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The Nuts and Bolts of Essential Oils: A Q&A with George Ure

I do not talk about it much here on the website, but I am frequently interviewed about this or that. Mostly, the “this” is about prepping and the corresponding role of women within the context of survivalism. Lately, the “that” has been about essential oils.

Along those lines, my long-term BFF, George Ure, finally decided to dabble in essential oils. He had questions so I gave him answers. As always, I have strong opinions on the matter but what it all boils down to is that to get started, there are only 5 oils and 2 blends that you really need. All can be purchased for $50 or less.

Here for you are some of my current thoughts on essential oils, presented in a question and answer format.

Doing Thanksgiving Your Way

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This is not going to be your traditional Thanksgiving message. Instead, I am going to share my personal feelings about this time of year and buck the trend to stuff your inbox with “deals of the day” just so I can make a buck or two.

Thanksgiving and this time of year, in general, is not an easy one for me. There are many reasons that lead me to dread the frantic effort to bring people that may not like each other together, prepare meals that give you indigestion and make you feel ill, and, of course, rack up debt by purchasing gifts that may or may not be welcome.

For me, it is all too much. That doesn’t mean that I am not thankful for many things, but rather that I make Thanksgiving and the holidays more personal, with a private bucket list of things to do and to be grateful for.

For that reason, I tend to hunker down on this day and spend time on this day doing things I love and to heck with obligation and tradition. But that is just me. Perhaps your circumstances are different.

Does this make me antisocial? Perhaps, but read on.

Cook a Moist and Delicious Turkey in 2 Hours or Less

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For most of my adult life, my eating habits have been simple: real food, unadorned, and prepared well. This gets me into a lot of trouble when the eating out or at someone’s home. Usually, I use my fork to chase food around the plate, without really eating much.

Case in point is Thanksgiving. I am happy with a few slices of turkey, steamed green beans, and a baked sweet potato. No gravy, no marshmallows. and definitely no green bean and mushroom soup goop. So yeah, this puts me in an awkward situation but I deal because eating this way causes me no bloat, no indigestion, and no lethargy from carb overload.

That brings me to the topic of this article, namely how to cook a perfectly moist, delicious, and unadorned turkey or turkey breast in 2 hours or less.

DIY Cold and Flu Medicine aka the Cold and Flu Bomb

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Wouldn’t you know it? The day following an interview where I extolled the virtues of an essential oil blend aptly named the “cold and flu blend”, my husband came down with cold symptoms and I had a scratchy throat. Life is funny that way.

That same day, I went into high gear and began applications of this natural cold and flu medicine three times a day. In my case, two days was enough because I never developed any additional symptoms. My husband, however, had a lot of congestion so he has continued the protocol for almost a week. The good news is that both of us are now fine and had no need to resort to over the counter remedies. Our natural DIY cold and flu medicine worked. Of course, I knew it would!

It is my opinion that everyone should have this blend in their arsenal not only for now but for when and if the stuff hits the fan. It is a do it yourself recipe that you can make yourself. To the best of my knowledge, it is not available pre-blended.

Make Your Own Essential Oil Protective & Immunity Blend

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This is the time of year when we all start thinking about protecting ourselves and our homes from flu-causing germs. While some choose to get flu shots, I prefer to take matters into my own hands with essential oils in general and a protective and immunity blend specifically. Many of you recognize these type of blends by their reference to thieves or robbers, and most assuredly, every reputable essential oil company will have their own version of this blend.

That said, you can also make this blend yourself, using a handful of popular and readily available essential oils.

There is a lot of speculation as to how this blend got its name, but the brief version of the legend says robbers doused themselves with a protective blend of herbs and spices before stealing from those who had succumbed to the plague. More about that in a moment.

This all leads to modern day essential oil blends that are commonly used to ward off illness. I have been using such a blend for almost ten years and have never once had the flu, have only had an occasional cold, and have enjoyed freedom from norovirus and other illnesses experienced by travelers.

Perhaps it has been luck but to my way of thinking, using an EO protective blend adds a layer of insurance against contracting everyday sicknesses that can make you miserable. That is where the immunity part comes into play.