Remember all of those online webinar classes we offered that you wanted to take but simply didn’t have the time to do so?  Or worse, the class was being taught in a time zone half way around the world from you, making it that much more challenging?

Perhaps you recall enjoying some of the classes we’ve had in the past but wished for more complete written information as a follow-up, or more recipes, or more visual “show how.” 

I think the one we hear the most is from people who wish that we had it recorded so that they could review it again and again.

Well, we’re happy to say that you’ve finally got all of your wishes! Whew! And boy, are we tired! *grin*

As of October 1^st, we will begin to release our best and most requested training events in a prerecorded and a complete written format. We’ve expanded the written content to be more book-like, so that the training therein can stand on its own, and we’ve expanded the visual portion of the class so its more comprehensive and inclusive of some of the aspects that have gotten left out in the past webinars because we’ve run out of time.  Now with this new format all you have to do is get comfortable in front of your computer either by yourself or with family and friends, any time you want to learn about your most compelling preparedness topics! Even better, since the training is now broken down in chapters, if there is a portion which you want to bypass because of your existing expertise, you can easily do so without wasting your time or diluting your enjoyment.

Whether you prefer to watch a demonstration or read instructions, these perfectly combined packages of education will provide you the same quality of instruction you’ve come to expect from The Preparedness Pro with just a little exception—convenience! You can now watch the training as much or as little as you want and you can also read a complete synopsis of the training event PLUS additional written resources in print. And since we’ve chosen to embrace the world of technology in delivering these courses to you, there are no shipping costs! Yeah! While I must say I’ve been exhausted trying to put all of this together and keep up with the blog, my health and the health of a very dear friend, I have to say I’ve been so EXCITED! Every time one of you has e-mailed me expressing disappointment that you were going to miss a date of an event, or that you wished there was more written content etcetera, I just knew this had to get done.  In fact, it’s actually better for us all this way. I can take a vacation if I want (ha! Like that will happen) and you can enjoy it at 3:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. I love that your family and busy schedules no longer need to be sacrificed just so that you can get complete Preparedness Training.

Additionally, since I’m no longer restricted by time restrictions or seat capacities, I’ve opted to provide detailed and fully comprehensive visual and written education of the most requested training events that have been offered in the last 2 years PLUS the ones that you guys keep hollering for. By revamping previous courses and creating some long-overdue ones, I’m confident that this venue of training will over-deliver and exceed your expectations every time. I’ve added a lot more content into the video portion of the classes, and gone to the expense of editing both the visual and the written portions.  Neither you nor I are restricted any more by a “reasonable amount of time to expect someone to sit through a class” or those “bladder breaks” we’ve experienced during the training. *grin*  YOU get to decide when that takes place with the push of the pause button. 

There’s even better news too. Thanks to the pool of talent I’ve encountered during the first step of assembly for these products, I can now provide you with some of the classes that you’ve been asking for that don’t portray themselves very well in a Powerpoint and voice presentation. This means, yes, you will now have access to Pressure Cooking and Making Wheat Meat in a video format! Yeah!! And did I mention that there are also a lot of great recipes? Yup. I know there will be a few of you excited about that. Each recorded visual presentation will provide you with a quality learning experience, complete with a detailed resource guide for you to reference again and again. This new development means no more cutting corners on a vital topic just because of time restraints. No more getting up early on a Saturday morning just so you can make a class halfway around the world! And no more missing the classes you want but just can’t seem to find time for. Enjoy these highly educational topics at your own pace and in accordance to your own interest. Simply slip into your most comfortable set of clothes, curl up with some munchies, and enjoy this vital training anytime, anywhere, you desire.

I love that the folks in both coasts of the U.S., South Africa, Norway, and Scotland can ALL enjoy this now. I’ve been trying to get it done for what seems like forever, but now it’s really here! Excuse me while I whoop!

Just be aware that we’re not going to release them all at once. And even though we’re spending some bucks to try and make them as professional and thorough as possible, we’re going to price them modestly. It’s more important to me that you have the training but not at the cost of other vital preparedness items.

So what I’ll be doing is as soon as I get a class ready for  the final editing stages, I’ll announce a pre-release of the course about 30 days prior to its official launch date. Any persons who purchase the class during that pre-release time frame will get a substantial discount. Even better, for this first pre-release, those of you who have already enjoyed the live webinar version of the two classes we’re prelaunching  will receive the new, more complete one, but with a $7 credit  towards your purchase! In othe words, if you paid  for The Wonderful World of Wheat in the last 12 months, you’ll be able to purchase at the pre-release price of $20, and then we will credit you $7.  My husband isnt’ too keen on that cause he knows how much info I provided in the first place. But he’ll get over it. hee hee.  (We wanted to do a full credit of your previous class, but the logistics of that were a nightmare since we had so many different prices over the last year. *sigh)  Anyway, I like offering a little something extra cause I’m so excited about the launch!  This way you get the best of both worlds without having to pay for it twice at full price!  Remember, the previous tuition credit will be credited to applicable purchasers after you’ve made the purchase and the offer is only good during the pre-release period which ends after the first 50 purchases. So don’t delay if you want that extra savings.

Now I realize that there are some of you out there who are a little technically challenged. To be truthful, I’m probably one of the worst. But I assure you that viewing these classes this way will be super easy. All you need is your computer and an internet connection and you can enter a world of professional, detailed, and accurate preparedness knowledge!  Remember, this isn’t just audio. This is a visual class presentation PLUS the written resource as well. You can even save the materials to your own computer to view at your leisure.  No matter what you choose to do in your preparedness preparation, I believe I’ve still managed to create some fun, professional, and upbeat classes that will really help you be prepared in many different areas. The fun, professional and upbeat style of The Preparedness Pro will expertly steer you in each of your preferred topics.

So are you ready for the first batch of pre-released classes? Here they are!

Due October 1^st, 2010—“Enough and to Spare” Coupon Training Boot Camp

This 4+ hour training will expound on every possible coupon saving strategy so that you can get the most out of this important financial strategy. Not only will you save literally hundreds of dollars a month using this training, but you’ll also be quickly putting together your preparedness supplies for free or cheap!  Unlike previous education opportunities, this class now comes with the exclusive book “Enough and to Spare” written by Kellene Bishop. You will find out where to get all of your coupons, how best to manage them, when to use them, where to use them, and how to stay on top of them without feeling overwhelmed!   There are literally hundreds of people who have taken this class and have loved it—even those who were already couponing! This particular class impacts 7 out of 10 of your Principles of Preparedness, so it’s definitely not one to miss!

Regular Retail price Oct. 1^st is a steal at only $45 but the Pre-Sale Special Price is only $30!

Next:

Due October 1^st, 2010—“The Wonderful World of Wheat”

I’ve been teaching this class for over 10 years now and it’s continued to develop and expand. Now I’ve got all of the aspects of wheat combined in one class—complete with valuable written information that you can reference at any time. For a more detailed description of this class, just go to this link.

Regular Retail Price Oct. 1^st is only $30, but the Pre-Sale Special Price is only $20!

More Classes Coming Soon! I’ll be sure to let you know when they are coming out and give everyone the pre-release price opportunity as well. Look forward to these classes coming your way soon!

Pressure Cooking Galore!

