job!

Currently, my husband been able to reduce his work week down to four days which has been an amazing blessing in our lives. You see for years, he has worked 60 hour weeks to help our family continue homeschooling and to provide for our family. For years, we have struggled with so very little time with him while he worked tirelessly to support our family. Having our children homeschooled was very important to us, but I didn’t realize until the last year that it wasn’t necessary for us to struggle financially to allow me to be home with them!

Even with my work as a natural health practitioner apart from Young Living, the income was not considerable enough to ease our struggles and my husband’s workload. 

Whether or not this information is something you are interested in, please at least join me in the blessing this has been for my family!

In addition to some booklets I offer to those who want to pursue the business side of Young Living, there is a fabulous book called The Four Year Career. This book details all the exacts of growing your Young Living business in four years to reach one of the highest levels and incredibly high income potential. It’s not a magic formula and it takes effort and perseverance.

And the first year does not provide considerable income. The first year is devoted to putting any income back into the business (including paying for your family’s oils, supplements, etc. from Young Living). The second year is investing some but enjoying some side income. The third is enjoying residual income, and the fourth is coasting!

So it’s important to know that you’re not going to make enough income to replace a job the first year. Well, maybe! There are some people who are so successful right away that they do. But most of us don’t. 

But if you knew you could provide a considerable income and retirement plan for your family after 1-4 years of investing into a business, would it be worth it?!

To me, YES!

Even just after a year and helping contribute the amount of income I am for my family, it’s worth it to me!

You work the hours that work for you around your family’s schedule! This way, you can keep God + Family FIRST! I homeschool my kids and they have lots of activities outside of the home (American Sign Language class, horseback riding lessons, music lessons, church groups, etc.) so my work schedule revolves around their activities and lessons! 

For more info on the average amount of hours worked for each income level, see the column on the left on the full Income Disclosure Statement here: 

And doing it this way, I have to say that I don’t have the burnout feelings I did when I was practicing alone and offering my natural health services to the public. Being part of a team and having access to resources other than what I make or have through my education is an incredible blessing!

Please also check out this post with the benefits of being on my team.

You can also check out what I discovered in my two years of researching essential oils here.

There are absolutely no monthly obligations to being a Young Living member, and the only requirement is purchasing a starter kit. Click here to learn more about the starter kits.

I also gift all new members on my team with The EO Bar app.

This is a fabulous resource for giving you all the info on using essential oils including safety, the three methods of use (topical, aromatic, and internal), recipes for many different blends that support specific areas of health, and specific information including application and dilution recommendations for each essential oil.

This is not only great information for you to have on hand for yourself but also to help others who are learning to use essential oils for their family’s health! 

In addition to the free online training courses, my team members are encouraged to contact me anytime they have questions about someone’s health that they are helping. 

AND through Vital 180, we also get free downloadable classes, presentations, infographics, and more to help share and teach natural health to others!

But what about certification for practicing?

There is no need for certification to help people get healthy naturally. There are a lot of legalities and risks in “practicing,” so the safest way to help people and protect yourself is to not have “practice” or have “patients” but to be an educator and a wholesale member of a pre-existing company. This greatly reduces, if not virtually eliminates, risk of legal problems.

Maybe this info isn’t for you, and that’s okay! 

Thank you for reading and joining with me in celebrating the blessing it is for my family!

For those who this info is an answer to prayer, I am excited for you! I hope and pray you will experience the same incredible passion, joy, and blessings I have with it!

If you would like more information on pursuing this venture to help people with their health naturally, please contact me by messaging me on my Facebook page here or here.

You can also go to my other website here for lots more info.

To get started as a wholesale member on my team, click here.

Young Living’s Mission Statement

Will you join me in this mission?!

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

There is a lot of confusion and disagreement among Christians regarding essential oils. Are they New Age? Witchcraft? What about the physical and especially the mental health claims about them?!

So how do we reconcile this? What is the truth?

Well, we look to God’s Word for the answer, of course!

The Truth Is…

More than any other therapeutic substance mentioned in Scripture, aromatic plants appear over 1,000 times throughout the Bible.

Seventy percent (70%!!) of the books of the Bible mention essential oils, their uses, and/or the plants from which they are derived.

Essential oils were a part of everyday life for prophets, kings, queens, the disciples, and even the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at some of the many examples found in God’s Word about essential oils, starting with the two most important ones that are crucial knowledge for our health:

In James 5:14, we are told exactly what to do when we are unwell. 

In Mark 6:13, it tells us how the disciples followed Jesus’ command to use oils and prayer to do exactly that when he sent them out: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:13

It wasn’t because there weren’t doctors around back then, because there are very specific instances before this in Scripture that demonstrate there were.

This is a Biblical practice called Unction: the action of anointing someone with oil or ointment as a religious rite or as a symbol of investiture as a monarch; treatment with a therapeutic oil or ointment.

Benson’s Commentary says: “This single conspicuous gift, which Christ committed to his apostles, (Mark 6:13,) remained in the church long after the other miraculous gifts were withdrawn. Indeed it seems to have been designed to remain always, and St. James directs the elders, who were the most, if not the only gifted men, to administer it. This was the whole process of physic in the Christian Church till it was lost through unbelief.”

Lost through unbelief. Whoa. How can we expect to experience the best health possible if we don’t have faith in the One who gives health?! How many times have you been encouraged by your church to go there and follow the practice of unction when your health needs support?!

Regardless of the absence of this practice and command in today’s churches, these are the instructions God gave His people. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

From this, we can see that plant oils are definitely NOT New Age but are precisely the thing God commanded us to use for our health!

And these are just such a small example of the many examples throughout God’s Word of plant oils. There is the Holy Anointing Oil recipe in the Old Testament which included the plant oils myrrh, cassia, cinnamon, and calmus.

Esther 2:12 tells us of the six months of beauty treatment with the oil of myrrh that Esther received before being presented to the King. 

David sings of God’s plant aroma in Psalm 45:8: “All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;”

We all know that Jesus was given Frankincense and myrrh as an infant.

When Jesus was about to be nailed to the cross, he was offered wine mixed with myrrh–a common practice at the time.

And all four Gospels tell a story of a woman who anoints Jesus with a very costly ointment of aromatic oil(s). 

Have you dug into the many references throughout Scripture of plants, plant oils, and what God says about them?!!

There are so many more amazing things in God’s Word about plants/plant oils!

Regarding Claims of Mental/Spiritual Effects

There are many people who claim that the mental and spiritual benefits of essential oils are proof of occult/pagan practices. 

Why is the pineal glad pagan? It’s an organ in the body. God created it and it has a very special purpose.

There is only one of our five senses that is connected directly to the emotional center of our brain, and that is the sense of smell. This is part of God’s design for our bodies to be mentally affected by the things we smell.

Have you ever had a smell that distinctly reminded you of a memory? This is aromatherapy, a bodily process designed by our magnificent Creator!

We will never completely understand (until we get to Heaven) the full capabilities of our bodies, especially our brains and organs like our pineal and pituitary glands. But we do understand a great deal more than some of the bloggers and people who claim that saying essential oils affect us mentally is pagan.

Scientifically, we can prove that certain essential oils contain chemical constituents called sesquiterpenes. Sesquiterpenes have been proven able to cross the blood brain barrier which means they can access brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid, a feat many things cannot accomplish and a characteristic many research scientists desperately seek to find in plants and man-made chemicals.

Sesquiterpenes also increase oxygen levels especially around the pineal gland. Sesquiterpenes are also a natural sedative. Very close to your pineal glad is your amygdala which is instrumental in storing and releasing emotional trauma.

How often do you feel fully engaged when you pray? Do you feel tired? Distracted? Uninspired?

If I am using oils that can affect oxygen levels (among other things) in areas of my brain that are so obviously engaged when in prayer, why wouldn’t they be able to enhance my prayer experience?

For thousands of years, it was part of religious rituals, including for Christians, to burn Frankincense resin. Of course for most of that time, there was no scientific evidence to back up this practice. Until recently. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain that affect our mental health.

I encourage everyone to click here and read the research for themselves as I am limited under commercial speech laws. Check it out:  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm

Research is proving what people knew for thousands of years–aromatherapy is a powerful way to affect our emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

And even before research, God’s Word told us this. 

There are FOUR specific Bible passages that refer to anointing oils as vehicles of joy, gladness, and rejoicing. For example:

Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart. (Proverbs 27:9)

(In Biblical times, ointments and perfumes were aromatic plant oils as they did not have artificially-synthesized fragrances like we do today.)

 

I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. (Isaiah 61:3)

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (Psalm 45:7 & Hebrews 1:9)

Why would the Bible suggest that a physical substance like an aromatic plant oil be associated with an emotional state by God’s blessing if this is New Age or witchcraft?! 

Regarding Names On Some Essential Oil Blends

As we can see from the oil of joy example, it is absolutely not against God’s Word to have a blend of essential oils with a name showing that it can produce mental health benefits.

So what about other blend names like Abundance, Harmony, or Release?

This is exactly the same thing as the oil of joy. There are scientifically-proven mental health benefits of the single oils contained in these blends to help activate the areas of the brain responsible for stored memories as well as for helping provide relaxation and reduction of stress. I appreciate how a fellow sister in Christ stated it:

I love the oil blends that people seem to be wary of! I apply them and pray in agreement with whatever the oil symbolizes. (I ‘release’ ‘abundance’!) God is a God of abundance!!! (Malachi 3:10!) There’s nothing wrong with praying for that or releasing His provision over your situation or prayerfully applying an oil named abundance as a prophetic declaration of what God wants to release. And I see nothing wrong with the various things they have created the oils for– the oils DO have a frequency and they DO have various chemical constituents that affect our emotions and our physical bodies in different ways. With that knowledge, YL has created blends to create various emotional/spiritual atmospheres. I see nothing evil or demonic in that. What those oils can do is in them because God put it in them. He created the oils with those effects and properties. I guess I’m not one that is sensitive to wording that may be considered new age. I see the heart of meaning behind the words and I think that heart is good and Godly.

On that note, what about the “Energy” and “Frequency” claims surrounding some essential oils?

God literally spoke creation into existence. We find the phrase, “And God said…” nine times in the first chapter of Genesis in the creation account. 

Word is a vibration, a frequency, an expression of energy. When God created the plants by his speaking voice, he imbued them with his Word and his intelligence. This includes the oils of the plants… (Dr. David Stewart, retired minister and former university science professor)

There is so much we do not yet understand about the most detailed characteristics of the things God has made. Any conclusions made on this topic are simply without actual evidence. 

For now, here are just a few research links of what we do know as proven by research about the emotional effects of essential oils (be sure to click on these and read scroll through them!):

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/681304/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21922934

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11033651

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27763785

Regarding the Founder(s) of Companies

There are some who seek to prove that essential oils should not be used because of the person who owns or who founded a particular company, such as Young Living, and that person’s personal beliefs.

