Lavender Lotion for Alzheimers

We just finished completing what felt like a thousand pages of paperwork to be listed as a Federal Contractor.  Did I want to become a federal contractor? Not especially.  But do I want to supply products to a VA hospital's hospice? You betcha.   

We were requested to supply something that I hadn't thought of - a lavender lotion.  For use with patients with Alzheimers and Dementia.  Now, there are many small studies and case studies that indicate the low level use of Lavender essential oil can be effective in calming agitation as well as improving the quality of sleep in patients with various forms of dementia, including Alzheimers.  And for a mostly elderly population, of course the use of a hand lotion containing Lavender Essential Oil would be an effective delivery method.

As always, we were delighted to be able to help meet the needs of a Hospice; but then we started thinking.  If we are going to be making small quantities of Lavender lotion for a client... would Lavender Silk Lotion be something our customers could find a use for?  Oh, I think so... ;)

Look for it in March, perhaps... a precursor to Springtime.  Right now, in the middle of the worst winter weather we've experienced in years, we find ourselves focussing on the SERIOUS skin creams... Calendula Repair, Radiance, etc.  But with the warmer weather, a lighter lotion will be more appropriate, and I'm thinking of all the uses... it would ease sunburn or windburn from too much time in the fresh air,  what a wonderful way to ease yourself into sleep...an afterbath anointing with relaxing Lavender Silk.  Light enough to use for a toddler's back rub when he's too wound up to relax into slumber.  Ah yes...  Lavender Silk will be a Springtime delight.

First Responders - the Camp Phoenix Flag

Most of you know Nature's Gift has supported The United Aromatherapy Effort since its genesis during those terrible days after 9/11. A call came out late in the Autumn for aromatherapy materials and supplies to support the troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

We were, as often in the past, the first to respond to the call for help. (At one time we were given the "First Responders" Award.) A few days ago, the founders of the UAE recieved a wondrous gift. A thank you letter, signed by General Dudney, the poster below, and a flag.


The poster reads:

This is to certify that the accompanying American Flag was flown in the face of the

enemy over the American compound, Camp Phoenix,Afghanistan, by the

Officers, NCOs and Soldiers of CJTF Phoenix, during

"OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM"

on the

21st day of December, 2009

In Honor of

UNITED AROMATHERAPY EFFORT

And it's signed by the Colonel who is Chief of Staff, and Brigadier General Lawrence E. Dudney, Jr.

The poster is powerful. We're going to frame our copy. But the flag.... ah the flag. We all gathered around to open the box when it arrived in the mail. And promptly got goosebumps. It's sealed in a zippered plastic case... we opened the case and inhaled. Sylla says she can smell the smoke of the campfires in it. I thought it smelled of gunpowder, or explosives. Perhaps my imagination. But there is a POWER to this flag...

We set it up, surrounded by the products that we sent...I've posted some of the thank you notes we received from the troops... for a photo shoot. As we approached the table where it was displayed, some of us felt the power radiating from it. Almost a wall...a shield... about 8 feet away. I'm not especially sensitive to the energy of objects, but I felt it, as did some of the others present. Just sheer raw power. and protection.
A friend of mine is a Marine Mom. Her son has finished training, will be coming home in a couple of weeks for "pre deployment leave" before heading out to...Afghanistan. She is trying so hard to be brave. She's so proud of him, and she's terrified.
She came, with another friend, to see the flag. And burst into tears. It was a powerful, emotional moment. She has an important event coming next weekend, and I've chosen just the gift for her... our Valour anointing oil...for spiritual courage. And her bottle of Valour is spending this evening tucked inside the flag's plastic case... to gain some of its strength and its protective energy. "In the face of the enemy" indeed!
Tomorrow the flag will be packed and sent on to the next recipient. We're tucking in some photos of the crew here... Geraldine and Sylla are going to make a collage of all of us who get to experience the flag, and send the photos back with the next shipment of supplies, so the troops can put faces with the names of those who support them.
If you want to put names and faces... back row is Christi, who answers the phone and deals with your questions when you call, T, who keeps all the production area running smoothly so we'll be able to ship what you need, and me. Front row, Sharon, Yorleny, and Jim... Yorleny pours most of the products, Jim packs most of the orders, Sharon is the mail clerk, who also assembles most of the kits and packs of products.
We're really grateful to be allowed to do what we do!