 Solar Oven Success

 Neanderthals in the Kitchen

 Integrating Essential Oils

 UNDERWhelmed in Food Storage

 Food Pantry Makeover

 Financial Velocity

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky@preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

While I usually love talking about the merits of these invaluable additions to my medical preparedness, I feel that it’s also important to point out some dangers and cautions as well.

For starters, let’s be clear that you really need to listen to your body when it comes to using essential oils.  Some oils act completely different on a person who is pregnant or who struggles with epilepsy than they do on others who aren’t in the same position.  For example, in pregnant women, ylang ylang could cause blood pressure to drop. It’s not one that I would put on my “no no when pregnant list” but it should definitely be viewed with caution.

There are a few oils that I don’t believe anyone should use singularly, regardless of their state of health. Those oils are bitter almond, boldo leaf, yellow campho, horseradish, jaborandi leaf, mugwort, mustard, pennyroyal, thuja, tansy, rue, sassafras, savin, southernwood, wormseed and wormwood.  Finding these in an essential oil blend may make them less harmful, but for the most part, these botanical are better if used in their herbal form, not in a concentrated one.

When you use an oil, understand that each drop you use is usually the equivalent of an entire pound of botanicals, if they are pure and unadulterated.  Some quality of oils are more like and ounce of botanicals, but regardless, they shouldn’t be taken lightly.  Sure there are some essential oils that seem to do no wrong such as lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, and grapefruit, but all essential oils have a cleansing effect on the body. Drastic cleansing in an epileptic patient can bring on a seizure, so the essential oils must be used with care and caution.

When it comes to knowing how much oil to use, understand that for the most part, if you’re using pure therapeutic grade oils, one drop is all you need. In fact, in most cases the essential oils wont’ increase the effectiveness if you only use one drop vs. 5. If you must use more oil in order to have any noticeable impact, then chances are you’re using a weaker concentration of oil. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, so long as other lesser oils aren’t cut into the essential oil you’re relying on for aid.  However, obviously if more than one drop of oil is necessary, then it certainly should be taken into consideration when you purchase your oils.  The price may be less, but if the effectiveness is watered down at all, then your money may be better spent on a more concentrated oil.

Many essential oils are a bit “spicy” meaning that they will actually burn if they are applied directly on the skin. Such oils should be combined with a mild, pure carrier oil such as coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or almond oil. You can also get the same result if you use a bit of KY Jelly to apply the oil. Appropriate cautions should be noted on the containers of oil you purchase, or at least with accompanying marketing information. Since the molecules of essential oils are extremely small, it poses a challenge to get them to spread evenly over an area of the body before they absorb all at once in one small drop of an area. A carrier oil is ideal to help you get the most surface benefit of an essential oil. If you don’t have a carrier oil, you can also use water (preferably distilled) to help cover a larger area with just one drop of essential oil. Understand, though; that water actually amplifies the effects of the oils and carries it more quickly into the body.

Bottom line, begin with a small amount of oil and increase as your body sees fit.

When it comes to using essential oils on children and infants, they always should be diluted with a carrier oil. Remember that some of the essential oils smell really yummy to a child.  So be sure that you keep them out of reach of children so that they don’t decide to take a chug. (Remember doing that with Vanilla Extract when you were a kid?)  If you ever find that a child has dumped a bunch of essential oil on themselves, quickly apply a vegetable protein oil to the spilled areas such as olive, almond, grapeseed, or safflower. This will slow down the absorption rate of the oil.  Remember, do not use water—even if the oil gets into the eyes. Water will only intensify the effect. Use a petroleum jelly or something similar that is safe to be around the eyes.  Once you have applied the carrier oil, then you can begin wiping away as much of the excess with a soft, dry cloth.

Lastly, there are some essential oils which are considered phototoxic, which means that if they are on your skin and then exposed directly to the sun, it will actually absorb more of the UV radiation faster.  So, pay attention to where you are applying your oils so that they aren’t in the direct sunlight on your person or at least make sure that you’re mindful of the oils which are inherently phototoxic.  These oils are angelica, bergamot, orange bitter, grapefruit, lemon, lime, petitgrain, and rue. Some caution should be used when applying fennel, aniseseed, and cumin if they will be exposed to direct sunlight.  Again, remember that direct sunlight is key to the unpleasant effect. If you apply the oil where the sun doesn’t shine *grin* then you’ll be fine.

Lastly, I want to reiterate that I have found NO cases in which the use of essential oils has caused serious injuries or death. On the other hand the American Medical Association has reported the hundreds of persons who die every year while correctly using prescribed pharmaceuticals. Again, this is where the spiritual preparedness comes in. Listen to your gut and act accordingly. Essential oils are generally safe even in the hands of amateurs, but too much of any good thing could still be harmful. It is for this purpose that I share this information with you today, that you may all be appropriately cautious as well as anxious to jump in to this world of independent medicine.

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For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

The pharmaceutical industry has long practiced singling out one particular component of a plant in order for them to duplicate it chemically and then qualify for a patent. Regardless of how perfectly the chemical component matches the original portion, it still is sorely lacking in one of the most important factors of the original effective compound—the synergistic effect that the other portions of the plant have which makes up the whole.  It’s no different than someone taking the cello out of the symphony and trying to pass it off as a full symphony by itself. A piece of lettuce isn’t a salad and an orphaned child isn’t a family.  While beans and rice each on their own can taste wonderful, the combined effect of the two of them together comprise a perfect protein for our bodies.  This principle is also true when you look at the effect which botanicals have in impacting our health and well-being. The part is more effective when joined with its counterparts.

When you combine one or more pure essential oils together, you can rely on a blend that is more effective than if those oils had been used separately. Even more importantly, I would recommend that you only use an oil blend that was put together professionally because the order in which the oils are added as well as the amount is critical.  It takes a long, long time to become educated and an expert in this aspect of essential oil use.  The frequencies of each oil act separately as well as in a symphonic manner. As such, a single drop of a blended oil with 8 different oils making it up, it will work much better than 8 drops of 8 different oils. That’s synergy for ya! For example, chamomile essential oil has an anti-inflammatory property. But this particular property is powerfully increased when lavender is appropriately used in concert with it. The interaction between these two oils creates a noticeably stronger impact on the targeted ailment.

It’s helpful to understand that essential oils all consist of a frequency.  Well, frequencies each have a “pitch” like a note. In the case of essential oils, each note determines the rate that the essential oil will be evaporated.  This makes sense to most music majors. Just like some notes can penetrate and thus break glass, some essential oil notes permeate organs, other frequencies, It’s also important to note that there is no such thing as an essential oil that works only on the body or only on the emotions of a person. All oils possess a frequency which affects both the body and the heart.  Just like the smell of Pepto-Bismal gives each person an emotional reaction, as well as a physical one, so do essential oils.

Higher notes/frequencies work most effectively on the mental aspects which plague us.  Middle notes/frequencies work effectively on emotions, digestion, respiration, and metabolism before they evaporate. Whereas the deeper notes are more effective in working with other aspects of the body, deeper tissues, and grounding our mental energies to create stronger focus, concentration, etc. because they take longer to evaporate. This is also true because when you really come right down to it, no physical ailment stands alone without any emotional ramification as well. It’s still too complicated to determine which comes first in an ailment—the emotion or the physical detriment—but science has proven that that they simply cannot be mutually exclusive of each other. Along that vein, understand that you may be able to identify an effective essential oil by lining it up with your emotional challenges first and foremost. This isn’t necessary, but in some cases people are at a loss as to what their physical ailment really is, but usually are able to identify the emotional challenges they are experiencing. Chances are very good that if you tackle the appropriate emotional ailment, you’ll also conquer the physical dis-ease.

