If it works - stop doing it!

A recent comment from a client started me thinking...and with her permission I'm quoting the exchange.

Jane from Maryland had been a frequent client years ago.We'd not heard from her in perhaps a decade. She recently placed several orders, and commented about using the oils to combat the effects of stress.

In the course of our conversation she wrote:


Am so glad to brighten your week. As someone in business myself (I'm a nonprofit publisher), I know how much we all appreciate positive feedback.

I actually first became a Nature's Gift customer about 10 years ago when my kids were small, but then went back to a demanding job, caring for parents at end-of-life, and stress caught up with me. I've so enjoyed "coming back" to aromatherapy.

which led to a conversation about the subject of this post.   We find things that work, that are nurturing and self-caring... and when life gets busier; we stop doing them.

I say "we" because Jane and I agree that we both have a tendency to do this, and I have many friends who will do the same thing.

• Starting my day with a few minutes meditation really smoothed my morning.  Of course now I hit the ground running and don't have time to 'sit and do nothing'...
• I created our Bliss Bath to help me through a period of both grief and extreme stress. I used it almost every night.  Today, a quick shower is all I will take time for.
• A cup of Chamomile tea every evening really helps quiet the "todo list" running in my head and helps me sleep better (even with lavender or SleepEase in my Aromastone.)  Of course I no longer take the time to steep it.
• 15 months ago my son and daughter in law gave me a gift certificate for a massage.  The therapist is not nearby, but on the other side of Nashville. WELL worth the drive.  Did I make the appointment and go down there?    

These are some of the things that I have done in the past to take care of myself, and stopped doing.  Jane in Maryland stopped using the precious oils that relieved her stress and refreshed her spirit.

We are, of course, unique. No one else finds things that really do  make their daily life more manageable; and then stop doing these same things.  Right?

What has worked for you... and are you going to start doing it again?

Shingles, again

Google Health defines Shingles so:

Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox.

They go on to describe the wide array of symptoms (almost all painful!) that occur with it, and say that it is normally a self limiting illness, but usually treated with oral antiviral drugs.

I've never suffered from Shingles, for which fact I am well and truly grateful.

Now...according to the law of the land, I am not allowed to make any statement that any product of ours can affect the course of a disease, or could possibly " cure, mitigate, treat or prevent" disease.

I believe I can still quote Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt, who writes in Medical aromatherapy: healing with essential oils that a dilution of Ravensara essential oil in a base of Calophyllum inophyllum (Foraha or Tamanu) can treat Shingles effectively.
And Dr. Jane Buckle writes of the use of Ravensara in Calophyllum to treat Shingles, and, in fact, any sort of Herpes outbreak.  She writes in Clinical Aromatherapy "the most successful essential oil Ihave used has been Ravensara Aromatica. "

Len Price, in Carrier Oils for Aromatherapy and Massage writes of Calophyllum (which he calls Tamanu "a combination of tamanu vegetable oil and Ravensara aromatica essential oil has been used successfully as a treatment for Shingles."

What triggered this rash of quoting?  An email received this week from Dusti Martin in Longbow TX.  Dusti has been a client since before my oldest records,  I think I made my first major error on one of her orders... received an order from a Dusty Miller and Dusti Martin on the same day...and switched the contents.  Dusti obviously forgave me, because she's been ordering from us ever since.  At any rate, she wrote Oct. 11:

I can really use your help with my new ailment!  Oct. 2 I felt "odd" in that I had a mild headache, felt weak for no reason I could think of, and the skin on the right of my torso was very sensitive to touch.  Wednesday night I discovered bumps on my right back waist (and they are multiplying and roaming along my right front).  I consulted WebMD for shingles and that was what I had.  On Thursday I saw my doctor who confirmed my hunch.  She prescribed an antiviral med to take 3 x daily for 7 days.  She also prescribed med for pain for when the blisters are gone.

Long story short, I have no Calophyllum and none of your Ravensara Aromatica.  I do have a 5ml? bottle!  Can you help me out here not only with the carrier and oil, but also number of drops of Ravensara in the Calophyllum?  Massage directly on the bumps?  Apply how often?  Sorry to be such a novice but this is my first excursion into medical application. 

I'm trying to get to where it's comfortable enough to wear jeans by next Sunday.  Our choir begins rehearsals for the Christmas Concert and I really want to participate!

We immediately shipped her both Calophyllum and ravensara.  Yesterday (12 days later) she wrote:

Hi All,

Three weeks ago I was developing a case of shingles, only didn't yet know why I was feeling "odd".  My doctor prescribed an antiviral medication which I took the requisite seven days.  In the meantime, I contacted Marge after looking up the article regarding shingles on your web page.  I ordered the Calophyllum and Ravensara and added the entire bottle of Ravensara to Calophyllum, per suggestion.  That was on October 15.  By the 17th, I was able to fairly comfortably wear jeans to choir practice in the evening.  That in itself was amazing!  I've applied my "Wonder Serum" daily, several times a day this past week and I cannot describe adequately the improvement in the way I feel!  The extreme skin sensitivity is almost gone.  The spots/bumps are drying up and going away.  I am finally able to wear clothing with a waistband and am NOT in pain!  I can drive and not cringe with every bump or hole in the roadway.  I knew this solution would be helpful but I
 had no idea just how much or how quickly it would bring welcome relief :)

Thanks so much,

When I wrote asking her to share, she replied:

Yes, PLEASE share it.  It's been a blessing, this "Wonder Serum", and it can help others IF they know about it!

We've written about this blend for Shingles before.  In December 2001, our newsletter contained the following thank you:

Beth Werner's husband John managed to contract a case of Shingles...

Nasty, PAINFUL stuff.  Beth had us shoot some callophyllum innophyllum and some ravensara her way. This is John's Emailed message the day after he received it:

Marge,

The stuff Beth ordered for treating my shingles arrived today, and she whipped up a batch.  I put it on before laying down for a nap at 4:00 and popped a Co-Tylenol.  It was the best few hours of sleep I have had in a week.  When I woke up, the angry red color of the shingles had noticeably subsided.  The swelling in my eye lid was also greatly reduced.  (My wife says I have an eye again.)  Even Beth is amazed at how well it worked.

Thanks,

- John

In October, 2002 From Juliana Lipe, in Shreveport:

Hi Marge,

Just wanted to give you some feedback on the Ravensara oil that I recently purchased for a friend with shingles. I did a 10% dilution in Calophyllum for her and she told me today that, in her words, "it healed me!" She said that it relieved the itching and healed the lesions that had plagued her for weeks. Another wonderful EO success!! Thanks again for your help!

Juliana

 And some of you remember Courtney raving about her mother's finally believing that what we make available WORKS when, after dealing with a Shingles outbreak for almost a month she finally agreed to try "some of your snake oil."... the next morning she was singing our praises.


Over the years we've had requests to offer this combination 'preblended', and always refused.  We finally decided that when someone is absolutely miserable and in pain they don't need to be measuring and blending. It seems an act of mercy to make the combination available preblended and ready to order.  So we are. Our description of Ravensara now gives a description of both the undiluted oil, and the Calophyllum dilution.    I hope the information given will be helpful to some of you.