But if that’s the case, does this mean we only shop at stores owned by Christians who have the same beliefs as us?

And when we shop at that store, do we only buy the products produced by companies owned by Christians who have the same beliefs as us?

And when we pay for the few items we can actually buy (if any), do we use a credit card from a company and a bank that is owned by Christians who have the same beliefs as us?

And is our drive home in a vehicle owned manufacturered by a Christian company with gasoline produced by ethical, like-minded Christians?

Maybe I’m being condescending, but you see where I’m going. 

For example, anyone shop at Whole Foods?! Has anyone ever questioned that?!

There’s no getting away from that.

But because Young Living is a network marketing company, I am personally free to run and promote my organization with my own priorities and principles. While that means a lot of religious diversity, it also means religious freedom.

That’s the beauty of having a career in network marketing. Unlike a public school teacher, I am not restricted from basing my work on God’s Word and Biblical principles. 

My Young Living team is an incredible source of Christian encouragement, accountability, and support for 300 people and growing on a daily basis! I wish everyone could experience this for themselves!

In Summary

The Enemy wants to twist and turn all things created by God for our physical, mental, and spiritual health. This is why New Age practices have infiltrated the very things He has given us. Anything ‘new age’ is simply a twisting of the true and original design. New age meditation is a twisting of biblical meditation. Does that mean we should not meditate? Should we abandon everything God has given us that the Enemy twists?! Of course not! We would have nothing left!

Of course, we must always be on our guard with everything!

Please be sure to check out my other posts with additional information on the topic:

In Medicine We Trust (This one goes more in depth about the Biblical references to Pharmakeia.)

Is Natural Medicine A False God or Anti-Christian? What the Bible Says About Medicine

Now we don’t have to let a lack of knowledge of God’s Word prevent us from experiencing the best health possible and utilizing the things He has given us as a blessing!

Essential oils are a gift from God to us, His children. They are special. They have been a gift too long ignored and misunderstood. The time has come to correct those misunderstandings and bring essential oils back into the uses for which God intended them. (Dr. David Stewart)

It is my hope that the uneducated ideas and myths out there by our paganistic, pharmaceutical-driven society do not continue to allow so many of God’s people to miss out on one of the most amazing blessings for our physical and mental health! 

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

3: If You Bought It From Amazon 

There is really no way to tell what you are getting when you buy essential oils from Amazon!

4: Emphasis on GC-MS

Some companies use the Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrum test results to “prove” their essential oils are pure. These companies will often put a lot of emphasis on GC-MS tests. 

Unfortunately, these tests alone are not a reliable indicator of purity as brokers have become experts at adulterating essential oils in order to give them GC-MS results that make the oils look pure.

It appears that analysis of essential oils by gas chromatography (and GC-MS) will remain largely irrelevant to the end-consumer and to the retailer, which means the end-user must simply trust in the truthfulness of a certificate of purity issued by an independent laboratory. Such a certificate does not necessarily mean that the essential oils are pure as claimed. 

 

The recent increased emphasis on chromatograms mostly reflects clever playing by a vendor, who knows that the public is more likely to believe something once a machine is involved.1

There are many other ways that GC-MS tests can be a deceptive practice. Click here to read my full post on The Problem With Relying Solely on GC-MS.

5: The Amount of Out-Sourcing

Does the company buy ALL of their essential oils from a third-party broker? Do they own any farms? Do they own any distilleries?

There are many ways that the essential oils can be adulterated and even just lose their therapeutic properties during the many paths to the market.

Purchasing an oil from another supplier who buys from different sources seems less recommendable in light of the many variables that will be different and may influence the [therapeutic] power of the oil. (Dr, Kurt Schnaubelt)

If a company is buying oils from a broker, they can’t verify the quality of the plant. Was it the right kind of plant to produce the therapeutic properties? Was it the right grade resin of Frankincense? Was it distilled at low temperatures to preserve the therapeutic constituents? (Not likely.) Was there any adulteration along the way? (Probably.)

The only true way to ensure purity and therapeutic properties of an essential oil is to buy from a company that works directly with the farm and distiller, or even better, HAS their own farms and distillers. And there’s only ONE company in the United States that has those. 

Click here to read my full post about why that’s the only company for me.

In conclusion, I would just say this: If you want cheap essential oils, use another method of supporting your healthy naturally. If you want to experience the full therapeutic benefits of essential oils, don’t buy cheap ones. Buy from the best. Your body will thank you.

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

REF: 

1. Medical Aromatherapy, Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D.

I am extremely excited to share a new method of therapy with all my HFFG fans and my experience with this therapy! The benefits to our physical, mental, and spiritual health are immense and cannot be covered in a single blog post, but I’ll summarize them the best I can!

Float therapy, aka Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique or R.E.S.T. for short, was formally developed in 1954 at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington. Float therapy offers a myriad of health benefits that I will summarize below, as well as the cautions and things to consider.

There are many different styles of flotation tanks but they all generally have about 800-1000 pounds of Epsom salts. 

The tank rooms are private. Some are pods that close and some are walk-in closet-type tanks (which I prefer). Some have the option to have a light on and some do not. 

The concentration of salt is higher than in the Dead Sea, allowing your body to float effortlessly. With your head resting in the water, your ears are below the surface of the water which eliminates any noise distractions, the only thing you hear is the sound of your own breath. 

The air and water temperature is maintained at skin temperature and the water is silky soft. 

In many float tanks, the water is unchlorinated and filtered naturally without chemicals like bromines. (Be sure to call and ask your local float therapy room about this before floating.)

Mental/Spiritual Benefits

Floating in a flotation tank triggers a deep relaxation response, much deeper than normal sleep. It enables us to drift into the elusive Theta state, which is hard to achieve. 

Theta waves, measured at 4-7 Hz, represent the brain in a state of REM sleep (dreams), hypnosis, or lucid dreaming. Theta is the twilight state just before sleeping and just after waking, the border between the conscious and the subconscious world.

Have you ever noticed how all of our most amazing ideas tend to come to us right before we fall asleep?! This is the power of the Theta state!

By learning to consciously use a conscious, waking Theta brain wave, we can access and influence the powerful subconscious part of ourselves that is normally inaccessible to our waking minds. While in the Theta state, the mind is capable of deep and profound learning, healing, and personal growth. 

(Read below under My Experience for the spiritual and emotional experiences I had during my float therapy.)

There have been numerous studies conducted with college professors, college students, etc., that show an increased level of creativity and improved test scores after sixty minutes of float therapy.

In 2005, a meta-analysis further confirmed that flotation was more effective at reducing stress than other popular methods such as relaxation exercises, biofeedback or relaxing on the couch.

Because of the dopamine and endorphin levels that are increased during floating, your mood is boosted and most people experience a pleasant afterglow that lasts for days.

Physical Benefits

The physical benefits from flotation therapy have two mechanisms behind them–One from the physical action of floating and Two from the nutrients in the Epsom salts.

The parasympathetic response generated by float therapy is the mechanism by which the body naturally regenerates itself and maintains chemical and metabolic balance. Old wounds and injuries are allowed to heal faster. Increased T-cell production strengthens the immune system. This deep level of relaxation also benefits the cardiovascular system. Known as the vasodilatory effect, the body’s circulation is increased while the blood pressure and heart rate are reduced. Furthermore, the elimination of gravity on the body allows muscles and joints to release tension and heal more rapidly. For this reason, people suffering from musculoskeletal and rheumatic conditions greatly benefit from Floatation REST.

Epsom salts have been used to treat a variety of health ailments by numerous cultures for centuries. Epsom salt baths have astounding health benefits and are an excellent way to de­-stress and detoxify the whole body.

Epsom salts are high in magnesium, and there is hardly a disease or health condition out there in which magnesium deficiency does not play at least a minor role.

Some common symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:

• Constipation
• High blood pressure
• Low Vitamin D
• Unbalanced hormones
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Headaches/migraines
• Muscle cramps
• ADHD
• Eye twitching
• Chronic pain
• Irritability/anxiousness
• Anxiety
• Insomnia 

Float therapy is commonly used as a primary intervention for disorders as diverse as high blood pressure, headaches, arthritis, insomnia, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia. Those suffering from intractable chronic pain particularly benefited from weekly REST sessions: their level of perceived pain dropped, their sleep improved and they reported feeling happier and less anxious. An ongoing project is investigating the use of flotation for fibromyalgia pain management with positive preliminary results.

I also recommend this therapy for those who may be experiencing adrenal fatigue/strain on their adrenals due to high stress.

Because of the high content of magnesium from the Epsom salts in a float session, I would personally recommend it to pregnant women with a history of pre-eclampsia and/or pre-term labor. It’s also a great way for women in their uncomfortable third trimester to alleviate some of the weight off of their hips, legs, etc. and improve their sleep before baby comes. (Click here to read more about float therapy during pregnancy.)

Float therapy often results in a much better night’s sleep for 3-5 nights after a float, sometimes starting the night of the float and sometimes not starting until the second night after the float.

My Experience

I was nervous going into it. I knew that it would be hard for me to sit still for an hour. I doubted that I’d even be able to make it to the end of the hour in the tank.

I opened the glass door to go into the float tub. As I stepped my toes in the tank, I felt myself exhale and relax at the warm temperature and softness of the water.

I sat down and began preparing my mind to get the most out of this experience. I laid back and was surprised at how effortless it was for my body to float.

Then I worked to let my body fully relax.

My first stark realization during my float was:

Our minds are so busy and our bodies are so tight.

How often do we quiet our minds? How often do we truly relax our bodies. It took me the first 15 minutes of my float experience to truly release all muscles in my body and fully relax. Before that, I was still contracting muscles I didn’t even realize I was contracting.

Think of the physical, mental, and spiritual damage we endure without ever experiencing this kind of mental and physical release!

In my float experience, I realized just how rare it is for me (and likely millions of other people) to actually be completely free of distractions and to be in a situation where we can truly focus on eliminating the mental distractions that prevent us from truly listening to God. As I laid there trying to quiet my mind and let God speak, I found it difficult to turn off the alerts of the things I needed to get done this week or the emails I forgot to respond to or the appointment I need to cancel.

It took me at least 15 minutes of sensory deprivation to force my mind to eliminate all distractions. And even then, it was a continuous battle for another 15 minutes until I finally felt like I had entered the Theta stage. Because once the realization of complete deprivation of external sensory hit me, I realized I was starting to hyperventilate.

I knew I had to completely let go (physically and mentally) in order to get the most of this experience, and so I pressed on. I let my head be fully supported by the salt water; I listened to the sound of my breathing and controlled it; and I made sure every muscle was released. (I did turn off the light but quickly realized that I needed to keep it on for my first float experience.)

