Have you heard of this miracle oil? You should be using it!

essential oil frankincense

Frankincense is derived from the tree sap (or resin) of the Boswellia trees. In ancient times, Frankincense was used as medicine to treat digestive issues and leprosy. The resin would be consumed to promote healthy skin and a healthy digestive system. The majority of the world’s Frankincense comes from the country of Somalia, but can also be found in Ethiopia and Sudan.

More recently, through steam distillation, the tree resin or sap has been produced into an essential oil that can be used topically or diffused into the air.

Touted as the “king of oils,” the benefits of Frankincense essential oil are far reaching. The spectrum of uses range from aromatherapy and relaxation to the eradication of cancer cells in the body. 

Top 5 Everyday Uses of Frankincense Essential Oil

  1. It has beneficial properties that promote good skin health, wound healing and acne healing. It can be rubbed into the skin using a carrier oil such as coconut oil.
  2. Due to it’s calming effect on the body, Frankincense is perfect to add to your bath water or diffuse while doing yoga or meditating.
  3. To improve air quality in your home and eliminate bacteria in the air, diffuse Frankincense essential oil regularly.
  4. During cold and flu season (or anytime of the year to prevent getting sick) it can also be used to boost the immune system due to its antiseptic properties. 
  5. Frankincense is a powerful anti-inflammatory and can be used to reduce joint paint and soreness.

When selecting Frankincense essential oil, or any essential oil for that matter, it is crucially important to select a company that produces therapeutic grade oils, that have been derived from organic, natively grown plants. To determine if an oil is therapeutic, it is important to ensure the extraction process was done at low temperatures, for a long period of time and that no solvents were used in the extraction.

It is also important that the essential oils you are purchasing are derived from the first extraction because some companies re-use old plant materials which produces a lower quality end product. In some instances, to improve the aroma of the oils, synthetic chemicals are added to the finished product, which again, have a negative impact on the quality of the oil.

When considering the purchase price of essential oils it is important to understand that to produce pure essential oils, it requires a large volume of plant material to make each specific oil. For example, to produce one 15ml bottle of lavender essential oil, it takes 30 pounds of lavender flowers. A very inexpensive bottle of lavender oil is a good indication that it isn’t from a pure source.

How to Apply/Use Oils

For best results, use three or four drops of Frankincense essential oil in a diffuser or apply one or two drops topically to the skin. It is recommended that a carrier oil is used to dilute the essential oil and to avoid potential skin irritation. A carrier oil, for example, could be sweet almond oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil, or any other oil of your choice. Put a dollop of carrier oil in your hand and add the drops of essential oil to it, then rub on your skin.

How Processed Sugar Destroys Your Body

How Processed Sugar Destroys Your Body

How much processed sugar sneaks into your diet in a day? You may be surprised at how many grams of sugar you are consuming without even realizing it.

For example, a quick visit to Tim Hortons for breakfast, lunch or snack with a fairly routine order can tip the scales of sugar content at over 30 grams!! That is a lot of sugar for your body to process all at once, especially when the sugars are all processed, accompanied by equally processed foods around it.

A Tim Hortons Cinnamon Raisin bagel (11 grams) with plain cream cheese (2 grams), Double-Double Coffee (18 grams) = 31 grams of sugar

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre advises that women should consume no more than 25 grams of sugar per day, and men should consume no more than 37 grams of sugar per day.

So after one stop at Tim Horton’s you’ve maxed your entire daily recommended sugar intake in just one blow! Think about the rest of your day… how will that look? A sandwich for lunch? A granola bar for snack? Pasta for dinner? Your processed sugar intake is adding up to look mountainous.

So what is the problem with sugar?

Sugar is an anti-nutrient. It causes your body to leach nutrients in its attempt to clean up the damage that sugar leaves behind. It also directly feeds cancer cells, and causes serious inflammation.

Inflammation is the cause behind almost every single illness and condition, and sugar continues to fuel inflammation rather effectively once it has started. Because of its oxidative effect on the body, it can contribute to a whole host of conditions and issues that may be misdiagnosed as other illnesses or causes, but in actuality, the cause is actually the over consumption of processed sugar.

How can processed sugar affect your body?

According to Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., there are over 146 reasons that sugar is ruining your health. Here are the worst offenders, and if you’d like the full list and references, head over to http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm

• Sugar can suppress the immune system.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can cause heart disease.
• Sugar can cause appendicitis.
• Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar causes food allergies.
• Sugar can cause cataracts.
• Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
• Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
• Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
• Sugar can cause depression.
• Sugar can adversely affect school children’s grades and cause learning disorders..
• Sugar feeds cancer.
• Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
• Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
• Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
• Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
• High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.

These are very serious conditions and illnesses that are completely preventable! Reduce your processed sugar and processed foods intake by increasing your whole foods intake. Crowd out the bad foods with lots of delicious, colourful produce! Focus your diet on lots of leafy green vegetables, smoothies with berries and healthy fats, fresh fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, legumes and if you choose to eat meat or eggs, be sure they are from organic / grass fed / free range / wild sources.

With Sources from:

https://www.timhortons.com/ca/en/pdf/TH_Nutrition_Guide_CE_2013_-_FINAL.pdf

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/may-2015/FOH-cancer-love-sugar.html

http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm