Category: Blog

July 8, 2019

5 Ways Drinking Lemon Water Improves Your Health and Life

Do you feel good? Are you healthy? If not, or you want a simple way to help yourself get healthier and feel better, here’s 5 ways drinking lemon water improves your health and life.

For Reals!

What’s Up With Lemons?

Why are lemons (and all citrus fruits, really) so good for you? That little yellow bombshell is loaded with stuff your body loves:

- vitamin C
- B-complex vitamins
- calcium
- iron
- magnesium
- potassium
- fiber

Lemons have more potassium than grapes or apples. Vitamin C, potassium and magnesium are all critically important for approximately 300 bodily functions. And fresh lemon juice taste pretty good, so that’s a plus!

It’s easier for your body to absorb and process the vitamins and minerals it needs from food and beverages than it is from pills. Pills don’t always break down in your intestines, so you may not be getting any nutrients from them at all.

5 Ways Drinking Lemon Water Improves Your Health and Life

Here’s just a few of the benefits of drinking lemon water:

1. Your Liver Will LOVE You!

When I studied anatomy and physiology for aromatherapy school, I found out a whole lot of things I didn’t know and the one that stuck with me the most is how good lemon is at protecting your liver.

YO – you can’t drink yourself silly just because you’re imbibing lemon, okay?

EVERY MORNING, squeeze half of a fresh lemon into either warm or room temperature water (about 6 to 8 ounces) and drink it down. Woo hoo – you just made friends with your liver!

2. Flushes Out Toxins in your system

This goes along with reason number 1 above, and makes you feel better because you’re getting rid of all the toxins that would otherwise be stored in your liver and other organs. Most of us have not connected the dots when we feel tired and draggy, but this is one culprit.

According to BodyEcology.com the toxins lodge in your cells, soft tissues, and muscles, and overwhelm your entire immune system and that’s why you feel sluggish.

See what’s going on?

3. Reduces Inflammation

This is huge y’all! Inflammation is the culprit behind so much disease and left unchecked, it causes real damage. You may not be aware of it right now, but it wreaks havoc on your system. Go back to reason number 1 and drink that lemon water every day!

4. Boosts Your Immune System

The d-Limonene in lemons is known to activate white blood cells which is what makes up your immune system. (Have you had your lemon water yet today?)

It’s full of vitamin C which is like having jumper cables for your immune system. That’s why you take more vitamin C when you feel a cold coming on.

5. It Reduces Anxiety and Depression

Lemon is the most universally loved scent and it’s excellent for those who live with anxiety and depression as it has a calming effect on your nervous system.

Bonus Reasons Why Lemon Water Will Change Your Life

I couldn’t resist – here’s even more reasons to drink lemon water every day!

- Helps fight hunger cravings (hello weight loss!)
- Assists with fighting viral infections
- May help manage blood sugar levels
- Excellent for avoiding kidney stones

HERE’S THE BIG CAVEAT TO ALL THIS WONDERFUL NEWS: Lemon is acidic until it hits your intestines, so it will take rust off a bumper (and the enamel right off your teeth). That means you must DILUTE THE FRESH LEMON IN WATER. Got it?

Have your drank your lemon water yet?

Listen, nobody gets out alive in this life and I’m not saying that drinking lemon water makes you perfectly healthy and you’ll live forever. What it does help you with is keeping your system cleaner and happier and that means m-a-a-a-y-b-e you’ll stay healthier longer.

IT’S HALF OF A LEMON AND SOME WATER – YOU CAN DO THIS!

Let me know if you have any questions about drinking lemon water – or how aromatherapy can make a huge difference in your life. You can call, email or simply fill out this quick and easy contact form and let’s talk today!

Blessings,

Melissa

June 24, 2019

Do You Know What’s Causing Your Summertime Eczema Flareup?

Well, you got through the winter with your eczema only to have a flareup now! AACK! Do you know what’s causing your summertime eczema flareup?

There’s actually a number of reasons why your eczema flares up in the summertime all while we’re looking forward to those warm sunny days!

What’s Causing My Eczema to Flare Up?