I prayed for distractions to be removed and for God to speak to me. And the words of a Switchfoot song popped in my head:

If you could let the pain of the past go
Of your soul
None of this is in your control

If you could only let your guard down
You could learn to trust me somehow
I swear, that I won’t let you go
If you could only let go your doubts
If you could just believe in me now
I swear, that I won’t let you go
I won’t let you go

That is when I started feeling relaxed in a way I have never felt. (For those of you who have ever done smoked marijuana or got drunk, you may have felt something similar to this feeling. ) But my mind was quiet, so it wasn’t just a physical relaxation. I felt almost like I was sleeping but I wasn’t. My body felt kind of like a wiggling noodle but I knew I wasn’t moving around much at all because I wasn’t hitting the sides of the tank. I felt weightless. And I started to drift deeper and deeper into a sleep-like state.

Then before I knew it, the sunshine-like light came on, indicating that my time was up. As I started to sit up, I realized I felt woozy. Almost tipsy. And I was smiling uncontrollably. I wasn’t sure why, but I’ll take it! 

I proceeded to the shower and then to blow dry my hair (it was -8*F outside that day), feeling so relaxed in all of my muscles that I had to sit down to get dressed and dry my hair. I applied a few drops of Present Time to allow me to hold onto the benefits I experienced. As I walked to the front counter, I still could not stop smiling. 

Now I was always the one to reject drugs and alcohol growing up, and refused any medication during all six of my pregnancies, because I never like feeling under the influence of anything. I always wanted to be fully conscious and in control of myself. (I did experiment once or twice as a teenager and hated it for those reasons.)

For some reason, this feeling, while similar, was not like that. It was different. It was a feeling of peace and deep relaxation (mentally especially). It was very controlled in a way rather than uncontrolled. As soon as I pulled out my credit card, I knew that I had to do this on a regular basis. I am hoping in future experiences, I will begin to really experience more and more of God’s presence during my float sessions.

That evening, I couldn’t stop recollecting on my float experience, replaying it in my head. As I slept, I even dreamed that I won a free float therapy. Needless to say, I really look forward to implementing this therapy as a regular part of my wellness regimen.

Everyone’s experience will vary greatly, and each person’s subsequent float experiences will vary from their initial experience as well. The more you use flotation tanks the better it gets. Each flotation tank session is unique, and two floats are rarely the same.

Cautions/Considerations

• Drink lots of water; Epsom salt baths are detoxifying to the whole body, so it’s good to drink lots of water in the hours after a float. (I wouldn’t recommend drinking much beforehand as the urge to use the restroom will detract from the experience.)

• If you are claustrophobic, I don’t recommend avoiding float therapy but I recommend proceeding carefully. Look for a float room similar to the one I go to rather than a float tank. Make sure it has an optional light. 

• If you have open wounds, you may want to avoid float therapy until the wounds are closed. If you just have one or two and they are fairly small, a waterproof bandage should work.

• Ear plugs can be worn for those who normally wear ear plugs in a swimming pool, but this can, for some people, be a distraction to the mind that can prevent achieving the Theta stage.

• Some float rooms have head rests that you can use at first before you are fully ready to let your head rest in the water. Otherwise, you can also use your hands placed under your head and then slowly move them away from your head as your head learns to float. If you experience head/neck tension during your float, this likely indicates that you are holding you head up instead of fully relaxing it. You can move your hands back underneath your head again until your head/neck fully relaxes.

• If you have a natural shampoo/conditioner/body wash you use, be sure to bring it with as well as your own towels if you want. (These things are available there usually but I prefer to bring my own.) 

• You can also bring a bathing suit if you are uncomfortable being in your birthday suit. Some people get distracted by fabric and some people can’t fully let go if they are uncomfortable being naked, so it’s up to each person what works best for them!

• The water is salty, so do not rub your eyes once your hands are in the float tank! It is recommended to dry your face with a towel after your initial shower before going into the float tank. This prevents any urge to wipe remaining water droplets off your face while in floating and potentially getting salt water into your eyes.

Some people do fall asleep in subsequent floats, and there is no fear of drowning as the buoyant water will keep you afloat.

I strongly encourage those of you with available resources to give float therapy a try! Ask for it as a gift if you can’t afford it. Watch for Groupons and specials for a local float spa. We can all benefit from it in so many ways, especially in our busy world where we don’t quiet our minds enough to hear from God.

You can read more about the float place I go to in Monticello, MN here:  http://apotheosisllp.com/float-room

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

In December 2016, I had a 25 Days of Oils in the Bible on my Using the Scents God Gave You Facebook page. It was lots of fun and many people enjoyed the information, so I’m combining the posts here in one blog post for easy viewing!

(*NOTE: These photos are copyrighted. Please do not download, edit, or use for personal or business use.)

Day 1

Sometimes it is said that essential oils and aromatherapy are a “hippy thing” or “new age.”

The truth is that plant oils were given to us by God for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. More than any other therapeutic substance mentioned in Scripture, aromatic plants appear over 1,000 times throughout the Bible.

A whopping 70% of the books of the Bible mention plant oils, their uses, and/or the plants from which they are derived. Plant oils were a part of everyday life for prophets, kings, queens, the disciples, and even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. They are not “snake oil” or a “hippy thing.” They are a gift from God.

In Ezekial 47:12 and Revelations 22:2, we are told that these are the very things that God created, down to the microparticles in the oils, to provide synergistic benefits for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

Proverbs 27:9 says: “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart…”

Proverbs 21:20 says “Precious treasure and oil remain in the house of the wise.”

Essential oils are a gift from God to us, His children. They are special. They have been a gift too long ignored and misunderstood. The time has come to correct those misunderstandings and bring essential oils back into the uses for which God intended them.

(Dr. David Stewart, retired minister and former university science professor)

 

Day 2

There is much controversy over whether the plant oils in the Bible were actually “essential” oils as we know them today. Most people assume they could not have been essential oils due to the belief that they did not have the knowledge of steam distillation back then.

However, there is evidence of steam distillation all the way back from 3500 BC. Mesopotamian evidence is found in material excavated from Tepe Gawra on the River Tigris. Fragments of four ceramic bowls were excavated from levels dating to 3500BC. This photo is a terra cotta distiller from about 3,000 B.C. that is on exhibit in a Pakistan museum.

Distinctive vessels, quite probably for distillation, have been found at widely separated sites in India and Pakistan. The first group to be reported had been excavated in 1930 at Sirkap, site of Taxila in the Indus Valley. The city originated on this site circa the second century BC and it remained in occupation for three centuries. The still itself was found in levels of the time of the Saka invasions (i.e. 90 BC to AD 25).

We have plenty of evidence that the ancient people had the knowledge of extracting oils from plants through this process to use in their anointing oils, perfume, and therapeutic oils. You can read my full post with pictures of ancient distillers here: http://yldist.com/godscents/bibleoils/

However, let’s say that it is also possible that some of the oils mentioned were not steam-distilled “essential” oils as we know them today. Even so, the plants are the same and the benefits can only be magnified with the proper steam distillation methods! Regardless of the specifics, we are so blessed to be able to use plants in their many forms and their amazing properties designed by God for our physical, spiritual, and emotional health!

Day 3

Cassia is rich in biblical history and is mentioned in one of the oldest known medical records, the Ebers Papyrus (dating from 16th century BC).

From the bark of a tree, cassia appears 4 times in Scripture, including in Moses’ Holy Anointing Oil.

Cassia helps support a strong immune system and strengthens the body’s natural defenses. It is used to support blood sugar, arterial health, and overall health.

There is lots of amazing research on this essential oil’s benefits for our health. Please take a moment to click on the links and research them for yourself!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26919256

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26677144

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27452659

Day 4

Used traditionally for meditation, sandalwood oil is uplifting and relaxing and is valued in skin care for its moisturizing properties.It comes from the wood of the tree and is mentioned five times in Scripture.

“”Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like ALOES planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.” (Numbers 24:6)

“All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and ALOES and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.” (Psalm 45:8)

“I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, ALOES and cinnamon.” (Proverbs 7:17)

“Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, with henna and nard, and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and ALOES and all the finest spices.” (Song of Solomon 4:14)

AND FINALLY, for Jesus’ burial:

“Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and ALOES, about seventy-five pounds.” (John 19:39)

75 pounds of aloes and myrrh would be worth $150,000-$200,000 in today’s market. The incredible value of these spices demonstrates two things: 1–The wealth of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea must have been great and 2–Their respect and reverence for their Lord and Savior must also have been very great.

So what is sandalwood used for today?

Sandalwood contains one of the highest concentration of sesquiterpenes of all oils. Sesquiterpenes deprogram misinformation in the brain and carry oxygen at a cellular level, helping with focus, concentration, and stimulating the release of melatonin.

Sandalwood is also supportive of female reproductive and endocrine systems and has been used to support urinary health.

(Sandalwood is santalum album which comes from India whereas Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood is Santalum paniculatum which differs slightly in the constituents and uses.)

Day 5

Day 6

Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)

“Sempervirens” is a Greek word that means “live forever.”

Cypress wood is noted for its durability as it was used most famously for the original doors of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican that legends say lasted over 1,000 years.

Cypress appears in Scripture five times.
Genesis 6:14; Isaiah 44:14; Isaiah 41:19; 1 Kings 9:11; Song of Solomon 1:17

Cypress essential oil is most commonly used to support circulation, strengthening blood capillaries, proper blood flow, and production of white blood cells. It is also helpful for soothing minor chest discomfort. Diffuse to promote feelings of security and grounding, as well as to support correct information in the cellular memory.

Young Living’s cypress essential oil is available as a single oil, as an oil in the Ancient Oils of Scripture kit, and is found in the blends Aroma Siez, Aroma Life, and R.C.

A few samples of some modern-day research on this amazing essential oil:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27486357

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22557167

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24399792

Day 7

Hyssop (Hyssop officinalis)

Hyssop is mentioned a dozen times in Scripture, many of which demonstrate Hyssop as purifying:

Psalm 51:7: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”

Leviticus 14:4: “and hyssop be brought for the person to be cleansed.”

Leviticus 14:49: “To purify the house he is to take two birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop.”

The hyssop plant was used to paint the doorframes of houses before Passover (Exodus 12:22) and was used to lift a sponge with vinegar to Jesus on the cross (John 19:29).

Ancient and modern-day uses for hyssop is for its spiritually and physically cleansing properties.

Another common use for hyssop is for supporting the respiratory system to clear out lungs and to support the immune system.

Hyssop is available from Young Living as a single oil and in blends White Angelica, Awaken, Harmony, Exodus II, Relieve It, and Immupower.

Caution: Avoid use if epileptic. Keep out of reach of children. Not for use on children (as a single oil; some blends containing it are safe for use on children).

Check out some of the amazing research on this amazing plant/plant oil:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1708226
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7741735
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17353250

Day 8

Myrtle (Myrtus communis) is referenced in Scripture five times, including as “Hadassah,” the Hebrew name for Esther which means Myrtle.

If you read Zechariah 1:7-11, you will find a vision that takes place among myrtle trees.

