An interview with Angela Meredith on the many benefits and use of essential oils. Interested in my personal experience? Check out this post.
MHB: When we become moms, like a super sleuth we make our way toward products and services that will support where we are in our journey. Tell us the benefits of essential oils and how you were led to working with them.
AM: I actually first learned of essential oils when I was in massage school in 2001. I used many brands of essential oils in my massage business for 5 years. However, I never expected anything from them other than adding great smelling aromatherapy to the massage sessions. When Mark and I were expecting our first baby in 2005, he told me he was going to start searching for answers in the “cancer world.” His parents have both had cancer, many of his uncles and an aunt have all died from cancer. Mark believed there were a lot of answers out there that weren’t being shared in mainstream information. We also wanted to find safer cleaning options being we knew we were going to have a family of little children, most likely digging in cupboards at some point. We didn’t want anything in our home that could cause a death if they accidentally got into it.
So, he attended a large health fair and that’s where he was introduced to Young Living essential oils! It took him about 2 months to convince me to go to our first class; I thought I knew all about essential oils. I had learned about them in massage school and had used them for 5 years already. I couldn’t imagine them really being used seriously in things such as depression and anxiety to major dis-eases in the body! Boy was I in for a surprise at that first class; it ended up being the beginning step that changed our entire path of life! I had two dry sockets in my mouth the night of the class (I had gotten two teeth pulled, was on Vicodin around the clock for the pain and 6 months pregnant). Halfway through the class I told Mark I have to leave because I was in so much pain, I couldn’t concentrate anymore and I couldn’t take anymore medication for 2 hours still. He suggested I ask the presenter if she had any essential oils I could try right then for the pain. I did and within seconds of applying the oils inside my mouth, the pain was totally gone. That was my first experience of the power of pure essential oils, just the way God intended them to be!
MHB: You are the mama to 6 little ones. How have essential oils worked to meet the varying needs of each child?
AM: Yes, Mark and I have 6 children, ages 2 – 8! Essential oils have been our medicine cabinet and much more over the past almost 8 years now. We haven’t needed any pharmaceuticals or anything else for any of the children in nearly the last 6 years, since we learned how to use essential oils and we’re very confident to use them with every situation we have come up against.
We have used essential oils with so many things from getting black spray paint off our brand new white van (the kids got ahold of a can of spray paint and decided it was art time and sprayed every panel nearly around the whole van) to health situations like thrush, teething, ear infections, burns, pink eye, RSV, strep throat, to more severe things like cellulitis around an eye and actually a large tumor on Mark’s shoulder.
MHB: Let’s talk about the pregnancy/labor/delivery process. In short, it’s one phase of life, though when you break it up, there are three very distinct pieces that require different levels of support. How have you found essential oils to benefit women during these times?
AM: Pure essential oils that are grown, harvested and distilled correctly are so amazingly beneficial in so many ways throughout the journey of having children!! Essential oils are so simple and effective starting with all the physical changes such as “morning sickness.” Some moms have had immediate relief with morning sickness just with simple peppermint oil! Others have needed Ginger essential oil or other essential oil supplements internally in severe cases.
One mom that I worked with was pregnant with her 6th child. With her previous pregnancies, her morning sickness lasted for months — vomiting to the point she needed IVs to stay hydrated and given pills during two of her pregnancies that are usually given to cancer patients during chemotherapy (cost was $100/pill for 8 hours of relief)! In the midst of her 6th pregnancy, I brought her some peppermint essential oil. It took away her nauseated feelings within seconds of just smelling the essential oil! She then started drinking it in water which gave her many hours of relief at a time. Incidentally, she didn’t believe me that the quality of essential oils mattered, so she had her brother pick her up some peppermint essential oil from a local store in the organic section. I told her it wouldn’t work the same, but she didn’t believe me:) Her brother brought her the oil and she nearly vomited just smelling it (scent of smell is very keen when pregnant) and by that night she was vomiting again. To say the least, she called me the next morning, wanting to order her own bottle of pure peppermint oil. 🙂 She’s never needed medication or IVs since (she now had a 7th child)! Also, she hasn’t had to worry about the negative side effects such as the constant acid reflux the babies had that she had been pregnant with while taking the medication for nausea!
Emotions are usually effected through each of these steps, so essential oils are such a blessing during this time of life!! Anytime an essential oils is needing to be used for emotional support/impact, the oil should be inhaled. This can be done through just applying to hands and cupping the nose, diffusing or wearing like perfume. This sends the molecules straight to the center of the brain, (limbic system) which is the center of emotions and can create immediate responses in mood. I love essential oils for emotional situations such as nearing the due date and during labor to calm the fears and nervousness that may start to set in. We fill our entire hospital room with essential oils blowing from every air vent. The results are very powerful in helping me stay calm and peaceful throughout the entire process.
