Essential oils and spiritual parallels

by Jill Burgoyne

My 22 month old baby has been sick for the last month straight. One cold after another after another. I started feeling concerned about how much medicine I was giving her. I know that it wasn't going to kill her, but it was really concerning to me. When she gets a cold, for the last three colds, there is an ear infection associated with it which comes with different antibiotics and then the cold drops into her lungs. She starts coughing and then wheezing. I spent many nights up every few hours (for three different colds) because she had a tough time breathing. I would give her breathing treatments. I am grateful for the medicine, but I started being really concerned that we wouldn't break the cycle of cold after cold.

The albuterol makes her jittery and she doesn't sleep well for hours after I give it to her. Her heart races when I give it to her too. This medicine really is amazing, but the side effects worry me. Then, once, it wasn't enough. She had to have steroids also. She's only 22 months.

Well, I had a handful of different essential oils that I was trying to learn about. I was applying them the best that I knew, but I had heard that they could actually kill or prevent ear infections. And help open up the lungs so that she wouldn't need albuterol. I was just having a tough time figuring out which oils to apply where and how for what. Ha ha.

Then, about two weeks ago, I went to the Dr we saw the nurse practitioner because Clarissa's fever had spiked and I knew she had an ear infection. Sure enough, she did. (Ugh). She was prescribed a stronger antibiotic and it made her tummy ache. I asked the doctor what to do about the cough. I was told to keep her on albuterol and give more steroids. I learned that cold water in Clarissa's nebulizer (breathing machine) might be effective and then I drove home with the determination to use the oils. I gave my baby the antibiotic, but I don't want to have to give her anymore.

Instead of albuterol in the nebulizer, I used distilled water and one drop of a specific oil blend that was created to help breathing. The results were comparable to albuterol. It took effect the same time, and she stopped coughing. Only, this time, she didn't get jittery and her heart rate didn't go up.

While on the antibiotics, 8 days later, at my brother's wedding, she started another virus, spiking at 103.2 in the morning. (Not again.) I dug in and really did some research about what oils are good for what parts of a cold. My brother's wedding was on Friday and that day, I pulled out the entire handful of oils I had and she became a bouquet of essential oil aromas. I applied them all in the morning and before she took a nap and before she went to sleep. I also applied several different oils as she needed them throughout the day (if she was rubbing her ear or something). Then on Saturday, (still on the antibiotics) she only spiked to 102. Sunday she was at 101. Monday she was at 100 and by Tuesday (yesterday) she was back to 98.4 -normal. I was trying to use preventative measures for her cough the entire time. And it helped. We are not completely free and clear yet. She still coughs a few times a day. But she is almost better. I feel like we broke the cycle (cross my fingers!) But I am really really happy. We even skipped the horrible night of staying up wheezing! SO HAPPY!

Now that she is showing signs of getting better, I am tempted to stop the oils.- but I think I'll keep it up until her cough completely stops too. She's breathing fine, she's not tugging at her ears, she's sleeping well... but that's how humans are. When things get easy, we let our guard down. I know for me, when I am not in the midst of hard times, my prayers to God are less heartfelt. My desires are less determined, and I start taking my blessings for granted.