How to Blast Wintertime Bugs

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Dealing with sick kids is no fun at all!  Being sick yourself is even worse because you’re not able to care for your little ones or your family.  With the milder winter we’ve been experiencing here in southern Ontario, there are so many nasty bugs flying around and people are dropping like flies in my community.  Hopefully this post will offer you a bit of support as to how to use your essential oils to blast those bugs right out of your system.
 
There’s a really bad bug going around my kids’ school that includes a killer sore throat, body chills, achy bones, elevated body temperature, and then later a cough develops.  This cold is taking people down for several days in a row with the lingering cough lasting for weeks!  So far we’ve had two of our kids experience these symptoms.  Our oldest felt like he’d been hit by a Mack truck and was flat on his back for three days straight (this was even with consistent use of the oils - I can’t imagine how sick he would have been if he had not used them.)  Next our 10-year old caught it and she felt so weak and achy that she also missed three days of school.  They haven’t missed that much school in a few years!  Most people who are catching it are missing more than just 3 days of school or 3 days of work though; it’s a stubborn bug that is keeping them away from their regular routines for at least a full week, sometimes more.
 
If you or someone you know is hit with this nasty bug, please share with them this protocol to blast the bug out of their bodies as quickly as possible without the need for antibiotics.  In order to understand why essential oils work, I have to first give you a little science lesson.  (I was never good at science or even *interested* in science at school but ever since using essential oils, I find all this information fascinating!!)
 
Bacteria are intercellular organisms, meaning they live in between your body’s cells; whereas viruses are intracellular organisms, meaning they infiltrate the host cell and live inside the cell.  More info on that here. 
Most of the time, doctors don’t prescribe antibiotics for a virus because the virus lives inside your cell. The cell wall consists of a phospholipid bilayer that protects your cells from harm.  Since antibiotics are water-based, they cannot penetrate through the cell wall to fight the virus (water and oil don’t mix.)  Essential oils, however, are lipid soluble (fat soluble), so they are able to effectively penetrate through the cell wall and will work to combat both viruses and bacteria.
 
Ok, moving on. Here is the oil protocol we use in our house no matter what the scenario.  For each ingredient in the blend, I will link you to more info about the oil so you can do more research about each oil. 
 
Get Well Blend/FLOOT BOMB:  This blend is also known as the FLOOT bomb (but the t is silent ;)  We call it the FLOOT bomb so that you can remember which oils are in it.  This powerful blend of oils gets combined in a 10ml roller bottle and diluted with fractionated coconut oil.  Depending on what we are fighting, I sometimes add 5 drops of Peppermint (for respiratory support) or 5 drops of arborvitae (seasonal threats.)  If you’re using the 10 ml roller bottles, here is the recipe I use.  This recipe is for adult use and should be diluted heavier for children at your discretion.
 5 drops Frankincense
20 drops lemon
10 drops oregano
20 drops On Guard
10 drops tea tree
Fill remainder with fractionated coconut oil.
 
HOW TO USE:  Essential oils are very volatile.  This means that although they are super powerful, they also evaporate very quickly.  Because they are lipid soluble and have low molecular weights, they can penetrate through your skin very quickly.  However, they also move through your body quickly so you do need to be consistent and diligent.  They don’t work in the same way as an oral antibiotic that you take once or twice a day. 
 
The key to applying essential oils is consistency.  Use small amounts of oil more often, rather than large amounts of oil less often.   When applying oils to the bottoms of the feet, we use a roller bottle with a glass or metal ball. (I find the plastic ones don’t like the ‘Get Well Blend” and tend to fall out after a while…)  You don’t need much oil at all.  You just roll the bottle up, down, and across the foot and either massage the oils into the feet or rub the feet together.  Using a light massage will increase the blood flow to the area of application, in turn improving distribution throughout the body. Use of a carrier oil can also increase absorption, especially in skin that is dry or flaky as it helps moisturize the skin and slow evaporation of the oil.
 
For big nasty bugs that are taking your family down hard and fast, apply the ‘Get Well Blend’ every 1-2 hours if necessary.  Set the timer on the stove if you need to so that you will remember.  (Hint hint busy Moms!) The sooner you start to you use it at the beginning of the illness, the faster you’ll notice results.  After 24 hours of using the ‘Get Well blend’ every 1-2 hours, decrease frequency to every 3 hours.  If you notice symptoms coming back or you’re feeling worse, increase to every 1-2 hours for the next 12 hours again.  Everyone’s body chemistry is different and we all react differently so it can take a bit of guess work to know the right frequency but your body will tell you what it needs.
 
It takes some work, but it works!

