Essential Oils and your Hormones - its time to start taking charge
Today we have a special Guest Post from Danielle Devin, Art Therapist and Essential Oils expert, and writer of the Blog A Good Life
Today she'll be discussing your hormones, getting to really know your menstrual cycle and the role essential oils could be playing in your life right now!
Essential oils and your hormones
As a woman, how much do you really know about your own body? How much do you really listen to it?
Did you know it's not normal for us to have painful periods? This is one of the hard hitting questions I asked Jane Brennan founder and designer of both EvanOliver and Nailah Fitness when we very first started chatting about using essential oils in her life. It flabbergasts most woman I speak to, it's a piece of information that was never taught to us as young woman. It's a vital piece of information that can help many woman transform their health. I first heard this when I was in my early twenties at my initial consultation with a nutritionist, I thought she was joking. I felt like I had been lied to my whole life. Everything I thought I knew I had to unlearn. Eager to heal my body and absorb all the knowledge I began my journey into the world of holistic healing. I now practice as an Art Psychotherapist, Energy healer and run my own Essential Oil business and I couldn't be more grateful for my journey that brought me here. Especially the part where I got to share a part of my teens with Jane.
Our younger crazy selves as teens oblivious to how our paths would always end up crossing
I strongly believe in empowering people with the best knowledge suitable to set them up on their own healing journeys. My biggest wish for people is to be their own healers. I don't want to be someone's guru but what I do want to do is provide guidance on how you can get there for yourself. There is NOTHING more powerful than empowering people to make their own changes, changes that can last a life time.
So, back to your hormones. Yes it's true, PMS is not normal. Your period should be considered a vital sign, in fact IT IS a vital sign. When we are connected to our bodies and I mean deeply connected in a way that when we feel something is slightly out of sync it really resonates. The key there is noticing the beginnings of it being out of sync before it becomes something massive. Symptoms are our bodies final way of reaching out to us before meltdown, by the time these appear our bodies have been screaming at us for probably a very long time without us noticing or really paying it much attention. Being in tune with our bodies can be the greatest gift we give ourselves, I know for me it has been.
Our bodies are naturally insync with nature and using essential oils can facilitate and deepen that connection. Did you know we have plant receptors inside our bodies?! How cool is that! Essential oils can be powerful facilitors in helping to restore balance back in your body. But essential oils do not work alone, healing takes a whole mind body approach. Your nutrition, quality of sleep, supplements, underlying health conditions, stress, exercise, the environment you live and work in, the quality of your relationships in your life and how much you allow yourself to slow down (a biggie for just now) are also key players in your overall health.
So how and where to start, start here ...
The first thing that I say to all my clients is to get rid of all the toxic chemical products in your home and detox your body, that's right ... no more bleach! This podcast episode covers the why's and how's of the impact of environmental chemicals on your hormones. Now this can be a slow process or a very quick one, depends on how strongly you feel about this. I always suggest starting with what's most close to home. Now when I say home I mean your body. Your skin is the most porous organ on your body, it absorbs EVERYTHING you encounter. Which is why it is SO important to educate yourself on how toxic chemicals effect your endocrine system. Toxic chemicals are endocrine disruptors and wreak havoc in your body. Get rid of them! I started by changing what I cleansed and moisturised with, I swopped out my shampoo/ conditioner for natural shampoo/conditioner bars, used natural bars of soap to wash with, picked a natural deodorant and changed all my skin care products. This way I knew I was starting with my own health first.
Then you can move onto replacing your cleaning products with essential oil based DIY cleaning products, these don't take that long to make. You may be asking yourself 'but can essential oils actually clean', my answer is yes of course they can. Before the 60's most households used DIY cleaning methods which included vinegar (I can hear you saying yuck) and bicarbonate soda.
Lastly detoxing your body. Why is this so important, Learn more here.
Some juicy extras
Dr Mariza Snyder is a women’s Hormone Practitioner, she believes in empowering woman to be the CEO's of their own healthcare. Dr Snyder helps woman to balance their hormones naturally through the use of essential oils and self care rituals. Her book The Essential Oils Hormone Solution has helped me more than I can put into words. Her knowledge is shared in a way that is easily digestible. The book includes many different essential oil blends you can make up, a 14 day detox rescue meal plan, self care rituals and many topics such as weight issues, libido, sleep issues, energy and fatigue etc.
Next up is Lisa Hendrickson-Jack of Fertility Friday (fertilityfriday.com/) Lisa helps ''woman discover the connection between their menstrual cycles and their overall health so they can ditch hormonal birth control forever''. She is the author of The Fifth Vital Sign: Master Your Cycles & Optimize Your Fertility. I've already mentioned how your period should be considered a vital sign and Lisa explains why.
Another fabulous woman is Nicole Jardim: The Period Girl.(https://nicolejardim.com/) She did a brief intro into your menstraul cycle and period which is worth a watch if you want to get the quick low down. Check it out here: Periods 101: what a normal menstrual cycle and period should look like
And I highly recommend this podcast episode she did with Dr Mariza Snyder: Podcast episode 145 with Dr Mariza Snyder Essentially You.
Well I think that just about wraps it up for today. There is a wealth of information out there and just imagine how different your life could've been if we were taught about this. I hope that you've find these nuggets of info helpful and it has set you up on your healing journey.
Love and Peace Daniélle