When the delivery is over, essential oils are applied immediately to the whole perineum area for amazing relief from pain or tearing if that’s a factor and hemmorrhoids! Moms have healed extremely fast and well from 3rd and 4th degree tears and in one situation the mom was able to have another vaginal delivery about 14 months later without any issues (when originally she had been told she should be having C-sections from then on because of the bad tear)!
There are so many options with essential oils throughout the entire journey of pregnancy, labor and delivery. We cover each of these steps in our workshops, giving personal recipes and so on. My wish is for every mom to be able to benefit from what nature has provided (essential oils) us during the magical process of bringing a child into this world!
MHB: From the moment we have children, we run into hurdles called Reflux, Colic, Bed Wetting, and Ear Infections. We even see moments called Overtired, Too Many Sweets, and Car Sickness. What oils or blends have you used with your children for these concerns?
AM: There are SO many options with essential oils! Just because I say I love one oil, doesn’t mean it’s the only option. Many of us mamas tend to find our “favorites” after using oils for a while and they work for so many different things.
Lemon essential oil has been known for helping wonderfully with reflux with both babies and adults and is a well known, basic oil (of course we only use Young Living because they’re safe to take internally).
There is a blend that is many parents’ “lifesaver” called Di-Gize for colic! Every parent with a baby that has digestive issues/gas should look into Di-Gize (or for themselves or older children also – fantastic for stomachs also)!! If the situation is true colic (and not an effect from vaccines), the Di-Gize has turned babies around after one topical application.
For ear infections there are many options and they all work. My favorite in the past has been Panaway (for the pain) and Raven. However, other ones I’ve used are Melrose, Frankincense, Purification, Ravintsara, Melaleuca Alternifolia and Lavender. Oils in general should never be put down into the ear canal. We apply the oils topically around the outside of the ear every 5 – 10 mins for the first hour if it’s severe and then usually every 15 – 30 mins for a couple hours (we dilute Panaway due to its being in the Wintergreen family in it can tend to be a little “hot” on the skin). It’s usually a done deal within about 5-10 hours for us! I don’t believe we’ve ever had an ear infection last for longer than 12 hours; fevers usually last 3 – 24 hours.
Valor is a great oil for bedwetting, along with a supplement called OmegaGize.
I love the blend, Peace & Calming for overtired or wild kids.🙂 Some love Lavender, RutaVala or Vetiver. Peppermint is great for car sickness and motion sickness as well!
MHB: Do you have a favorite essential oil remedy story to share?
AM: My favorite outcomes with essential oils that I’ve personally seen/dealt with have not been with our children, but with my dad and my husband. My dad was diagnosed with brain cancer and was told there was “no cure for” one of the kinds of cancer. He battled for nearly 2 years, going through the normal chemo/radiation/surgery which only made him worse … to the point he couldn’t read, write, talk, or remember things and hardly got out of bed. We took him off all of that and put him on a very aggressive protocol with essential oils and nutrition. Today he is cancer free! Unfortunately he still has the miserable effects from the chemo/radiation, but we’re starting to work on that with prayers that the oils will give his body what it needs to heal itself.
The other situation was my husband’s tumor. We saw everything my dad went through, so when Mark got his tumor, we knew we were taking a different route. Of course we never imagined we would go any other route anyways, because we believe so strongly in the body’s ability to heal itself when given the right, nontoxic tools. He was able to get rid of his large tumor in 2.5 months with essential oils and great nutrition and never felt so amazing in his life, as during that time! No tumor, no side effects, no lost time at work or school, and felt the best he’d ever felt. We’ve had many amazing testimonies in our own daily lives with the kids and know of even more from the hundreds of families we’ve worked with! We share a lot of our personal situations with pictures in our workshops. However, the most rewarding situations have been these two above!
MHB: Thank you Angela, for your expertise and support. I know many mama’s will be seeking you out as you’re a wealth of information, experience and knowledge.
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Angela Meredith was a Certified Massage Therapist for many years and went through Doula training right before having her own children! She now is a wife and mother of 6 young children! Mark has owned a construction company for many years, but now focuses on school full time. Angela and Mark are very passionate about teaching families on God’s medicine, essential oils! They practice what they preach and they love sharing how they’ve raised their children without the need of any pharmaceuticals over the last 6 years! Together, they have educated in many different states, as well as Canada over the last 5 years through community education, private group classes and workshops! Because of what they have learned in the world of essential oils, Mark is now in his 5th year of school for a Biochemist, planning to become a Naturopathic Doctor, with his focus being essential oil education! Their company is called “The Oil Zone” and their goal is to bring the message of wellness, purpose, and abundance to as many families as they can through essential oil education!
