Karen's Place

This time of year I always find myself thinking how fast time flies. It never seems like a year since we last put up our Christmas tree and decorations. It also makes me a little sad that our boys have grown into men in the blink of an eye. Being the deep thinker that I am, my curious mind had me researching why time seems to speed up as we get older. This is the most logical answer that I found: " When you’re young, everything is new – you’re constantly figuring out how the world works and learning the rules that govern nature and society. And you’re regularly engaging in “firsts”: first day of school, first time driving, first real job, and so on. With all this novelty, your brain is regularly laying down the kind of rich, dense memories that stretch out your perception of time. In contrast, when you’re an adult, you’ve pretty much been there and done that. You’ve discovered the patterns of life, and your day-to-day doings are likely much more routine and predictable...

Did you know that traumatic memories can be released simply by using the sense of smell and essential oils? Aromatherapy is an awesome tool for emotional support and has a powerful influence on our emotions. For example, if you have experienced a lot of trauma and used Wild Orange Essential Oil it would help you to feel uplifted, calm, happier and more hopeful. Persistent trauma can cause a lack of endorphins. Endorphins enable us to experience pleasure and protect us from p hysical and emotional pain. They help us cope better with everyday situations. When our endorphin levels are low, our body craves the endorphin benefits and this can cause behavioural changes and even addictions. Addictions such as gambling, video games, drugs, thrill-seeking activities. Anything that generates endorphins, as we continue seeking our body's needs that are not being met. The molecules in essential oils cross the blood-brain barrier and assist in releasing th...

If you are an oil addict like me you will have a lot of empty little bottles around. I try to find as many ways as I can to re-use them. Here are some of the ways that I have found. Pre-made Favourite Diffuser Blends. The main thing I use my empty bottles for is making up diffuser blends. We have four diffusers in our house and I was forever walking from room to room to find a bottle of oil that I wanted. Now I makeup blends in the empty bottles and leave them with each diffuser. This works perfectly for me because I like to keep all of my original bottles of oil in my oil box so that I know where they are. I don't like having to look for each one when I need it. Beside the bedroom diffusers, I have a bottle of Lavender Peace, Balance, Frankincense and Easy Air (our sleep blend) mixed together. The approximate amounts would be 1/4 of a 15 ml bottle each or roughly 60 drops each of Lavender Peace and Balance to 10 drops of Frankincense and 10 drops of Easy Air.  B...

It is said that we have lost our natural instinct to regularly activate our thymus gland. After puberty, the thymus starts to slowly shrink and become replaced by fat. As modern medicine tries to imitate the roles of a healthy immune system, the system can become even less able to do what it is meant to do. Also known as the happiness point, the thymus gland's role is to keep our life energy vibrating at a high frequency. But when there is an emotional or physical disturbance, it can cause the thymus gland to shrink and cause depletion in this energy which is vital for our health. We have all had times when we grasp or rub our chest when we either get a fright or are suffering extreme stress. Gorillas also pound their chest before going into a battle. Both situations require the thymus gland to be stimulated. In the case of a gorilla thumping his chest before a battle, this would release any fear, increase his energy and prepare his immune system to deal with...

I always advise people to use glass when putting essential oils in their water or storing them. Even diluted essential oils will eat away at plastic in some cases. Essential oils will break down most plastics. Some people will argue “if it does that to plastic, then imagine what it’s doing to us!” But we aren't made of plastic! The chemical reaction when we use essential oils in or on our bodies is not the same as when we combine it with a plastic. Essential oils are highly concentrated substances extracted from trees and plants. They are the lifeblood and immune systems of plants. Essential oils have structures similar to our hormones. Essential oils are carbon-based, like our bodies. So our bodies know how to use them. They work with our bodies to break down toxins and remove them from our bodies. Plastic is made up of toxic chemicals. So essential oils will naturally break it down. Citrus oils, in particular, have a chemical make-up that is known to interfe...

Exciting times! This month we are finally able to purchase the new essential oils released by doTERRA at their U.S. convention recently. At this stage they are only available through orders placed with their U.S. warehouse. I received mine last week and we all sat around the box sniffing, applying, oohing and ahhing. I have put together a bit of information on each new product, so make yourself a cuppa, sit back and have a read. COPAIBA OIL This is the oil that I was most excited to receive. Copaiba is doTERRA's alternative to cannabis. It is right up there with Frankincense for me now. I take two drops of both morning and night in a veggie capsule for overall physical and emotional health and I am already feeling the benefits. What doTERRA says about this wonderful oil - " Copaiba essential oil is so unique and effective because of its high level of beta-caryophyllene. Copaiba has the highest levels of beta-caryophyllene that we are aware of. Beta-ca...