…. said the woman with a soar scratchy throat.

Can you imagine the look on my face when I heard this recommendation? No. it wasn’t the evil eye suggesting she keep her distance. Nor a wide eyed glance of fear. I know my body is perfectly capable of keeping me healthy.

If you had seen my face, you would have known I was puzzled by what I had just heard. It was everything I could do to hold a poker face.

Did she hear what she had just said?

Here’s how I heard it ….

‘These are really great herbal tinctures for keeping you healthy, BUT I’m coming down with something.’

This is the epitome of an oxymoron! However, my position is not to ridicule. I believe this is the perfect example of a mindset that does not serve …

YOUR HEALTHIEST SELF

When you search the internet for immune boosting ideas, there are loads of recommendations; supplements, herbal tinctures, dietary and lifestyle advice and reminders as well as essential oil blends. Yes, someone has a blend for that … and for the most part, these methods do little, if anything, to influence your immune response.

“If two make peace within their house, they’ll say with faith to the mountain ‘Move!’ and it will move.” ... quote from the Gospel of Thomas

This isn’t about two people, this is about your relationship with you and your body. 

The prefix ‘dis’ means lack. Therefore, the word ‘disease’ means lack of ease, and as you read through other posts written by me on social media and the internet, you’ll notice I hyphenate the word on purpose. Feeling unconditionally comfortable in your skin is the mountain. Being your healthiest self IS the mountain!

To actually win at wellness and BE your healthiest self, you must restore ease which begins with having faith in your body’s abilities. Click here to read my prior post which discusses how you are wired for wellness.

This does not mean you do nothing. On the contrary, your body relies on you to be in touch with it and your inner wisdom. Not the outside information activating your buy button with such statements as: “This is EXACTLY what you need!”

'Decadent is the soul that depends on the body; miserable is the man attached to the flesh.'

Gospel of Thomas

Here's a fun and interesting fact: 'de'= do the opposite, 'pend'=hang .. depend = rely …

Your soul relies on the body to do what it’s designed to do so it can have a human experience. It doesn’t hang on its existence. Yet, the ego of modern man has assumed it knows what’s best for the body. Today’s culture attempts to control the body … for reasons, I choose not to speculate on … which is as disappointing as it is harmful.

These cultural beliefs not only confuse and overwhelm the system, they misdirect it with their overly targeted effects on the body. They aim to govern specific neurochemicals and / or hormones which further stresses the body and adds to the imbalance already affecting the body’s ability to be well.

Complicating matters even further are the immune boosting herbal and supplemental remedies. Although well-intentioned, they are a misinformed attempt at improving immune your function.

As long as you are alive, your immune system is working to keep you above ground, even if you don’t like your current experience…

Every symptom and / or discomfort you fee is the result of a proinflammatory reaction that was activated by your stress response. This is one aspect of what it means to be alive!

The challenge with boosting your immune system is your attempting to activate a multidimensional system that is already on high alert given your physical, emotional and environmental stressors. The way your system functions every minute of every day depends on the messages being signaled by the DNA and epigenome which is as unique to you as mine is to me, as your mother’s is to her and, and, and …

Although we like to believe all things are possible, it is next to impossible to predict how your body will react to any chemical you introduce ..

This goes for essential oils, especially if you seek to control various processes like boosting your immune system or selecting them because a book, website, friend or co-worker influenced your decision.

Let’s do a little experiment. Compare your essential oil choices with a few of the others. What you’ll find is a lot of similarities, such as antiviral, antibacterial, hormones and so on. This fact alone should be enough of a red flag to make you question.

Then again, this is how today’s world works. We are overwhelmed with options whether we’re talking about the best soaps for greasy pots and pans to anti-aging foundations or lotions for dry skin. Even medications have a number of crossover properties. Did you know there are approximately 101 antibiotics and 105 antidepressants on the market ? We are inundated with options, so, it makes sense that we hear or read something and choose something that grabs our attention.

So, with a culture that provides the illusion of personal choice, how do you truly know which essential oil to choose?

The first step is to NOT purchase them with a hit or miss mindset. This is a tough habit to break because you and I have both learned that not all products provide the results the label promises. Medications are not excluded from this fact. Consider the number of breakthrough cases being reported with the newest vaccines.

This is why people, such as the woman that inspired this post, are reaching for the more natural immune boosting remedies!

But why?

Because the commonly repeated messages throughout your life informed you that there is something wrong with your body every time there was a symptom.

"When you have a cold, you feel run down, your nose is runny, you feel congested—these are the symptoms people complain about," Dr. Cassel says. "People think 'I'm so sick, this is terrible. Why doesn't my immune system work?' But with every one of these cold symptoms, that is your immune system at work."

You’re symptoms are, in fact, your body going through a healing crisis!

However, crisis, in this case, does NOT refer to a calamity or catastrophe. Consider this concept suggests a turning point or climax! Your system was defending you against an illness long before felt any symptoms were felt.

Doesn’t boosting your immune system prevent you from getting sick?

Not in the least. You’ve heard the ‘sayings ‘stress makes you sick’ and ‘stress kills.’ While these statements are valid, it doesn’t help to see such assertions as ‘stress suppresses your immune system’ as noted on Business Insider and HealthLine.com.

The stress response is a protection mechanism that triggers the production of inflammatory hormones. This is a ‘high alert’ communication that alters the hormonal and immune system which happens no matter the stressor … physical, emotional as well as environmental.

