I haven’t posted much in my health category. I have to admit I’m a bit nervous about it. People come to their convictions pretty strongly in this area, I have found.
And I don’t want this to be a strong dividing line between friends.
Personally, I see great advantage to using a multitude of approaches to health. It’s not one size fits all for us.
For our family, we start by striving to maintain our health. We eat real food, prepared mostly from scratch. I don’t say that to brag or bind anyone to my way of doing things. I just think it tastes better coming from real food rather than a box. And, let’s face it. It’s cheaper when you are cooking for many people to grab your own ingredients rather than a small amount that might come in an expensive package. So, I have learned to cook this way. And, I do think it is healthier for our bodies to eliminate as many chemical-sounding things from our diet. I honestly can’t imagine doing the box thing anymore. It isn’t appealing, and I don’t think it could possibly be much faster than cooking from scratch once you have the technique down, but I suppose it might be. One caveat: two of my children like boxed Mac & Cheese. I don’t fight it. I used to like it, too.
And, by and large, we don’t drink sodas. We seldom have any juice in the house unless we are having guests, and I remember to buy some. We are water drinkers. Almost exclusively, except for the tea and coffee, of course.
So, we tend not to get sick very often. We live post-fall, so we do get sick on occasion. What I do in those situations depends on what is going around and what I think we have caught.
I have experimented with various herbal tinctures, homeopathy, essential oils, and chiropractic care. I have found varying degrees of success with each of these methods. I have a couple of desk references that I turn to for advice on our medical care. I always seek that advice when we are first facing an illness. I love how thorough they are. And I seek out people I know are knowledgeable in this area if I am stumped.
Lately, I have been concentrating on learning more about how to use therapeutic grade essential oils. What I love about them is that they are made from the plants that God created. We read references in scripture about their use in biblical times. They are not chemically created. They are not going to come with a long list of adverse reactions and complicated disorders resulting from their use like pharmaceuticals. Nor do they come with a long list of ingredients. I like that.
What bugs me about them is how the new age movement uses them without glorifying God in the process. That can tend to make them look like they should be off-limits for the Christian in some people’s minds. I get that. But, so many other gifts from God have been abused by non-Christians (and Christians alike, sadly). Like food. And sex. And money. And alcohol. None of those things are condemned in scripture when used properly, with thankfulness to God, in the context of which they are given (ie, sex within the bounds of marriage). It’s when we start idolizing them that we get in trouble.
So, can Christians use essential oils, while glorifying Him for His beautiful gift to us in healing? I think so. I am so thankful for what I have learned about them, and how my family has benefited so much from their use. They have become my primary go-to resource for our health needs. From a cough to vomiting to sleepless nights, I have found essential oils to be an incredible aid to our family.
I have also just dipped my toes into the world of Juice Plus+. My mom has begun taking the Fruit, Vegetable, and Vineyard blend capsules to see if it will help her body during her fight with cancer and the chemotherapy that goes with it. My prayer is that she will find great aid on a cellular level. I have heard so many amazing testimonies about how Juice Plus+ has helped people in their difficult cancer battles. Stories about putting it in the feeding tube of a patient who just couldn’t eat anymore. Another story of a woman with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma who was told fifteen years ago that she would have to have chemo for the rest of her life to keep the cancer at bay, who during her second round of chemo started taking Juice Plus+ and has never had to have chemo again.
And not only that, more than 20 Juice Plus+ research studies have been conducted in leading hospitals and universities around the world. So, we’re not just talking anecdotal stories, which I’m glad about.
I have heard how excellent juicing is for a body. Getting good quality, organic fruit and vegetables in the quantity needed for juicing is extremely expensive. Juice Plus+ appears to be an alternative way to get those nutrients in our bodies with less mess, less expense, but with all the benefits. So, we will see how it goes. One benefit is that when I bought the Juice Plus+ capsules for my mom, they gave me a free supply for one of my children. So, I have one of my children on the Juice Plus+ for free. As long as my mom is on them, my daughter will have them. And, if we decide to put anyone else in our family on them, we get another supply for a second child, and so on. Not a bad perk!
