Alternative

For many years I've been into more alternative medical treatments for our family.  It stems from the many negative encounters we've had with mainstream medicine over the years.  When our oldest was 18 months I was threatened with dietary counseling because she had lost 2 pound between her 1 year well baby and her 18 month check up.  I was sent home with a list of ways to boost her calorie intake and told to return in a month to have her re-weighed.  It was a daily battle to get her to eat the extra calories and I spent many meals in tears because she just would not drink the prescribed milkshake or eat the side of french fries--true story!  When we returned after a month, she had gained 4 pounds and the doctor exclaimed, "Well, the scale must have been uncalibrated for her 18 month well baby!"  In the months following, the bad experiences came one after another, including a horrific encounter in the ER when our daughter was running an unexplained fever of 104.  The ER docs felt it appropriate to use a catheter to extract a urine sample from our potty trained daughter as they felt she might have a bladder infection.  It took 5 of us to hold her down.  No bladder infection.  In fact, the fever was due to strep throat, which was discovered by her regular pediatrician the next morning at her follow up appointment.

I've gone round and round with doctors during delivery, over vaccinations, over growth charts, and food sensitivities, etc.  It just got to the point where I was just done arguing with people who did not know my children and did not know me. As a result, we rarely see a doctor anymore. We might go several years without a medical appointment.  We only go if there is something truly serious going on--possible broken bone, cuts needing stitches, and breathing issues.  For the most part I treat everyone at home with a combination of homeopathic remedies and rest, with which we have really  been quite successful. Thus, our family is very healthy and we rarely come down with anything more serious than an occasional cold or stomach virus.

Recently I began using essential oils in cleaning and treating minor ailments.  I've read about all the benefits essential oils have to offer and I ended up purchasing a moderately sized kit of various essential oils and blends from doTerra.  Wouldn't you know it, the flu struck many of our friends with a fury over Easter.  Two of my closest friends ended up in the ER, diagnosed with walking pneumonia and pleurisy.  I began giving everyone in our family OnGuard and diffusing OnGuard throughout the house to combat the potential bug.  Leo did start coughing and sniffling this last Saturday.  I started rubbing his chest and back with Breathe and peppermint diluted in fractionated coconut oil.  Sunday, I began feeling a bit run down and had an annoying tickle in the back of my throat which became an annoying unproductive cough.  I started drinking my lemon, honey, ginger tea, upped my UnGuard intake,  and added Breathe to the diffuser.  Here we are Tuesday and we are already greatly improved.  I'm confident there will not be emergency room trips or doctor's appointments and we'll make a full recovery in just a couple more days.  Time will tell if this new course of treating illnesses will continue to be successful, but so far it beats dosing ourselves with heavy cough syrups and cold remedies laced with additives and artificial colors.





Comments

Anonymous said…
We feel the same way and are going more towards alternative medicine. I haven't got into the oils yet, but I'll probably try them at some point. I've skipped Rachel's 15 month old well baby check and will just take her in when she is two probably. I hate going to the docs office and then get sick from them.
We've had our share of bad doctor visits and like you I rarely go to the doctor and only take the kiddos when it's urgent. All my girls were/still petite, the twins were born 11 weeks early! It used to frustrate me to no end the way they would blather on and on about their weight and how anxious it made me, even with my "big" babies (big compared to the twins)...anyway, essential oils are wonderful and I use them for many things--I swear by pure lavender oil for sunburns!!
Katherine said…
I just joined doTerra, but I only bought one oil. It does seem an expensive endeavor though I won’t say it might not be worth it. I look forward to hearing how it works for you. Part of me wants to dive in but part of me knows we can’t afford it financially and I’m not ready to learn all the hows and which ones, if you know what I mean. :)

Popular Posts