Sukkot, commonly translated as Feast of Tabernacles, includes myrtle branches in its ceremony. (Nehemiah 8:15)

Myrtle essential oil’s most common uses are for supporting the thyroid and overall endocrine system as well as its ability to support the respiratory system. For these reasons, Myrtle is found in the EndoFlex essential oil blend for supporting the endocrine system as well as R.C. for supporting respiratory health.

Myrtle has an elevating aroma that is pleasing when diffused. It also has properties that can help beautify and enhance the appearance of healthy-looking skin when applied topically.

Myrtle is also in the blend Purification and is available as a single oil separately as well as in the Ancient Oils of Scripture Kit.

Day 9

Onycha (Styrax benzoin)

Now here’s an oil you may have never heard of but you should know about it!

Referenced directly just once in Scripture, this essential oil is not worthy of being overlooked! It was a main ingredient in the holy incense in the book of Exodus.

Onycha has been used as very effective tincture in hospitals and other health fields for over 200 years. With the defenses we are losing nowadays due to evolving strains, some are rediscovering the effectiveness of this tincture.

Aromatically, onycha is very soothing as well as uplifting. It is typically inhaled to support upper respiratory health and commonly used on skin.

The chemical composition of onycha oil is unique. It contains more organic acids than any other oil. These include benzoic and cinnamic acids. It also contains a compound named “vanillin aldehyde” which is a dominant compound in the beans of the vanilla plants of tropical South America. This is what gives onycha its characteristic vanilla smell.

Onycha oil is an absolute, extracted from a tree resin by solvents, not by distillation. It is darkly colored and very thick. It will not usually pour through the small opening in the dropper cap of most essential oil bottles.

This is definitely an essential oil worth having on hand at all times! Currently, the only way to obtain onycha is in Young Living’s Ancient Oils of Scripture kit.
https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/oils-of-ancient-scripture-kit

Day 10

Cistus (Cistus ladanifer, also known as Labdanum, “rock rose,” and Rose of Sharon)

In addition to appearing specifically in Song of Solomon 2:1, cistus is mentioned as ladanum in its original Hebrew word but was incorrectly translated to myrrh in Genesis 37:25 and 43:11.

This essential oil produced from the branches of the beautiful Rose of Sharon plant has many amazing health benefits and is one that is good to have on hand at all times!

It supports the sympathetic nervous system as well as the immune system by aiding in normal cell regeneration. It’s honey-like fragrance is also calming and uplifting.

But the most important reason I have it on hand at all times is something I am not allowed to discuss openly… We keep this oil on hand at all times during our goats’ kidding (birthing) season just to support normal, healthy levels of blood clotting, and year round for our family in case the need arises for it suddenly!

Cistus is available as a single oil, in the Ancient Oils of Scripture Kit, and is also an important essential oil in the kids’ Owie blend as well as ImmuPower, KidScents Tender Tush ointment, OOLA Balance, and The Gift.

Just a sample of some of the research available on this amazing oil:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926669012001884

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26934730

Day 11

In Exodus 30:23-24, God gives a recipe to Moses for a “holy anointing oil” as follows:

Myrrh: 500 shekels
Cassia: 500 shekels
Cinnamon: 250 shekels
Calamus: 250 shekels
Olive Oil: 1 hin

Using the Complete Jewish Bible to calculate these amounts into modern-day volume weights, we will find that the blend is 84% essential oils and 16% carrier oil. From this, we can see that the Hebrews used large quantities of essential oils in minimal dilutions.

This Holy Anointing oil is used throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers to anoint the tabernacle and various things within it.

This oil formula is high in phenylpropanoids, making it an excellent way to keep the priests clean despite all of the shared cleansing ritual waters and the handling of many animals for sacrifices.

Young Living’s Exodus II blend, while not a duplicate of Moses’ anointing formula, contains all of the Holy Anointing Oil ingredients, plus the oils of the holy incense (Exodus 30:34-35) (except for onycha). It also contains hyssop (See Day 7) and spikenard (coming up!).

In verses Exodus 30:32-33 and 37-38, there is a caveat for the formulas of the holy anointing oil and holy incense to not be used on anything else. It is believed by many Biblical scholars, however, that these prohibitions are no longer in effect–cancelled by God himself as stated in Jeremiah 3:8. To Christians, that new covenant was initiated with the death and resurrection of Christ. It is a matter each person will have to decide for themselves.

Day 12

Oil of Joy:
Did you know that there are multiple verses in Scripture that tell of an “Oil of Joy”?!

For example:

“You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
(Psalm 45:7)

“to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.”
(Isaiah 61:3)

“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
(Hebrews 1:9)

Our sense of smell is directly connected to the emotional part of our brain. Long before science knew this, God knew it! The aromas of plant oils touch our emotions in ways that cannot reach them by any other means.

Think of our central brain as a librarian that files our emotional memories. Whenever we experience an emotion, the central brain takes it and files it somewhere in your body. In order to recall and access that memory, the emotional brain has to locate it and call it up wherever it has been stored so it can pass it on to the frontal lobes of the brain to be revisualized, re-experienced, and/or articulated.

Emotions that are not dealt with are stored and repressed. These can cause pain and bodily malfunctions on all levels—physical, mental, social, and spiritual.

In order to achieve full health, we must address deep-rooted emotional blocks, and essential oils were designed by God to help do exactly that!

(Now we don’t know exactly what oils were being referred to in the oil of joy. Psalms 45:7 makes some suggestions. Young Living’s blend of essential oils called Joy contains oils proven to support mental health. It is often worn as a perfume for its uplifting aroma. But everyone can find oils that work for them to help bring out stored emotions and help lift their mood.)

Day 13

One of my all-time favorites! Myrrh!!

Myrrh is mentioned 18 times directly in Scripture and 138 times indirectly, making it the most-referenced aromatic oil of the Bible. One of the mentions, and my personal favorite, is found in Esther 2:12: “Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.”

Myrrh is definitely a great choice for using daily to keep a youthful appearance!

In Scripture, myrrh was commonly used on pregnant women to anoint themselves for physical and spiritual protection for them and their pre-born children.

Because it is so gentle (yet effective), it is also a great oil to use for infants, even (and especially) on the day of birth. It is a must for helping keep a newborn’s umbilical healthy.

Myrrh was required in the formula for the holy anointing oil given to Moses in Exodus 30 and David sings of myrrh as an oil of gladness in Psalm 45.

Myrrh was also one of the gifts brought to the Christ child, and Mary would definitely have known how to use it to keep Him healthy!

In many places in God’s word, the word translated to “ointment” was actually “muron,” the Greek word for myrrh. Thus, almost no ointment is complete without myrrh!

Myrrh was offered to Jesus both at His birth and His death. It was also used to anoint Jesus and in preparing His body for burial by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

There are so many benefits to myrrh in addition to the ones already detailed. Because of its bitter taste, myrrh can stimulate bile production.

Myrrh is a powerful antioxidant and is high in sesquiterpenes to stimulate the limbic system of the brain (the center of memory and emotions) and the hypothalamus, pineal, and pituitary glands. The hypothalamus is the master gland of the human body, producing many vital hormones, including thyroid and growth hormones.

Myrrh is available as a single oil, in the Ancient Oils of Scripture kit, and in many blends and supplements available from Young Living.

For some research on myrrh, check these links out!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25978097

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25590370

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24137478

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23888738

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22737515

Day 14

Frankincense is mentioned in Scripture 22 times directly and 59 times indirectly. It was used in the holy anointing oil of Moses, was in a prophesy of gifts of the wise men as told in Isaiah chapters 59 and 60, and of course most of us remember Frankincense in the Bible when it was brought to the Christ child (along with myrrh and gold).

Thousands of years later, Frankincense is still highly valued for its many, many therapeutic benefits.

Here is some pretty amazing research confirming what God has known all along—Frankincense supports mental health!
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm

Modern-day research proves what ancient people have known all along–Frankincense supports mental and spiritual health. The research found that frankincense activates meditation pathways in the brain that are not very well understood yet. Science may not understand it, but God does and always has.

REF: http://www.fasebj.org/content/22/8/3024.abstract

In addition to elevated spiritual experiences, the benefits of Frankincense essential oil include maintaining radiant skin. Its ability to smooth the look of healthy skin makes this oil a key part of our Boswellia Wrinkle Cream™. I use it as part of my nightly facial regimen to maintain youthful skin!

The actual species of frankincense used during the time of Christ’s childhood and the frankincense most likely brought to him was more boswellia sacra, aka Sacred Frankincense. Young Living is the only company with direct access to Oman where their Sacred Frankincense is grown, harvested, and even distilled in their own private distillery, making it a variety of frankincense with unmatched therapeutic properties and purity. 

There’s a lot to be said about this amazing oil.

Day 15

We’ve talked a little about Frankincense and a little about myrrh, but these oils deserve another day together because they’re so amazing!

Together, there is a whopping total of 237 references to frankincense or myrrh in the Bible (directly and indirectly)!

Along with gold, frankincense and myrrh were brought to the Christ child by the wise men. (Matthew 2:11)

The wise men would not have to explain the use of these things to Mary. She knew the therapeutic potential and uses of each of these things in raising a child. She knew these things because it was common knowledge during that period in history.

Pound for pound, frankincense would have been the most valuable thing given to the Christ child, even more valuable than gold. Throughout history, there are numerous references to precious plant oils being valued more highly than the things we value today such as gold and silver.

We would be wise to heed the ancient wisdom about these two precious oils.

Day 16

3 Wise Men!

Yes, this is an essential oil blend! Yesterday we talked a little about the wonders of frankincense and myrrh, but we didn’t cover this oh-so-amazing essential oil blend! It is one of my all-time favorites! Read on to learn why I love it so much!

The 3 Wise Men™ blend contains Sandalwood, Frankincense, Myrrh, Juniper, and Spruce. It is pre-diluted with sweet almond oil which I love because I can just use it straight out of the bottle for my nightly face regimen! And it does miracles for my skin!

All of these oils were used in Biblical times, including oils of spruce and the almond carrier oil.

This blend has all of the amazing benefits of frankincense and myrrh with the additional benefits of sandalwood that we talked about on Day 4! 

Juniper appears in Scripture in Job 30:4: “Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.” This oil is used for many things including digestive support, circulatory support, nerve health, skin health, and supporting the body’s natural detoxification.

Spruce is used for many things but its most common use is for supporting emotional and spiritual health. All the oils combined in 3 Wise Men are specifically shown to encourage stimulation of the pineal gland through aromatic molecules inhaled from these oils that travel directly into the center of the brain where forgotten memories (good and bad) as well as emotions are stored.
This part of the brain does not understand words and cannot be communicated to with spoke or written language; it responds only to smell. Hence, essential oils provide a powerful way to contact this portion of our brain that stores our feelings and emotions, thereby supporting emotional/spiritual health.

This is a beautiful part of God’s intelligent and creative design of the human body.

Maybe the reason the Wise Men were wise is because they valued (and used) these oils.

Day 17

Oils plus prayer!