Well, you probably know all the usual suspects but according to healthcentral.com maybe you didn’t know about these:

- Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and Methylisothiazolinone (MI) commonly found in skin care and baby products. They’re preservatives to keep the OTC products safe for at least 3 – 5 years. Extra points if you can pronounce them.
- Propylene Glycol Recently named the 2018 Allergen of the Year by the American Contact Dermatitis Society, Propylene glycol is found in many skin-care products, cosmetics, medications, food, and, ironically, certain topical eczema treatments! So if your skin is not responding to the eczema cream you got at the drug store, this may be the culprit.
- Fragrance (the toxic synthetic kind) The National Eczema Association (NEA) reports that 8% to 15% of eczema patients have a fragrance allergy. And with fragrance accounting for up to 40 percent of allergic reactions from cosmetics, the NEA no longer considers products with scent for its Seal of Acceptance Program. Finding cleansers and moisturizers without scent is difficult at best. Even those labeled “unscented” or “fragrance-free” sometimes still contain a “masking” fragrance. (Are you convinced to use organic products yet?)
- Sweat The warm temperatures make you sweat. And sweat – especially in the crook of your elbow, behind your knees and at your waistband – can cause an eczema flareup. When the humidity is high (oh hi North Carolina) and you sweat, there’s really no way for it to evaporate. All the chemicals in and on your body just sit on your skin and cause irritation.
- Chlorine Swimming in pools can irritate your skin. If you like to swim, as soon as you get out of the pool, make sure to rinse off with fresh water as quickly as possible.
- Travel Really? Boy, that takes all the fun out of travel! But the climatic change when traveling can trigger a flareup. The air on planes is notorious for more reasons than one, but flying and different time zones impact your stress level which may trigger a flareup. Add in acclimating to a different area, your skin may get irritated.
- Synthetic Fabrics Who knows what synthetic fabrics are made of? Yes, I know we all wear stretchy, breathable fabrics in the summer, but natural fabric such cotton has less of a chance of irritating your skin.

We won’t even go into stress because I’m sure your dermatologist has talked endlessly about that until your eyes glaze over. The quickest way to help yourself control stress is to take big deep belly breaths. And of course, aromatherapy is excellent for easing your stress.

What Helps A Flareup?

There’s a few things you can do to ease an eczema flareup. And yes – aromatherapy is excellent for eczema (and psoriasis, too)!

- Stay away from any synthetic chemical. All that stuff at the drug store that’s supposed to help your eczema (and psoriasis, too) actually is full of chemicals that causes more inflammation. If you think this is an advertisement for PsoMaxx Salve for Psoriasis and Eczema, you’re absolutely right.
- Go to the ocean. Seriously. (And when you go, take me with you!) The salt water along with sunshine is very good for skin flareups. But, as with chlorinated pools, don’t let the salt sit on your skin. Rinse off with fresh water as fast as you can.
- Be prepared especially when travelling and do your best to stay calm – Anxiety Ease Aromatherapy Rollerball is perfect for this.
- Move your body. This is where yoga will really help you. It’s gentle enough so that you won’t sweat but moves your body to feel better.
- Stay hydrated with fresh water. Soda, coffee and alcohol don’t count!
- Hydrate your skin. I have Nakedly Natural Body Lotion specifically for those who live with eczema and psoriasis. Your skin with thank you for doing this!

Aromatherapy For Eczema (and Psoriasis, too!)

Each time I see a commercial on television about the amazing benefits of synthetic drugs for eczema and psoriasis, I cringe. This stuff is damaging your liver and do you really want all those nasty side effects?

Honestly?

What’s stopping you from going natural? You do know that nothing will heal you except YOU – right? I simply have a tool that allows you to live more gracefully with eczema and other skin conditions.

Until you know what your triggers are and avoid them, you’ll go through a vicious cycle. Why do that when you have options that make a difference?

Want more information? Fill out this contact form and let’s talk today.

Blessings,

Melissa

P.S. You know someone with a skin condition – how about sharing this post with them?

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

June 10, 2019

The 7 Chakras and How They Affect You Every Day

The chakra system has existed for thousands of years, but few people understand chakras and how they affect you every day. Understanding and balancing your chakras is the key to better health and freeing yourself from fears and limitations.

What Are The Chakras?

There are seven major chakras beginning at the base of your spine and traveling up through the top of your head and each one corresponds to a nerve center and major organ. In a nutshell, they’re your energy centers and every living creature has them.

When they’re balanced, you may not notice anything. When any or all of your chakras are out of balance, there’s an “out-of-sorts” thing going on.

Since the body, mind and spirit are all connected, an out-of-sorts chakra system can eventually lead to physical dis-ease such as indigestion or headaches.

According to Inward Journey, the chakras are part of your “subtle anatomy” which means you can’t see them.

The word “chakra” has its roots in the Sanskrit language coming from the Hindus thousands of years ago. The Hindus thought of the chakra as a wheel of spinning energy, or energy center, where consciousness resides governing various attributes of individual physical and spiritual aspects. The chakras are not physical but part of the “subtle anatomy” or what you may simply think of as an energetic point of consciousness within the body where the spirit and physical worlds meet.

So even though chakras aren’t tangible, your energy flows through them.

The Seven Major Chakras

Here is a short explanation of each chakra. For more in-depth information, click on the name and it takes you to each chakra’s page on the Scented Balance website.