Most of you are aware that Vitamin E is good for you. But you also know that it’s an oil. As an oil, it can easily go rancid when exposed to oxygen and thus become a toxic poison to your body if consumed. You may also know that each kernel of wheat contains vitamin E. It’s actually the E vitamin the preserves the wheat for so very, very long. But if the wheat kernel is cracked, the E becomes a liability as it gets exposed to air.  It then goes rancid and ruins the wheat.  I share this with you because one of the other benefits of using blended essential oils it that it mitigates any “side effects” the some people believe they have experienced in using a particular essential oils.  For example, some folks have a hard time incorporating straight clary sage into their body’s health needs. However, when clary sage is in a essential oil blend, then the other oils help to mitigate the harsh effect of straight clary sage so that we can instead receive the benefit from it. In other words, blended oils give us so many more possibilities of healing as well as greater ability as opposed to the use of single oils. Blended oils are much more effective for children, pregnant women, the elderly, or folks who have serious sensitivities.  When blending is performed correctly, everyone can take advantage of the benefits without any nasty side effects. If you’ve ever had a less than desirable experience with an essential oil, I suspect that it’s because a single oil was used, or an incorrectly blended concoction.

Essential oils can be utilized in a single form wonderfully to promote healing. However, most users of essential oils find better results when a blend of oils is used, combining several pure oils in order to effectively promote healing at the core as well as the cause and subsequent symptoms. For example, a headache rarely just exists on its own.  It’s usually started because of a pinched nerve somewhere, dehydration, or some other illness within the body. Then, as a result of the headache, blurred vision, fatigue, and irritability accompany the symptoms. Obviously, it would be less effective to try and treat just the headache when it would be better if you could promote a body which inhibits the pinched nerves, the headaches, and the subsequent symptoms as well, right? That’s what blended oils are created to do—too work harmoniously on all of the culprits of dis-ease in the body and mind.  For example, a person who struggles with fibromyalgia has a litany of sub-problems as a result of the disease: depression, sleeplessness, physical pain, brain fog, and feelings of hopelessness.  Appropriate essential oil use would address the cause of the pain in fibromyalgia at the skeletal level as well as aid with the depression, sleep disorder and lack of focus.  In such an instance, I would recommend someone use a blend or blends which contain birch for the analgesic and cortisone effect, and is frequently used for muscle and bone pain. It has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-spasmodic properties. Likewise, I would also recommend that the blend has Helichrysum in it.  Helichrysum is one of the most sought after essential oils and is very expensive, but a person doesn’t need a lot of it in order to have an impact on their body.  It’s renowned for it’s skin and muscle relieving properties, blood cleansing, helps regulate cholesterol (which goes haywire when analgesics are regularly consumed) regenerates damaged tissue (which is a big deal when you have torn tissues and surgical adhesions) and helps heal colitis. See how we’re taking care of multiple areas of dis-ease here?  Additionally, I would want myrrh in my chosen blend which has been used successfully for thousands of years for a calming of the respiratory system, digestion, hypo-thyroid, mouth ulcers, wounds, and a feeling of being chilly. It’s also a proven anti-fungal, gland decongestant, aids sore throats, skin conditions, thrush, and hepatitis. Myrrh also has some properties which help brings emotions of relief—which would be ideal for someone battling chronic pain and fatigue.

Ok. I’m not going to go further. Hopefully you are getting my point. Bottom line, rather than investing in hundreds of single essential oils and trying to combine them yourself, I would rely on professionally blended oils and reap the benefits accordingly. Additionally, make sure that you’re purchasing 100% pure oils—pure, means pure unless you are the FDA. If you are not aware, let me remind you that the FDA allows labels to state that an essential oil is “pure” so long as it contains 10% of pure—in the true sense of the word—oil as a part of the blend. In other words, a company could sell a 10 ml bottle of “100% pure myrrh essential oil, so long as the bottle which is mostly filled with almond oil has at least 10% of pure myrrh. So always be cautious, read your labels, etc.

One last thing I would recommend is for everyone use at least one essential oil daily; it doesn’t matter which one you use for this purpose. Just use one daily! Each time you use a quality essential oil, you are improving your body’s frequency.  By improving your body’s frequency you’re improving your mood and your immune system. I can’t wait to hear of some of your experiences with essential oils. It’s opened a whole new world to me!!

If you’re interested in my opinion of where to purchase quality, affordable oils, continue reading.

For years I have been purchasing and using essential oils from some of the more popular multi-level marketing companies. It’s logical to understand that the cost of the oils must go up in such a scenario because each bottle sold has to do more than pay for the production of the product plus a profit.  Several other individuals have their hand in the kitty which necessitates the increase in price.  I’d much rather purchase my oils as direct to the manufacturer as possible. I figure that the fewer hands that touch it, then fewer hands compromise the integrity of the oil.  I’m happy to say that Five Star Preparedness has recently launched their selection of essential oil blends. I believe that they are the group buy for August as well.  I did some comparisons of their regular retail prices and those of other companies. Understanding that the Five Star oils are pure in the truest sense of the word, I couldn’t believe that the difference in price between theirs and other company’s was as much as 90% lower!! This means that I can have a true arsenal of essential oils and take my health and treatments more into my own hands rather than being subject solely to the medical community. To check into the group buy, go to www.fivestarpreparedness.com/groupbuy and just click on the Group Buy button.

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For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

In my previous article about essential oils I addressed some of the scientific reasons why essential oils work on our body. Today I’m going to continue that bit of information and also address how best to use essential oils.

First of all, I think I should make it clear that essential oils are not oils at all.  They are simply the extraction of a cold expeller process (which IS commonly used for extracting oils.) But essential oils—if they are pure and haven’t been contaminated by cutting in other ingredients such as genuine oils—should not leave a stain on your clothes, clog up your humidifier, waterfall, etc.  I’m not sure who the person was who started using the “oil” terminology, but the term oil is misleading in this case. Mind you, the contents in a pure essential oil are not the same consistency as water. Most weigh more than water, actually.

As I shared a bit in the last article, all of our bodies consist of frequencies. As such they house an electrical charge. As you no doubt are aware, not all electrical charges are equal. Even though plants have an electrical charge, we are not “shocked” when we touch them. However, were we to touch a live power line or to be struck by lightening, we would definitely feel the power of such a charge.

As I shared earlier, the more healthy your body is, the stronger the frequency is. Since there is opposition in all things, we can appreciate that if there are positive charges in the world, there are also negative charges. The frequencies in plants consist of a positive charge. Whereas disease, anger, depression, viruses, etc. consist of a negative, frequency-sucking, charge. I realize that there are some out there who may read this and think I’m getting into the crazy, hippy world of things. I promise you that I’m not.  I stay far away from such premises or artificial truths. Having dealt with such cancerous philosophies in the past, I consider myself to be highly sensitive to such misleading, although perhaps well-intentioned premises. Anyway, rest assured that what I’m sharing with you thus far can be scientifically verified. Every living thing has an electrical current running through it. This is part of the reason why defibrillators are used so successfully in emergency medical treatments for the heart. The electrical current gets things running again when the frequencies have stopped functioning. So keep that in mind and then stay with me here a moment.  Ok. so where do essential oils come in to all of this?