Fifteen on the Fifteenth

Fifteen on the Fifteenth

To celebrate our fifteenth year online, Friday January 15th we are offering an unprecedented 15% off our collection of rare, special and hard to find books.

Save 15% on The Blossoming Heart, Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit, The Aromatherapy Practitioners Reference Manual, The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Liquid Sunshine, my Essential Oils and Aromatics (yes, I'll still sign it for you.), even our little "Introduction to Aromatherapy" booklet.

Simply enter the promotional code "fifteen" (without the quotation marks!) in the box marked "promo code/gift cert" at checkout and press "apply". You will see the discount reflected on your screen. The code will only be active on Friday the 15th from midnight to midnight Pacific time. (Our shopping cart operates on Pacific time.)

May not be combined with any other discount or promotion, and please don't ask us to combine or change orders.

Thank you for allowing us to continue doing what we love for all these years.

Sending Support to Haiti-New Charity of the Quarter

from Marge, T, & Christi:

In light of the massive loss of life & devastation in Haiti from the tragic earthquake, we are immediately making our Charity of the Quarter, “Doctors Without Borders (USA),” which lost several facilities there, as well as personnel. The charity has a team of 70 enroute to Haiti right now & will be sending more relief workers & volunteers in the coming days.

Doctors Without Borders USA has a regular presence in the country, but will be stepping up efforts to provide emergency medical care for the children, women, & men affected by the powerful quake---care that could mean the difference in life or death for some. Additionally, the State Department is currently estimating some 40,000-45,000 US citizens were in Haiti when the earthquake occurred.

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world & the poorest in our Western Hemisphere, yet less than 500 miles from the United States with very limited & outdated medical care & facilities. This relief effort will be a massive undertaking & our help is greatly needed, as well as our prayers.

Nature’s Gift traditionally donates two percent of gross sales each Wednesday to our “Charity of the Quarter,” & we also have a link available in our shopping cart at checkout for individual donations in any amount.

Thank you in advance for whatever you give, whether it is to the charity of your choice or through our site to “Doctors Without Borders (USA).”

St. Clare Hospital - MRSA

My friend and mentor, Debi Rodriguez, was recently featured in the St. Clare Hospital newsletter. (Well, Debi doesn't say it's recent, she says it was "ages ago" but a Google Alert just brought it to my attention.) You may see the article here.

Why is this significant? Because Debi was the genesis of our MERCY line of anti-MRSA products. She did the efficacy testing in the lab to make sure we had the minimum effective levels of essential oils to totally kill the MRSA bacteria. I loved seeing the article. If they were to do another interview with Debi today she'd have a lot more "success stories" to share. Some of them have been shared on this blog.

And the pharmacies and "wellness" shops that we supply in Wisconsin can not keep our MERCY products on the shelf. They are in high demand.

A New Year - New Decade

I've been musing over a wise, insightful blog entry for this New Year's Day - and finding myself spectacularly uninspired. (Entering inventory values will do that to you!)

But this is an especially significant year for us here... it marks our 15th anniversary online. Who ever would have believed that was even possible. (Not me!) And I've found myself musing over the wonderful clients and vendors and mentors who have become friends over all these years. A Christmas picture will come, and I'll realize that I had discussed baby plans with the mother of that gangly young man! Last evening, the last order of the old year was from a familiar name... found in my oldest existing archive. (It helps, of coure, that she was from Massachusetts, a lovely little town on the way to Cape Cod.)


Now, we will be doing all sorts of things to help you celebrate our 15th anniversary, that will be discussed in the future. Suffice it to say that the 15th of the month will be a significant day each month. But for now, I just want to thank you.

Thank you for letting us know of the many ways we have helped, we have made a difference. Thank you for your continued loyalty over a decade and a half. Thank you for letting us grow from just me in a spare bedroom to... what we have become. (Whatever that is...sometimes I'm not sure!) Thank you for sharing your experiences, and letting us know what works and what doesn't. Thank you all for the gift in my life that Nature's Gift has always been, because without all of you, we wouldn't exist!


A blessed 2010 to all of you, from Marge, Christi, "T", Jim, Yorleny, Stephanie, and Sharon.