The Many Uses of PEPPERMINT essential oil

Safety note---this information is based on using doTerra therapeutic-grade essential oils, which are 100% pure---more on the safety aspect is at the bottom of this article 

Health--Body and Mind
1. Calm a Tempest.  Just one drop of peppermint oil rubbed on the stomach or taken internally can calm indigestion, an upset stomach or other internal digestive commotion. A must-have when traveling!
2. Restore Vitality in the Mouth. When your breath is sharp and your mouth feels furry, peppermint oil with water (and lemon oil) creates a healthy, refreshing mouth rinse that leaves a lasting crisp, clean feeling.
3. It’s About Air Flow. When sinuses seem to be clogged, and throats swollen and scratchy, diffuse peppermint oil (or apply topically on the chest) for almost immediate relief and revitalizing air flow. Peppermint acts as an expectorant and may provide relief for colds, cough, sinusitis, asthma, and bronchitis.
4. Cool the Joints. When the ravages of time wreak havoc on your joints, leaving that hot and achy feeling, peppermint oil mixed with lavender oil cools like an ice bath, but you to stay warm and dry.
5. Feel Full, Faster. Satiety. It’s about feeling full, and not overeating. The aroma of peppermint oil has the ability to make you feel full, faster…especially if you breathe it in during a meal!
6. Cool Your Tootsies. If you’ve been on your feel all day or religiously wear hard soled shoes, just add peppermint oil to a cold water compress to cool your overworked, over heated tootsies.
7. Perk Up. The invigorating aroma of peppermint is a wonderful, non-stimulating way to perk up on long drives, in school, during late night homework or any other time you need to “burn the midnight oil.”
8. Energize Your Lather. Some shampoo and conditioner combos can make you want to go back to sleep. No energy. No pep. No fun. Not good. Add peppermint to your potions to stimulate the scalp, energize and wake up! The oil is an antiseptic in nature, and can also help remove dandruff and lice.
9. Allergies Beware. Peppermint oil has the ability to relax smooth muscles in the body — the same muscles that line our airways and become affected in allergy season. Peppermint oil (with lemon) should certainly be another arrow in your allergy treatment quiver!
10. Chase Away Tension Headaches. Got a mind numbing headache? A few drops of peppermint dabbed on your temples, neck and sinuses can quickly spring into action and chase that headache away!
11. Help Kids Get on the Ball.  The next time Junior is a little unresponsive to all that is going on with school and homework, try spritzing a little peppermint on his shirt before study time, placing drop on the tongue or under the nose for improved concentration and alertness.
12. Seep, Soak & Revitalize. After a long day, apply peppermint, let it seep in and then soak in a warm bath or shower. The refreshing peppermint vapor will make you feel cool, relaxed and energized again.
13. Add a Refreshing Kick to Your Tea.  Just one drop of peppermint oil can add life to any herbal tea (without having to add lots of sugar) while also aiding in normal digestion or to relieve heartburn.
14. A “Should I Work Out Today?” Antidote. You ask yourself this question. It’s OK. Using peppermint oil prior to exercise immediately awakens your senses and gets you in your right mind so you can crank.
15.  A Snack Vendor’s Nightmare. When you get that mid-morning craving, diffuse peppermint oil to reign in the urge to snack on junk food, or anything else that might appear before you.
16. Sleep Like a Baby. If you find you are having a hard time sleeping, peppermint oil helps activate cold-sensitive receptors in the skin and mucosal tissues.  When used this way, it may help with insomnia.
17. Quell Apathy. When you’re with someone who feels gloomy or like they “just don’t care”, ask them to try peppermint oil (aromatically, topically, or internally) to stimulate their mental sharpness and focus.
18. It’s About a State of Mind. Someone’s mental outlook can be a game changer.  If they are shocked, stressed out or nervous, peppermint oil may help restore feelings of normalcy and balance.
19. Tame a Toothache. Peppermint oil can act as a concentrated natural pain killer and muscle relaxant, especially with painful gums, teething or recent dental work.
20. Alleviate Internal Strife. When used topically or internally, peppermint is a favorite for fresh relief from cramping, indigestion to diarrhea. Skip the antacids and go with peppermint oil!
21. For That “Marathon in Clogs” Feeling. When you feel like you’ve just run a marathon in clogs, and your feet are a hot mess of ouch, massage peppermint oil onto aching feet, joints, and strained muscles.
22. Leap from Lethargic.  Feeling lethargic or in a brain fog? Peppermint has been known to improve blood circulation and awareness, leaving you with an energized, awake feeling.
23. Wake Up Your Mind.  Peppermint oil activates the limbic function in your brain.  The limbic function helps control things like emotions and long-term memory and is related to olfactory structures in your nose.
24. An Itch Fix. If you have the after effects of a sunburn where skin is a little warm and itchy, apply a drop of peppermint oil (mixed with lavender) to cool, soothe and stop itching.
25. Theme Park Relief.  If you’ve got that “I my gosh, I can’t believe I just went on a spinning ride” feeling, four or five drops of peppermint rubbed on the stomach can calm smooth stomach muscles and help dispel discomfort.
26. Travel to the Arctic, Without Traveling. When you add a few drops of peppermint to your ice water, it not only improves the taste, but also leaves you with a feeling of cool, refreshing arctic wind in your airways!
27. Burrow No More. If you find a tick has decided to make your skin its home, just give that tick a nice bath of peppermint oil with a cotton swab. The tick will stop burrowing, remove its head and then he’s yours.