1 = Root Chakra

Located at the tailbone and governs your survival, security and belonging. Out of balance = insecure, low self-esteem, needy, cynical, fearful. Balanced = strong self-esteem, confidence in your ability to take care of yourself in all areas of life, feelings of safety and belonging.

2 = Sacral Chakra

Located in the lower belly and governs creativity, sexuality, relationships and intimacy. It’s the seat of your emotions. Out of balance = co-dependency, feeling numb and out of touch, confusion. Balanced = feel vital and creative, spontaneous and in the flow of life.

3 = Solar Plexus Chakra

Located just below navel and governs personal power, self-esteem and confidence. Out of balance = passive, overly emotional, stressed out. Balanced = uses personal power in a balanced manner, being proactive rather than reactive.

4 = Heart Chakra

Located in chest area and governs love, compassion, joy. Out of balance = resentment, anger, guilt, self-loathing. Balanced = love for self and others, forgiveness, compassion, personal warmth. Bridges lower and upper chakras.

5 = Throat Chakra

Located in the upper chest and throat area and governs your personal right to speak and be heard. Out of balance = don’t feel safe speaking your truth, difficulty communicating, weak voice. Balanced = empowered, clear voice, ease in communications.

6 = Third Eye Chakra

Located at the brow and governs intuition, clear thought and wisdom. Out of balance = unimaginative, poor memory, headaches. Balanced = trusting of intuition, able to concentrate, good imagination.

7 = Crown Chakra

Located at crown of head and governs serenity, peace, connection to Divine. Out of balance = confusion, depression, feeling blocked, migraines. Balanced = connection to higher power, deep peace, harmony.

Making The Chakra – Health Connection

Can you see how each chakra affects your daily life and your health? It’s eye-opening when you learn how the chakras relate to each of the areas of your body, mind and spirit. When I first started learning about the chakras, well, let’s just say every single one was totally out of whack! Sheesh!

Aromatherapy is an excellent place to begin if you think any – or all – of your chakras are out of balance. Now you know why I created the beautiful line of Chakra Rollerballs and Aromatherapy Mists.

Each of the chakra products are for sale online and in my aromatherapy shop in Kernersville.

How can I help you free yourself from your fears and limitations? No need to make this journey alone. Fill out this short contact form or call and let’s talk today!

Blessings,

Melissa

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

May 27, 2019

5 Odd Symptoms of Sinus Problems

It’s that time of year! Seasonal allergies are rampant in the spring and you already know the common culprits. You may not have connected the dots on some other ways you feel lousy. Here’s 5 odd symptoms of sinus problems.

Why Do I Have Sinus Problems?

Here’s how Healthfully.com explains sinuses in (almost) plain English:

The sinuses are a large empty cavity directly located behind the eyes and nose. Their purpose is to catch any unwanted airborne particles from entering the lungs. The sinuses are covered with a thin layer of mucus to keep themselves clean and supple. When the sinus cavity becomes irritated or infected, it reacts by over-producing mucus and swelling, cutting off the airways and building up pressure throughout the head. The sinuses are very temporal and can be irritated by change in humidity, allergies or the common cold.

Temporal? That means it’s relating to your temples. Sounds like the definition of cranky and irritable sinuses to me.

Sinus issues can actually be very serious. If you’re feeling different than you normally do when your sinuses are acting up, you probably should see your medical professional.

5 Odd Symptoms of Sinus Problems

Got a toothache? Your sinuses can push down on the roots of your teeth from built-up pressure, causing potential toothaches or even sensitivity to temperature.
Feeling a bit dizzy? According to Bel Marra Health, the dizziness is a result of fluid build-up in the ears that puts pressure on the eardrum and inner ear. “This affects the vestibular labyrinth, which is intended to gauge balance, thus causing dizziness or vertigo. If dizziness is severe it can lead to nausea as well.” Oh, yay.
Stuffy ears? Yep. That’s a thing. WebMD.com explains that your sinuses and ears are connected and can affect the pressure in your ears. That’s why it feels the same way when you’re on a descending airplane.
Odd smell in your nose? Yecch. When that happens, according to HealthTap.com, it’s usually a bacterial infection.
Feeling sluggish? ActiveBeat.com says if you’re feeling worn out even with enough sleep, it may be a sign of a sinus infection. “When your body is battling an infection, the immune system becomes strained, which can lead to exhaustion and lethargy that persist for lengthy periods of time, sometimes months on end.”

How Aromatherapy Can Help With Sinus Problems

Aromatherapy can help you get a head start with sinus problems, especially if it’s seasonal. Sinus trouble means there’s inflammation and once your sinuses are inflamed, there’s trouble ahead.

