First let me preface: I love
my essential oils. Open my purse, my gym bag, my diaper bag—even my ooh-la-la
special occasion clutch—and you’re bound to find frankincense, eucalyptus, and
lavender oils at the ready (and probably a half dozen more).
I firmly believe that essential oils can empower us moms to
help soothe and comfort our littles.
Indeed, if you take a look at the 10,000+
peer-reviewed/evidence-based studies about essential oils (published in
scientific journals), it is clear that essential oils—in tandem with modern
medicine—can have remarkable results. That’s the key phrase, ladies: “in tandem with modern medicine.”
I have become increasingly alarmed by the anti-medicine
culture embraced by many of Young Living’s distributors / users. These
well-intentioned users—many of whom are my dear neighbors—have bought into a
belief that essential oils can trump the doctor’s office, pharmacy, and even
the emergency room. The ripples from this type of thinking can have life
threatening consequences!
What’s at the root of this alarming culture? Two words: Gary
Young. While I consider many Young Living users my friends, I have no tolerance
for the founder and CEO of Young Living. Gary Young is a self-proclaimed
“doctor” who has been arrested multiple times for practicing medicine without a
license. True story! I could go on for days discussing Young’s frightening
past, but below are just a few of the dangerous claims Gary Young has made on
essential oil’s “healing” powers:
●
Young has long avowed that he cured his own paralysis
with essential oils. However, according to Dr. Eva Briggs, MD, Young has never
provided any documentation of either his hospitalization (supposedly he was in
an ICU for four months) or his miraculous cure. More suspicious still, a
brochure published by Young in 1987 solely attributes his recovery to
“Oscillation Frequency Stimulation Infusion” without once mentioning essential
oils. Ugh.
●
In his widely-distributed recording, “The
Missing Link,” Gary claims that he healed a woman’s lupus in eight
days with the blend of oils found in Young Living’s Immupower (pg 29).
●
In the same tape, he argues that the cure for diabetes
is simply Coriander (page 11), and compares lavender oil to chemotherapy as a cancer
treatment (page 12).
●
He also states that “born deafness” can be restored
with Helichrysum oil (page 25).
Disturbingly, Young Living’s own CEO sets the trend for
Young Living’s distributors (even with the best of intent) to teach users to
rely and expect essential oils to be the sole means to heal life-threatening
conditions, burns or illnesses.
To contrast this, I really appreciate doTERRA’s far more
balanced approach. For example, in 2013, doTERRA brought a team of six doctors
to their yearly conference; their presentation emphasized the importance of use
of their oils in conjunction with modern medicine as a synergistic approach to
health care. Thanks to Dr. David K. Hill, doTERRA’s Chief Medical Officer,
doTERRA is now leading the industry by working hand-in-hand with health-care
professionals to equip more specialists and hospitals with essential oils.
To wrap things up, I loved a quote DoTERRA’s statement last
July on this very topic, “essential oils are progressively becoming a more
vital ingredient in the recipe for optimal health.” Instead of proudly claiming their oils and
the only “ingredient” to healing, doTERRA clearly values the power of both
modern medicine and the power of distilled plants working together to make our
lives more healthy, whole, and full.
Now that’s a brand I can trust.
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