What You Should Know About Essential Oils

Hi friends! In this episode, I’m talking about a topic that I really enjoy - Essential Oils! They have been all the rage for quite a while now, but today I really wanted to get into the basics of what they are, how they actually work, what safety considerations we need to follow, as well as what some of my favorite oils are and how I use them. 

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What are Essential Oils?

Essential Oils are concentrated aromatic liquids that are derived from various parts of plants. They are the true essence of the plant and have many useful properties for the plant, like attracting pollinators, repelling pests, etc. but they also have useful properties for humans. Pure essential oils are harvested at their peak, properly distilled, and completely unaltered or added to in any way. 

It’s important to note that essential oils can not cure anything. They are meant to be used to ease common symptoms and support the body’s natural healing abilities. They are considered a form of alternative medicine but should not be used to replace prescription medications or other therapies prescribed by your physician. 

What should you look for in an essential oil?

The two things that matter most when considering essential oils are quality and purity. You’ll often hear about different grades of essential oils - therapeutic and food grade. What’s important to know here is that there is no official grading system for essential oils in the US (it’s often just a marketing tactic); however, there are a few markers of both quality and purity to look for. An essential oil should be clearly labeled with its full botanical name and not contain any additional ingredients, fillers, or something else that ers, or additives. The essential oil company should be completely transparent about their quality standards and the ingredients/processes that they use by providing a GC/MS report or an equivalent (this states exactly what is in the bottle of oil). It’s also important that the essential oil be stored in a glass bottle that protects the oil from light, such as an amber glass bottle. 

How do essential oils work? 

Essential oils can have many beneficial effects, which we’ll get into in a minute, but first I want to explain how they interact with the body. Inhaling essential oils interacts with the olfactory system in the body, which stimulates the limbic system, and then the hypothalamus in the brain. This, in turn, affects the cells in our body. For example, many essential oils help with emotional health by promoting relaxation, energy, focus, or reducing worry or nervous energy. This happens through this process of stimulating the limbic system, impacting the hypothalamus, and then triggering cell memory - especially when the scent is associated with feelings of calm or comfort. 

How do you use essential oils safely?

There are two main ways to use essential oils - inhalation and topical application. There are a few different ways to inhale essential oils but by far the easiest is by using a diffuser. This disperses the oil into the air which allows you to both enjoy the aroma of the oil but also experience the therapeutic effects through the process I just explained. Most aromatherapists suggest diffusing for about 30-minutes at a time. 

You can also benefit from essential oils by applying them topically. Many essential oils are very beneficial for skin health, muscle pain, and some even believe they can help with inflammation. When using an essential oil topically, it’s extremely important to dilute the oil properly with a carrier oil/lotion. Most oils should have a dilution guide right on their label or at the very least on the company’s website. There are a lot choices to use for a carrier oil. My personal favorite is fractionated coconut oil, but jojoba oil, argan oil are all great choices.  You can also buy pre-diluted oils and lotions - just be careful to check the label for additives or unnecessary ingredients. 

It’s also important that if you are using oils around pets or children that you check to make sure that they are safe for that. Also, if you are pregnant or nursing, there are certain oils that aren’t safe during that time, so make sure you are doing your research. 

What are some of my favorite oils? 

I’m by no means an expert on essential oils, but I have been using them for several years and have found them to be so helpful! I don’t really get into the whole which brand is the best discussion because I feel like so much of it is marketing but obviously, as I shared before quality matters, so do research on the brand that you use and don’t just grab something from the shelf at the grocery store without reading about it first. Personally, I mostly use Plant Therapy oils. I really appreciate their transparency, their customer service, and educational resources, and I really love their prices. Again, that’s not to throw any shade at the other brands, that’s just what has worked the best for me and my family. 

Before I wrap up today, I want to share with you a few oils that I always try to keep on hand and why I love them so much. 

Lemon 

It’s such a bright and cheery scent. It can help with improving both your mood and ability to focus. It’s also great to use around the house for cleaning. I add it to my all-purpose cleaner, use it to scrub my sink, remove stickers and labels from bottles, and so much more. 

Lavender

It’s probably the most common essential oil and has endless benefits. It helps to promote relaxation and sleep. It can be used topically to soothe burns or other skin irritations and it has antimicrobial properties. 

Peppermint

Another really popular oil that is helpful for so much. It helps soothe skin by providing a cooling effect that is also really helpful for muscle pain. It is great for helping calm digestive discomfort and reducing nausea, as well as helping with tension headaches. It also is great for diffusing and promotes energy and mental clarity. 

