dōTERRA

How I got introduced to dōTERRA

Since the start of 2011, I had been detoxifying, simplifying and cleaning up my life - cutting out all refined sugars, gluten and dairy foods and choosing organic products and sources where I could afford to. At the end of 2013 I had a consultation with my naturopath who said I was in good health - yay! I was intrigued to see if she had any recommendations for pure skincare products that didn't contain any nasty chemicals and she immediately recommended dōTERRA. She mentioned that I could either buy the products from her at the full retail price, or she could set up an account for me to purchase the products at 25% off the full retail price. I, of course, went with the latter option and as part of my enrolment ordered the Family Physician Kit, again, on the recommendation of my naturopath. I didn't have a particular use for the essential oils as it was the skincare I was initially interested in; but I found that as time passed, and we had ailments from a simple bug bite or cut through to headaches or sciatica, that we could use the essential oils to ease the symptoms and treat the root cause instead of turning to our usual pharmaceutical options. It wasn't long after experimenting and seeing for ourselves the results, that the dōTERRA oils could be used to treat anything, that I threw the contents of our entire medicine cabinet of pharmaceutical drugs in the bin!

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts of plants. They have been used for centuries throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Modern trends toward more holistic approaches to self care and growing scientific validation of alternative health practices are driving a rediscovery of the profound health benefits of essential oils. Being so small in molecular size, they can quickly penetrate the skin, being very powerful antioxidants, as well as being antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, anti-infectious, antimicrobial, antitumour, antiparasitic, antiviral and antiseptic. For example, essential oils are able to penetrate cells to kill viruses and bacteria which modern antibiotics are not able to do as they cannot penetrate the cell membrane in the same way.

Why dōTERRA?

All dōTERRA essential oils are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG). Unlike many other brands, these oils can also be taken internally, in addition to being applied topically or diffused aromatically. Being CPTG they are 100% pure, natural, aromatic compounds carefully extracted from plants. They do not contain fillers or artificial ingredients that would dilute their active qualities and are free of contaminants such as pesticides or other chemical residues. All the essential oils are cross tested using Mass Spectrometry and Gas Chromatography to ensure both the extract purity and composition potency of each batch. 

dōTERRA's CPTG essential oils are a safer, cheaper and more effective health solution. My medicine cabinet has had a full makeover as the oils have few, if any, undesirable side effects when used as directed and address issues and root causes, as opposed to just managing symptoms. Being derived from nature, the compounds are much more effective than modern medicines, which are often synthetic replicas of the known individual constituents of natural plant matter.

Each of the oils is sourced from their country of origin, whether its Frankincense from Oman, Lavender from France, Lemon from Italy or Jasmine from Southern India to ensure the oils are derived from plants grown in the most suitable soil condition, climate and altitude possible.

Click here to watch an excellent introduction to dōTERRA essential oils.

Or to view the full dōTERRA product range, check out the International Product Guide.


How to buy dōTERRA

1. Retail
   Retail is a great option if you are new to dōTERRA and you don't wish to commit to a wholesale account. You can place an order through a Wellness Advocate via phone, email or online (all details are at the bottom of this blog post). It is worth noting that depending on your country of residence, the online store only contains the range available in your country. To order from the full range, feel free to email or call me.
   
2. Preferred Member wholesale account
   For a one off $10 enrolment fee you receive 20% off the retail price of all products. A Wellness Advocate can enrol you, so feel free to contact me on the details at the bottom of this blog post. Once your account is set up, you will receive your account details so you can place your own orders online at 20% off. When shopping online, you will have the option to "Begin Shopping" which will be in Australian dollars, but will be limited to the range available in Australia; or you can select "Begin NFR Shopping" which will be in US dollars, but will have the full range available.
   