Cooking & Food
28. Add Zip to All Things Chocolate. Enhance your chocolate in a gazillion ways: gourmet hot chocolate, mint brownie frosting, peppermint bark, peppermint patties, peppermint brownies, peppermint chocolate Bundt cake, red velvet cupcakes with white chocolate peppermint cream cheese, yum!
29. Brisk, Delightful Confections.  Peppermint chiffon cake, homemade candy canes, butter mints, peppermint ice cream, peppermint glaze over pastries and cookies, homemade peppermint patties.
30. Unforgettable Beverages. Peppermint water on ice, peppermint mocha, peppermint tea, peppermint hot chocolate, that’s right … it’s all delish.

Home
31. Don’t Make It Easy on the Critters. Many household bugs do not like peppermint oil — ants, aphids, beetles, plant lice, mice and cockroaches try to steer clear of peppermint. Just add to water in a spray bottle and spray where you think pests grace you with their presence!
32. Clean Naturally. Peppermint oil is a wonderful natural cleaning agent because it has antifungal and antibacterial properties. Spray on countertops and bathroom surfaces, scrub, and enjoy cleaner clean.
33. Go Eight-Leg Free. When you diffuse peppermint into the room, you’ll notice fewer spiders.  Why? They don’t like it.  It’s safe, contains no harsh chemicals or pesticides. It doesn’t kill the spiders, but forces them out


doTerra essential oils
"There are a growing number of products claiming either to be or to contain essential oils. They range in price and quality and are found in skin care, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and other products. 

However, many of these products do not use 100 percent pure essential oils and often use fragrant synthetic chemical substitutes to dilute or replace more expensive essential oil extracts. Furthermore, there are no current regulatory standards for the descriptive use of the “therapeutic grade” for products labeled as essential oils. 

The CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® mark* represents the internal standards used by dōTERRA for sourcing and testing 100 percent pure aromatic botanical extracts using  independent testing laboratories. The dōTERRA brand and registered CPTG mark represent the dōTERRA guarantee of 100 percent pure essential oil extracts that meet high standards for both purity and material composition and accurate product labeling.

dōTERRA therapeutic-grade essential oils are 100 percent pure, natural aromatic compounds carefully extracted from plants. They do not contain fillers or artificial ingredients that would dilute their active qualities. Proper extraction and quality control methods also ensure that dōTERRA essential oils are free of any contaminants, such as pesticides or other chemical residues. In addition to being 100 percent pure and natural, CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils are subjected to additional quality testing that ensures the correct composition of the active natural compounds found in each oil. Even though an essential oil may be 100 percent pure, if the right species or part of a plant has not been used, or if the plant has not been grown in the right environment, harvested at the right time, or not distilled under the right conditions, the natural chemical makeup of the extraction will not provide as predictable and powerful a benefit. In some cases, the wrong plant parrt harvested at the wrong time may result in an extract that contains harmful levels of some constituents.

CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade ® essential oils are guaranteed to be 100 percent pure, natural, and free of synthetic compounds or contaminates. dōTERRA essential oils are subjected to rigorous mass spectrometry and gas chromatography testing to ensure extract composition and activity. dōTERRA essential oils represent the safest and most beneficial essential oils available today.


LavenderTry this at home: Compare the smell of dōTERRA Lavender essential oil to another lavender oil or product in your home. If your product's fragrance is overbearing in any one note, it may contain synthetic chemical substitutes. A 100 percent pure, therapeutic-grade essential oil should have a balanced, broad fragrance profile and should smell crystal clean. Now, compare the feel of your product to the dōTERRA essential oil. A pure essential oil should not feel slick or oily, but rather, it should absorb cleanly and completely into your skin."