Jesus not only taught his disciples that prayer and repentance were part of the [therapeutic] procedure, he also taught the use of oils. Since the New Testament does not explain much about which oils are to be used, many have interpreted that to mean that it doesn’t matter. They believe that the oil is of symbolic or ritualistic value only, and that plain olive, or just any old oil, will do. Some churches have even used mineral oil, which is a petroleum product and potentially harmful. Some Christians reject the idea of therapeutic oils altogether, remarking that ‘Prayer is enough. You don’t need the oils.’

Essential oils are special creations of God, infused with His Word. (Genesis 1:11-12, John 1:1) Being the products of God’s words and thoughts, they respond to our words and thoughts.

Essential oils magnify intent.

When we apply them and mentally or verbally direct them to places in the body that need therapy, the oils respond to your thoughts and understand. When we pray over oils, their frequencies increase. When their electromagnetic frequencies increase, so does their ability to uplift and [support the body]. When our intent is expressed as prayer, oils amplify that intent and increase the effectiveness of the prayer.

Prayer can work without oils. Oils can work without prayer. When both are used together, each increases the power of the other such that their combined ability to [support the body] is greater than the sum of the two. This is no coincidence. Prayer and oils were meant to be used together.

~Dr. David Stewart, retired Methodist minister and former university science professor

Day 18

Purity
The oils of the Bible had therapeutic properties because they were grown and distilled the way God intended, never being contaminated with synthetic, man-made chemicals or toxins. Furthermore, they were gently extracted to preserve their life force and therapeutic constituents. To obtain oils with the same potential as those of the Bible, one must find growers and distillers and honest retailers.

Unfortunately, the industry of essential oils has become more and more infiltrated with adulterated essential oils, some that don’t even contain any of the plant’s original properties. Some even contain a byproduct of plants different than the one(s) listed on the label! (For instance, most lavender sold is lavender hybrid called lavandin, and most peppermint sold is cornmint.)

Over 90% of the oils sold as “essential” oils in America are food or fragrance grades and unsuitable for health applications. One cannot go just anywhere and expect to find therapeutic oils. Therapeutic oils are almost never sold in retail stores.

On Day 6, we talked about Cypress in the Bible and it’s great health benefits. As you can see, most cypress essential oil unfortunately is not distilled properly in order to give us those properties that God intended for it to have.

When I knew I wanted to use essential oils based on Scripture, I knew I had to find oils that retained the properties in the plants that God intended for us to have. That is why I spent two years researching quality. The proper distillation for cypress is one of many things I found. Here’s more about what my research found and why I feel so very content that the oils I use contain the constituents that God intended for the plant oils to have. http://healthyfamiliesforgod.com/2016/02/theonlyoilsforme/

Another example of proper distillation that is so uncommon in the industry nowadays but so necessary if we want to have essential oils to support our health the way God intended them to! The starting material can be fabulous but if distillation isn’t right, the plant is wasted and therapeutic benefits are lost.

Can you find any other company in America that owns their own distilleries?! Only Young Living! In fact, they own the largest privately-owned distillery in America! That’s part of their Seed to Sealcommitment to ensure the oils are pure and therapeutic.

Check out more info on this topic in my post The Part of Essential Oil Processing That Matters the Most: http://yldist.com/godscents/the-part-of-essential-oil-processing-that-matters-most/

Day 19: Unction

Unction is a word most people don’t realize, and it’s robbing them of health.

When a situation arises where we need to support our health better, Scripture gives us very specific instructions on what to do. It tells us to go to the elders of the church where we should be prayed over and anointed with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14)

In Mark 6:13, it tells us how the disciples followed Jesus’ command to do exactly that.

It wasn’t because there weren’t doctors around back then, because there are very specific instances before this in Scripture that demonstrate there were.

This is a Biblical practice called Unction: the action of anointing someone with oil or ointment as a religious rite or as a symbol of investiture as a monarch; treatment with a therapeutic oil or ointment.

Benson’s Commentary says: “This single conspicuous gift, which Christ committed to his apostles, (Mark 6:13,) remained in the church long after the other miraculous gifts were withdrawn. Indeed it seems to have been designed to remain always, and St. James directs the elders, who were the most, if not the only gifted men, to administer it. This was the whole process of physic in the Christian Church till it was lost through unbelief.”

Lost through unbelief. Whoa.

How many times have you been encouraged by your church to go there and follow the practice of unction when your health needs support?!

Regardless of the absence of this practice and command in today’s churches, these are the instructions God gave His people. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Day 20

Ruta Graveolens (Rue)

Rue is mentioned as an article of tithing in Luke 11:42. It is a strong-smelling perennial shrub with gray-green leaves and lemon-yellow clusters of flowers. It is widely used in Biblical times as a condiment, a charm, and for therapeutic purposes. Its most common modern-day use is for soothing the body and mind to support a good night’s sleep.

Ruta graveolens is found in Young Living’s most common sleep products including RutaVaLa blend and Roll-On (which also contain valerian and lavender), SleepEssence supplement, and Common Sense essential oil blend.

Check out some of the amazing research on this oil to see how else it can help support your wellness!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27914569

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27738859

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27297508

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27272785

Day 21

Do you love cilantro?! Did you know that coriander is cilantro seed? They are whitish seeds that grow from the top of a cilantro plant when it goes to seed, allowing lots more delicious cilantro to grow from those seeds! It’s one of my favorite plants to grow (and eat!)!

Did you know that coriander is mentioned in the Bible too?! The manna from heaven was described as being “white like coriander seed” in Exodus 16:31 and Numbers 11:7.

This ancient plant has been used for thousands of years and coriander seeds were even found in the ancient Egyptian tomb of Ramses II.

Coriander essential oil has been researched at Cairo University for its ability to support glucose, insulin, and pancreatic function.

Because of its ability to support healthy skin, coriander essential oil is found in many of Young Living’s skin care products including Animal Scents Ointment, various shower gels, Genesis hand and body lotion, KidScents lotion, Rose ointment, Sandalwood Moisture Cream, A.R.T. Renewal Serum, Wolfberry Eye Cream, and other body care products.

Coriander oil’s fragrance is soothing and calming, which is why it’s found in many of Young Living’s emotional-supporting blends including Acceptance, Awaken, Believe, Clarity, Forgiveness, Gentle Baby, Gratitude, Harmony, Humility, Inspiration, Joy, Magnify Your Purpose, Oola Balance, Oola Grow, and a few others.

Coriander has a high ORAC score (298,300), making it a great choice for antioxidant support!

There are so many great uses for this essential oil!

Dilute to use topically.

Check out some of the amazing research on this plant oil and share it with those who may benefit from the info!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27222836

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26889386

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26109513

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24901768

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24793421

Day 22

Loss of Some Essential Oil References from Hebrew to English

English translations of Scripture have removed many plant oil references to now contain more vague words, losing some of the important meaning. For instance:

–The word “incense” in the Bible sometimes means frankincense. “Lebonah” is Hebrew for frankincense but was translated six times in Scripture to the English word “incense” instead.

–Myrrh has been lost in many places during translation. Some of the vague terms for myrrh used in today’s translations include “gum resin” and “ointment.”

This is unfortunate because Scripture originally details the plant we can use to support our health but that specific information is lost in some places.

When you hear the word “incense” or “ointment” in Scripture, just keep in mind that it is almost always referring to plants/plant oils! These are God’s intended ointments for our bodies and aromas for our minds!

Day 23

The Other Oil in the Bible: Olive Oil

Most people nowadays assume that any reference to “oil” in the Bible is olive oil or another fatty cooking oil. But as we’ve seen over the last few weeks, that’s definitely not the case!

For the most part, references to “oil(s)” in Scripture regarding therapeutic benefits are non-fatty essential oils as we’ve discussed. In order to administer therapy to the body at a cellular level, the molecules of an oil must be tiny enough to penetrate into minute spaces. All of the molecules of essential oils are small enough to penetrate human skin, enter the blood stream, and pass through the blood-brain barrier. The molecules of essential oils are tiny enough to act as chemical messengers, communicating with cellular intelligence at the DNA level. They are also aromatic and evaporate easily, making themselves available to be inhaled.

Common fatty vegetable oils, on the other hand, cannot do this. They have little to no fragrance and long chain molecules that do not penetrate skin to much depth.

However, fatty oils still have their place for nutritional health when eaten and also when used topically along with essential oils.

In Isaiah 1:6, we read of “oil” or “ointment” being applied. In this instance, the Hebrew word is “shemen” which implies a combination of olive oil and essential oils, usually cinnamon and/or cassia.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34, the Good Samaritan uses “oil and wine” on the beaten man. Here, the Greek word “elion” implies an olive oil base containing aromatic oils as was the custom of the time. It would not be uncommon for travelers in those days to carry wine, myrrh, and olive oil wherever they went.

When it comes to therapeutic oils in the Bible, essential oils most certainly are involved! Olive oil is most commonly used as a carrier for essential oils and as a food-item in Scripture.

Day 24

Immortality from Plants

I used to think that when we go to heaven and when God restores the Earth, we would all just be naturally immortal. But according to Scripture, it’s actually going to be plants that keep us healthy.

“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
Ezekial 47:12

Everything God created on Earth contains a glimpse of what it will be on the Earth when He restores it to its fullness. The plants He has created have so much to offer us for our health now, not just in the future!

Day 25

For the final day of the 25 Days of Oils in the Bible, I gave away a resin burner with genuine Frankincense resin. Click here to learn more about this beautiful resin burner!

You can also click here to check out my post Are Essential Oils New Age for a brief overview on the topic.

For TONS more information, you can click here for my essential oils website.

Thanks for joining me on a journey of 25 Days of Oils in the Bible! May you be blessed with the benefits of the physical and mental benefits of genuine essential oils from our Creator!

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

Those of us who learn the importance of gut health and how our gut health affects all areas of our health place a high priority on preserving our gut health! That’s when when I first looked into essential oils, I wanted to know, with proven research, how they affect our gut microbiome. And not just our gut microbiome because our entire body has more bacteria than cells. Even using things topically can alter our body’s microflora. 

So I spent hours and hours digging into the research. And I am happy to report that there is a wealth of research demonstrating that pure, unadulterated essential oils positively impact the body’s beneficial microbes! Let me share some of that research with you:

What the Research Shows

In vivo research on rabbits with thyme oil shows an increase in good bacteria and and improvement in intestinal integrity. “A tendency was also found for thyme oil to stimulate the abundance of some microbes beneficial in the rabbit gut.” The thyme oil also showed antioxidant support.1

A variety of essential oils were researched for their effect on gut bacteria in vitro. The research concluded: “the in vitro results of this study suggest that their ingestion will have little detrimental impact on beneficial members of the GIT microflora.” (Interestingly, lavender was among the best for supporting a healthy gut.)2

Many essential oils were tested on the pig digestive system and no significant inhibition was observed towards lactobacilli and bifido strains (the good guys). 3

What About Their Effect on the Gastric Mucosa?