As I shared previously, all plants have a positive charge/frequency in them. Now, understand that one single drop of an essential oil is extracted from an entire pound of positively charged botanical resources.  That’s right. If you are using rosemary oil, every single drop you use is the harvest of an entire pound of rosemary—that’s one of the reasons why pure essential oils don’t come cheaply.  When you are able to condense all of the frequency and positive charge of an entire pound of live plants into one drop of oil, it’s bound to make an impact on your own body’s frequency—for the etter. The key is to use it in or on your body in its most effective manner. So next, I will discuss how best to use essential oils.

There are actually several schools of thought that have been handed down through the ages. Some say that the French initiated the learning of essential oils, when in fact, it originated with native American Indians. As you may recall from your history books, the French were once close allies of the Indians. As such, the French were first exposed to the use of botanical oils to cure all types of ailments—even those that many of us would go to the emergency room for today—through their dealings with the native Indians. However, the French elected to take their newfound knowledge and break it down into a science in hopes that they could better understand it. Parts of Asia also used this method of medicine as well. Eventually, England and Europe embraces the use of essential oils and even included it into their mainstream medicine. The various ways that you hear about using essential oils today are all rooted in the thought process of these few nations. Unfortunately though, when their initial research was done, it didn’t have the benefit of the scientific advances that we have today. It’s been quite a while since a major study has been led on essential oils on the same level that they were researched in the early 1900’s.

Inhalation: The school of though for Germany was that the inhalation of the essential oils was the best way to get them into your body. This premise holds a lot of weight when we recognize that some of our favorite smells usually bring about a strong physical or emotional reaction in us.  I find merit in using essential oils by diffusing them into the air, but not usually for an immediate medical need. Again, as a reminder, ALL essential oils have an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-virus component to them. Thus releasing them in the air is sure to make your breathing better and improve the amount of bacteria and mold that you may have in your home. Weber State University did an extensive study on this fact when they were commissioned to study the Thieves oil blend from Young Living Oils. While the science does prove that the essential oils can gain a less obstructed access to the blood stream in this manner, when the essential oils are diffused in the air they run into a whole lot of obstacles that hinder their maximum efficacy in entering your lungs and nasal passages. Think about it. Even if you were to diffuse the essential oils as close as two feet away, the essence would still need to get by millions of negatively charged particles before accessing your system. While that’s great for diffusing the negatively charged dust and mold particles, it only produces a small amount of benefit that accesses your system. I have discovered in reading the writings of many experts, that the inhalation method is a great supplement to other, more effective methods of using essential oils, but for the reasons I’ve outlines is not the preferred option.  Also keep in mind that when heat is used to infuse an oil, it can compromise the positive effect of that oil by rendering it rancid. So infusing it with air, water, or a spray into the air are much more effective methods of infusion.

Consumption: The French advocate using essential oils in every possible way, but they lean heavily on taking the essential oils orally. While there is still benefit done to the body through this manner, it’s still not the most effective manner, thanks to the liver which works so hard for our bodies. Anything that is eaten is metabolized by the liver, thus the liver cleans out  as much as 90% of  medicines, vitamins etc. While essential oils are more friendly to the body than chemical compounds, a portion of their efficacy is lost during the metabolization process. This problem is much more prevalent if you are using oils that have other ingredients cut into them such as almond oil, olive oil, and other herbs or foods.  While essential oils have a much better “security clearance” in your body than do these other ingredients, the other ingredients compromise the ability of the essential oils being able to pass through the cellular walls easily without obstacles. So, if you can tolerate using a pure, unadulterated essential oil bilingually, meaning holding it under your tongue for 30 seconds or more, it will better enter your bloodstream and get to the cellular level faster and with a higher frequency still in tact.

Topically: This is by far the best way to get the essential oil directly into the blood stream. There are many areas of the body in which the blood vessels are closer to the surface or which lead directly to other vital areas of the body faster, but applying the essential oils topically certainly eliminates some of the other obstacles which I’ve shared. When you apply an essential oil topically, you are increasing the medicinal effect by 10 times as opposed to taking it orally. In other words, any medicine you can use topically will have ten times the impact on your body that taking it orally. This is primarily because you are bypassing the “health sentries” known as the stomach acids and the liver. Instead of waiting for the sentries to give the essential oil “permission” to go into the blood stream—after losing a lot of its efficacy while traveling throughout the body—you get to apply it directly into the blood stream where your most vital living cells are.  This means that you can get more benefit for your buck when you are able to apply them topically. For example, I have one oil blend that I drink during the day—about 5 drops per 20 ounces of water. I started applying it to the bottoms of my feet at night and I discovered that I could feel the benefits in the morning the same as if I had been drinking water all night.

There are many stories in which persons believe they’ve had a negative reaction to topically applied essential oils.  In such a case, I remind persons that moderation and common sense are critical—especially when applying essential oils. Essential oils are POWERFUL folks. You can’t put apply an entire pounds worth of a tingly oil such as cinnamon on your hand without experiencing a healing crisis. For example, the essential oil, Clove, is quite powerful. When applied to the body directly and without any other oils it can cause an uncomfortable burning sensation. While it won’t irritate the skin, per se, it can certainly deter a person from using it properly. When you have oils that are strong, like the clove oil, you may want to consider weakening the initial impact that the oil may have on one particular area of your body. This can easily be done by mixing the oil with a bit of water and then rubbed onto your skin. The water evaporates while the oil makes its way into the blood stream. This subdues the initial reaction of your skin coming in contact with a powerful herb like clove or cinnamon. This can also be done with healthy carrier oils such as coconut or almond oil.

Ok. So we’ve talked about the positive charge of essential oils. As you well know, there is opposition in all things. We have positive charged frequencies and we have negatively charged frequencies all around us. Disease, depression, anger, viruses, bacteria, etc. are all negatively charged.  As such, in the body’s effort to neutralize these invaders, it uses positive frequencies in an attempt to neutralize the negative charge.  What the net balance is at the end of the duel is what indicates your overall health. Think of this like your checking account. When you have money in your account you’re in the positive until withdrawals take from that positive balance. At some point, if you make too many withdrawals you can end up in the negative.  When your body is in the negative, then you have a health problem that manifests itself physically and emotionally. There are obviously numerous ‘anti-frequency agents in our life that we are exposed to on a daily basis. At the very least, these negatively charged exposure translate into stress in our body. Stress is a physical compromise in our body. Some other well-known offenders are caffeine, pain killers, processed sugars, molds, mildew, pollution, loud/threatening noises, as well as processed starches. All of these things actually have a negative frequency, meaning that when we put them in or on our body, they diminish the positive frequency of our bodies.  When this happens, the frequency levels of our body are compromised—kind of like when the Imperial Falcon had its force shield down and was taking all of those damaging hits. This leaves us wide open for a myriad of diseases, unexplained  mood swings, bacteria, and viruses that surround us.  It also compromises our emotional and mental strength as well.  So, in order to keep yourself fully charged and not live your life in an unrealistic bubble, I suggest that you regularly use pure essential oils on a dailybasis, even possiblymany times a day, to put the odds in your favor.