Frankincense

This is a great oil for skin health. It can help with aging and improving skin elasticity. It has been shown to help support lung health and clear breathing. It can help ease aching joints and calm inflammation. It also has emotional health benefits by promoting a sense of calm. 

Clary Sage

This oil is one of my favorites and most used. It can promote a feeling of calm and reduce feelings of anxiety. It can also help with PMS symptoms by providing relief for cramps as well as helping to stabilize your mood. I consider this one a must-have. 

Germ Fighter

This is an essential oil blend from Plant Therapy (it is comparable to Thieves oil) and contains Lemon, Clove Bud, Eucalyptus Globulus, Cinnamon Cassia, and Rosemary oils. It’s great for supporting the immune system. I use this in our hand sanitizer, as well as apply topically when I feel like one of us is fighting something off. I also diffuse this regularly in our home, especially right now. I also just love the scent! It smells like Christmas to me!

I hope this has been helpful for you! Whether you are on the fence about essential oils and wondering what all the fuss is about or whether you’ve been using them for a while but didn’t really know all the details behind how they work, I hope you now feel more educated and empowered to use essential oils for yourself and your family. 

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A Few of My Favorite Less-Toxic Swaps

Hi friends! In today’s episode, I want to share a few of my favorite less-toxic swaps that I feel have made the biggest impact on me and my family. 

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When it comes to learning about toxins and how they can affect the body, it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed. Where do you start, how do you know what to swap, etc. I remember feeling so overwhelmed when I first started learning about all this stuff and kind of like I needed to just chuck everything I owned and start over. Obviously, that’s not realistic or even smart. The goal is never to bring more stress or fear/anxiety into your life bc those things are just as, if not more, toxic than all the chemicals. I have an entire episode dedicated to how to start the process of reducing toxin exposure in your life, so if you find yourself feeling that way, go back and give that one a listen. Today I just want to highlight three of my favorite swaps that we made and why I feel like they’ve had a big impact on my health and our home. 

Berkey Water Filter System

First, I want to start with the one we use the most often - the Berkey water filtration system. We use our Berkey every single day, multiple times a day - it even travels with us when we can take it. It is by far one of my favorite less-toxic investments that we have made. 

Let me back up and explain what it is: The Berkey Filtration system is a counter-top water purifying system that removes unhealthy contaminants and impurities from your tap water.  

We chose the Berkey because I wanted a filtered water option for our family and I wanted an option that was sustainable and affordable. Even though there is some government regulation on what is allowed in our tap water, I knew that it wasn’t really a safe option for drinking due to some testing we had done previously, but then I also looked up a contaminant report (from Berkey) for water coming from our water company and it found that 11 contaminants that exceeded the EWG’s guidelines and each of them were believed to be carcinogenic (increases risk for cancer). 

This wasn’t an overnight switch for us. We started by switching to bottled water, then a water cooler in the house, then finally the Berkey. For us, the final deciding factor was the amount of money we were spending each month just on water! The amount that we drink and use for cooking, etc. it saved us money, in the long run, to go ahead and invest in the Berkey system. 

Some of the things I love about it is that it doesn’t filter out minerals, which can lead to dehydration; it doesn’t require power,  so can be used in emergencies, and if there are unsafe water conditions in our area; it can be easily disassembled/reassembled so it can travel with us as well. 

I highly recommend switching to the Berkey! As of recording this a few of the sizes were sold out, so if you’re interested in getting one, I suggest you don’t wait! We have the Big Berkey which holds a little over 2 gallons at a time. 

Essential Oil Diffusers and Safe Candles 

The next less-toxic swap that I wanted to highlight today is essential oil diffusers - specifically switching them out for scented candles. I know… it’s about to be Fall, and candles are so cozy, especially those cute pumpkin ones that Target just put on the shelves. I hear you! But did you know that most regular candles actually pollute the air of your home? Most are made from paraffin when burned emits chemicals like benzene (which scores an F from the EWG with high concern for increased risk of cancer, genetic defects, reproductive issues in males, asthma, and much more), toluene (which scores a 10 also with reproductive and developmental concerns). Unfortunately, some of the soy candles aren’t much better because they are full of synthetic fragrances, which are often also made of petro-chemicals (petroleum-based just like paraffin - therefore having all the same carcinogenic and reproductive dangers) as well as phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors. Not to mention, the allergy/respiratory irritant factor associated with synthetic fragrances. 

