We often use essential oils, or herbs and supplements for that matter, in an allopathic manner, meaning the way medical doctors do with pharmaceutical drugs. We use them to treat the symptoms we’re experiencing. Essential oils can do that and are a huge help – real help – without nasty side effects, so that’s all good. In practice, it looks like this… I have asthma. I use Ginger Lily and Helichrysum Gymnocephalium essential oils to manage the symptoms I’m experiencing, wheezy and tight chest. (Ginger Lily opens the airways, and Helichrysum is anti-inflammatory.) I get relief, and I feel better. That is great, right? Right! And, I don’t get the jitters and adrenal stress from the oils, like I would from my pharmaceutical inhaler. It can take me hours to come down from using the inhaler, and that’s just the side effect that I’m consciously aware of.

Symptom management is one way to use essential oils, but they have so much more to offer!

You can use essences to go beyond the symptoms and get to the root of the problem. You can transcend the allopathic, temporary management of your symptoms, and get into the underlying causes and even – dare I say it – get rid of the issue plaguing you once and for all. Yup, I said it! I believe you can cure yourself of diseases if you’re willing and able to do the work. Essential oils can help you get to those deeper layers and they can even help you heal those too.

I used to have to take steroid inhalers daily and experienced asthma regularly from just about everything: stress, animals, environmental allergies, exercise, you name it. Through healing myself, I’m down to only getting asthma symptoms when I’m around cats or dogs for prolonged periods of time anymore. That’s a huge shift. I’m not tethered to an inhaler, and especially not a daily steroid inhaler for over a decade now. As a side note, I was actually able to get my insurance company to downrate me from asthma to cat and dog allergies and saved money on my insurance. Who even knew that was possible?!?

Essential oils, and their ability to take me so much deeper than my symptoms, are what got me to this point.

And, hear me now I fully intend to not have the allergy to cats and dogs anymore either! So, what do I mean about going deeper? Below the symptom, there is always something else, something causing the symptom. Often this is some type of inflammatory response. For me, I had a systemic inflammatory response going all the time. I was able to address that using Black Cumin seed essential oil daily. This has been a big part of healing my asthma. It boosts the immune system and reduces inflammation.

But, wait there’s more. That was going deeper, more to the root of the problem, beyond the symptom, but there’s always another layer, one that gets into the emotional realm. Any chronic condition, heck I’d even say acute, comes down to an emotional issues underneath. I had to dig into that. Both the Ginger Lily and the Helichrysum Gymno helped me get to these emotional issues. Ginger Lily aids in emotional digestion and brings us more into balance emotionally and Helichrysum Gymno is one of the highest vibrating oils, so that’s going to help bring issues into my awareness that need healing. The asthma was just a symptom showing me where I had unresolved issues that needed healing for me to find true holistic health.

I found my asthma tracked back to some issues I had with my mom – no blame on mom, just came down to sweeping beliefs I created about myself in a couple of situations. Beliefs like, I’m not good enough and some seriously suppressed grief. As I came to realize and understand this and let myself actually grieve and cry, voila my asthma improved! How cool is that? Wasn’t always easy, and didn’t feel very good, but wow it feels good to breathe more easily now!

I’ve learned there is yet another layer to this – right, I’m a holistic health practitioner, so I’m gonna look at all the aspects of my health.

And, I see there is a spiritual component to my asthma symptoms as well. From those erroneous beliefs about myself, I made broad decisions about the world and the universe I live in like it’s not safe, I’m not safe, etc. As I unravel those incorrect views and learn to trust and know I’m safe, I feel my asthma improving even more. That Black Cumin I use is a great teacher for loving oneself, so I know she’s been a part of my spiritual healing too. Like I said, I’m on a mission to not have asthma anymore at all, so I’ll keep digging until I get there!

Next challenge to go stay the night with my cousin who just got a cat. That’s not something I could have even considered a year ago! I’ll keep you posted on how it goes! And, if you want me to help you on your journey to healing yourself, digging into the layers and using essential oils and the plants as your guides, then reach out to me. I offer holistic health services in Aspen and online. Or, join my ongoing Discover Essential Oils classes, to learn more about what essential oils can do for you.