I’d love to hear any stories you might have about Juice Plus+. Have you used it before? What are your thoughts? I was telling my hair stylist about it, and she said she used to take the Gummies they sell. She said they were so good that she would want to eat them like candy. So, that’s good news for the kiddos. You know how some gummy vitamins aren’t very tasty? Apparently that isn’t the case for these!
What are you doing to keep your family healthy? I am constantly desiring to learn more, research more, and learn how to better care for my family. I will say that most of my children have never been on antibiotics. Ever. A couple have, but that was before I knew anything about how to keep my family healthy and using more natural means for fighting off disease. I’m not saying that we would never use them. They are certainly valuable in some cases. God has obviously spared us those critical health crises that require the aid of the big guns. But, the whole idea of taking them for every sniffle is beyond me. We don’t use Tylenol, Advil, etc., very often either. Very rarely. They can be toxic for your body. Tylenol can cause issues with your liver. Advil can cause issues with your kidneys. And more. Google side effects if you haven’t before. I used to think that we could take as much as we want, as often as we want, that it was just free for my body to use as I wanted. Of course, that was MY faulty thinking. They don’t say that on the bottle. They give dosage recommendations and cautions. But, I never much thought about that.
So, I’m learning. Hopefully, I will continue to learn. My desire is that my children will know the things I am struggling to learn and memorize as more of a second nature kind of thing. They already know which essential oils to go to for many things they might encounter: burns, bug bites, stuffy noses, coughs, sore throats. They don’t even have to ask me anymore. They just go to the oils and apply them as needed, or diffuse them beside their chairs or beds. I love it. And they are learning how to look things up in the desk reference. They come to me for a second opinion, or for counsel on how to specifically use an oil if they haven’ t used it before. We’re learning together, which is pretty neat.
*Note: In our home, we choose to use Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils because we believe they are the best on the market. When looking for essential oils, be sure to use only therapeutic grade, which are safe for internal use. If you would like more information about Young Living Essential Oils, please feel free to contact me either through a comment on this post, or through my contact form.
Are the Juice Plus Capsules sold in the market, like Sprouts? I have wanted to do essential oils, unfortunately the price of them does not fit in our budget. I enjoy reading and learning.
Hi Kelly,
No, they aren’t available in the supermarkets. I can get them for you though, even delivered directly to your home. You can go to my website to find more info on how to order here: http://tc20595.juiceplus.com/. Or, I can talk directly to you about it. On that link, you will find the “about us” link. In the drop down menu, they have a library category with a few videos that explain the research behind JP+. It’s pretty neat. I’m still learning the basics, but from what I am learning, I am impressed. Still have so much more to learn though! Also, since you said you enjoy reading and learning (you’re a girl after my heart!), check out the clinical research tab. Fascinating!
Hopefully, more people will be able to jump into the discussion and share their experience.
Blessings to you!
Tonya
Good post, Tonya, as always.
One question and one thought.
I don’t know a single thing about Juice +, so my question isn’t about that product in particular, but about juicing vs. whole fruit vitamixing (I know, that’s not a word ). Have you any idea why juicing might have more or better benefits than just making a smoothie with the whole fruit/veggie? Do you think it would be because you can drink more clear fluids than more dense fluids, so you’d end up getting more nutrients/vitamins in? I love my vitamix, being able to toss in all kinds of fruits and veggies whole, but maybe for health benefits (with the exception of the extra fiber from vitamixing) it’d be better to juice? Just curious. Of course, it’d be much easier to just swallow a neat little pill.
Re oils and new age influence, we just can’t stress enough the importance of learning about and steering clear of certain, specific practices associated with some of them. Oils themselves ~ a-ok. Some practices which are promoted by some companies and their founders ~ not ok at all. We’ve really got to be wise in this regard and not easily dismiss the concerns some are raising with regard to the latter, while still reaping whatever benefits the oils themselves may provide.
Always love reading what you have to share and how you share it. So tender hearted and sweet.
Thanks for your comment, Debbie.