In vivo research on ocotea essential oil shows no damage to the gastric mucosa.4

Copaiba shown to have a protective effect on the gastrointestinal system.5

There’s just some of the research I’ve found on this topic. Those of you who have been following me for a few years know that I research the heck out of anything before recommending something and I also put a high priority on gut health. Consequently, I would never recommend anything that is not most definitely beneficial.

For my research onto the topic of ingesting essential oils, click here.

For research on how essential oils affect the liver, read my post here.

Please keep in mind that when research is done, the essential oils used are thoroughly tested to ensure they are pure. Unfortunately, the majority of essential oils on the market today are not pure or therapeutic (regardless of the claims on the bottle). This is something I spent two years researching. You can click here to read about some of that research and what I found.

This is VERY important information to know before using essential oils in any manner, especially because the adulterants and extenders used in many essential oils CAN and DO harm beneficial microflora!

So there we have the proven truth on the matter! Please feel free to share and help dispel the myth that pure essential oils are detrimental to gut flora!

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

REF:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23661388
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20030464
3. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2005.02789.x/full
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19825398
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9720615

Being and staying healthy can be difficult, especially while traveling! But when we travel, we can enjoy ourselves so much more when we can stay healthy! It takes some extra effort (and a little extra in the budget), but it’s totally worth it!

Last year, I found out that Young Living is giving my husband and I a paid Young Living chartered Caribbean cruise that we are so excited to go on this month, so I am doing what I always do and make sure I do everything I can to make it a healthy venture! Here’s how I am planning on traveling and staying healthy for our cruise:

Foods/Drinks

I don’t want to bog down my luggage with food, but there are some super healthy snacks that are light and easy to pack! Going on a cruise, we can have the chef tailor to our food preferences. But in other places we go, we’ll definitely need some healthy options on hand. Protein and vegetables are usually safest to stick with when out traveling, so we like to fill in with filling snacky stuff. Here are some of the things I am packing for snacks:

Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers 

Grass-Fed Beef Sticks

Larabars (date/nut bar with no added sweeteners unless you get one of the ones with chocolate)

NingXia Red packets & homemade NR gummies

(Super great source of antioxidants and limonene to keep the immune system strong as well as potassium and other trace minerals for electrolytes. The antioxidants also help keep skin healthy when out in the sun. )

NingXia Nitro

This is my favorite all-natural energy-boosting shot that has botanical extracts, D-ribose, Korean ginseng, green tea extract, B vitamins, etc. without refined sugars or caffeine overload.

Slique Bars

Slique Bars are designed to be very satisfying and provide a sense of satiety so you don’t feel hungry right away afterwards. They have no refined sugar and contain different kinds of nuts including baru nuts as well as chia seeds, wolfberries (more antioxidants), dates, etc. And these are so delicious! 

And because I like to make sure I’m getting some sort of leafy greens every day, I’ll bring some kale chips like these.

Homemade snacks include:

Hard-boiled Eggs (for snacks on the first day)

Dehydrated fruit (bananas, strawberries, etc.)

Grain-free muffins

Of course there are so many more options; these are just what I’m choosing for our trip. There are so many resources available today for us to stay healthy on-the-go! 

Supplements

Taking supplements daily is a very important part of my health regimen, so I don’t plan on abandoning that regimen for a week when I want to stay as healthy as possible! Here are the ones I won’t leave home without:

Vitamin C

When traveling, I feel that the most important things are to keep the immune system strong and protect the body from radiation (not just the airport scanners but the airplane). So Vitamin C, which takes care of both things, is a must. I will be bringing with these Super C Vitamin C capsules with bioflavanoids and trace minerals.

Probiotics

Probiotics are a MUST anytime, especially when traveling to protect the gut and keep the immune system strong! I am bringing these Life 9 probiotics.

Inner Defense

And bringing with the big guns! Because these are the bomb! Inner Defense™ reinforces systemic defenses, creates unfriendly terrain for yeast/fungus, promotes healthy respiratory function, and contains potent essential oils like oregano, thyme, and Thieves® which are rich in thymol, carvacrol, and eugenol for immune support. This product can be used in place of activated charcoal for the things that that is commonly used for as well and has been shown through research to be even more effective!

Iodine

And to further protect from radiation, I won’t leave home without my iodine!

Note: I have increased my doses of iodine and Vitamin C (about 1,200 mcg of iodine and 6,000 mg of Vitamin C-in divided doses) daily for weeks before traveling as well to ensure my body is strong and ready.

Natural Products

Knowing that everything we put on our skin is absorbed into our bloodstream within 26 seconds, I am not using the hotel body care products! I was going to spend time putting my favorite body care products into airline-approved sized bottles, but opted to go with this awesome Bon Voyage Kit from Young Living instead:

Bon Voyage offers 10 Young Living personal care products in an attractive, custom bag. All products are TSA-compliant and are perfect and includes:

• Thieves® AromaBright Toothpaste, 60ml
• Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier, 29.5ml
• Thieves Dental Floss
• Thieves Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash, 60ml
• Young Living Toothbrush
• Lavender Shampoo, 60ml
• Lavender Conditioner, 60ml
• Cinnamint Lip Balm
• Morning Start™ Bath & Shower Gel, 60ml
• Genesis™ Hand & Body Lotion, 60ml
• ART® Light Moisturizer, 10g

This just helps me get stuff that doesn’t have any toxic ingredients and it’s all in one easy pack.  https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/bon-voyage-travel-pack

Picture above also shows Inner Defense and Life 9 as described above, as well as Slique chewing gum to make sure I get a healthy chewing gum (without refined sugar of course) for helping stop ear-popping on the plane!

For keeping our skin healthy out in the sun, I make the following recipe:

For backup, I bought this BeautyCounter Sunscreen Stick since my hubby and 3-year old have such fair skin. 

I’ll also be bringing the following essential oils:

• DiGize to make sure our tummies don’t feel funny at sea or on the plane;
• Copaiba for quick support when I need my body’s natural response to acute inflammation pumped up;
• M-Grain essential oil in case I get some head/neck tension;
• Deep Relief roll-on because I never go anywhere without this! It soothes muscles better than anything!
• Stress Away and/or Peace & Calming for on the plane (not sure who’s gonna need it but someone will!) and in case our surroundings make sleep difficult;
• Present Time and/or Sensation–These both make fabulous natural perfumes so I can smell amazing when I am dressed in my evening dress on the ship!
• Purification essential oil blend with citronella to keep it annoyance-free outdoors!

Along with our portable, spill-proof Orb diffuser.

Miscellaneous Other Things

I am going back and forth between a Berkey water bottle to filter water but I’m not sure it’s a necessity for a cruise trip…

And a friend recommended EarPlanes ear plugs to help prevent discomfort. I’ve never had that problem before but it’s been a long time since I’ve flown and my husband has never flown… I hear they’re great for kids too…

That’s a basic rundown of my packing list of things to stay healthy while traveling! Do you have some other things you make sure to take with when traveling to stay healthy?! Be sure to let me know!

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

To order any of the products listed above that are available through Vitacost, be sure to use this link to get $30 off your first purchase with Vitacost: http://goo.gl/eC9heE

If you are not a current retail customer or wholesale member of Young Living and would like to learn more or order, please go to my other website here: http://yldist.com/godscents/

I always feel so bad when someone messages me after they discovered they missed out on free offers that they would have loved to take advantage of, so I want to make sure no one misses out on this!

Through midnight, April 30th, 2017, I have some free offers for anyone who becomes a new Young Living wholesale member on my team! You may already know that members on my Young Living team receive my services at absolutely no charge:

Free Holistic Healthcare Services Now Available

along with the amazing support, help, and encouragement of my team of 650 members around the world and growing every day, including other natural health experts!

But in addition to that, I am offering a chance to get some free stuff!

For those who join as a wholesale member on my team with a Premium Starter Kit by April 30th, I’ll send you your choice of a Beauty DIY kit that comes with a recipe booklet, essential oils, and a beautiful case or a glass branded water bottle set with a silicone sleeve and a bottle of Citrus Fresh Vitality (dietary line) essential oil! This is only while supplies last and through April 30th!

As a Young Living wholesale member, there is no obligation to buy or sell anything at all each month. It’s just like a Costco membership. You pay the membership fee (but actually get products for that fee!) and then just buy what you want, when you want it! There’s seriously no catch. 

And for those who are serious about implementing essential oils, supplements, and high-quality home and body care products into their lives, I’m offering a free essential oil reference book of choice to new members who enroll with a Premium Starter Kit AND sign up for the Essential Rewards monthly program!

Young Living’s Essential Rewards program is a way to save even more money on every single order (10-25% off the already 24% reduced wholesale price for a total of 34-49% off!), reduced shipping, and more freebies. This is a monthly ordering program where you order what you want each month, choose your processing day, it shows up at your door every month, and you save a ton of money! (More about it here: http://yldist.com/godscents/opportunity-rewards/ )

You can check out some of the reference books offered by Life Science Publishing here: https://www.discoverlsp.com/ 

And you can check out the Premium Starter Kits to choose from here on my YL website: 

Premium Starter Kits

These offers are only available through midnight, April 30th, so please email me with any questions right away! sjpoff@healthyfamiliesforgod.com 

And if you want to get some Thieves products or NingXia Red for a discounted price, these products are 15% off through April 26th! (Sale price only available on a Quick Order; not an Essential Rewards order. So these products can be added to the order with a Premium Starter Kit.)

You don’t have to know anything about essential oils to get started with our team and living a healthy, natural lifestyle! We have a wealth of resources to help you learn and keep you encouraged! Our goal is to help you change your life and that requires more than just healthy products; it requires help and support! And that’s our passion!

We want to empower families to take charge of their health and to do it naturally, using the things God has given us in His Word, His Creation, and by His Spirit. Please feel free to email me anytime with any questions about coming alongside our team in this journey!

Many blessings,

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

Young Living Gold Leader #1565710

There is a lot of misinformation out there about measles. And really important information missing. Please read these four facts about measles before making judgments about the measles “outbreaks” and before deciding if the measles vaccine is right for your kids.

1. The MMR Vaccine Uses Aborted Fetal DNA

The MMR vaccine is made from and contains DNA from aborted fetal cells.

The rubella portion of the vaccine was developed after an American researcher at the Wistar Institute cultured rubella virus from a fetus aborted because the mother was infected with rubella. This vaccine is called RA 27/3 because the rubella virus was isolated from the 27th aborted fetus and sent to the Wistar Institute in the 1964 rubella outbreak. Researchers were unable to culture rubella from the tissues of the first 26 fetuses sent to Wistar, which had been aborted by doctors because the mothers had rubella during pregnancy.

2. The MMR vaccine carries serious risks and causes more deaths than measles.

Those in the conventional medical field act like measles is deadly. What they fail to tell you is that it is deadly in third-world countries only.