3. Wellness Advocate wholesale account
   Receive 25% off the retail price of all products by being enrolled by an existing Wellness Advocate, so feel free to contact me on the details at the bottom of this blog post. While it costs $35 to enrol for the first year, if you select an enrolment kit of oils to begin with, this fee is waived and you get much better value purchasing an enrolment kit. You can view the Australian enrolment kits here. There is also an annual renewal fee of $25 which includes a free bottle of Peppermint oil valued at US$24.50 wholesale. Keep reading to find out how to place future orders as a Wellness Advocate. (You can also upgrade from a Preferred Member wholesale account to a Wellness Advocate wholesale account for only $25 at any time).

Wellness Advocate information + benefits

As a Wellness Advocate, dōTERRA allows you access to your own virtual office. From here you can do everything from placing future orders to managing your own dōTERRA website. 

Firstly, you have 2 main personal purchasing options:

1. Standard order: Log in to your virtual office, click on "New Shopping Cart", then on the right hand side select between Australian products (in Australian dollars but limited range) or US products (in US dollars but full range).
   
2. LRP order: Same as above but "Create new LRP order" before adding items to your cart. LRP stands for Loyalty Rewards Program and is a monthly order. If you do not edit the items in your cart, you will receive the same order every month without having to do anything, which is great for monthly supplements or shakes. Or you can log in at any time to edit the items in your cart to receive whatever items you like each month. The benefit is that you receive between 10-30% back in credits on what you spend depending on how long you are with the program and you can redeem points as cash to purchase dōTERRA products. And…if your LRP order is more than 125 PV (point value) in any given month and placed before the 15th of the month, you will receive the "Product of the Month" for free!

Not only can you receive up to 30% back in PV on top of your 25% wholesale pricing, totalling 55% off the retail price; you can also receive commissions by sharing your experience of the oils with your friends, family and anyone who is interested in taking control of their health. Like anything in life, the more you put in, the more you get out - so you can enrol as few or as many people as you like, whether it is to help pay for your own purchases, or to turn the possibility into a full-time business to replace your current income.

As a Wellness Advocate dōTERRA creates your own personal website that you can direct people to for retail sales, where you earn 25% profit on any purchases. You also have the ability to enrol other people and can receive monetary rewards such as the Fast Start Bonus, Power of 3 Team Bonus, Preferred Member sponsor bonus and general retail profits. To find out more, feel to contact me on the details at the end of this blog post.


Reference literature + tools

What I love about dōTERRA is how it puts the knowledge and therefore power back in your own hands to manage your own health and wellbeing. There are even oils and products that can be used for pregnant women, babies, children and pets! In the relatively short time I have been using dōTERRA, I have witnessed and experienced the relief of the following ailments:

Anxiety - Serenity, Balance
Colds/flu - Breathe, OnGuard, frankincense, melaleuca
Cold sores - frankincense, lavender, helichrysum
Cuts - lavender as antiseptic, to hasten healing and reduce scarring
Dandruff - melaleuca, lavender and cypress
General health - Lifelong Vitality Pack (made up of a cellular vitality complex, essential oil omega complex and food nutrient complex)
Gout - lemon, geranium, thyme
Headaches - peppermint
Immune support - OnGuard
Female fertility - ClaryCalm
Irritable Bowel Syndrome - DigestZen
Itchy skin - melaleuca
Keloid scars - lavender to prevent
Low blood pressure - lemon
Menstrual cramps - clary sage
Moles - frankincense
Sciatica - DeepBlue
Sore throats - lemon, frankincense, lavender, peppermint

The following references are excellent go-to guides to either look up the oils, or to search ailments and find out which oils are best used to treat them.
- Book: Modern Essentials by Aroma Tools ($45 - contact me to place an order)
- Book: Essential Oils in Pregnancy, Birth & Babies by Stephanie Fritz
- Phone app: mdopro
- Website: eeoils.me
- Australian Customer Service: 02 8015 5080

If you are looking for a good quality essential oil diffuser at a reasonable price, I stock Lagute's Bois LG-B02 Woodgrain Air Humidifier, Purifier + Aroma Diffuser for only $40. (When buying a diffuser, be sure that it does not heat the oils in any way as this changes the chemical structure of the oils, thereby reducing their effectiveness). Contact me to place an order.