I’ve always been extremely sensitive to fragrances and even when I used to buy conventional candles, there were only a couple of scents that I could tolerate without having a reaction.  So what do we do instead? 

The good news is that there are options that not only are good for our health but also can actually help clean the air in our homes. I love using essential oil diffusers in my home and personally, I feel like they are also cozy and inviting. I love that I can actually support the health of my family while making my home smell good! There are so many fun diffusers on the market, some with flickering effects, just like a candle. Some of my favorite scents to use are lavender, orange, and frankincense together, or just using Germ Fighter (or Thieves) which smells like a holiday candle to me! In my bedroom, I love using lavender, of course, but also Clary Sage - both smell amazing and help to induce deep, restful sleep. 

I’ve also recently learned about a few candle companies that are making safe candles from 100% beeswax (which actually cleans the air in your home by emitting negative ions) or another clean vegetable oil source, and scented purely with essential oils. I haven’t personally tried any of these yet, but I have my eye on a couple made by Fontana Candle Company that I want to try for the fall/holiday season. 

Laundry Detergent and Cleaning Products 

The last less-toxic swap I want to talk about today is laundry detergent and cleaning products. Laundry detergent is one of the first swaps I recommend to my clients because #1 - it’s a super easy switch and #2 - your clothes/sheets/towels are touching your body all day/every day. Most regular laundry detergents are full of chemicals like SLS, dioxane, ethoxylates, formaldehyde, and of course - synthetic fragrances. As we just talked about, these chemicals cause very serious concerns for things like endocrine disruption, reproductive issues, respiratory/skin irritation, and even cancer. Our skin is our biggest organ and our clothes sit on our skin all day long. So while many of us may love the lasting scents that may come from our favorite detergents, fragrance softeners, or scent boosters, we have to remember that all of those chemicals are sinking into our skin and into our bloodstream. It’s not worth it! 

Especially when there are so many less-toxic ingredients on the market. My favorite laundry detergent is currently the Thrive Market brand unscented powder (all ingredients score an A or B on EWG). I’ve been using it for probably close to a year and have zero complaints about it. It’s affordable, easy to use, and I just add a couple of drops of essential oils to the bag if I want it to be scented. I’ve also heard great things about the Molly Suds Laundry Powders (also scores an A on EWG) though I haven’t tried it myself. 

The same concerns are true for household cleaners as well. Though those usually don’t touch our skin regularly, we breathe them in while using them and the chemicals emitted from them pollute the air in our homes. Did you know that it’s estimated that the air in our homes is at least 2-5 times more toxic than the air outside? Think about that - with all the air quality issues we worry about polluting the environment outside, inside of our homes is typically worse! 

Branch Basics is a wonderful brand of cleaners (they also have laundry products) and they are an amazing resource for education about toxins in our products and the effects they can have on our health. Again, the Thrive brand has safe options, and personally, I’m a big fan of making my own cleaners. Mainly because it’s the most affordable option for us, and right now I’m in a season where I have the time to do it - not that it takes much time at all. I actually use @alittlelesstoxic’s recipe to make most of my cleaning products. I will link to those in the notes but they are very easy to find on her Instagram feed as well. There are many other clean, safe brands of cleaners out there as well but just be careful about actually looking at the ingredients. Just because something is marketed as being “all-natural” or “green” doesn’t mean it’s actually made with safe ingredients - a lot of that is just marketing. The EWG is my favorite resource for looking up ingredients - simply type in the name of the ingredient and then the word “EWG” into the google search and it should come right - usually the first or second search results listing. 

So those are a few of my favorite less-toxic swaps that I feel have made a huge impact on the health of our family and the air quality of our home. I hope this has been helpful for you and maybe gave you some things to think about. Again, remember the point here isn’t to freak you out or make you panic, but I do want you to be informed about the concerns associated with these toxic ingredients as well as the better, safer choices on the market.

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Living Life 'A Little Less Toxic" with Shawna Holman

In this episode, Shawna Holman of A Little Less Toxic shares how making simple changes over time drastically improved her health and why the ingredients that we put on, in, and around our bodies matter so much. She also shares practical ways to start reducing the toxic burden on our bodies without feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

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Questions answered in this episode…

How did you first learn about the impact of toxins on your health?

Is reducing one’s toxin exposure/burden actually important or just something trendy to market “clean” products? Does using less toxic ingredients really impact our health?

How did you start reducing your toxic-burden? How do you recommend others get started in their own journey?

