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    I have lots to be grateful for everyday.  Today I would like to say how grateful I am for the young lady in my house.  She is a blessing to me each and everyday.  Now I wish I could say we see eye to eye, that we never argue and that we love on each other all day long, but that would not be the truth.  What I am grateful for is a healthy young lady that has a mind of her own, a loving and giving spirit, and a love for God.  She helps take care of her little brother and treats him like a prince.   She looks up to her big brother and can't imagine him not being around in a few  years.  My little girl is growing up and though it might make challenging days and at times I just want to scream, I know that I am the most blessed woman in the world to have my darling daughter Emily Ann.  What are you grateful for today? 
 
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Yesterday, I wrote about peppermint helping with hiccups.  Last night I had the opportunity to use peppermint again.  I had indulged myself to a Braums hamburger, french fries and shake after our All-City Swim Meet (by the way Homestead placed 1st again, Way to Go Hurricanes!).  Before I even got up from my seat my tummy hurt.  My first recommendation is prevention, don't indulge.  As an American I still have the tendency to partake of the SAD (Standard American Diet).  I went home not feeling well and thought what could I take or these days "use" to help my tummy ache go away.  Well last week my daughter had a tummy ache and I had used some peppermint oil on her tummy (she had gone to bed, so I never knew if the peppermint had helped).   So, I got out the peppermint essential oil and rubbed it clockwise on my stomach and began feeling better in about 15-20 minutes.  Yeh!  I also smelled good as I wondered the house and walked the dog.  So, Why do restaurants give away peppermints?

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EDUCATE:  Peppermint's Origins:  While the origin of peppermint candy is unclear, historical accounts show that peppermint oils have been used since ancient times to calm the stomach and for other remedies. Farmers in Europe began commercially growing the plant, which is a natural cross between watermint and spearmint, in the late 1700s.  Peppermint in Candy:  It is not known exactly when peppermint-flavored candy first appeared. The confection is mentioned by slaves in the Library of Congress' American Memory project. Smith Kendon developed altoids in 1780 to relieve intestinal discomfort, and Life Savers introduced its Pep-O-Mint flavor in 1912. In 1927, Eduard Haas, of Vienna, Austria, invented peppermint Pez candy and the original dispenser. 
    What about those peppermint candies at the restaurants?  The primary ingredient is sugar.   The second ingredient in Brach's Starbrite Peppermints hard candy, for example, is corn syrup, followed by citric acid and undisclosed artificial flavors, according to the Candy Favorites website.   So after we are miserable from the food we ate,  we indulge in a peppermint candy full of sugar.  Which is known to cause your stomach to  hurt after eating too much because of  gas. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, most carbohydrates can cause gas. Sugar, of course, is one type of carbohydrate.   So why do restaurants give away peppermint candy?  To help soothe your tummy.  Does it work? Probably not, unless it has real peppermint oil and isn't loaded with sugar.

EMPOWER:     No longer is our only choice in a medicine cabinet full of over the counter drugs or prescription drugs to help soothe a tummy ache.   We can use something natural like Peppermint oil.

ENJOY:  Rub a drop of peppermint on our belly, add it to a cup of water to drink , or a drop on our tongue to soothe our belly and freshen our breath.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/285229-stomach-cramps-after-eating-sugar/#ixzz1UO55VuQG
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/400099-peppermint-candy-ingredients/#ixzz1UO3u7yd1
Read more: What Is the History of Peppermint Candy? | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/facts_7166459_history-peppermint-candy_.html#ixzz1UO2X3hJ4
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/peppermint-000269.htm
Studies on Peppermint Oil and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17420159
http://www.doctormurray.com/2011/03/peppermint-oil-for-the-irritable-bowel-syndrome/

 
How do you get rid of hiccups?  Do you hold your breath?  Do you drink water upside down?  Do you take a teaspoon of sugar?  I think most of us have tried one or more ways to get rid of the nasty hiccups.  We used to use a teaspoon of sugar in our house and it usually worked, but now that we don't have any white sugar in the house we weren't sure how to get rid of them.  I heard a lady a few weeks ago talk about getting rid of hiccups with peppermint.  She said it worked for everyone in her family.  Well a few days I got the hiccups and thought let's try it and see.  It worked and it worked fast, no holding my breath, no ruining my teeth eating a teaspoon of sugar.  I just inhaled some peppermint and rubbed it on the back of my neck and they were gone.  So of course I had to try it on anybody else that had the hiccups.  My daughter Emily has had them twice and it has worked both times. 
EDUCATE:  Peppermint has an invigorating, clean, fresh, menthol aroma. This important essential oil has been widely studied for its potential health benefits. It is native to Europe and is a hybrid of the wintergreen and spearmint plants. Growing to approximately two feet tall, peppermint plants bloom from July through August, sprouting tiny purple flowers in whorls
and terminal spikes. Simple, toothed, and fragrant leaves grow opposite the flowers. Preparations for extracting peppermint essential oil begin with the leaves and flowering tops of the plant, where menthol—peppermint’s primary active component—is extracted.
EMPOWER:  One of the oldest and most highly regarded herbs for soothing digestion, peppermint may also restore digestive efficiency. Jean Valnet MD studied peppermint’s supportive effect on the liver and respiratory systems. Other scientists
have also researched peppermint’s role in improving taste and smell when inhaled. Dr. William N. Dember of the University of Cincinnati studied peppermint’s ability to improve concentration and mental acuity. Alan Hirsch, MD studied peppermint’s ability to directly affect the brain’s satiety center, which triggers a sensation of fullness after meals.
ENJOY:      • Add a drop of peppermint essential oil to herbal tea to soothe digestion. • Apply a drop topically on unbroken skin to stop itching. • For poison ivy or poison oak, apply peppermint essential oil on location or dilute with V-6™ Enhanced Vegetable Oil Complex. • Inhale peppermint essential oil before and during a workout to boost your mood and reduce fatigue.
• Place two drops on the tongue and rub another drop under the nose to improve alertness and concentration.  • Rub four drops on chest and stomach to relieve travel sickness. • Add peppermint to food as a flavoring. • Mix one 15 ml bottle of peppermint essential oil into a five gallon can of paint to dispel the fumes. • Place a few drops in a cup of hot water and
enjoy in place of coffee. • Drink a drop of peppermint essential oil mixed In a glass of cold water to cool off on a hot day.• Inhale the fragrance of peppermint to curb the appetite and lessen the impulse to overeat. • Mix peppermint essential oil in a foot bath to relieve sore feet. Keep water agitated while soaking feet.  Use peppermint to get rid of the hiccups.