I also recommend that you diffuse, diffuse, diffuse!  Diffuse 2 drops each of On Guard and Easy Air in the bedrooms overnight, and during the day move the diffuser into whichever room your infected child is playing.  Diffusing oils distributes the oil molecules into the air and when inhaled, they help maintain clear airways.  
For airway support, you can put one drop of Peppermint or Easy Air onto the palm of your hand, rub the palms of your hands together, then form an 'aerochamber' with one hand, place it into the palm of the opposite hand, and breathe in deeply like you're inhaling from a puffer.  This works amazingly for opening up your lungs and maintaining clear breathing!  

For sore or scratchy throats, or the feeling that you’re swallowing razor blades, the On Guard lozenges are great because they numb the throat at the same time as getting some powerful antioxidants into your body.  We also use the On Guard touch roller (pre-diluted with fractionated coconut oil) and roll on the outside of the throat and neck when feeling sore.  Repeat as often as necessary.  Continue the ‘Get Well Blend’ protocol until symptoms subside.
 
If you have a tight chest or cough, the Breathe respiratory drops are great. If you feel that the cough is settling into the chest, I recommend continuing the ‘Get Well Blend’ protocol above as well as adding chest rub with essential oils like Rosemary and Breathe for respiratory support.  Rather than using over the counter remedies like Vicks that contain harmful ingredients, try making my chest rub recipe below.  This rub contains all-natural ingredients that give it the same consistency as a Vicks vapo-rub but the bonus is that you are not having harmful synthetics absorb into your skin (or your kids’!)
 
If you don’t have the raw ingredients in the house, you can just melt virgin coconut oil and let it cool.  Do not add essential oils while mixture is too hot because it will alter the therapeutic value of the essential oils.  Then add the essential oils, stir, pop the lids on and let it cool in the fridge.  Personally, I love using these raw ingredients as a base because it is the perfect consistency for a chest rub.  I find that using the virgin coconut oil is subject to melt or become waxy and hard, depending on the temperature inside our house.  Again, included in the recipe are the links to each individual oil so you can read more about their health benefits.
 
Chest Rub
3 tablespoons beeswax pastilles
½ cup fractionate coconut oil
½ cup Almond oil (or grapeseed oil)
4 small glass containers (2-3 oz. size)
Melt all ingredients together in a double boiler.  (I don’t have a double broiler so I put ingredients in a glass measuring cup and set inside a shallow pan of boiling water.)
Once all beeswax is completely melted, take glass cup out of boiling water and set aside for 2-3 minutes. Pour melted mixture into individual glass containers. Let sit for 2 more minutes to cool.  Do not add essential oils while mixture is too hot because it will alter the therapeutic value of the essential oils.  Once cooled (but not solidified) add 5 drops of EACH of the following essential oils to each glass jar and stir well. 
 5 drops Frankincense
5 drops Easy Air
5 drops Lemon
5 drops Tea Tree
5 drops Rosemary (or Thyme)
 Put lids on containers and set in fridge for 1-2 hours.
To use, apply to chest and back regularly to facilitate clear breathing.
 
 If you have a gastro bug I would use the same ‘Get Well Blend’ as above and add ZenGest, peppermint, or ginger to your routine.  You won’t need all three of those oils but again, because everyone’s body chemistry is different, some people will react better to one oil than another.  Our family uses this ‘Belly Blend’ recipe for anything digestive related.  We roll it on abdomen for symptomatic relief of digestive discomfort.  You can also drop 1-2 drops of any of the 3 oils mentioned above into a 3 oz glass of water and swallow.
*Note* Only oils that are 100% Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade are safe for ingestion.  
Belly Blend
20 drops Wild Orange
20 drops Zengest oil blend
Fill remainder with fractionated coconut oil.
 
Whenever someone in my house is hit with a gastro bug, I also diffuse On Guard in every diffuser in the house (and that’s a lot of diffusing!) to kill airborne pathogens  and I clean my bathrooms using On Guard cleaner concentrate after each episode.  I banish the affected child to ONE bathroom and don’t let said child use any other bathroom for the duration of their illness.  This helps me stay on top of the cleaning.  Following this protocol, we've had great success when one child gets a gastro bug, nobody else catches it.  That's something to be said in a household of five children!  I admit that I am a bit of a germophobe but hey, it takes some work but it works!  Of course, hand-washing is SUPER important to stop the spreading of a gastro bug as well.  All gastro bugs are passed on through the bathroom or  improper hand-washing.  But I won’t tell you how the ‘bug’ gets into your body ;)
 
These are our family protocols for the nasty bugs going around this winter.  Hopefully these tips help you and your family stay well this winter. 
 
Blessings,
Melissa 

DISCLAIMER:
I am not a medical professional. I am just an educated Heart Mom who is passionate about natural healthcare.  The content of this site is for informational purposes only. Information posted here represents my opinion and is not to be used to diagnose, treat, or replace professional medical advice.