Source: http://www.doterraeveryday.com/101-uses/
http://www.doterra.com/us/essentialGrades.php

Reasons to use Lemon doTerra essential oil

Health--Body and Mind
1. Energy Boost. For a quick, refreshing energy boost, combine a couple drops each of lemon essential oil and peppermint essential oil in a glass of water and drink up. Add a lemony taste to your bottled water.
2. Ease Respiratory Gunkity Goop. When used with a humidifier, it’s a great way to slow wheezing, colds, cough, and other upper respiratory problems.
3. De-scratch Your Scratchy Throat. Adding a couple drops of lemon essential oil to warm water & honey can change that yucky sore throat feeling, slow a nasty cough, and douse a fever. Lemon oil fights bacteria, as well as viruses.
4. Honeylicious Hair Highlights …Chemical Free. Skip the expensive salon highlight treatment, and use lemon oil to create your own hair highlights.  Just go in the sun after using with your hair product, and it will lighten your hair.  Be careful, it works well!
5.  Fight the Fungus Among Us. Tired of seeing that unsightly nail fungus?  Lemon oil is great for nails, and can help fight against nail fungus.
6.  Halt the Nervous Nellie, In You. When combined with lavender oil and diffused into a room, you’ll find you feel less anxious, a better  mood, more even keel, and well … linear.

7. Clear Thinking & Clear Focus, Made Visible. A clear mind, a clean slate, a fresh outlook.  It’s all good.  Real good. Diffuse lemon oil and you got it.

8. Take the Heat Out of Cold Sores. When you have a gnarly cold sore that’s just begging for attention, douse it with a few drops of lemon oil and you’ll have a new best friend.

9. Nice Mood … No Really.  Chase away the moody blues (not the band), with a bit of blah-reducing lemon oil. Whether you choose to diffuse it or apply topically, it’s hard to not improve your outlook with lemon oil around!

10.  Was That a Crusty? Next time you notice hard, crusty skin on your feet, (e.g. corns, calluses or bunions) regularly add a few drops of lemon oil and you’ll soon have softened skin!

11.  A Brighter Complexion. Lemon oil can help remove dead skin cells and exfoliate.  For a homemade exfoliant, add 4-5 drops to a small amount of oatmeal and water for a homemade scrub.  Feels great!

12. Energize your Brush.  If your toothbrush seems a bit tired, add a drop of lemon and peppermint oils to chase away that run-down feeling.

Food and Cooking
13. Zest Up Your Sugary Indulgences. There are an infinite number of ways lemon oil can add a bit of freshness to your sugary savors: Lemon frosting • Lemon meringue • Sour cream lemon pie • Lemon cakes • Lemon tart glaze • Lemon squares  • Lemon cookies  • Breathtaking, awe-inspiring lemonade
14. Pep Up Your Entrees. With lemon oil, there are countless ways to make the bland zippy, or the blah peppy:  Roasted salmon & asparagus with lemon oil, Linguine & shrimp with lemon oil, Lemon oil drizzled over vegetables (especially broccoli),  Lemon garlic shrimp  … or to add a fresh kick to an already great salad.
15. Preserve What You’ve Got. Use lemon oil in a spray to keep your cut fruit fresh until serving.