When using essential oils, just picture them being part of the daily “force shield” you and your body needs to get through the day.  Since we have so much negative garbage that flies at us everyday, I cannot say with enough emphasis just how important it is for you to do something proactive every day in order to maintain your positive frequency charge. Yes, I am saying to PLEASE apply at least one essential oil daily. I can think of nothing easier or more effective than applying a drop or two of essential oils to the bottom of your feet. Why the bottom of your feet? Because the nerves which end at your feet is where the buck stops with all of the nerves of every other vital organ in your body. You want to access the bladder, apply oil to the feet. You want to access the heart, apply the oil to your feet. On, and it doesn’t hurt the smell of your feet any either, hee hee.

I suggest that once you start experiencing the wonderful physical and emotional benefits to using essential oils properly, you’ll want to incorporate them abundantly in your life.

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By Kellene Bishop

So, what is all of this stuff  and hooey about essential oils? Are they just another quack medicine? Do they really serve any real purpose? How in the world do you decide which fluffy named oil to purchase? Do I choose the one named “My Life” or “Love Life”? How do you use it?  What are the side effects?  Can you overdose on it? Will it stain my clothes? Can I use them on my cat named Fluffy who’s stresses out every time I leave the house? Is it addictive?

If you’ve ever wondered any one of these questions before, then you’ll love the articles I’ll be throwing at you over the next couple of weeks.  Not wanting to bore anyone and in the interest of keeping things fun and exciting—yes, we are allowed to use those words on a preparedness site—I’m not going to do a series all in order on a set number of days on this subject, but have decided that my goal this year has paid off well and I’m comfortable with my resources and personal experiences to help anyone else who’s interested understand this great, invaluable resource.  I have to tell you, the more I learn about essential oils, the more amazed I am at just one more miracle that’s available to us.  It’s also been kind of fun this year as I’ve studied, because so many times I’ll have an “ah ha” moment in which I suddenly understand the history behind certain actions that we still perform today (I personally love those kinds of moments when for just a second things make sense and are reconciled). So, let’s get going and growing.

Every year I set a goal to study in one particular field of expertise that I want to really master and learn. This year it was essential oils. After using them successfully for about 10 years, I still felt like such a newbie and that there was so much that I was missing. I’m so glad to tell you that my hard work and time has paid off so far. When it comes to essential oils I feel as excited as I did when I first learned about scrapbooking. That’s pretty excited if you consider the fact that my husband had to build me two closets to keep all of my scrapbooking supplies.

As you know, I’ve written numerous times about using essential oils here and there, but today I thought that I would establish a foundation of some general information on essential oils so that you can determine whether or not they should be a part of your preparedness efforts. Today I’m just going to address in what ways essential oils are beneficial to us. Then in the next piece—say, “Essential Oils 201”, I’ll address the fundamentals of selection and storage of essential oils, how to determine which one to use, etc.  I may even get into some of the combinations and uses of oils for specific issues. (According to the FDA I can do that as long as such anecdotal information doesn’t come from a company which actually manufactures and/or sells essential oils.  Gotta love freedom of speech, eh?)

As some of you may already know, every living thing has an electronic frequency—that includes us humans. Each of us has a electronic current pulsing through us at varying frequencies. That’s right. Each of us has a vibrational frequency, otherwise known as megahertz (aka MHZ)  (In fact it was a science geek who originated the term “sparkling or electric personality—who knew they had a sense of humor? *grin*). Most people’s normal level of brain frequency during normal waking hours of the day is 70-78 megahertz. The healthier and happier you are, the higher the frequency.

Essential oils are living things as well derived by plants (Note: All plants do not create essential oils). As such essential oils are made up of frequencies ranging in number from 52 MHZ to as high as 320 MHZ. Blossom essential oils, such as rose oil, always have the highest frequencies—which is why the tradition of bringing flowers to someone who was ill has been practiced for literally thousands of years.  So, when your frequencies are low due to disease, fatigue, depression, or stress, you can improve the health of your body simply by improving the megahertz level by introducing the frequency of an essential oil.  Essential oils add to and supplement your own frequency. So even if you introduced a low frequency essential oil into your body, you would still have an improvement. What this means is regardless of what essential oil you introduce to your body, you will be improving your frequency level which will assist you in combating what ails you. So while yes, some essential oils are even more effective for what’s compromising your health than others, no essential oil will be bad for you.  It also should be mentioned that essential oils actually have several times greater frequency levels than herbs and food—so if you are into homeopathic remedies and quality foods for the purpose of better health, I think any repertoire would be incomplete without the benefit of essential oils.

When using essential oils, it’s important to understand that true essential oils do not have side effects when used with common sense.  A person can overdose on carrots and cause some great discomfort and even turn orange.  Likewise, a person can use too much of an otherwise harmless but helpful substance in the form of essential oils. But as a general rule of thumb, it is highly unlikely that you are ever really allergic to an essential oil. While you may have heard stories of folks breaking out in a rash or getting stuffed up because of an essential oil, such an occurrence is not a side effect of the oil. It’s actually a healing or cleansing crisis. Chances are that if the person were to continue using an essential oil they would no longer have such a reaction after a couple of weeks. Think about it this way; pimples, for example, are the result of toxins leaving your body. Sometimes such toxins do not leave gracefully. Sometimes there is such a surge of toxins in our body that they all try to leave the same pore at the same time, thus causing an inflammation (kind of like what happens at Wal-Mart on Black Friday when the doors finally get opened)  That doesn’t mean that what you just ate was a toxin, per se, it simply means that your body is getting rid of toxins in your body. Toxins come from what we eat, what we breathe, what we bathe in, etc. and our body miraculously knows to get rid of such toxins as best as we allow it to do so. So, when someone believes they are allergic to a particular essential oil (which is rare, but still possible) the options are to either continue on with that particular oil but at a lower usage amount, e.g. 1 drop instead of 3; try an alternative essential oil instead; or take a break from using that particular oil and then try it again in about 72 hours.

So, why does one to three drops of this stuff have any affect our on physical bodies? Because it has a unique attribute that very few nutritional or medicinal products do—it actually goes right to the cellular level!

As you know, you’ve got a whole bunch of living cells in your body. Each of the cells has a membrane to protect it. In some instances that membrane gets beat up and damaged due to free radicals, disease, and abuses we may inflict on our body. Essential oils have the unique ability to actually penetrate even damaged cell walls because the molecules are so small.  When you consume a medicine or vitamins, they have to be broken down to small enough molecules so that they can benefit your body. However, there are very few medicinal and nutritional treatments that get broken down and used right to the cellular level. The molecules of essential oils are so small that they get through easily to the cells without having to ask permission from other components of the body (such as the liver, kidney, pancreas, etc.) and they can immediately go to work on the scrubbing and cleaning of the membranes and the cells.

Essential oils bring oxygen to the cells, which trigger great healing effects. They are also all anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-infectious, anti-tumoral, anti-parasitic, and antiseptic to some degree or another—with some being more so than others. Even more amazing is that the litany of clinical studies that have been conducted to this extent have all shown that they are able to perform such valuable “anti-functions” without any side effects that are so notorious with pharmaceuticals. Essential oils also activate capillary circulation, so they are a great asset to have post-surgery, etc. Essential oils, particularly lavender and coriander, are effective in helping cell renewal, which makes them great to prevent scarring and for skin care.

Understand that one drop of an essential oil is powerful stuff! (Yes, “stuff” is a new medical term I’ve picked up with all of my studying.) It takes one pound of botanical material in order to create one single drop of pure essential oil. So, due to the nature of essential oils and how they can penetrate the cell walls within minutes, it means that in a very short period of time the benefits of this powerful single drop of essential oil can be realized.