Contact Kerry Jacobs - Wellness Advocate

Order online: www.mydoterra.com/kerryjacobs
Email: poppylovespear@gmail.com
Phone: 0421 378 225

If you would like to find out more, would like an in-home demonstration to see and smell the oils, to get samples of the oils or to ask how to treat a particular ailment, feel free to get in contact with me!

rooibos tea

There is something very relaxing about sitting down with a good cup of tea. During the working day, I am pretty partial to elevenses and/or afternoon tea involving a sweet treat and a good cup of black tea with rice milk.

Our naturopath recently asked my husband and I to try and cut out caffeine (and therefore black tea) all together. My husband and I looked at each other with fear! How were we going to get through the day without copious amounts of black tea?!

After a bit of tea research, and some trial and error, we have come across our perfect replacement black tea. And, to be fair, it is actually much nicer than black tea - Rooibos (red) Earl Grey!!! The infusion of earthy, mellow rooibos and bergamot is divine, and is as full-flavoured and full-bodied as black tea.

I have mine the same as I had black tea - with a splash of rice milk. My husband (who is a lot less strict with his diet) has his with sugar and cow's milk. As it turns out, the rooibos and honey bush tisanes generally taste quite good with milk, unlike green, white or other herbal teas.

Everything has been restored in the world!

Here is an excerpt from the T2 website about rooibos and honeybush:

"A famed & feisty South African infusion.

Same, same but different, these two African varieties of bush tea are an absolute bombshell of health benefits. Naturally sweet and slightly nutty, Rooibos or “red bush” is cultivated from a native South African shrub, as is the closely related Honeybush or “bush tea” which has a distinctly sweet fragrance that is similar to honey. While not technically teas both are caffeine-free and high in antioxidants and minerals, providing a plethora of healthy gains. Beautiful in colour and mellow in flavour, our Rooibos range is red hot and rousing."

To find out more, head here 

http://www.t2tea.com/

dog food

As all my followers will know, Poppy is our gorgeous West Highland Terrier. When it comes to food, Poppy is a typical female and can be very picky. A few years ago, in addressing a common West Highland Terrier skin condition, we put her on a veterinarian Hypoallergenic dog food, which helped to regulate her eating habits whilst also addressing her skin condition. We found that each meal time, we had to entice her to eat her food by adding a few nibbles of either meat or raw vegetables, and you would never dare to add the same thing for more than one meal in a row - how dare you!

Anyway, we take Poppy to a special Westie groomer half an hour away from her home - we figure it is worth the extra travel for a groomer that treats the dogs well and doesn't stress them out. This particular groomer also grooms show Westie's, so we have full confidence that he knows what he is doing when it comes to the haircare of Poppy. On our last visit, he introduced us to a New Zealand brand of dog food he was importing that is so good, I just had to tell you all about it!

It is called Ziwi Peak, and it is the perfect gluten free, dairy free and sugar free food FOR YOUR DOG! We buy the air-dried dog food which comes in three flavours: lamb, venison and venison + fish. As I mentioned before, Poppy has always been a picky eater, but since feeding her Ziwi Peak, she has become a real foodie! As soon as she hears the jar which we store her food in being opened, she comes racing in. We no longer have to add anything to her dog food to entice her to eat, just give her the Ziwi Peak and she is a happy Westie.

The only way I was able to take this picture of Poppy looking up at me was to dangle some Ziwi Peak in front of her, hehe

So what is so special about Ziwi Peak?

1. 1=3...Gently air dried to lock in great nutrition. Their unique, gentle air-drying process preserves the goodness of raw meat, organs and fish. 1 portion of air-dried ZiwiPeak = 3 of raw meat.
2. No preservatives, fillers or carbohydrates from grains. Only natural ingredients go into ZiwiPeak. It's totally free of any nasties, added sugars, salt, glycerines, antibiotics, hormones or preservatives.
3. Over 90% meat content. With over 95% digestibility rating, ZiwiPeak ensures your pet gets almost all the nutritional benefit or raw feeding.
4. 100% of all ingredients from New Zealand. From trusted pastures and clean oceans, safely and conveniently, to your pet's food bowl.
5. Wild-prey diet...A completely  balanced, natural, wild-prey, meat diet.  Exactly what your pet's digestive system has evolved to thrive on.