Learning about toxins can feel overwhelming, what is your encouragement for those who are afraid they can’t live a perfectly “clean” lifestyle?

Resources mentioned in this episode: EWG, Think Dirty - Live Clean App

Follow Shawna in all the places: Instagram, Youtube, alittlelesstoxic.com

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How Adrenal Health Can Affect Your Whole Body with Reed Davis, FDN

Hi friends! In this week’s episode,  I had the opportunity to interview Certified Nutritional Therapist (CNT) and founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® (FDN), Reed Davis. As a Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP), Reed is an expert in functional lab testing and holistic lifestyle medicine. 

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In this episode, he teaches us about adrenal health and how the function of our adrenal glands affects the rest of our overall health. He also shares common lifestyle factors that may negatively affect adrenal health as well as the entire endocrine system. In addition, Reed shares how making changes to those exact same lifestyle factors can help reverse symptoms like chronic fatigue, low energy, brain fog, excess weight gain, and hormonal imbalance (sound familiar?).

You can find more information about Reed and the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition training program that he designed for health coaches by visiting functionaldiagnosticnutrition.com.

024 - How to Reduce Toxin Exposure in Your Everyday Life

Hello friends!! Happy 2020! I’m so happy to be back with you after taking a few weeks off for the holidays. Stepping away and letting my brain rest for a while was so helpful! If you are feeling burnt out, I highly suggest you try taking some time off or downtime in whatever capacity you can - I think it will really help! 

So for today’s episode, I want to talk to you about toxins we are exposed to in regular everyday life, what effect that the repeated exposure is having on our health, and simple ways to help reduce some of that. 

The reality is that there are toxins all around us, all the time, and it is easy to quickly become overwhelmed and frustrated as you start to learn about this topic. I first started learning about environmental toxins and their effect on our bodies during our fertility journey and oh, man - I remember feeling like I just needed to throw away everything in our house and live in a bubble! But something that I want you to remember as we start to get into this a little deeper is that the goal here is not perfection. None of us will ever be able to achieve a perfectly toxin-free existence, and our bodies don’t really need us to. They are designed to be able to handle some exposure - that’s why our bodies have detoxification pathways - we just need to keep them from becoming overloaded and performing at their best. And remember… stressing about your exposure to toxins is just as toxic for your body as the actual toxins themselves - so let’s not do that! Don’t go to either extreme of obsession and worrying about every little thing or feeling like you need to throw out every product in your home but also don’t just bury your head in the sand and ignore it because it feels too big. 

The best way to start the process of reducing your toxin exposure is to become informed.  

Let’s start with how environmental toxins affect our bodies. When we are exposed to something that is toxic to us - could be chemicals found in plastic or aluminum or synthetic fragrances in cleaning products or personal care products, they increase the toxic load on our bodies. 

Our bodies are designed to filter out toxins through our liver, gut, lungs, lymph system and skin.

Our gut, the first line of defense, filters out harmful substances with the use of our microbes and sends them to the liver to be further detoxed out. It’s easy to get into a bad cycle when it comes to toxins and our gut health. We need good gut health and a strong microbiome to help filter out and eliminate toxins we are exposed to, but the chronic exposure to toxins actually has a negative effect on our guts. Keeping our guts happy and healthy is something that takes ongoing attention. You can’t just take one round of probiotics and call it good. 

The liver, our main filtration system, has two detoxification phases, and each is very important. The Phase 1 pathway produces enzymes that change harmful substances and make them more water-soluble and/or oxidizes them. Although necessary, this oxidation process creates harmful free radicals associated with aging, cell damage and some cancers. These free radicals then must be rapidly acted upon by the Phase 2 pathway (conjugation) which uses antioxidants, such as glutathione, to cause them to be harmless. So we really need our livers to be functioning optimally to handle normal day-to-day exposures. If Phase 1 is overactive and Phase 2 is sluggish for any reason, we run a risk of a build-up of the toxic free radicals, which if left unchecked will adversely alter our DNA and can trigger a number of diseases. 

So, if our bodies are designed to “handle” the toxins, what’s the big deal with these environmental toxin exposures? Unfortunately, the number of environmental toxins that we are exposed to just by being alive has increased exponentially in the last several decades. As wonderful as industrial and technological advancements can be, they also have negative side effects. Our bodies, especially our livers, simply can’t keep up with the amount of exposure we are experiencing. There are so many people dealing with chronic health conditions or nagging symptoms that they can’t seem to resolve and a lot of times this is because their livers are overloaded and sluggish due to the number of toxins they are being exposed to on a regular basis. 

