81=Vindication!

Since August I have been treating my high cholesterol with doTerra essential oils alone (no statins, no Red Yeast Rice). Monday I got a blood draw and the results are in: in the intervening 6 months, my HDL went from 60 to 81, and my LDL dropped from 136 to 117. Total number remained the same (227 vs. the earlier 225) but what a huge ratio change for the better! Husband says, "Numbers don't lie--I want numbers like that!" so he began the regimen this morning: One drop of Clary Sage over the liver and a drop of Lemongrass and/or Wild Orange on the tongue morning and evening. Side effects: 0.

Essential healing

Here's a record of my recent experiences with essential oils so far:

1. Burned my baby finger getting homemade chips out of the oven. Immediately put lavender and Melaleuca oils on it and the pain was gone. Next day there was a faint white mark, but no blistering and no pain. (8-5-12)
2. Had an outbreak of skin issues in my outer ear. Put Melaleuca on it before bed and by morning it was more cleared up than it has been in months. (8-8-12)
3. Had a suspicious "thing" on my forehead, thought was a pimple at first, but it didn't go away for 3 weeks. After a week of Melaleuca, the outer skin fell off and it was perfectly smooth underneath. (8-7-12)
4. As I was trying to sleep, my right nostril was blocked. I put some Breathe on my neck and in a few minutes I could breathe fine out of both nostrils. (8-10-12)
5. I had been off Red yeast rice for a few months, then went on it for a week before my oils arrived, to get a good start on lowering my cholesterol. Once I got the oils, I stopped the RYR (7-23-12) and used only Clary Sage morning and night over my liver and a couple drops of Lemongrass in water 2x/day. After 2 weeks of the oils, I got my lipids tested (8-6-2012), and they were the awesome! Total = 202; HDL 71; LDL 120; triglycerides 57; glucose 88; ratio 2:8. My highest without anything was total 275.
6. Plantar faciitis pain for 6 months (1-30-12). Two days (August 6-8) of Deep Blue Rub and Cypress and I was pain-free two days in a row. Have a bit of residual tonight, but nothing like it was even a week ago. 
7. Slim & Sassy in my water definitely curbs my appetite!
8. Had a tooth sensitivity the other day and put some clove oil on it. In 2 days the sensitivity was gone.
9. I think there is a definite mind/body connection to the efficacy of the oils. Whenever I try to apply oils to Rich's ailments, there is zero effect...He's not much of a believer.

Good news, bad news

I had an "aha" moment during another news flash about the problems with statin drugs. I knew Red Yeast Rice was a natural substance that provided the same cholesterol-lowering properties of statins, but (I assumed) without the side effects of being a "drug." I've been taking Red Yeast Rice for several years and it has lowered my cholesterol from 270 to 171 while actually raising the HDLs. About a year ago I developed a pain in my right arm muscle that I attributed to overdoing it on the weight training, but no amount of tapering off or stopping upper-body weights altogether made the pain go away. I wondered if maybe the Red Yeast Rice was causing muscle issues like a statin. I went off it, cold turkey, last week and 5 days later I don't have the pain in my arm....So, that's the good news. The bad news is my cholesterol is probably creeping back up into the 270s again. At this same time (synchronicity at work) I read this article on foods that fight allergies, (my "seasonal" allergies have decided to be year-round) and almost every one of them also lowers cholesterol! So here is my new "diet": dark red and purple-colored foods, green leafy vegetables, turmeric (hello, curry!), onions, berries, cabbage, cauliflower, nuts, oranges and lemons (especially the pith--I now eat one whole lemon, pith, rind and all, every day!)