Some of my friends have complained that ZiwiPeak is more expensive than other brands of dog kibble. And it is, but it is still affordable at around $150 for a 5kg bag. You also no longer need to add anything else to their food to either entice them to eat or in an effort to give them a more rounded diet; just feed them ZiwiPeak alone - they never get sick of it and it provides them with all the nutrition they need! Plus, can you honestly put a price on your dog's health and well-being?

For more information and stockists, go to http://www.ziwipeak.com

water purifier

I used to boil tap water, as the thought of a tacky looking plaster water filter that would be expensive to buy replacement filters for didn't appeal to me. It wasn't until I spotted a Southern Cross Pottery water purifier in a magazine that I realised there were some really good options available.

To be honest, what attracted me to the product was the aesthetics of the brightly coloured glazed pottery. When I had a look at their website, I then realised the enormous benefits of investing in a good quality water purifier as a long term investment.

I ended up buying the Ultra Chic water purifier in the Turquoise colour for $269 and absolutely adore it. There is a top chamber within the purifier that you fill up where the replaceable filter is fitted. I love the quaint stainless steel tap of the gravity fed purifier too. We found the perfect block of teak timber to set it on so that it is at a functional height and looks great in our kitchen.

Here are some facts and benefits of the Southern Cross Pottery water purifiers:

• They are gravity fed so don't require any special plumbing or electricity like modern fridge filters
• The filtered water substantially reduces risks of ill health
• Unlike distilled water and reverse osmosis, purified water using a carbon filter retains natural energy vibrations with healthy minerals like calcium and magnesium being retained
• Also acts as a water storage container. My model holds 10 litres (7 litres in the storage container and 3 litres in the purifier compartment)
• Water is filtered through a replaceable ceramic filter at a cost of less than 3 cents per litre
• Our bodies are at least 75% water. Adults should drink a minimum of 8 glasses of pure water a day to prevent hydration. Water is essential for our bodies to function properly as it facilitates nutrient absorption and removal of wastes
• Anything other than hydrogen and oxygen should be considered as a pollutant in our water and many of these pollutants are now positively linked to acute, chronic and terminal illnesses.
• Tap water can contain variable levels of contaminants such as chlorine, cryptosporidium, bacteria and giardia
• The purifiers are supplied with a Royal Doulton carbon activated ceramic filter which are extremely efficient at removing impurities such as bacteria, chlorine, amoeba, suspended solids, organic pesticides, heavy metals and cysts
• Laboratory test results show that this system will remove up to:
• Cyst reduction (Cryptosporidium & Giardia) > 99.999%
• Removes algae, rust, sediment & suspended solids > 99.99%
• Reduces harmful bacteria (E coli, cholera, shigella, salmonella, klebsiella) > 99.99%
• Turbidity reduction > 97%
• Removes guinea worm 100%
• Chlorine reduction > 95%
• Absolute filtration 0.9 micron > 99.99%
• For particles between 0.5 and 0.8 micron > 99.9%
• Flow rate under gravity = 1 LPH
• The ceramic wall of the filter is impregnated with silver ions to prevent growth of bacteria in the filter itself as it is a natural biocide inhibiting microbiological growth meaning there is no need to sterilise the filter
• Each purifier is hand made on the potter's wheel and individually decorated in a variety of colours
• Unlike terracotta and earthenware systems, stone water will not grow mould, become stained, deteriorate with age or leave a clay taste in your water
• The inside of the purifier is glazed allowing ease of cleaning
• No fumes are given off as with plastics or metals allowing safer long storage
• The insulating properties of stoneware will help keep water naturally cool for drinking

For more information, head to the Southern Cross Pottery website:

http://www.southerncrosspottery.com.au