Sunday, March 27, 2016

The Effects



Dear Old Friend,

You’ve certainly known me long enough to be aware that I tend to get pretty animated about the things I believe in.  I have been told that I would make a good salesperson because of that tendency; but, years ago I discovered that was not necessarily the case when I tried my hand at selling furniture as a way to support my family.  I inevitably sent people home to “think about it” because I could not bear to be pushy.  Although, truth be told, I was never passionate about furniture, which is why I jumped at an office position as soon as one opened up.  But, if you get me started on something I am passionate about, like the gospel, I can’t shut up! And, while nothing will ever surpass the gospel or my children and grandchildren as far as passions go, I have apparently found a new one; quite unintentionally.

My daughter, a mother of two young boys, is very health conscious.  She is always looking for ways to do things naturally, removing as many additives and chemicals from their lives as possible.  Not too long ago she mentioned to me that she was interested in learning more about Essential Oils.  I nodded encouragingly, but I thought of it as just another trend du jour; something that all the young mothers-in-the-know were getting into.  Initially I paid little attention.  Then, as she learned more, she kept talking to me about it, and, wanting to be a supportive mom, I listened and asked a few questions.  When she signed up so that she could get a discount on the oils she was buying and offered me her discount on any products I might be interested in trying, I graciously ordered a couple of oils which I thought I might possibly use so that she could get money toward the oils she wanted to buy. 

You see where this is going, right?  You know that my shoulder and neck have been hurting since my car accident, despite pain meds and a chiropractor, so I wasn't expecting much when I tried one of the oil blends on that area; but, to my amazement, I got so much relief that I had the first good night’s sleep I’d had in months. Soon, I had my own discount, and a kit full of oils.  When one of the oil blends in my kit took away my toothache pain, which ibuprofen hadn’t even touched, I was hooked! 

While I am all for young mothers being proactive by trying to find ways of eliminating as many drugs and chemicals as possible from their children’s lives, you and I are Baby Boomers! We’re a part of that great generation which is now completely falling apart!  Most of us are walking pharmacies, probably in large part due to all of the drugs and chemicals we have been exposed to across the years. 

Case in point:  I have GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).  Before I discovered Proton Pump Inhibitors (like Prilosec, Nexium and Protonix) I lived in fear of waking up at night with the horrendously corrosive stomach acid backing up into my throat.  When that occurred, I couldn’t breathe and coughing only seemed to make it worse. It was a terrifying experience.  For me, those drugs were life-altering and I have taken them for many years. 

Then, recently, I began seeing articles about them. The first one was after I was diagnosed with osteopenia (bone loss), the forerunner of osteoporosis, where the bones become weak and brittle. The article indicated a possible link between that condition and PPI’s.

Then, I saw this article, which suggests a 44% higher risk of dementia for those using PPI’s. Forty-four percent!!!

And the final straw was this article regarding increased risk for heart attacks down the road, with use of PPI's.

I was stunned, and felt caught between a rock and a hard place! I couldn’t imagine going back to the dread of throat-paralyzing stomach acid, but the alternative looming possibilities certainly didn’t seem like a beneficial trade.

Enter oils.  I was pretty scared to stop the PPI’s, because I read that there would initially be an overproduction of acid, but I found an oil blend which I could take internally, a couple of drops in a teaspoon of honey, and it worked immediately to regulate and maintain!  I have only used it one to two times a week, and have experienced no problems at all!

A long time ago I was struck by the thought that there is simply no perfect way for humans to deal with all of the effects of living in a fallen world.  We do one thing and it unbalances something else and leads to a different set of problems.  As far as sin itself is concerned, there is a perfect answer, but it is not from any human wisdom or effort. It is the perfect sacrifice of God’s only Son; His perfectly obedient life for my sinful life; His torturous death as the penalty for sin, which should have been my penalty.

But, as far as the effects on our bodies, we do what we can to correct what we can and then trust our feeble frames to our faithful creator.  It’s all grace.

Love Always,

Bonnie

P.S. If you have any questions, email me at theoilofgrace@gmail.com

2 comments:

  1. I have stage 2 kidney disease..what do u reccomend?

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    1. If you're willing, please email me at theoilofgrace@gmail.com.

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