You may have noticed my increasing interest in essential oils and natural solutions over the last year. Cutting down on toxic chemicals in my skin care, hair care and cleaning products, eating less processed, more natural food and using essential oils to improve my health and help me cut down on pain killers has really improved my health. I suffer from severe chronic upper back, neck and shoulder pain, have an autoimmune thyroid condition and a few other issues.
My job as a knitting designer and teacher is very busy, especially during the autumn and winter months. And for the last couple of years there have been times I've really been struggling to cope. 18 months ago, I was feeling really awful and decided what I was doing wasn't working and I had to try something different! There were several different areas of my life that needed an overhaul - my diet, weight, fitness, pain management were a few of those. I felt I was hurtling towards 50 (which will be next year!) and my health felt out of control. I had to do something now or it'd be too late.
It's never too late to improve your health but I feel like 50 is a big milestone and a good goal to aim for. I'd used essential oils before so I got a few from local health shops and Boots (a pharmacy chain in the UK). I wasn't sure if they were working or not, to be honest. So I took the plunge and got three DoTerra essential oils - Smart/Slim & Sassy Metabolic Blend, Peppermint Touch (a roller bottle) and Citrus Bliss Inspiring Blend. I've no idea now why I chose such a random mix!
I immediately noticed a difference with the peppermint. I bought the Touch roller which comes pre-diluted with fractionated coconut oil in a roller bottle. And even diluted it smelt stronger than the bottle of 'pure' peppermint I had bought from Boots. I gradually built my collection of oils.
To start with I targeted sleep and energy. I knew if I could sleep better I'd have more energy during the day to cope with the pain. That summer I also developed a severe pain in my knee which was affecting my sleep.
When you join DoTerra as a wholesale customer (which just means you get your own account and get 25% off anything you order plus the chance to get the free oil of the month, monthly discounts and points back on your orders if you order regularly), you get plugged into education on how to use the oils and other products DoTerra offer. You don't get that if you buy oils from the health food shop etc. I know you can search online, buy a book etc but being plugged into a community of people who are on the same journey as you is really powerful.
I started exploring using DoTerra to deal with pain. I was told once again by my doctor that I had to try to cut down on the strong painkillers I was taking 8 each of Tramadol and Co-codamol per day (both are controlled drugs in the UK) and I took another 2 of each if I woke up in the night which was at least 3-4 times a week. I'd tried cutting down on painkillers several times without any success.
This time I managed to do it! I now take 5 each of Tramadol and Co-codamol per day and by the end of the year my goal is 4 of each per day. I've also cut my anti-inflammatory tablets from 2 to 1 tablet per day.
Want to know how I did it? Yesterday in my new Facebook group, Natural Living with Anniken Allis, I did a webinar on Living with Chronic Pain where I shared which essential oils and supplements are good for supporting chronic pain conditions. You can watch the webinar here - request to join the Natural Living Facebook group then click on Videos to find the webinar.
Does your knitting cause you pain? Last week I taught a webinar on what to do if your knitting is causing you pain. I covered different knitting styles, trying different knitting needles made from different materials and I talked about which essential oils are good for pain relief. You can watch the replay in the Natural Living Facebook group - click on Videos to find it.
I created the Natural Living Facebook Group to inspire and teach women (although men are welcome too!) how to improve their lives. I'll be sharing what I've learnt and continue to learn on my journey to better health and I hope that you will join me! I hope that we can inspire each other to live a healthier life. Each week I'll do a Live Webinar on a different topic. This Friday, 23 November, the topic will be Mood, Stress & Anxiety. This is a topic I know a lot of us struggle with. Join the Natural Living Facebook Group now to watch the webinar on Friday at 14.30 UK time or watch the replay later.
Let's inspire each other to improve our health and therefore our lives! Join me here!
Inspiring women to live a healthier, more natural life!
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