I wasn't really sure how to use them but my dear friend plugged me into a wonderful community, pointed me to helpful resources, and answered every question I had with love and grace. I will forever be grateful for her. We dove head first into using them, applying them topically, consuming them internally, and inhaling them for their aromatherapy benefits. When my dad started going to chemo, we used essential oils as a form of complementary treatment, in addition to taking nutritional supplements daily. Sadly, after 8 weeks of aggressive treatment which included an 8-hour drip of 3 different chemo drugs plus radiation (M-F), the doctors released my dad saying there was nothing else they could do for him as his body was not responding in the way they had anticipated. The tumors weren't going away so they essentially gave up!
So I did what any daughter would do in an attempt to save her dad's life... I started researching the snot out of the cancer that plagued my dad, what causes it, and ways to eliminate it. I reviewed studies, talked to survivors, asked for suggestions, and above all --> prayed for mercy & guidance from God.
During this time we made some pretty significant shifts in our lifestyle, changing what we ate, what we drank, the supplements we took, the oils we used, etc... we were super intentional. We essentially tried to control the things we could that would potentially make a difference. My dad was still going in for frequent scans and his doctor was quite surprised with the results each and every time. The tumors were shrinking and all he could really say was, "Whatever you are doing Mr. Cox, keep doing it. It seems to be working!" So we continued our regimen.
Over time, his scans became less and less frequent as the tumors continued to shrink... from every 30 days to every 3 months to every 6 months until finally --> we got the news we had been diligently praying for...
18 months after being released from conventional treatment, my dad's scan showed no detectable cancer. He was CANCER FREE!!
It was then that I promised God that I would scream natural health from the rooftops to anyone who would listen. I truly believe that it wasn't just one thing that helped him beat his cancer diagnosis but overall embracing a more holistic lifestyle, being intentional with our diet and nutrition, as well as reducing our exposure to cancer-causing chemicals and toxins.
Essential oils were (and continue to be) a HUGE part of our daily life. I am convinced they played a valuable role in helping to save my dad's life and I will forever be thankful to Gary & Mary Young for being a steward of plants, for HK Lin for his commitment to research, and to this wonderful company for everything they continue to do to ensure we have access to these incredible, life-changing products. They are simply tools that were given to us by our Creator and after using them for well over a decade, there will never be a day that I don't use them on the regular, for all things!
P.S. My dad has been in remission now for the last 9 years (since 2014) as of the time of this writing.