Epilepsy

Some of you do and don’t know that I’ve been researching Essential Oils for the past few months.  I’ve known of Essential Oils for quite a while now but at first I was extremely skeptical of them.  I mean these oils are created from the leaves of many plants, making them extremely potent and to my mind potent is equal to DANGER.  It’s enough for us to have to deal with taking processed drugs daily to control our Epilepsy, but adding in another element to control this was just crazy to me.

Then someone spoke up and asked me about using Essential Oils to treat Jackson’s uncontrolled seizures.  They spoke with me about how these oils have helped their own family, through sickness and to stay well.  I was intrigued but I still wasn’t sold on the matter.  I struck out on my own to learn more.

The first company to come my way was Young Living Essential Oils.  Information from this company is all over the place.  People promote it daily.  I was impressed but I was very overwhelmed by the push to sale this product (not from the original person I spoke with but others who were also helpful on my journey to learning about Essential Oils).  I spoke with many, many representatives from Young Living, Inc and I was sold on the product but my guilty Mom conscience could not get past the start up cost.  The kit you purchase is a wonderful deal at $150 and I still consider going that route if I ever have enough money to do so but for us, that just wasn’t a feasible sum of money to place onto something that may or may not be beneficial to our family.

I began seeking a way to make Essential Oils affordable to my family.  Everyone who knows me knows that I am an extremely frugal person and that I won’t spend anything more than I must to provide for my family, making every cent I can count.  If you know me, then you also know I follow my heart which I feel is strongly connected to God and often shows me the way to the things He wishes for my family.  He never fails me and He surely has not on this either.

I began looking at alternative companies.  I thoroughly Googled Essential Oils and their companies.  I read the fine lines of others who were talking about these oils.  I questioned friends about who they used, read through the replies on their Facebook statuses about this same topic I was learning about.  I found several companies that sold Essential Oils that may fit my budget.

My next step was narrowing down my choices.  There are so many Essential Oil companies available to choose from that it’s hard to know who’s good, who’s bad and who’s just so-so.  I chose two that interested me most and I went back and forth on their websites.  Then I prayed about my choices and went to bed.

The next day, one company stood out in my head: Plant Therapy.  This relatively new company with it’s super low prices scared me at first.  I was unsure.  I had the company in my head and heart but I wasn’t sure if they were right for our family.  What if there oils were not as good as Young Living?  What a waste that would be!

I needed answers so I messaged Plant Therapy with questions I had about using oils on my babies, in treatment for their Epilepsy.  Their customer service was amazing!  I received a return email within a few hours and the email wasn’t selling me their product, but asking me more about what I was looking for with our treatment.  The customer service rep spoke with me and then went to find the answers I needed through the rest of Plant Therapy’s amazing staff.  She went beyond her job to provide help that I needed in my pursuit of this.

As we spoke back and forth through email, I saw “signs” of this company being right for us.  My dear friend, who also helped me create a list of Essential Oils to avoid in Epilepsy, had allowed her name to be used as a reference of approval on one of the blog posts created for Plant Therapy.  I’ve known this person for a long while and have watched her journey with natural treatments and aromatherapy for quite a while now.  I trust her opinion and the fact she supports this company was a relief to me.

Even through all of this though, I was still nervous about trying out these oils.  What if something went wrong?  What if it did more damage than good?  Still after all my reading it was worth the chance to stop these seizures my sweet boy can’t stop.

As I was emailing and reading on Plant Therapy’s website, I noticed a “deal” they have.  If you sign up for their newsletter, you get $10 off your order if you order within 24 hours.  Since they have free shipping and the product I wanted was only $6.99 for a Frankincense Oil Roll-on just to try out, I was getting my product for free!  I did add in some peppermint and some lavender oils to try, as well as a roll-on of their wonderful Calming The Child Synergy oil to try out.  My cost was around $25 for all of it once the $10 discount was applied.  This more than fit our budget!

It took less than a week for my order to arrive.  I immediately began using the Frankincense oil on Jackson and we’ve had great results.  Although it’s not controlling his seizures 100% (he’s still on his Phenobarbital for treating his Epilepsy as well), it has helped to significantly decrease his seizures from 10 minutes long to less than a minute in length.  It’s also helped to stop his seizures while he is in a Generalized Tonic Clonic.  I’m very happy with the results.

I’m also thrilled with our other oils.  The Calming the Child Synergy helps calm Jackson down when he’s fussy.  It soothing and smells great.  Laycie also enjoys that oil when she’s feeling wound up and just needs to relax.

I mix our lavender and our peppermint oils with coconut oil as a carrier and properly diluted some so that I would have it on hand daily.  I use them on all kinds of things and sometimes use a mixture for back and muscle pain.  I use the lavender to treat cuts, burns, acne, diaper rash and more.  Even my friends love the mixtures I have made!

I’m still learning about using Essential Oils but I have to say choosing Plant Therapy for our oils was the best decision I have made so far.  They fit our budget and allow me room to experiment without feeling like I’ve wasted a ton of money on products.  I like knowing I can message them any time and get accurate answers, information and don’t have to talk to several different people to do that.  Plant Therapy leaves me with that small-town, personal feel.

My journey into oils has also lead me to start a Facebook group for Epilepsy families called Epilepsy and Essential Oils/Natural Treatments.  This group is open to all parents, patients and caregivers of those who have Epilepsy and are looking for alternative treatments for their family.  It is not brand oriented, but instead supports the choice of using oils regardless of brand and the safe use of oils with your family.  I inspire to help others who are lost on this journey as I was when I first began researching this topic.

I hope our experience with Essential Oils will be beneficial to someone else and help them find their way to better health for their loved one as it has us.  I will continue to blog about our treatment and experiences as we learn and grow on this journey.

~ Dana

*Disclaimer – this blog post is my own opinion.  I have not been gifted any product by either of these companies with the exception of a Peppermint sample from Young Living, Inc. for personal and not for review use.  All oils have been purchased out of my own pocket and used personally by me and my family without payment or reimbursement from either company mentioned above.  I do not work for either company and therefore do not gain anything by writing this blog post or including links there-in.  I’m including this disclaimer in accordance to FTC guidelines.