On the hand though, chemicals, as we get with every single pharmaceutical drug out there, have a hard time making their way to the cellular level.  In fact, one of the greatest challenges of chemical research in the medical industry is being able to create a compound that will cross over the blood/brain barrier, thus having an affect on the nervous system. This barrier is the membrane between the circulating blood and the brain that protects the brain from damaging substances affecting the brain tissue and the cerebrospinal fluid. This has been quite the dilemma for the medical industry and more particularly the pharmaceutical industry. Billions of dollars are lying on the table waiting to be claimed by the first drug that can be manufactured to successfully cross over this barrier (Hmmm. I guess God created our bodies to be a bit smarter than the FDA and drug company warlord’s eh? Guess that should tell us something).  The American Medical Association determined that if they could create a product that could cross over the blood /brain barrier then there would quickly follow cures for Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s, Down Syndrome, Parkinson’s and other nervous system ailments. Interesting to note though is that sesquiterpenes (pronounced sess-quǐ-tur-peens– it’s fun to say and you sound so smart when you say it) ARE able to cross over this barrier. Oh, and guess what?  Yup, several essential oils are a significant source of sesquiterpenes and do have an amazing affect on the nervous system! (See Reference Guide for Essential Oils—Connie and Alan Higley, and June, 1994 University of Berlin study)  This means that essential oils can actually have an impact that no pharmaceutical compounds could ever hope to!  Some good sources of essential oils that are rich is sesquiterpenes are sandalwood, myrrh, and cedarwood. Frankincense also contains sesquiterpenes (yes, I love using this word and saying it out loud while I type) although less than most of the other oils I’ve already mentioned. However, frankincense has a wonderful synergistic effect because of all of its other attributes that makes it a favorite oil to use for sesquiterpene therapy. But we’ll get into the synergistic effect of essential oils in the upcoming articles. I think I’ve given you enough four and five syllable words for one day.

Until next time, you may want to do some researching for yourself. If you’re anything like me, you might just get a bit excited at all of the natural, accessible, affordable, and effective options there are for your health in the world of essential oils. I sure am. I recommend “The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple” by David Stewart, Ph.D., D.N.M. and also check out your local health food store and see if they are offering any essential oils classes.

Now, where did I put my favorite sesquiterpene oil? I’m feeling a little discombobulated.  Oh, and yes, essential oils are addictive, but in a really, really great way.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

I elected today to share this article that was posted in the New York Times today.  It illustrates the presence of several other E-coli strains which are prevalent in our foods today and how the meat industry is resistant in taking any additional responsibility for them.  *sigh*

As I read the article, I just kept thinking how grateful I was that I’m not reliant upon the mainstream meat industry for my food. Interesting to note, as the result of viewing an awful animal cruelty video (actually I simply couldn’t bear to watch the whole thing…I only got 30 seconds of it before my stomach turned and the water works began) I set a hardcore house rule that we would ONLY get our meat from local sources that we knew, firsthand, how the meat was raised, fed, and processed.  That’s the only kind of meat I want sitting in my jars or in my freezer.  I’ll definitely sleep better at night this way.

Here’s the link to the New York Times article:

In E. Coli Fight, Some Strains Are Largely Ignored

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

So, here’s the rub.  You want to be independent and stabilize your costs for vital supplies, but some supplies just don’t line up very well with your plans.  They don’t tolerate storage conditions that you have available, or they don’t retain their taste, color, and nutrition or a myriad of other problems.  I don’t know about you, but I use a lot of oil for cooking, frying, baking, etc.  However, like you, the shelf-life issue has been a challenge for me as well. There’s nothing worse than making a great batch of some yummy baked goods, only to be confronted with an awful, rancid smell of the shortening.  You can bet that when there’s a dilemma that threatens to conquer my strategy of thriving in all circumstances, I’m going to find a solution. So, here are my solutions for oil that I use at present.

First of all, understand that a container of shortening will actually last approximately 5 years if it’s stored in a cool, dry place. Yes, I realize that in some parts of the U.S., such places are hard to come by. But considering how much you pay for shortening and oils, I would prioritize some of the best “cool, dry” areas in your home to make room for the oil.  It’s definitely a priority.

Next, let’s make sure that you focus on the right kinds of oils that are great to use everyday now, and that will also store well for you in the long-term. 

The asset of olive oil tends to be underestimated.  Yes, it’s true that you need to be mindful of how the olive oil is packaged and you want to make sure that it’s cold-pressed and impelled.  Focus on the extra virgin oils that do not use any chemically refined processes in the extraction.  Interesting to note is that it can be called “pure” but still use chemicals.  Also, extra virgin olive oil can be as little as 10% “extra virgin” mixed in with the less shelf-stable ingredients of light or so-called “pure” olive oil.  Try to purchase your olive oils that are from Italy, Spain, or Greece which are labeled as “100% extra virgin olive oil. In the long run, the pricier olive oils will be worth the peace of mind and taste.  That’s not to say you don’t come across great deals on the good stuff periodically. I lucked out by getting several one-gallon, sealed, metal cans of great olive oil that will store indefinitely in cool, dry circumstances.  Ironically, I found this great deal at a local hardware store.  I also purchase it in the smaller containers when I have coupons.  When I get them home, I wrap up the glass bottles in newspaper and then put them in a four-gallon square bucket to protect them against breakage in the event of an earthquake or flooding.  Keep in mind that olive oil also has medicinal and cosmetic benefits as well.  Don’t you just love multipurpose products?

Cold-pressed, expelled coconut oil is one of my favorite finds over the last several years.  While there are some loud, misinformed voices claiming that coconut oil is bad for you, I assure you it’s just a bunch of hype orchestrated by the American Soybean Association.  Yes, coconut oil contains saturated fats, but all saturated fats are not created equally.  There’s a difference between a medium and a long-chain fatty acids. Coconut oil contains a medium-chain fatty acid in it which means it’s easily digestible so it doesn’t just get stored somewhere in your body. 

Coconut oil can be used in place of any oil or shortening—baking, deep-frying, everyday cooking, etc. When you cook with it, your foods do not take on a coconut flavor at all.  Additionally, coconut oil really is good for you (which I’ll have to get into in another article) and it’s the only plant-derived saturated fat that exists.  This is why is does not go rancid.  In fact, it takes to sitting on a shelf with the utmost of good behavior, storing indefinitely.  My goal is to convert all of my oils in my household to primarily coconut oil.  I use it for my pie crusts, my fried eggs, and my deep-fried wheat meatballs. Yes, coconut oil can be pricier than your mainstream counter parts, but I feel a heck of a lot better investing in oil that I know won’t deteriorate in its taste or nutritional benefits whatsoever after several years. As an added benefit, when I use coconut oil to cook things with, the foods themselves last a lot longer in the refrigerator since they don’t contain any volatile polyunsaturated oils.  Besides, finding good deals on coconut oil is possible.  Be sure you purchase cold-pressed, expelled coconut oil, though. (I believe that Five Star Preparedness—also carries this product.) As an aside, I love taking a smidge of the coconut oil and putting it in my dry hair to sit for about 30 minutes prior to a good, hot shower.  It’s better than any commercial conditioner I’ve found and is great for the health of my scalp. I just finished reading “The Coconut Oil Miracle” by Bruce Fife, C.N., N.D. which also has a great deal of other contributing information by other medical professionals.  You might enjoy this book as well. 