There’s a number of pure essential oils that work very well for your sinuses, and here’s a few of the rock stars:

- Douglas Fir helps to discharge the mucous and encourages proper nasal function.
- Lemon helps maintain a healthy bacterial environment and assists with healthy fluid balance.
- Elemi assists in fighting germs and helps with fatigue and low energy.
- Helichrysum is excellent as an anti-inflammatory and promotes nasal health.
- Grapefruit is an analgesic, antibacterial and is uplifting.
- Eucalyptus helps to open up your airways and is antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral, too.

I use these oils and others in the SinusRight Personal Nasal Inhaler. It works to open your nasal airways and promotes healthy airways.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to take care of your sinuses – use aromatherapy to your benefit before things get out of hand and you’re miserable.

Blessings,

Melissa

P.S. Who do you know that could use the SinusRight Personal Nasal Inhaler? Help a friend and share this post!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

May 13, 2019

Are You Paying Attention?

“Are you paying attention?”

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I was told to “pay attention” as a kid. If it wasn’t my parents then it was my teachers all telling me to pay attention to them.

It used to annoy me to no end when they said that. I thought I was paying attention! Obviously I wasn’t or the adults in my life wouldn’t be screaming at me all the time.

Yes, my thoughts would wander all the time – I see that now. My feet have very high arches and yes, that’s a sign of being a dreamer.

But I lived in a dream world of let’s pretend because that was way more fun than my reality. I didn’t have an imaginary friend as there wasn’t time for that, but I did allow my thoughts to wander into far off directions.

My second grade teacher, Mrs. Matson, truly loved books and loved to read. At the beginning of our class reading competition, she told all of us that if we read books, we could go anywhere in the world, meet other children and learn anything we wanted because books allowed you to learn and grow and discover really cool stuff.

Which was good news to me as I dealt with some really dark days as a child. I needed to discover really cool stuff and reading provided an escape.

I came in second in that reading competition. I still love to read and still believe books – especially printed books – fuel your desires and dreams.

Ah, but I digress – or is that wandering off?

Pay Attention!

Anyway – back to paying attention.

Life gets so hectic and off-kilter that sometimes we don’t pay attention to the signals, signs, coincidences and serendipities that happen all around us guiding us toward discovering really cool stuff. As in the desires we have. (Guilty as charged!)

What I mean by that is this: you have dreams and aspirations and when you allow your mind to wander off to your happy place, your subconscious mind goes looking for opportunities to turn your happy place into your reality.

Where are these signs?

(Seriously, y’all I’m overdue for a good coincidence or two!)

So often, the daily mental chatter takes over my life. I’ve talked before about how difficult it is for me to meditate because of my “monkey mind”. I sincerely believe all the hullabaloo and rat race keeps me on edge.

I’ve struggled with this. Sometimes, I get frustrated with what I don’t have that it becomes difficult to open my heart and eyes to see what I do have. This has been a real battle in my journey to realize that I have so much.

Please don’t misunderstand. I choose to be a very grateful person. But, there’s times when I wish I had something different than what’s in front of me. My sense is, in that moment, this annoying feeling has to do with impatience in reaching my dreams.

Do you ever feel like this?

Aromatherapy and Self Awareness

Back to signals, signs and coincidences – they’re all around us! It may be a song that plays over and over and catches your attention, the random subject of an email, an overheard snippet of a conversation, a billboard or even a license plate with a message for you at that moment.

Open your mind and heart and allow the coincidences and serendipities of life to seep into your consciousness. I truly believe in order to do this, you must have an open heart and a willingness to see your life in a different way.

My favorite color is purple, so for the next week, I’m going to be on the lookout for something purple that’s extraordinary. I’ll let you know next week what I find.

What do you wish would show up in your life? What are you looking for that’s different from what you see right now?

The Third Eye Chakra Aromatherapy Rollerball is meant to help with your awareness – paying attention, if you will. It helps balance your intuition energy center which is called the third eye and is located between your eyebrows.

If you have headaches, difficulty concentrating or maybe can’t see out of the box you’re in (I’ve been there!), it could very well be your third eye Chakra is out of balance.

I deeply believe that aromatherapy has transformed my life and I know how much good it can do for balancing your body, mind and spirit.

When I sit down to write, things come into my mind and they go right to my keyboard. If they come to my mind, then I know there’s someone out there who needs a glimpse of something different and sharing that with you may make a huge difference in your life. Aromatherapy can help to turn that glimpse into awareness.

That’s what makes me a very different aromatherapist.

Wanna talk? You can visit me at the events I attend, at my awesome studio in Kernersville, send an email or fill out this contact form.

How can I help you today?

Blessings,

Melissa