In the U.S., there were at least 108 traceable deaths due to the measles vaccine between 2004 and 2015 and zero deaths from measles. http://vaccineimpact.com/2015/zero-u-s-measles-deaths-in-10-years-but-over-100-measles-vaccine-deaths-reported/

So far, in 2014 there have been 288 cases of measles, no cases of encephalitis, and no death. In 2013 there were 189 cases of measles, no encephalitis and no death. In 2012 there were 54 cases of measles, no encephalitis, and no death. In 2011, there were 220 cases of measles, and you guessed it…no encephalitis, and no death. I could go on, but you get the point. By and large, measles is unpleasant, not deadly.

 

In comparison, the same cannot be said for the MMR vaccine. As of March 1, 2012 there were 842 serious injuries following the MMR vaccine and 140 deaths. Since 1990 there have been more than 6,058 serious adverse events reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). What’s even more sad is that only 1-10% of cases are actually reported on this database.

http://www.livingwhole.org/this-mama-isnt-scared-of-the-shmeasle-measles/

3. The MMR vaccine is a live virus vaccine meaning the newly-vaccinated can spread the disease.

 From the vaccine manufacturer’s product insert:

Excretion of small amounts of the live attenuated rubella virus from the nose or throat has occurred in the majority of susceptible individuals 7 to 28 days after vaccination.

http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/m/mmr_ii/mmr_ii_pi.pdf

A study from Pubmed: 

Measles virus RNA has been detected in the urine of the vaccinees as early as 1 day or as late as 14 days after vaccination.  Measles virus RNA was also detected in the urine samples from all four of the young adults between 1 and 13 days after vaccination.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC228449/

Click here to read my post Secondary Transmission: How the newly-vaccinated spread disease.

4. One simple vitamin can protect from measles/measles complications

The high risk of death and complications of wild measles is because of one missing nutrient. And that missing nutrient is generally only a problem in third world countries. 

This is no secret, friends. The World Health Organization has it listed right on their website that measles is more prominent in areas where the population is deficient in Vitamin A and that they recommend treating measles with vitamin A:

All children in developing countries diagnosed with measles should receive two doses of vitamin A supplements, given 24 hours apart. This treatment restores low vitamin A levels during measles that occur even in well-nourished children and can help prevent eye damage and blindness. Vitamin A supplements have been shown to reduce the number of deaths from measles by 50%.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/

But instead, the allopathic medical field screams vaccines and not a word about this one simple vitamin. Why? There’s no profit in vitamins!

VITAMIN A FOR MEASLES:

There are research studies, like this one, showing that vitamin A reduces complications from measles:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/91/5/1014

Here in Minnesota, spring is trying to make its debut. So even though we don’t yet get to go outside in short sleeves, we do get wood ticks, mosquitoes, and other annoying bugs already. And with a large family plus a homestead full of animals, we need something that works on a large scale. 

And since I get asked about this often, I figured I better just put it into a blog post! We use all-natural pesticide alternative products from a company called Cedarcide. They have the best source of cedar oil products that help with pretty much every kind of bugs:

• Mosquitoes
• Ticks
• Fleas
• Chiggers
• Ants
• Bedbugs
• Other biting insects

They have products for using on people, pets, and on lawns. We use these on ourselves daily in the summertime as well as on our goats and dog. They are safe to use on cats too. 

Please note: I do NOT recommend using other companies’ cedar oil like Wondercide. I have had many people experience negative side effects on their pets from them. They are not the good form of cedar oil that is in Cedarcide.

For Everyone

I use this on our people, pets/farm animals:

Cedarcide Original (formerly known as Best Yet) is a safe, all natural, non-toxic insecticide made in the USA. Cedarcide Original is a versatile cedar-based solution that is fast and effective on everything from general insect control to major infestations. Cedarcide Original’s quick-drying, non-staining formula makes it great for personal, pet and home use. It’s safe for people and pets of all ages, and can be applied directly to the skin as a repellent. Cedarcide Original kills and repels fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, bed bugs, mites, chiggers, ants, flies, moths and more.

• Made from 100% natural ingredients
• Eco-friendly
• Safe for children and pets
• Kills insects in all stages of life
• Ready-to-use
• Fresh cedar aroma
• Non-staining and skin safe
• Both lab and real world tested

Click here for more info on the Cedarcide: 

Organic Bug Repellent — CedarCide

Especially for Pets

The Pet Pack is a really good option for flea and mange protection for dogs and cats.  Pet Pack

In my professional experience, I find that many doctors are simply unwilling to run the labs necessary for assessing health and determining a plan to restore health. Some people would also rather test these things from the comfort of their own home.

That is why I offer home test panels from ZRT Laboratory. These accurate tests use blood spot (simple prick and squeeze) and/or urine. The tests come with everything needed including a prepaid envelope for returning the sample(s) to the laboratory. Results are sent via email directly from the lab within a few days of the sample(s) being received.

*Progesterone (Pg) $60 (Blood spot or saliva)

Iodine Panel Iodine (I), Creatinine (Crtn): $100

*Vitamin D 25-OH, Total (D2, D3): $100

Iron-deficiency anemia is a problem that is growing more and more common in both adults and children. It is common to see children that are very thin, pale, and with sunken eyes. These children often cannot gain weight either. A trip to the pediatrician will often attempt to address the problem with iron supplementation and may include some dietary tips for helping increase weight.

Yet both of these things WILL make the situation worse. That’s because it’s completely ignoring the underlying cause.

In both children and adults, iron infusions are becoming commonplace. Yet this also makes it worse and ignores the cause.

So what is the cause?

Gut dysbiosis, aka leaky gut, and overgrowth of pathogenic gut bacteria.

Leaky Gut Syndrome from The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne

Leaky gut is when the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall are broken down to the point where they have a complete opening. This opening allows microscopic food and environmental proteins and peptides into the bloodstream, a place where they should NOT be. The body launches an antibody response and systemic inflammation comes next which causes malabsorption of nutrients. 

There are many things that contribute to this, but the most common are:

• Antibiotics
• Vaccinations
• Gluten
• Refined Sugar
• Artificial sweeteners
• Alcohol
• Processed foods
• GMO’s
• Stress
• Various pharmaceuticals and OTC drugs (oral contraceptives, pain relievers, etc.)

This gut dysbiosis is both caused by and results in abnormal gut flora. 

These things all leave the gut host to pathogenic (bad) bacteria, and that pathogenic bacteria LOVES to feed off of iron. That is why pumping more isolated iron into the body, as well as processed foods to try and gain weight, will make the problem worse. It feeds the bad guys. 

Most people with abnormal gut flora have various stages of anemia. It is not surprising. They not only can’t absorb essential-for-blood vitamins and minerals from food, but their own production of these vitamins is damaged. 

 

On top of that, people with damaged gut flora often have a particular group of pathogenic bacteria growing in their gut, which are iron-loving bacteria (Actinomyces spp., Mycobacterium spp., pathogenic strains of E.coli, Corynebacterium spp. and many others). They consume whatevre iron the person gets from the diet, leaving that person deficient in iron. Unfortunately, supplementing iron makes these bacteria grow stronger and does not remedy anemia.

 

(Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, Gut and Psychology Syndrome)

Recent research is further proving that lower iron is associated with lower healthy gut microbiota. Specifically, a healthy gut with beneficial flora has better iron storage. Click here to read more.

So how do we fix this?

The only way to truly address anemia is to heal the gut and restore a healthy microbiome. This requires eliminating the contributing factors and foods causing inflammation, adding in good flora, and supplementing with nutrients helpful for sealing the intestinal wall.

There are two options I’ve found to be most effective for this. The Autoimmune Paleo Diet is a great protocol for helping eliminate potential allergenic foods which allows the inflammation to go down. This is crucial because the gut wall cannot be sealed if foods that cause inflammation are still being consumed. Focusing on gut-healing foods like bone broth and lacto-fermented vegetables is very important. There are many good resources out there for the AIP diet including The Paleo Approach and The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook.

The other option is the G.A.P.S. dietary protocol outlined by Dr. Campbell-McBride in her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome. This is a very effective (yet difficult) gut-healing protocol. I’ve seen it work miracles in many people’s lives. 

In addition to a dietary protocol, the following supplements can be very helpful:

• Cod liver oil (Research shows it helps heal the gut wall, but it must be cod liver oil and not just fish oil because the Vitamin A is crucial.)
• Chlorella (This helps remove toxins and pathogenic bacteria while helping restore hemoglobin.)
• Zinc (Also proven to help seal the gut wall.)

(Click here for my full list of Supplement Recommendations.)

Keep in mind that there is no easy way to address this problem as it indicates a much larger problem. But addressing and healing the root cause will also help with every other area of health as it is common for people with anemia to also have other gut-related health problems such as allergies, chronic fatigue, depression, A.D.H.D., a whole slew of autoimmune diseases, and more. 

It’s worth the effort. Gut health is absolutely crucial to our short- and long-term health.

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Natural Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

Just a few days ago, I posted this picture on Facebook:

And I shared a little of my fourth child’s story of how he loves to swing. After his 15-month vaccinations, his neurological development rapidly regressed. He began having physical health issues, some life-threatening. While many of those were reversed with holistic therapy, his sensory development greatly benefited from swinging daily. At 11-years old, I can find him on the swings whenever I am looking for him. He can (and does) sit there swinging for hours.

(Click here to see my full post on Facebook.)

Sharing personal details of my family’s life is hard but my family’s experiences are the reasons I started Healthy Families for God. And I know so many parents out there can relate and need to be reminded they are not alone.

Within hours of posting this, I received a message from a man named Phi, the COO of Swing Kingdom. Swing Kingdom is the nation’s largest vinyl playset manufacture located in Leola, PA, with dealers across the country. Their playsets basically last forever, don’t splinter or rot like wood playsets, and are made of recycled materials. Swing Kingdom even uses stainless steel hardware so it doesn’t rust. We are talking really high-quality playsets!

And much to my amazement, Phi offered to donate a new playset to our family and said:

[Your son’s] story really touched a very special part of my heart on why our company makes what we make. Thank you for sharing it. I always believe that a swingset can change the world.

This is quite different from many of the messages I get on HFFG that are vindictive, angry, and slanderous for sharing truth and personal testimonies. I was in awe. 

And here I am, just a few days later, watching a local dealer of Swing Kingdom playsets install a brand new playset valued at over $4,000 in my backyard. All because someone feels passionately about their company’s mission, about the benefits for children of swinging and playing, and because he follows God’s leading.

This company’s mission is so much more important as many schools abandon recess and many children move farther away from outdoor activities like climbing trees.

I am shaking and holding back tears as I type this. Phi didn’t know what our swingset looked like other than what you can tell from the single picture I posted. He just heard the voice of God and obeyed. Let me show you the condition of our playset that was in the picture above:

Just four days before I posted the photo of my son on the swingset, my husband was fitting new pieces into our swingset to replace the spots that were really rotted and/or broken. As he was doing that, I said a quick, casual prayer in passing that God would make a way for us to get a new one. I quickly forgot about that prayer and just enjoyed watching my son find therapy in swinging on our current swingset. It swings; that’s all he cared about and that’s all I should care about.