Lastly, applesauce. Yes, I said applesauce.  Applesauce is an excellent substitute for oils in baking. Considering that it costs so much less than most oils, it’s healthier, and is even available in a freeze-dried form, applesauce is another oil solution that’s at the top of my list.  I purchase it freeze-dried regularly in a #10 can.  In that condition it will store for 30 years easily. I can use it for it’s obvious uses such as a side dish with a little bit of cinnamon, or in a slow-cooked pork recipe—yum!  But I love the strategy of using it in lieu of oil in a cookie or cake recipe. Both turn out so wonderfully moist and tasty. (By the way, Five Star Preparedness  is having a killer sale on #10 cans of freeze-dried applesauce which regularly retail for over $30.  Their price on a limited supply is only $16.97!) I love the freeze-dried version because I get so tired of the applesauce that I buy in jars going brown before I have a chance to use it.

Hopefully this will help you all in solving this oily dilemma.  I know these few little lessons have made a huge difference on eliminating expensive frustrations for me.

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By Kellene Bishop

Well, folks. It was bound to happen. After driving non-stop for nearly a full day to Kansas City, teaching two classes, trying to sleep in a foreign bed at night, helping to take care of two sick kids with strep throat, enveloping myself in lots of stress and then driving back to Utah for a full day, I was bound to try and get a spring cold.  I knew that with my travels, I would be taken out of my normal modus operandi of cold prevention and catch some pesky little bug.  *sigh*  But the good news is that it was eliminated in less than 2 days thanks to my practicing what I preach. So, I thought I would “preach” more specifically on this particular topic.

At the first sign of the discomfort of a cold, I started increasing my Vitamin D-3 intake to 20,000 IU’s.  Normally I only take 5,000 IU’s for maintenance, but I forgot to take any with me on my road trip. (Nope, I won’t make that mistake again). Vitamin D-3 is very different to your body than is just plain Vitamin D. It regulates T cells, which are important to the functioning of a strong immune system As an added measure of efficacy, I specifically use the chewable kind so that I can start absorbing the nutrients in my mouth instead of my intestines (it tastes pretty darn good, actually; if it wasn’t vitamins, I could pleasantly snack on the little buggers).

Next, I started consuming lots of chewable Vitamin C. I take 2,000 mg every 2 hours in accordance to the suggestions make by some notable doctor case studies. Since this is just my personal opinion, I’m going to advise the readers to do their own research on the matter. I recommend googling “doctor research on vitamin c”, just FYI.

In addition, I used the NeilMed “Netti Pot.”  For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a warm saline solution that you squirt into your nasal passages to clean out all of the offending bacteria.  An allergist recommended that I use this process since the allergy medicine I was taking has such negative side effects.  I’ve been off of my allergy medicine ever since.  The use of the Netti Pot soothes my nasal membranes as well.

Next, I diffuse two different essential oils throughout the day near my work space. One is Thieves, and the other is “RC”—both made by Young Living. I honestly wasn’t sure about all of the essential oil hoopla, but one of my goals this year was to gain a greater understanding of their medicinal qualities. As a result, I learned about the Thieves and RC formula and have used them successfully under just such circumstances. 

Then I take two “doses” of Redmond Clay in my water during the day. I simply take 2 teaspoons of Redmond Clay, shake it in some water, and then drink it. It doesn’t have a taste. So long as I don’t look at the “dirty water” I’m not bothered by it in the least. The reason why I do this is because Redmond Clay is full of minerals.  Bacteria can NOT live among minerals. So I flush some minerals into my blood stream and scare the little bacteria buggers away.

Last, but certainly not least, I increase my water intake substantially. Water is the only way for me to guarantee that I get the necessary nutrients throughout my body.  It’s also the only way to flush out the nasties that have taken up residence in my tired body.  Water is a key source of energy and it is the first and most important nutrient that your body demands.  I drink about one times my body weight in ounces of water when I’m sick. In other words, if you weight a hundred pounds, you need to try to consume 100 ounces of water when you’re sick, recovering from surgery, or otherwise ill.

Well, did it all work?  Considering that others experienced their cold turning into strep, a chest cold, or worse, I feel quite confident that my medical repertoire was successful in isolating it to 2 days of minor inconvenience.  There are quite a few other options that I can take with various other vitamins and such, but so far this group of methods has not let me down.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

Medical supplies photo c/o www.macombcountymi.gov

by Kellene Bishop

As I’ve shared previously, preparedness is primarily about independence from vulnerabilities.  After being on nearly a dozen medications regularly for years, I decided to take a closer look at my medical vulnerabilities as a whole in order that I might more fully understand what kind of a battle I’m engaged in—after all, bringing the most effective weapon to the battle is only possible if one knows their opponent well. After doing a great deal of research over the last year for the benefit of my own path towards medical independence, I’ve realized that I’ve essentially attempted to fight the battle with a lot of ammo and no firearm. While a mass of cartridge rounds may appear intimidating to most enemies, it’s downright laughable without the right tool to expend them.  Nowadays, it’s my belief that by educating ourselves on just how truly vulnerable we are medically, we can have a better drive and motivation towards taking care of ourselves as much as possible. I hope that you all may benefit from the last two years of focused research that you might be more medically independent in your life.

First of all, allow me to say that I firmly believe that our medical practitioners have an important and appropriate place in our society.  The advances of modern medicine and the accompanying technology is absolutely amazing.  For many, the only alternative to relying upon such advances would be certain death.  That’s one side of the coin. However the other side of the coin is what I’m addressing today—the side which presumes there is no other alternative, responsibility, or accountability when it comes to our healthy independence.

The focus of today’s article is an encouragement that you take more responsibility and accountability for your medical well-being.  Part of that is being more aware of the person or entity that you empower to have influence over your health care.  Here’s just some food for thought to being with. In spite of often being cited to the contrary, heart disease and cancer are not the number one killers in America.  It’s actually medical malpractice. In fact there are a countless articles in the legal world which address this fact, yet you won’t see a medical organization ad that addresses this fact (just Google medical malpractice + cause of death).

Along that same vein, pay close attention to the entities which you give heed to.  I’ve seen a lot of shocking things during my time in the world of high finance.  I’m to the point now that nothing surprises me when it comes to following how money and power really pull the strings to many vital aspects of our survival.

Pharmaceutical recalls photo c/o whatthehealthmag.files.wordpress.com

Let’s take pharmaceuticals for example. How many drugs are you familiar with that have been originally approved by the FDA, only to have them pulled off of the shelf due to fatal consequences in their use?  And yet the FDA approves them.

