Breathe

In the beginning of my journey with oils, I started out very naive and very out of the loop about essential oils.  I was diagnosed with Asthma as a small baby and have had to deal with this condition my entire life.  My inhaler and I are literally connected at the hip with my portable neutralizer very close by.  After years of going to different doctors with different protocols, I finally was given Advair which I have take for over 8 years.  There was finally a medicine that worked for me however the feeling of being attached to a steroid that after prolonged use can cause lung damage just left me feeling hopeless and worried about my future.  

Needless to say, I was in the market for something different.  A new miracle drug.  Something that made sense. 

One night I was looking on Instagram and came upon someone who had said she replaced her inhaler with essential oils.  I was so intrigued I continued on looking through her posts and then decided I would do a little more research.  I started looking up what essential oils were and ended up reading blog after blog about how people incorporate them into their life.  I ended up sending a message to the girl who I found on Instagram.  I asked her how she went off her inhaler and well it for some reason made so much sense and really I was willing to try anything.  I researched so many different brands and almost went with Young Living.  I still do think they have great oils and they do have community just like doTERRA did.  But I ended up going with doTERRA because:

My doTERRA Pitch...

I researched the company for hours past my bedtime and I had that feeling you get when you know you found something special.  After weeks of research and going back and forth I finally felt like do Terra was the right company for me and my family.  Not only was doTERRA slightly cheaper but their website was full of information that I couldn't find anywhere else.  Anther HUGE selling point for me was that they go world wide in collecting their oils.  Each oil that you buy is sourced from the country that is indigenous to that plant.  For example, if you were given a chance to eat a Lemon from Washington State or a Lemon from Italy, which do you think would taste better?  From Italy of course, and that is exactly where they get the Lemon oil.  Instead of growing their own farms and own plants to make the supply, they go to the farms that the plant actually naturally grows in. And they give jobs to thousands of workers who really know the plant and really need the opportunity.

How I got off Advair!...

 I started following people on Instagram and hearing and looking for testimonies.  I ordered the doTERRA physician kit and it had a blend called Breathe.  I wasn't sure what it was until I found a post on Instagram.  She had a picture of an inhaler and said that she was completely off her inhaler of 20 years.  At this point I was truly intrigued and tried this oil the very next time I couldn't breathe.  And then reality hit, because it didn't work!  I felt like I could breathe as I was literally breathing it in, however 30 seconds after I stopped I couldn't breathe again.  I did my inhaler, and felt very bummed and irritated that it wasn't that miracle I had hoped it would be.  So instead of giving up, I asked her... I poured my thoughts on her, and she responded!  She explained that every person is different and that I would need to keep trying other oils and gave me different ideas of how to use the oils.  I tried and tried.  I had hope in them.  I saw other oils work in our family and I was on a mission to figure out how to get off my steroids.  

So I went all in.  I went off Advair and for 2-3 weeks.  I would first try the breathe oil with others to find the right combination.  Slowly I realized that I could breathe in the oils and then just do 1 puff of my inhaler and that worked.  Then 1 day I tried just Breathe and it worked! It wasn't instant like an inhaler, but after several drops, several cupping inhalations, and resting for 10 mins or so it actually worked and I didn't need my inhaler at all.  I can say now that I have been off Advair for almost 1 month.  It seriously feels AMAZING.  I do on occasion when I'm in a hurry still do need that 1 puff of my inhaler, but really knowing that I am not dependent on it is seriously something that I have never felt before, I mean literally ever!   As I look back on those 2-3 weeks of this oil not working, I realized that my body was fighting and needing those steroids.  Once I had rid myself of that dependence, I was able to benefit from a natural way of decreasing inflammation and opening my airways with this "miracle" oil.  

I truly do hope that by me sharing this story I can somehow help someone else out there who is dealing with asthma.  Someone who feels hopeless and someone who is sick and tired of using steroids to prevent asthma attacks.  Someone who is sick of that feeling of your heart racing when you take your 2 puffs of that Albuterol, and getting that sore throat afterwards.  This oil really is such a blessing and although I go through ALOT of it each month controlling my asthma, I can say that it is soo worth it!  Being able to breathe with a natural and benefiting way is more than I had dreamed of. 

Venice, Italy

 

Venice, Italy.  This is my last post on our amazing trip to Europe.  It took me awhile I know to get this one done, about 3 months to be exact... I had put this off for awhile because well it was intimidating.  Venice was by far my most favorite location.  It has it's up and it's downs but for the architecture, the way of life for Venetians, and for the beauty Venice was hands down simply stunning.  The set backs for me were our hotel and the fact that I nearing the end and at this point really missing my kids!  Like really missing them... not sleeping, and feeling sick to my stomach missing them.  BUT... lets talk about how wonderful this city is. 

The picture above is the airport, I mean.. were off to a good start right!  We got in after dark and somehow found our way over 5 bridges and down many tiny streets to our hotel which was located in the heart of Venice.  We decided when booking our time that this was one of the most important aspects because we only had 2 days there and we wanted to spend as much time enjoying the city and less time traveling in to it.  So we booked a tiny room and can I just say it was pretty terrible.  The outside looked promising when we arrived.  The restraunt had a ton of people, the hotel was sold out with people on waiting lists, and I guess really we were just happy to have a room and happy to put our luggage down and go get dinner!  So we put our luggage down, stripped the creapy hotel comforter off, opened the window because well the smells outside were better than the smells inside and headed out with the intention of spending little time there.  We got dinner at 11pm and it was soo amazing!  At first this city did not fell real.  Like it was out of a movie or really like Vegas.  But in the morning, the sun came up, we quickly got ready and headed out for some cappocinios. 

Walking the streets there was so much character.  Seeing houses, buildings, and monuments on these islands was really pretty incredible.  Just the fact alone that the only way to get around is by boat or gondola is something out of a fairy tail.  We saw Marco Polos old house and others that I can't remember... but I do remember being surprised at how the traffic flowed, and how peaceful it was compared to rush hour anywhere else in the world!  I was completely sold on this idea when we rode the gondola for the first time.  Magical experience that I will never forget.  The food was so delicious and there were shops everywhere.  Some of the downfalls about Venice was how many people were there, and how many touristy shops were there.  But if you can look past that, and get lost in the streets where the locals are, I swear you will never want to leave!  So colorful, so alive, and such history.  It still blows my mind how these houses stay together.  To have water surrounding your house at all times and even coming into your front door just doesn't seem stable.  And I know it is sinking but to see that it has survived thus far is pretty incredible. 

All in all, I would do this city again and again.  We were thankful that we did choose a hotel close to San Marco square and that we didn't have to get a boat unless we wanted to.  We saw the entire city in 2 short days and if we ever were so lucky to go back there I would stay in our little smelly hotel again if it came down to location.  The last day, I excitedly packed up, and was ready to get on that 16 hour plane flight home to see Lach and Rhone!  We rented a car in Venice and started our drive to Bologna where I was flying out of.  That car ride alone would be another great post but instead I'll leave you with a few more pictures.    

 Going to pick up Daddy 1 week later... kids were too excited to sleep

// THANK YOU AGAIN to my amazing parents who took such great care of our kids!!  They had a blast and you loved them immensely.  It really does mean the world to me, and I am so grateful KC and I were able to take this trip and able to have so many great memories of our time in Europe. //  

- Let do it again next year :)  hehe