Great question about the juicing/Vitamixing. I wonder if the juicing gives you the bulk of the nutrients in a smaller end product, so you can add more to the serving? I don’t know. But, I would think it would leave the problem of too much sugar without the benefit of the fiber to counter it. I love my vitamix also.
With the JP+, you do need to drink 8oz of water with them to ensure that they are rehydrated in your system. It’s the real fruit/vegies that you are getting, not some sort of recreation of fruit/vegies.
And with the oils, I completely agree with you! We have to use discernment, and not use practices steeped in new age/occultist practices. We must be wise as serpents, gentle as doves.
And, thanks so much for your encouragement. Funny, I feel that I just ramble. It’s what’s on my heart, so I put it out there. I’m honestly somewhat surprised that people are able to follow my train of thought sometimes. haha
Blessings,
Tonya
So are the Juice+ pills basically just dehydrated fruit/veggies?
And if I could be just half as wise as you are when you ramble, I’d be glad of it.
Yes, Debbie, they are. They have a proprietary process to dehydrate them so quickly so that they don’t lose any of the nutrients. At least that’s how I am understanding it. Every ingredient is listed on the label. If it isn’t on the label, it isn’t in the ingredients. No fillers. No junk.
HA! You are quite wise! I learn so much from you.
Blessings,
Tonya
First of all, you are brave to write a post on this topic! The can of worms is now open (though not to eat). I like your comments about eating real food — though I have found that limiting/eliminating meat/milk/eggs has benefitted me, as well as trying to eat a variety of foods including the often overlooked greens, nuts & seeds. I also eat/drink soy. You can find a lot of plant-based benefit information from places like http://www.nutritionfacts.org, engine2 diet, http://www.forksoverknives.com/, http://www.drmcdougall.com/, Joel Fuhrman “Super Immunity”, The China Study, and many other places. Dr. Greger (on the nutritionfacts web site) has had negative things about JuicePlus so I’m not into that. I prefer smoothies (whole food, fiber and all) to juicing, where much of the benefit is tossed out. We ate a lot of kale this summer in smoothies. Being close to vegan I take occasional B12, and if I feel something coming on I’ll take a little extra zinc and vitamin D (especially this time of year.)
I balk at essential oil use, though I admit I have peppermint, tea tree, & oregano on hand. They are botanical extracts, but are not actually “oil” — for some reason the name bothers me. Some folks are so into the oil thing it starts to feel like a cult from my perspective! And the whole new-age sort of thing — yea. It can get weird.
Amen to your comments about OTC — there’s a place for it but we go sparingly. As for antibiotics, I know I would have at least 2 less children around in this world without them, needing highly invasive surgery as babies. We probably go to food for help the way you use oils — garlic, ginger, spices, etc, there is much to learn about. The only other thing I would add to your post (which you probably skipped because it’s assumed) is prayer for healing. I often forget that this should be my first action before looking for any other health-promoting avenue.
Hi Lida,
I did open that can, didn’t I? 😉 {and hence the fear and trembling…}
I believe the forksoverknives people promote JP+. But, I need to verify that to be certain. Kale is fabulous! I discovered it this summer, and loved having it as the main green in my salad, also putting it in my wraps and such. But, you know my family: they are not real strong in the eating greens department.
We have had great success with our oils. I know some people just don’t get it, and that’s okay. Again, I don’t think it’s one size fits all. We have benefited greatly from them. We have our favorites, like you.
Oh, and THANK YOU for mentioning the prayer aspect! That is fundamental and primary in all situations. God is the Great Physician. And, yes, it is my presupposition that we begin there. Should have stated it though. We’ve seen way too many cases where clearly God is the One who confounded the doctors. He alone heals through the various means we employ.
Blessings,
Tonya
Smoothies are great for consuming kale for the non-greens enthusiasts! I even made kale margaritas this summer
Neal grew 3 varieties and they did well — have bag-fulls in the freezer now.
You know, you make my husband nervous. 😉
Tonya, you have started the Hazardous Journeys for Women by doing this post…brave woman…wife of brave man.
Nice job with the balance and love.
Bill