Prayer isn’t always answered right away, but sometimes it is! And God was able to use a man who is truly a follower of Christ to answer my prayer and support my autistic son’s swing therapy. 

Look at my son swinging now:

Can you believe it?! Literally just two days after I posted his story on Facebook, this unbelievable gift arrived. 

Would you do me a favor??

Would you show your love to Swing Kingdom?!

Like their Facebook page.

Find a dealer near you if you are in the market for a new playset!

Check out all of the amazing playsets they offer or custom-build one! You can be sure when you buy from Swing Kingdom that the money is going towards Kingdom work!

Click here to check out more about their environmentally-friendly materials and processes.

Share this and/or their posts with friends who are considering a new playground either at home or place of business.

And finally, would you pray with me for God to return this blessing to Phi, his family, Leon (who delivered and installed our set) and his family, and this whole company a hundredfold?! 

I want to add that Swing Kingdom (or any of its employees) did not, in any way, ask me to write this post or even ask me to share about their company at all on my blog or social media. In fact, I hope it’s okay with them that I am writing this! I just want everyone to know how God was able to use this amazing company that provides such amazing products to bless my family. 

God is so faithful and loving. I pray you really know that. 

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Natural Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You

There is a lot of confusion and disagreement among Christians regarding essential oils. Are they New Age? Witchcraft? What about the physical and especially the mental health claims about them?!

So how do we reconcile this? What is the truth?

Well, we look to God’s Word for the answer, of course!

The Truth Is…

More than any other therapeutic substance mentioned in Scripture, aromatic plants appear over 1,000 times throughout the Bible.

Seventy percent (70%!!) of the books of the Bible mention essential oils, their uses, and/or the plants from which they are derived.

Essential oils were a part of everyday life for prophets, kings, queens, the disciples, and even the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at some of the many examples found in God’s Word about essential oils, starting with the two most important ones that are crucial knowledge for our health:

In James 5:14, we are told exactly what to do when we are unwell. 

In Mark 6:13, it tells us how the disciples followed Jesus’ command to use oils and prayer to do exactly that when he sent them out: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:13

It wasn’t because there weren’t doctors around back then, because there are very specific instances before this in Scripture that demonstrate there were.

This is a Biblical practice called Unction: the action of anointing someone with oil or ointment as a religious rite or as a symbol of investiture as a monarch; treatment with a therapeutic oil or ointment.

Benson’s Commentary says: “This single conspicuous gift, which Christ committed to his apostles, (Mark 6:13,) remained in the church long after the other miraculous gifts were withdrawn. Indeed it seems to have been designed to remain always, and St. James directs the elders, who were the most, if not the only gifted men, to administer it. This was the whole process of physic in the Christian Church till it was lost through unbelief.”

Lost through unbelief. Whoa. How can we expect to experience the best health possible if we don’t have faith in the One who gives health?! How many times have you been encouraged by your church to go there and follow the practice of unction when your health needs support?!

Regardless of the absence of this practice and command in today’s churches, these are the instructions God gave His people. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

From this, we can see that plant oils are definitely NOT New Age but are precisely the thing God commanded us to use for our health!

And these are just such a small example of the many examples throughout God’s Word of plant oils. There is the Holy Anointing Oil recipe in the Old Testament which included the plant oils myrrh, cassia, cinnamon, and calmus.

Esther 2:12 tells us of the six months of beauty treatment with the oil of myrrh that Esther received before being presented to the King. 

David sings of God’s plant aroma in Psalm 45:8: “All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;”

We all know that Jesus was given Frankincense and myrrh as an infant.

When Jesus was about to be nailed to the cross, he was offered wine mixed with myrrh–a common practice at the time.

And all four Gospels tell a story of a woman who anoints Jesus with a very costly ointment of aromatic oil(s). 

Have you dug into the many references throughout Scripture of plants, plant oils, and what God says about them?!!

There are so many more amazing things in God’s Word about plants/plant oils!

Regarding Claims of Mental/Spiritual Effects

There are many people who claim that the mental and spiritual benefits of essential oils are proof of occult/pagan practices. 

Why is the pineal glad pagan? It’s an organ in the body. God created it and it has a very special purpose.

There is only one of our five senses that is connected directly to the emotional center of our brain, and that is the sense of smell. This is part of God’s design for our bodies to be mentally affected by the things we smell.

Have you ever had a smell that distinctly reminded you of a memory? This is aromatherapy, a bodily process designed by our magnificent Creator!

We will never completely understand (until we get to Heaven) the full capabilities of our bodies, especially our brains and organs like our pineal and pituitary glands. But we do understand a great deal more than some of the bloggers and people who claim that saying essential oils affect us mentally is pagan.

Scientifically, we can prove that certain essential oils contain chemical constituents called sesquiterpenes. Sesquiterpenes have been proven able to cross the blood brain barrier which means they can access brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid, a feat many things cannot accomplish and a characteristic many research scientists desperately seek to find in plants and man-made chemicals.

Sesquiterpenes also increase oxygen levels especially around the pineal gland. Sesquiterpenes are also a natural sedative. Very close to your pineal glad is your amygdala which is instrumental in storing and releasing emotional trauma.

How often do you feel fully engaged when you pray? Do you feel tired? Distracted? Uninspired?

If I am using oils that can affect oxygen levels (among other things) in areas of my brain that are so obviously engaged when in prayer, why wouldn’t they be able to enhance my prayer experience?

For thousands of years, it was part of religious rituals, including for Christians, to burn Frankincense resin. Of course for most of that time, there was no scientific evidence to back up this practice. Until recently. An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain that affect our mental health.

I encourage everyone to click here and read the research for themselves as I am limited under commercial speech laws. Check it out:  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm

Research is proving what people knew for thousands of years–aromatherapy is a powerful way to affect our emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

And even before research, God’s Word told us this. 

There are FOUR specific Bible passages that refer to anointing oils as vehicles of joy, gladness, and rejoicing. For example:

Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart. (Proverbs 27:9)

(In Biblical times, ointments and perfumes were aromatic plant oils as they did not have artificially-synthesized fragrances like we do today.)

 

I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. (Isaiah 61:3)

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. (Psalm 45:7 & Hebrews 1:9)

Why would the Bible suggest that a physical substance like an aromatic plant oil be associated with an emotional state by God’s blessing if this is New Age or witchcraft?! 

Regarding Names On Some Essential Oil Blends

As we can see from the oil of joy example, it is absolutely not against God’s Word to have a blend of essential oils with a name showing that it can produce mental health benefits.

So what about other blend names like Abundance, Harmony, or Release?

This is exactly the same thing as the oil of joy. There are scientifically-proven mental health benefits of the single oils contained in these blends to help activate the areas of the brain responsible for stored memories as well as for helping provide relaxation and reduction of stress. I appreciate how a fellow sister in Christ stated it:

I love the oil blends that people seem to be wary of! I apply them and pray in agreement with whatever the oil symbolizes. (I ‘release’ ‘abundance’!) God is a God of abundance!!! (Malachi 3:10!) There’s nothing wrong with praying for that or releasing His provision over your situation or prayerfully applying an oil named abundance as a prophetic declaration of what God wants to release. And I see nothing wrong with the various things they have created the oils for– the oils DO have a frequency and they DO have various chemical constituents that affect our emotions and our physical bodies in different ways. With that knowledge, YL has created blends to create various emotional/spiritual atmospheres. I see nothing evil or demonic in that. What those oils can do is in them because God put it in them. He created the oils with those effects and properties. I guess I’m not one that is sensitive to wording that may be considered new age. I see the heart of meaning behind the words and I think that heart is good and Godly.

On that note, what about the “Energy” and “Frequency” claims surrounding some essential oils?

God literally spoke creation into existence. We find the phrase, “And God said…” nine times in the first chapter of Genesis in the creation account. 

Word is a vibration, a frequency, an expression of energy. When God created the plants by his speaking voice, he imbued them with his Word and his intelligence. This includes the oils of the plants… (Dr. David Stewart, retired minister and former university science professor)

There is so much we do not yet understand about the most detailed characteristics of the things God has made. Any conclusions made on this topic are simply without actual evidence. 

For now, here are just a few research links of what we do know as proven by research about the emotional effects of essential oils (be sure to click on these and read scroll through them!):

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2013/681304/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21922934

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11033651

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27763785

Regarding the Founder(s) of Companies

There are some who seek to prove that essential oils should not be used because of the person who owns or who founded a particular company, such as Young Living, and that person’s personal beliefs.

But if that’s the case, does this mean we only shop at stores owned by Christians who have the same beliefs as us?

And when we shop at that store, do we only buy the products produced by companies owned by Christians who have the same beliefs as us?

And when we pay for the few items we can actually buy (if any), do we use a credit card from a company and a bank that is owned by Christians who have the same beliefs as us?

And is our drive home in a vehicle owned manufacturered by a Christian company with gasoline produced by ethical, like-minded Christians?

Maybe I’m being condescending, but you see where I’m going. 

For example, anyone shop at Whole Foods?! Has anyone ever questioned that?!

There’s no getting away from that.

But because Young Living is a network marketing company, I am personally free to run and promote my organization with my own priorities and principles. While that means a lot of religious diversity, it also means religious freedom.

That’s the beauty of having a career in network marketing. Unlike a public school teacher, I am not restricted from basing my work on God’s Word and Biblical principles. 

My Young Living team is an incredible source of Christian encouragement, accountability, and support for 300 people and growing on a daily basis! I wish everyone could experience this for themselves!

In Summary

The Enemy wants to twist and turn all things created by God for our physical, mental, and spiritual health. This is why New Age practices have infiltrated the very things He has given us. Anything ‘new age’ is simply a twisting of the true and original design. New age meditation is a twisting of biblical meditation. Does that mean we should not meditate? Should we abandon everything God has given us that the Enemy twists?! Of course not! We would have nothing left!

Of course, we must always be on our guard with everything!

Please be sure to check out another post with additional information on the topic:

Is Natural Medicine A False God or Anti-Christian? What the Bible Says About Medicine

Now we don’t have to let a lack of knowledge of God’s Word prevent us from experiencing the best health possible and utilizing the things He has given us as a blessing!

Essential oils are a gift from God to us, His children. They are special. They have been a gift too long ignored and misunderstood. The time has come to correct those misunderstandings and bring essential oils back into the uses for which God intended them. (Dr. David Stewart)

It is my hope that the uneducated ideas and myths out there by our paganistic, pharmaceutical-driven society do not continue to allow so many of God’s people to miss out on one of the most amazing blessings for our physical and mental health! 

Blessings of good health,

~Sara Jo Poff

Holistic Health Practitioner

Healthy Families for God

Using the Scents God Gave You