Note:  Caution Possible skin sensitivity. If pregnant or under a doctor’s care, consult your physician. Dilution recommended for both topical and internal use. Do not apply peppermint essential oil to a fresh wound or burn. Dilute before using on sensitive areas such as the face, neck, genital area, etc. Keep out of reach of children. Avoid using on infants and very small children.

©2008
 
EDUCATE:
I found this information to be very intriguing.  Young Living's Thieves essential oil blend was diffused in scientific tests against air- borne bacteria at Weber State University with up to a 96% reduction in 1997.
 
Airborne BACTERIA COUNT(CFU) STARTING AT 0 TO 4500
1.  With the bacteria of M. Luteus it was around 4100 and after using Thieves the count dropped to around 700

Micrococcus luteus is a Gram-positive, spherical, saprotrophic bacterium that belongs to the family Micrococcaceae.[1] An obligate aerobe, M. luteus is found in soil, dust, water and air, and as part of the normal flora of the mammalian skin. The bacterium also colonizes the human mouth, mucosae, oropharynx and upper respiratory tract.  Considered a contaminant in sick patients.M. luteus is resistant to reduced water potential and can tolerate drying and high salt concentrations.

2.  With P. aeruginosa it was around 2000 and after using Thieves it dropped to 1

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common bacterium that can cause disease in animals, including humans. It is found in soil, water, skin flora, and most man-made environments throughout the world. It thrives not only in normal atmospheres but also in hypoxic atmospheres, and has, thus, colonized many natural and artificial environments. It uses a wide range of organic material for food; in animals, the versatility enables the organism to infect damaged tissues or people with reduced immunity. The symptoms of such infections are generalized inflammation and sepsis. If such colonizations occur in critical body organs, such as the lungs, the urinary tract, and kidneys, the results can be fatal.[1] Because it thrives on most surfaces, this bacterium is also found on and in medical equipment, including catheters, causing cross-infections in hospitals and clinics. It is implicated in hot-tub rash. It is also able to decompose hydrocarbons and has been used to break down tarballs and oil from oil spills.[2


3.  With S. aureus it was around 2300 and after using Thieves it dropped to 1000.

Staphylococcus aureus/ˌstæfɨlɵˈkɒkəs ˈɔri.əs/; meaning the "golden grape-cluster berry," and also known as "golden staph" and Oro staphira, is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive coccal bacterium. It is frequently part of the skin flora found in the nose and on skin, and in this manner about 20% of the human population are long-term carriers of S. aureus.[1] S. aureus is the most common species of staphylococci to cause Staph infections. One of the reasons for this is a carotenoid pigment staphyloxanthin that is responsible for the characteristic golden colour of S. aureus colonies. This pigment acts as a virulence factor, with an antioxidant action that helps the microbe evade death by reactive oxygen species used by the host immune system.[2][3]

S. aureus can cause a range of illnesses from minor skin infections, such as pimples, impetigo, boils (furuncles), cellulitis folliculitis, carbuncles, scalded skin syndrome, and abscesses, to life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome (TSS), chest pain, bacteremia, and sepsis. Its incidence is from skin, soft tissue, respiratory, bone, joint, endovascular to wound infections. It is still one of the five most common causes of nosocomial infections, often causing postsurgical wound infections. Each year, some 500,000 patients in American hospitals contract a staphylococcal infection.[4]

Methicillin-resistant S. aureus, abbreviated MRSA and often pronounced "mer-sa", is one of a number of greatly-feared strains of S. aureus which have become resistant to most antibiotics. MRSA strains are most often found associated with institutions such as hospitals, but are becoming increasingly prevalent in community-acquired infections. A recent study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute showed that nearly half (47%) of the meat and poultry in U.S. grocery stores were contaminated with S. aureus, with more than half (52%) of those bacteria resistant to antibiotics.[5]



THE EFFECT OF TIME ON BACTERIA COUNTS when diffusing Thieves:

THE BACTERIAL COUNT (CFU) 0 TO 10000

1.  Bacteria starting out at 10000 at zero minutes

2.  After 3 minutes of diffusing it dropped to 5000

3.  After 6 minutes of diffusing it dropped to 800

4.  After 9 minutes  of diffusing it dropped to 2

5.  After 12 minutes  of diffusing you can hardly see it.

EMPOWER:  From the above studies it's easy to see the importance of using a Young Living  diffuser specially designed to force a micro-fine mist into the air.

The smallness of the mist allows your essential oils to stay in the air longer, which gives the essential oil a greater chance of coming into contact with odors, germs, bacteria and mold. When that contact occurs, the essential oils can do their thing at neutralizing and killing them!

 
ENJOY:  The smell of Thieves is very inviting in the home.
http://www.youngliving.com/thieves/thieves-essential-oil
http://www.youngliving.com/oil-diffusers/Home-Diffuser