Home 
16. A Cure for Laundry Neglect. Lemon essential oil takes out ALL odor when you forget and leave your load of laundry in the washer way too long!
17. Tame Oozy, Sappy Trees. Whether the sap is on your carpet, clothes or seeped into your skin, lemon oil is excellent for removing pine gum and tree sap.
18. Stop Grease in its Tracks. You just fixed your bike. Your hands are black and greasy. Soap alone won’t remove the grease, but lemon oil mixed with your soap will.  Lemon oil is a great de-greaser!
19. Disinfect the Disgusting. You can add lemon oil to a spray bottle of water and attack what may be living in your range hood, on your tables, countertops and other surfaces. For some extra chemical-free firepower, a little vinegar is a traditional favorite.
20. Lose the Gas Mask. When you clean the gunky build up in your shower, do you practically have to wear a gas mask to survive the fumes? Go gas mask free and clean with lemon oil. Just a small amount of lemon oil will go a long way in removing hard water build up.
21. Nourish Your Leathers. Whether you ride a Harley in style or cherish the patina of your leather sofa at home, your leathers are not maintenance free. Use a lemon oil soaked cloth to preserve them, and prevent leather from splitting.
22. High Ho Silver. A lemon oil treated cloth is a great remedy for the early stages of tarnish on silver or other metals. You may not eat on silver every day, but bracelets, earrings, necklaces often need some love.
23. Deactivate the Sticky. Lemon oil can help you avert a hair cutting crisis the next time you deal with gum in hair. Got kids with obsessive addictions to stickers or temporary tattoos? Works for those too. Not for wide receivers.
24. Love Your Luster. Bring your furniture back to life with lemon oil! Just add a few drops of lemon oil to olive oil for a non-toxic furniture polish. Lemon oil leaves a beautiful shine, prevents fine wood finishes from drying out, and replaces lost moisture in antique woods as it penetrates worn finishes.
25. De-Smudge Your Stainless. You don’t need to hunt down that “single use” stainless steel cleaner anymore. Multi-use lemon oil is great for cleaning stainless steel appliances. You’ll love the way stainless looks and smells!
26. Clean Granite or Porous Stone. What is living in the pores of your natural stone counters or floors? Lemon oil cleans deeply, seeps into stone and leaves you with a “real fresh lemons” aroma, rather than that fake lemon chemical smell.
27. Quarantine Pungencies. Moldy kid’s sneakers, a baby’s blowout, potty training … it all adds up to an less than desirable aroma. Diffuse or spray lemon oil and neutralize odors at their source!
28. Take the Spine Out of Scuffs. Got a scuff mark that just won’t go away? Lemon oil lifts scuff marks in remarkable ways!
29. Curtail the Dank, Musty or Mildewed. Things get stored away. Things get old. Things don’t see the light of day. Chase away that “old smell” and inject new energy with a good lemon oil wipe down.
30.Stop Cutting Board Bacteria Palooza. Cutting boards can harbor bacteria in your kitchen.  Nobody wants to taste the chemicals you have in your cleaning closet, yet most people love the taste of lemon!
31. Control an Aphid Invasion, Naturally.  Aphids — those pesky little bugs that dine on your roses and other plants.  Lemon oil (or peppermint) with water in a garden spray bottle are a natural pesticide that kills aphids and their larvae on contact, but leave your plants looking lovely.
32. Spot-Free Dishes. Add a few drops of lemon oil to your dishwasher soap container with each load.  Your dishes will come out looking like new… spot-free!
33. Refresh Bad Smelling Washcloths. When your kitchen washcloths smell foul and could use a boost, add lemon oil to your detergent, soak overnight, wash, dry and your kitchen will smell so much better! 

Source: http://www.doterraeveryday.com/101-uses/

The Secret of Health for both Mind and Body

1

"A healthy mind, body and spirit require having peace" 

Dan Hamon

Resources 

1. http://healthvigil.blogspot.ca/p/health-quotes-thoughts-and-sayings.html

Worrying Hurts a Body

I spent most of my life worrying about things that never happened Mark Twain

"One theory of anxiety by Liebert and Morris in 1967 suggests that anxiety consists of two components; worry and emotionality. Emotionality refers to physiological symptoms such as sweating, increased heartbeat and raisedblood pressure. Worry refers to negative self-talk that often distracts the mind from focusing on solutions to the problem at hand. For example, when students become anxious during a test, they may repeatedly tell themselves they are going to fail, or they cannot remember the material, or that their teacher will become angry with them if they perform poorly. This thinking interferes with focusing on the test as the speech areas of the brain that are needed to complete test questions are being used for worrying.

Dr. Edward Hallowell, psychiatrist and author of Worry, argues that while "Worry serves a productive function", "anticipatory and dangerous" worrying—which he calls "toxic worry"--can be harmful for your mental and physical health. He claims that "Toxic worry is when the worry paralyzes you," whereas "Good worry leads to constructive action" such as taking steps to resolve the issue that is causing concern. To combat worry, Hallowell suggests that people should not worry alone, because people are much more likely to come up with solutions when talking about their concerns with a friend. As well, he urges worriers to find out more information about the issue that is troubling them, or make sure that their information is correct. Another step to reduce worry is to make a plan and take action and take "care of your brain" by sleeping enough, getting exercise, and eating a healthy diet (without a "lot of carbs, junk food, alcohol, drugs, etc). Hallowell encourages worriers to get "regular doses of positive human contact" such as "a hug or a warm pat on the back". Finally, he suggests that worriers let the problem go rather than gathering them around themselves." 2   

"Your Health.  Martin Luther observed, 'Heavy thoughts bring on physical maladies; when the soul is oppressed so is the body.'

Get your refund:  When you're feeling very concerned about something, focus on caring for yourself physically.  Eat healthy, get 8 hours of sleep.... 

Your Well-Being.  Thomas Jefferson said, 'How much pain they have cost us, the evils which have never happened.'

Get your refund:  Take a brisk walk while you think over whatever is bothering you.  The endorphins produced by the exercise will help you think more positively and stimulate solutions.

