Thyroid Warrior Podcast

A recent flare up has taught me quite a bit.

1. The lessons learned throughout the show's history prove to be true.

2. It is incredibly important that you advocate for yourself. No one knows your body the way you do.

3. Understand that there are now changes in legislation that offer insight into what you can now view as a patient.

Hello 21st Century Cures Act in the States. At a high level, this act seeks to do two primary things:

1. It helps you as the patient have the ability to access your electronic health information easily and securely at no cost.

2. It helps to provide more technology that helps you to gain access to your health information.

You may have noticed that you can now see the notes written for many of your health visits. Please check out healthit.gov to learn more about the rule that went into effect as of April 2021.

https://www.healthit.gov/curesrule/

There is a lot of controversy about essential oils and the first trimester of pregnancy. It's important to talk to your doctor about all alternatives methods you use to help with your symptoms.

I err on the side of caution and recommend to use essential oils after your first trimester, but use oils like ginger, neroli or sweet orange. Always make sure you check out the botanical name, which company you're looking into (I love Plant Therapy, Simplers Botanicals and Pranarom).

With children, always keep your dilution LOW. I don't recommend to use essential oils with babies until they are around six months old, but again, every aromatherapist is different. I tend to be a lot more conservative. If you choose to use essential oils, dilute them in a carrier oil and apply them to you. You can hug your child or use no more than five drops of an essential oil in a carrier oil (you can store this in a rollerball).

Always conduct a patch test and remember, if you notice nausea, vomiting, skin irritation or extreme discomfort, contact a medical professional immediately.

Essential oils are wonderful, but we have to make sure we use them responsibly.

Our skin is incredible. It protects us from many things and does some amazing things!

On today's episode, I'm focusing on how to nourish the outermost layer of our skin and I'm talking about the benefits of three carrier oils:

1. Sunflower
2. Safflower
3. Flaxseed Oil

Why are these vegetable oils so important? They are high in linoleic acid, which is a fatty acid that protects our skin from losing water (in the most simple terms). I also provide a simple recipe for a body oil (2 ounces):

• 1/2 ounce of flaxseed oil
• 1/2 ounce of safflower oil
• 1 ounce of sunflower oil

If adding essential oils:

• 7 drops lavender oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
• 1 drop of peppermint (Mentha piperita)
• 7 drops of tangerine (Citrus reticulata) or sweet orange oil (Citrus sinensis)

Essential oils have wonderful therapeutic actions. In this podcast episode, we are exploring two essential oils that can be used for hormone support (think cramps and mood support).

As always, please check in with your doctor to make sure that the essential oils used do not interfere with current medication or medical therapies.

We know about the common essential oils to uplift your mood, but what about others?

In this podcast episode, we are exploring three:

1. Cypress
2. Sweet Marjoram
3. Mandarin

We walk through the therapeutic properties, where they're typically harvested from and how you can blend them with other essential oils.

Of course, I recommend that you conduct your own research to determine what works best for you and please check with a physician prior to adding essential oils to your wellness regimen as they can have a negative impact on medications.

Let's talk about essential oil safety. There are so many misconceptions about essential oils and in this series, we're going to try to tackle some of those so that you can make informed decisions.

Keep in mind that essential oils are not a cure all and should not serve as a medical alternative. You should always speak to a healthcare provider about your unique needs.

When we think about essential oils, the key is understanding their power and volatility. Essential oils are extracted from plant matter and depending on the way that the plants are harvested, the climate in which they're grown, and the region where they're grown can impact the stability of the compounds.

To start, like supplements, the essential oil industry IS NOT FDA regulated and it is important that you understand the following:

• How were the plants grown and harvested?
• Does the company have a safety data sheet (SDS) that they can provide related to the essential oil (and even carrier oils)?
• Always pay attention to botanical names (Citrus bergamia for Bergamot). If you see an essential oil that simply says "Lavender Oil", run!
• Trust your nose. Once you become familiar with smelling essential oils,
• Diffusing an oil….if when you add an essential oil and it's cloudy in the water...most like a solubilizer has been added to it
• Pay attention to the price of essential oils. If you see an oil such as rose or jasmine that is only $10...run...

When you are working with essential oils, ALWAYS dilute them. You want to make sure you're protecting your skin and I want to make sure you exercise caution. As much as I love Pinterest, the recipes aren't always calculated appropriately and some oils are rather potent, which makes sense as to why many people end up with burns or skin irritation.

My favorite essential essential oil companies

• Pranarom

• Plant Therapy

• Simplers Botanicals

• New Directions Aromatics

• Phibee Aromatics

References

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12006

https://sfamjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1365-2672.1999.00780.x

In order to really promote our well being and just kind of boost our wellbeing from a physical, spiritual, and emotional perspective.

It is also not just about "Oh, do you want some lavender oil with your massage?"

No.

That's not all that it is nor is it an air freshener.

There is a lot more research coming out to review the efficacy of essential oils.

However, we have to remember a few things:

• Lavender and tea tree oils aren't the only essential oils that you can use (or should) on your skin (please don't add tea tree or peppermint oil directly to your skin and lavender isn't a skincare cure all)
• You should always visit a doctor or dermatologist if you are experiencing issues
• Never use an undiluted essential oil unattended or without the supervision of an aromatherapist
• Understand that some citrus oils are considered phototoxic and can cause burns on the skin. If you do decide to use them, it's best to wait 12 hours after using these essential oils (with a carrier oil of course)
• Certain essential oils are not good for pregnancy, small children, or pets

Books!

• The Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy by Christine Wildwood
• Aromatherapy for Women Book by Maggie Tisserand
• Advanced Aromatherapy Book by Kurt Schnaubelt

Our sense of smell is incredible.

It's connected to emotions, it can drive behavior, and it triggers memories for us. I've learned how important it is for us to practice enhancing our sense of smell. However, you now have context as to why I started with the discussion of our brains...our sense of smell is directly connected to our limbic system. As we explore this sense, we will also review the benefits of essential oils in a safe manner. As always, please be sure to consult a physician before getting too excited about essential oils. While there is a lot of growing research on their efficacy, it's important that you discuss how you can benefit from them.

Don't forget friends, stress is not our friend. In the midst of finding more ways to be more accepting of who we are, we also have to acknowledge what our needs are. Are you playing the comparison game because you feel like you're not organized enough? We all know that brain fog is real and sometimes it can be really difficult to keep our thoughts straight.

As a bonus for this week, check out a free video on why our health is so important, plus you'll get a free planner to keep yourself on task. You can either print it or use it in your favorite note taking app!

Head to joyfulebony.com/stressfree today!

We are continuing on the journey of kindness, love and compassion for our bodies and who we are.

Today, we interview Devon Rodriguez, a certified personal trainer and encouragement coach as I love to call her. We talked about the importance of affirming and advocating for yourself as well as loving your body no matter what stage of life you're in.

She also shared some intimate details about her journey that will definitely encourage you if you have had food struggles in the past.

We discussed the importance of community and recognizing that you are never alone. When in doubt, reach out!