While it makes sense to want to prevent an infection of any kind, this is the reason your body produces these inflammatory hormones. The challenge your body faces is it does not know the difference between the multitude of stressors whether you’re emotionally chemically and / or microbially threatened. Chances are, it’s a number of them.

In a world where chemical and emotional upset wasn’t rampant, the inflammation triggered by microbes enhances the body’s ability to restore itself. This is why we build muscle and eliminate fat with physical movement. It prompts inflammation for the elimination and restoration of tissue.

Intrigued by this finding, the researchers then looked at levels of genes likely responsible for inflammation’s effects on the olfactory stem cells of the mice given steroids versus those not treated. In mice not treated with steroids, they found double the gene product levels of the inflammatory molecules TNF-a and IL-1B?. In the mice given steroids, they also detected the inflammatory messenger NF-kB in olfactory stem cells.

“Not only is the presence of NF-kB in olfactory stem cells unexpected,” says Lane, “but the fact it gets turned on by inflammation shows communication occurring between the immune system and the olfactory system to initiate healing.”

You’re not a mouse which means you have the ability to enhance your body’s response to the daily threats and help it make better use of the important forms of inflammation.

(I did a video on how inflammation is saving our lives in 2018 .. click here)

1. meditate

2. deliberately breathe through your nose by focusing on your breath and giving yourself a mental pause .. the higher your stress level, the more oxygen you need. Plus, intermittent deep nasal breathing signals ease to the parasympathetic nervous system as it also raises nitric oxide levels which are essential for supporting the immune system

3. move your body

4. hydrate your body ~ 80 to 100 ounces a day which not only flushes toxins, it helps to infuse your system with oxygen

5. eat a wholesome diet ~ less processed foods, lowers the number of chemicals ingested, which is less taxing on the body

6. take breaks and rest ~ busyness and being hurried are taxing; honor how you feel and what’s best for you, not the projected beliefs informing your decisions

7. support your digestive system with probiotics and digestive enzymes

8. support the microbiome in your mouth because it impacts the microbiome balance in your lungs

9. make essential oils a daily routine with the mindset of restoring a sense of ease and supporting your body to make better use of the macronutrients you consume. Although micronutrients are essential, the digestive system of a body on chronic high is altered, diminishing its ability to fully breakdown carbohydrates, fats and protein. This is meant to be temporary. When truly in danger, the production of hormones changes for the sake of keeping your body safe. Once the no longer needed, the system shifts into an anti-inflammatory state. This is not happening as it should be due to physical cycles i.e. menstrual and sleep as well as emotional and chemical stressors. Essential oils, when customized to your body’s needs, help signal anti-inflammatory processes as they have the ability to communicate with the DNA … this is why we have medications, as scientists study the way plant chemicals affect genetic processes.

So, what oils do I recommend to get you started?

1. turmeric

2. black pepper

3. angelica root

4. golden rod

The reason for these is due to their influence on the parasympathetic vagal nerve which supports the immune system via the gut. This selection not only improves this connection, they help the body purify and flush itself as it goes to eliminate the chemicals it doesn’t need.

Essential oils are not the only solution to improving your experience of health and wellness.

They are an adjunctive therapy that works hand in hand with practice previously mentioned as well as medications. With that said, the oils listed are on my list of approved oils to be used with meds. Should you try them and not get the results you’re looking for, then please consider a free comprehensive consult with me. I want you to win at wellness as essential oils are as necessary as breath!

If you prefer to know what combination is best suited for you before getting started, then sign up today for that free comprehensive consult , complete with suggestions, how to use them and why!

Not only do they make a difference as already mentioned, they help your body make better use of the micronutrients you take and eat.

Someone recently sent me a message to recommend, ‘taking quercetin, zinc and vitamin D3 to boost immunity.’ While all are excellent nutrients, and absolutely necessary for brain and body health,, as long as the stress response remains chronically activated, the way the body uses them depends on the changes that have taken place along your epigenome.

Essentially, man made xenobiotics disrupt hormonal processes as they bind to caveolin and albumin proteins (one way the body scavenges unnecessary chemicals, including medications). To further complicate matters is the fact that these two proteins, in particular, assist with transporting vitamin D3 into the cells. Yet, when their function is restricted with removing synthetics from the body, vitamin D3 is no longer properly used.

THIS is the clearest definition of an endocrine disruptor as vitamin D is a hormone and these environmental compounds are interfering with body’s ability to fully use it.

Therefore, if your goal is to assist your body with being well, then your mission is to help it ease back the stress response. Wholesome nutrition is necessary. However, if your body is unable to use it, you’re not doing your body any good.

As for boosting your immune system … why? It’s already on high alert. Not to mention, it is an extremely complex system that is as unique to you as mine are to me. Many immune boosting herbs are not recommended for anyone living with some type of autoimmune issue. In many respects, the same can be said for essential oils. Certain oils act like estrogen in the body and knowing what we know about caveolin and estrogen binding, being more selective with your oils is strongly recommended because acting like estrogen is not the same thing as replacing it.

In other words, natural chemicals also have the ability to alter hormonal processes.

Ready to discover what your body needs and why? Click here to schedule a free comprehensive consult with me that promises to be the most informative wellness appointment you’ve ever had!

If you love this content and feel that it’s making a difference for you, your support is appreciated as helping you win at wellness is my life’s mission!