Your Energy.  According to John Lubbock, 'A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work.'

Get your refund:  When you're fretting over something you can't control, DO something that is within your control.  Accomplishing a goal or completing a project is energizing.

Your Personal Growth.  Ed Northstrom reasoned, 'You can never worry your way to enlightenment.'

Get your refund:  When you're bogged down with negative thoughts, read something inspiring.  The Bible, biographies of great people who overcame obstacles, or articles that will help you improve your performance in your career or avocation will lift your focus from the problem to the bigger picture of positive possibilities.

4

Your Productivity.  George Herbert wrote, 'A hundred-load of worry will not pay an ounce of debt.'

Get your refund:  When worry has you feeling like your hands are tied, it's easy to give up and do nothing.  Get busy.  Identify your problem, then list small things you can do to address it.  Go through the list, one step at a time, and tackle each item.  As they say, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time!

Your Happiness.  John Dryden lamented, 'Only man clogs his happiness with care, destroying what is with thoughts of what may be.'

Get your refund:  If you have been unable to enjoy good things in your life because you're worried about what can go wrong, try thinking about all that could go right.  If learning ballroom dancing would make you happy but you're afraid of making a fool of yourself, remember that embarrassment is not fatal and others in the class are probably just as nervous as you are.  Focus on the probability that, once you learn to dance, you'll enjoy it for years to come.

Your Perspective.  That great philosopher Charlie Brown (aka Charles Schultz) got it quite right when he said, 'I've developed a new philosophy... I only dread one day at a time.'

Get your refund:  When you're worried about a long-term problem, take life one day at a time.  Deal with what is in front of you right now - that's plenty for one day!  If there is something you can do today to make your situation better tomorrow, go for it.  But don't lump tomorrow's problems into today's load!  

'Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.'  (Unknown)" 3

Resources

1.http://www.teachhub.com/mark-twain-guide-grades-6%E2%80%9312

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worry

3. http://www.relationaladvantage.com/article_the-price-of-worry

4. http://www.safalniveshak.com/start-worrying-about-your-finances/

Break the cycle and unplug from the machine

1

"Break the cycle and unplug from the machine" Dan Hamon

Resources

1. http://healthvigil.blogspot.ca/p/health-quotes-thoughts-and-sayings.html

First Pillar of Health: Water

1

Arthur Guyton 's Textbook of Medical Physiology states that "the total amount of water in a man of average weight (70 kilograms) is approximately 40 litres, averaging 57 percent of his total body weight. In a newborn infant, this may be as high as 75 percent of the body weight, but it progressively decreases from birth to old age, most of the decrease occurring during the first 10 years of life..."2

3

"Water is your body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

To ward off dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water your beverage of choice. It's also a good idea to:

• Drink a glass of water or other calorie-free or low-calorie beverage with each meal and between each meal.
• Drink water before, during and after exercise." 4

"'Think of water as a nutrient your body needs that is present in liquids, plain water, and foods. All of these are essential daily to replace the large amounts of water lost each day,' says Joan Koelemay, RD, dietitian for the Beverage Institute, an industry group.

Kaiser Permanente nephrologist Steven Guest, MD, agrees: ‘Fluid losses occur continuously, from skin evaporation, breathing, urine, and stool, and these losses must be replaced daily for good health,’ he says. 

Here are six reasons to make sure you're drinking enough water or other fluids every day:

1. Drinking Water Helps Maintain the Balance of Body Fluids

2. Water Can Help Control Calories

3. Water Helps Energize Muscles

4. Water Helps Keep Skin Looking Good

5. Water Helps Your Kidneys

6. Water Helps Maintain Normal Bowel Function” 5

“6 WARNING SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION

Symptom 1:Thirst

Symptom 2: Sluggishness

Symptom 3: Dry Skin and Lips

Symptom 4: Light-headedness

Symptom 5: Dark Urine and Decreased Urine Output

Symptom 6: Feeling of an Empty Stomach” 6

Resources 

1. http://www.andiethefitgeek.com/hydration-everything-you-need-to-know-about-water/

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_water

3. http://www.ultraboxing.co.uk/?p=305

4. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

5. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water

6. http://www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/6-warning-signs-dehydration

The Seven Pillars of Health

http://www.sevenpillarsofhealth.com/

To become healthier, it's best to use The Seven Pillars of Health

Pillar 1: WATER
Pillar 2: SLEEP AND REST
Pillar 3: LIVING FOOD
Pillar 4: EXERCISE
Pillar 5: DETOXIFICATION
Pillar 6: NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Pillar 7: COPING WITH STRESS