As you know, I’m always curious about things, and love to explore new ideas.

One of my latest ones is Aromatherapy

Did you know that pure essential oils can clean the receptor sites of cells, enabling them to better access the nutrition they need to function well? Did you know they can also repair damaged cells? Even more amazing, they can also repair damaged DNA.

The essential oils of aromatherapy are extracted from aromatic plants and herbs-from the flower, bark, root, twig, seed, berry, rhizome, or leaves-generally through a process of steam distillation. These oils may be inhaled or massaged into the skin, after combining with a vegetable, nut or seed oil.

The olfactory bulb is part of your brain’s limbic system, which is not under conscious control. The limbic system controls digestion, libido, and emotions.

So, it’s not your imagination that scents evoke emotion. Aromas actually trigger the release of chemicals in the brain that create a feeling of well-being. Scientists say your body’s response to an aroma takes just four seconds.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading about this, and plan on sharing some of what I’m learning. What’s amazing is that Aromatherapy can not only deal with physical healing, but emotional healing as well.

One of the books I’ve been reading is this one: Heal With Oil: How to Use the Essential Oils of Ancient Scripture by Rebecca Park Totilo. It’s short, easy to understand, and gives an interesting introduction to the oils of ancient scripture.

Check it out! Tell me what you think!

If you’ve used essential oils and have some stories to share, share them below! I’d be interested in hearing about them.

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Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Sigh. This is what happens when you spend a week relaxing at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico! LOL!

The good news is that much of that time was spent reading the amazing “The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing” (and yes, that’s an affiliate link, so if you purchase the book from there, Amazon gives me a little thank you) and in doing so, I was able to see MANY reasons why my weight is stuck (or, in this case, rising – but that part’s not hard to figure out). This book showed me so many fascinating and incredibly important things about how the body works, and I’m quite excited to begin sharing it all with you over the next several weeks. I have GREAT faith that we will now see a serious downshift in that graph!

Keep reading for an interesting tip I found just before I left for Mexico…

So, you know me, I’m always poking around the web for interesting ways to make your (and my!) weight loss efforts more effective. A short while back my sister sent me this very interesting post about weight loss and aromatherapy, so I decided to do some more research to see what else I could find. Here’s what I learned.

• The scent of vanilla can reduce your cravings for sweets.
• Patchouli and bergamot helpt to reduce and regulate your appetite
• Jasmine (my favourite) and sandalwood can give you a boost of confidence so you can believe in your goals
• Lemongrass and sage will help you fight off depression that makes you want to eat that tub of ice cream
• Grapefruit helps in the treatment of eating disorders and obesity, and also acts as a diuretic and digestive aid

The “Optimal Body Weight” site gives some great guidelines for using these, in addition to the guidelines given in the first article I mentioned.

Why not try it out and see what happens? Could be fun!

If you have some questions about aromatherapy and how to use it well and wisely (you do need to be cautious. Just because they’re “natural” doesn’t mean they’re always “safe”. Do your homework) contact my friend Sue through her website at wellnessthroughessentialoils.com and tell her I sent you!

If you enjoyed this article, I’d love to have you pass it on through the “like” button below! Thanks!

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Here’s the Final Installment of our short series on Frankincense, by Sue Nixon

“Frankincense (Boswellia carteri) has a sweet, warm, balsamic aroma that is stimulating and elevating to the mind. Useful for visualizing, improving one’s spiritual connection, and centering, it has comforting properties that help focus the mind and overcome stress and despair.

Frankincense is considered the holy anointing oil in the Middle East, where it has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years. More recently, it has been used in European and American hospitals and is the subject of substantial research. Frankincense is also a valuable ingredient in skin care products for aging and dry skin. The ancient Egyptians used it in rejuvenation face masks.