The most common toxins that affect us daily (at least that we have any control over) are: 

• Pesticides and herbicides 

These are chemicals most often used on crops (food sources, cotton, etc.) to kill insects or microbes that can cause damage to the plant. The issue with this is that those chemicals alter the quality of the plant which we then consume - and if they are designed to kill microbes, guess what they likely do in the body as well? The chemicals used in these products have been linked to cancer, hormone imbalance, and endocrine system disruption.

• BPAs 

Most of us are familiar with BPA. This is mostly found in plastics (like water bottles, plastic food storage containers, etc.). A lot of products claim to now be BPA free, however, that isn’t regulated, and unfortunately, BPA isn’t the only toxic chemical found in plastic products. These are known to be xenoestrogens (basically their chemical structures allow our bodies to perceive them as estrogens) and can lead to estrogen dominance and hormonal imbalance).

• Phthalates and Parabens

We hear quite a bit about these as well - usually in reference to shampoos, conditioners, hair spray, etc. These are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors, linked to breast cancer and banned in Europe - but unfortunately, not in the US. 

• Synthetic fragrances 

Ugh - this one is especially frustrating to me! If you look at the labels of just about anything, you will see the word “fragrance” or “parfume” - even a lot of “natural” products. The issue here is that there is absolutely no regulation on what those words mean in this context. The word “fragrance” can be used to describe over 4000 different ingredients and several of those have been found to negatively affect the central nervous system. 

• Triclosan

This is a synthetic antibacterial agent the Environmental Protection Agency registers as a pesticide. Triclosan disrupts hormones, can affect sexual function and fertility and may lead to birth defects. Triclosan has been linked to paralysis, suppression of the immune system, brain hemorrhages, and heart problems. It's widely used in antibacterial cleansers, toothpaste, and household products. 

Unfortunately, this list only covers the ones we are likely to encounter in our everyday lives. If you want more in-depth information, I encourage you to do some research on EWG’s website.

So we’ve now talked about how toxins affect the body and which chemicals we are exposed to the most and their specific effects on our health. Now let’s get into what we can actually do about it. 

As I mentioned before, it’s easy to get overwhelmed here so I want to just really focus on ways to get started. If you are like me, this will be a journey. Make one change and then when you are ready, move onto the next thing. A healthy lifestyle is built over time - not overnight. 

Get informed - do some research. 

The EWG is a great resource. There are also a few Instagram accounts that I love to follow for easy-to-understand info like Shawna @alittlelesstoxic, Karalynn @just.ingredients, and the girls over @branchbasics. These are great places to start and most have info saved to their highlights so that you can take in a little at a time, as you are ready.

Support your body’s natural detoxification pathways 

Things like eating clean, whole foods (organic when possible - especially for animal products and the dirty dozen), including plenty of cruciferous veggies(things like broccoli and cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale for example) which increase your body’s detox pathways, taking detox baths, moving your body for 20-30 minutes every day, sweating regularly, and drinking plenty of water (half your body weight in oz). 

Focus on what you put IN and ON your body the most

IN Your Body

• Water (drink from stainless steel or glass. Best to use a water filtration system of some sort). 

• Organic for dirty dozen produce items

• Clean protein sources (organic and grass-fed best options / lean conventional meats if organic isn’t available to you.)

• Reduce or eliminate foods with artificial, chemical-laden ingredients as well as foods treated with pesticides and herbicides, antibiotics, hormones, or GMOs 

ON your body (Think Dirty or EWG apps make this so much easier!)

• Evaluate your home and personal care products that you apply directly to your skin looking out for the ingredients mentioned above. 

  • Laundry detergent, fabric softeners

  • Shampoos, dry shampoos, root lifters, etc.

  • Body Wash and lotions

  • Skincare products

  • Deodorant and perfumes/body sprays

Don’t stress about throwing everything out at once and buying all new stuff. Focus on becoming more informed and then as you run out of something, replace it with a cleaner, better option.

Ultimately, do what you can do - and what you WANT to do. It is not possible to shield ourselves from every single toxin - there are just too many; however, we can choose to focus on the things we have the most exposure to and are the easiest for us to control - our homes, our skin, our food. 

I hope that today’s episode has helped clarify why this is an important issue as well as helped you to feel empowered that you can have some control here! As always if you have questions feel free to reach out - leave me a comment or send me a DM on Instagram.