While everyone at work is losing their voice and coming down with the flu I very happily haven’t gotten more than a scratchy throat and a light cough! Thank you Immune Blend, lemon, and oregano!! 😀

Whenever you feel yourself coming down with something just swish, gargle and swallow an Immune Blend and oregano (if you can handle it, it is a hot oil. Don’t use more than a few drops a day for more than 10 days of oregano. It builds sticks around) or lemon essential oil EVERY HOUR, and you’ll be feeling better within a few days or (if you catch it really fast) a couple hours!

For the cough and chest colds, a respiratory blend is best. I just rub it on my chest and sinuses every hour when I feel I’m coming down with something and it has the same effect on the respiratory system as the other three oils have on the head & throat cold and the flu.

You can also use respiratory blends by rubbing a drop between your hands or put a drop in a cup and then cover your mouth and nose and inhale for a few minutes and it’ll open your airways. It’s also good to put on your chest and sinuses before working out. Don’t get it too close to your eyes though since there is usually peppermint in it and that’ll make your eyes water!

If you do get it too close, or in your eyes, don’t panic. If it’s a good quality essential oil it won’t do any damage, just sting for a few minutes. You can rinse it out with milk, or if it’s just on the skin too close to the eye, you can help dilute the oil by applying a cloth with coconut or olive oil on it to the area.

Use Therapeutic Grade Oils!

You’ll want to use therapeutic grade oils because they are the highest grade essential oil on the market so you don’t have to worry about any negative side-effects that lower and synthetic grades can sometimes cause. Be sure to choose a good brand too that thoroughly tests every batch of oils to make sure that no pesticides or harmful chemicals are present and that all the many (sometimes up to 20) constituents (these are the parts of the essential oils that give them their scientifically proven healing properties) are not only present, but are present in the right amounts. Keep in mind that these are healing compounds and you want to use the best! I’ve used several brands. Don’t go cheap when it comes to essential oils. You won’t get all the health benefits, and possibly negative ones, from cheap brands. I know personally because I’ve used cheap brands. They just don’t compare. Disclaimer

I know therapeutic grade oils seem expensive, but remember that these are also highly concentrated compounds. You’ll usually use just a couple drops of oil at a time. A drop is a serving! And if you calculate the price per serving is pennies. The peppermint I buy, for instance, is 11 cents or less per drop. Lemon is 4 cents. It’s a deal!