Frankincense has an approximate ORAC of 6,125 (TE/L). TE/L is expressed as micromole Trolox equivalent per liter. ” Young Living 2010 Catolgue

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Live life to the fullest – live essentialy. Sue Nixon is a Young Living Essential Oil Independent distributor and finds wellness through essential oil. See more of her articles at: http://wellnessthroughessentialoils.com

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Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Last week I shared some information from my friend and guest blogger Sue Nixon about Frankincense.  Today we have Sue back, and she’s going to tell us even more about this amazing resin:

There are 540 species of Boswellia trees and 100 produce resin. Frankincense is bled from the Boswellia trees, similar to how Maple Syrup is taken from the Canadian Maple tree. The bark is cut and the blood of the tree patches the cut by forming a resin tear drop which will harden. After several cuttings the resin will be scraped and harvested. Frankincense resin looks like rocks and depending on the tree genus each will be different in colour and stickiness/hardness. Not all types of Frankincense resin are therapeutic, or meant to be ingested or chewed as gum. Frankincense is graded and sold accordingly. The darker the resin, the more impurities therefore the lower the grade and value. Boswellia Frere Ana is considered the King of all resins, with it’s warm sweet aroma and mainly used for perfume. It is unattainable outside of Saudi Arabia.

Boswellia stabilizes and frees the mind. In Oman, the Boswellia trees have been handed down through many many generations to the sons, and harvesting the resin is still their livelihood today. The harsher the conditions the better the Essential Oil that comes from the resin when distiled.

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Live life to the fullest – live essentially. Sue Nixon is a Young Living Essential Oil Independent distributor and finds wellness through essential oil. See more of her articles at: http://wellnessthroughessentialoils.com

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Next week we’ll have the final installment on Frankincense.  You won’t want to miss it!

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Hello dear readers!

I know it’s not the season to be discussing it (I mean, we finally got rid of the snow here!) but I always wondered about the three gifts of the Magi at Christmas. Ok, well, gold makes sense, but myrrh? And what on earth is Frankincense, anway?! Wouldn’t a basket ball or a baby sling have made more sense?

Well, I have exciting news for you. Today (and for three Wednesday’s in a row!) I have a special guest blogging on my site. My guest is a dear friend, Sue Nixon, who is passionate about essential oils, and she’s going to share some fascinating facts about one of those weird gifts – Frankincense.

Take it away, Sue!

Boswellic Acid…wait for it…this is and will be the new buzz word around the world. Frankincense is made up of 35% Boswellic Acid. Frankincense is good for regeneration of disc, cartilage and bone; appears to heal Chrohns disease and ulcerative Colitis; reduces asthma,bronchitis, laryngitis, scars and acne; significantly inhibits Hepatitis C Protease; and offers a sense of peace and calming.

There is a new study from Oklahoma stating how pure Frankincense essential oil when administered seems to be able to distinguish cancerous cells from normal bladder cells.
Frankincense is being tested all over the world for its ability to prevent and cure cancer. In ancient days it was used as a cure-all. No wonder the Christ Child was presented with it from the 3 Wise men.

Frankincense Resin comes from Boswellia trees and can be used numerous ways depending on the tree. It can be chewed like gum, burnt like incense and used for medicinal purposes and spiritual practices, dissolved in water overnight to drink, and turned into essential oil. In country of Oman they have the lowest cancer rate in the whole world, periodontal disease and arthritis are non existent. The people of Oman attribute their good health to the use of their sacred Frankincense.

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Live life to the fullest – live essentially. Sue Nixon is a Young Living Essential Oil Independent distributor and finds wellness through essential oil. See more of her articles at: http://wellnessthroughessentialoils.com

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And there you have it.  Come back next Wednesday for more info on this amazing substance!

Be A Star! Post your comments below and join in the conversation (or get it started!) and then share this post with your friends using the different share buttons on the blog. I'd sure appreciate it! Thanks!

Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

A couple of weeks ago I developed frostbite on the toes of both feet during one of my longer walks.  I’ve been working hard to take care of my toes properly since that time, and hoping that the feeling will come back in most, if not all of them.

Well a friend of mine is in to Essential Oils and gave me some Helichrysum Italicum to massage into my toes to see if the feeling comes back.  The good news is that my toes – all except for the very tip of my left big toe – have their feeling back, and are functioning as normal.   The problem seems to be that the frostbite created a very thick layer of dead skin around the tips and bottom of my toes that wasn’t really visible – it looked completely normal.  The massaging removed that, and now all is well.

Whew!

I still have to be careful in the future to not allow my feet to get cold, but my new “Post Frostbite Kit” seems to be keeping all the cold away completely.

Today I get to start back in to my full training program again.  This is a happy lady!

Darlene