Have you taken time to research what causes the FDA to approve some drugs and not others? Why are some drugs approved in record time and not others (i.e. the H1N1 immunization shot)? With all of the medical advances in our world for treating cancer have you wondered why chemotherapy and radiation are STILL the only FDA approved treatments for cancer (vs. the successful Vitamin B-17 treatment that causes over 20,000 Americans to go leave the country to find B-17 treatments elsewhere)?  If the FDA really cared about your health, then why don’t they put any energy into approving preventative methods?  I’m sorry to sound so negative folks, but the truth of the matter is, there isn’t much money in preventative health care. You can’t patent naturally existing minerals and vitamins, etc.  If the FDA really cared about your health, then why don’t they or the USDA actually have the power to shut down offending food, meat, or other plants who are repeat offenders?  When it boils down to it, the FDA is driven by power and money. Where there is an absence of gain for the FDA, there is an absence of proactive motion. Worse than a lack of action, are the results OF their actions. Their seal of approval on products has become as questionable as Rosie O’Donnell endorsing health food. It’s unfortunate that the FDA has continually proven themselves to be wrong again and again. As such, they have not earned the respect in my world that merits them to have the final say over what I will and won’t put into my body. When it comes to medical practices, they focus solely on treatment, not prevention.  This is the ONLY reason why they have

administering medicine photo c/o www.cosmosmagazine.com

 not poked their nose into the market of natural remedies up until now—and the only reason why they are threatening to push into this field of oversight is because the treatment medical industry has taken a financial beating over the last 5 years to the tune of over $100 billion dollars! Yup. The treatment methods have powerful lobbying groups and they are making sure that the FDA essentially puts a stop—or at least a large stumbling block—to all of the mom and pop kind of homeopathic methods out there. That sad truth is that the FDA is influenced largely by power and money, not by the “conclusive studies.”  I have found that time and time again the study of a drug tends to lean in the direction of the company that is paying for the study to be done.  While I may sound like a broken record, folks, keep in mind that the FDA had their own doctors come right out and say that a cigarette a day would keep the doctor away, that AIDS was contagious by touching, and that the only acceptable way to treat cancer is a deadly chemical radiation. (See G. Edward Griffin’s book “A World Without Cancer”. It’s packed full of indisputable research, facts, and evidence.)

Along these same lines, the other large vulnerability we have exposed ourselves to is the rampant acceptance of pharmaceuticals.  As one who struggles with clinical depression, obesity, and the ailment of insanity in the world around me (*grin*) I too think that life might me easier if it could just be fixed with a little pill each day.  However, I’ve come to realize that our bodies are so absolutely amazing in how they were created and that if I just do more to encourage them to function properly, then I can avoid so many of the drugs out there.  Pharmaceuticals are high-powered chemicals with real-life side affects. Can you believe that we now are told—with a straight face—that possible side effects of the drugs we take may result in “temporary paralysis, thoughts of suicide, liver failure, heart attack,” etc. etc. (By the way, if you haven’t seen Disney’s movie “Old Dogs”, you may want to. It’s nothing more than meaningless entertainment calories—light and fluffy.  But there’s a hysterical scene in there about what happens when two guys get their litany of medicines mixed up due to the side-effects.  I was cackling so hard, my cheeks and my gut hurt the next day). Due to the scenario in which the pharmaceutical companies test their subjects, most drugs are created much more potently than is necessary as well.

hydration photo c/o yalesustainability.files.wordpress.com

The majority of Americans run through their days dehydrated.  Unfortunately, much of what we put in our bodies chemically is a drying agent, thus compounding the dehydration effects.  However, if our bodies are well hydrated, then the effect of our medicines would be more obvious and thus we wouldn’t need to take as much. Water is necessary to cause the medication to be transported throughout our body.  However, when the pharmaceutical industry goes through the testing of their drugs on human beings, they pay no attention whatsoever to the state of hydration in the body.  The presence of water/hydration in the body compounds the effects of all nutrition—chemical or otherwise. Given that the majority of Americans are dehydrated, the medicines are made more powerful than necessary so that most patients can experience the desired chemical results of their medications. And yet there is a mountain of highly credible research to indicate that the symptoms of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure, cancer, depression, ADHD, and diabetes would be dramatically lessened if the patient were to stay well hydrated.  Wouldn’t it be interesting if you were to take a drug that has strict instructions that you not only take a full glass of water with it, but that you also drink plenty of water during the day in order for it to be helpful?  Well, the drug industry wouldn’t sell as much medicine though if they spread that kind of doctrine though, would they?  So, they create and dispense their drugs to the most common denominator—dehydrated bodies.

doctor visit photo c/o shepardinsurancequote.com/

I know that on my path over the last couple of years I have found so many alternatives to traditional medicine.  Allow me to be clear. I don’t think that traditional medicine is evil, per se, I just think that it’s so widely accepted because there’s a seriously concerted effort to get us all to accept it as the answer.  As an expert marketer, I can appreciate such a successful campaign. But the consequences are that most people do not search out alternative answers.  Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of folks who are willing to throw billions of dollars out the window to saturate the market with the message that there are less risky, less expensive, and more effective treatments for what ails us—that don’t require a doctor’s visit, health insurance, surgery, or pricey consults.  Well, in my opinion, if you pick up one end of the stick of mainstream pharmaceuticals, then you also pick up the consequences: dependence, exorbitant expenses, follow-up doctor visits, physical side-effects which require yet more medications, etc, etc.   These kinds of dependencies aren’t just bad in one area of your life.  They have a negative impact on your areas of Physical, Financial, and Mental preparedness.  What are you going to do if you suddenly do not have access to those drugs? What if there’s an earthquake or a long-term power outage? What if you you’re your insurance or your job and can’t pay for them any longer?

In the name of Physical Preparedness, I implore you all to do what you can to cut the apron strings attaching you to the smothering mother of Medical Dependence.  No, I don’t recommend that anyone attempt to perform their own frontal lobotomy, but I’m 100% sure that there is a whole heck of a lot more that we can do for ourselves than what we are doing.  I KNOW that there are several potent medications that would be a much larger part of my life if I let them. But I try to make sure that I proactively put some good things into my body daily.  I’m not the epitome of health. I’m not saying that we all have to be perfect, but I am saying that we should all TRY perfectly.  Yes, I have the indulgences of life frequently—trying to quit many of them—but in my effort at becoming more independent from vulnerabilities I won’t permit my day to go by without making sure my body is stocked up on the good things that I have easy access to.  Quality vitamins and minerals that actually get absorbed into my body, WATER (at least ½ my body weight in ounces each day), good sleep, sprouts, flax seed (yummy in my yogurt) and other good sources of fiber such as wheat meat, whole grain bread, etc.—these are all a part of my daily proactive regime. I find that if I do enough of the proactive behaviors in my day, that I don’t have time or appetite for as many of the harmful actions.   As some of you may know, I also take 2 tablespoons of food-grade diatomaceous earth each day and two teaspoons of Redmond Clay.  I can assure you that there are at least 8 different aspects of my ill health yell loud and clear when I have omitted the proactive consumption of these products.  But I’d much rather have those kinds of things in my body rather than “FDA approved” drugs and treatments and their accompanying side-effects.  Wouldn’t you?

Just another step towards better preparedness folks.  May you exercise all of the independence your body can handle.

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Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.

By Kellene Bishop

Can you imagine walking along the shores of a fresh water lake, seeing some fossilized algae and saying to yourself, “Hmmmm. I think I’m going to try and eat this?”  Or worse, how about someone who notices that this fossilized algae kills insects and then decides to eat it?  Crazy, huh?  I don’t know how things like Diatomaceous Earth ever get discovered, but I sure am glad they do.

Diatomaceous Earth--a microscopic view. photo c/o www.holocaust-history.org

With Diatomaceous earth, you have one of the most wonderful natural remedies for removing all kinds of toxins in your body AND a highly effective remedy at eliminating pesky bugs from your home, garden, and stored grains.  Allow me to take you into the world of Diatomaceous earth today.

For starters, let’s talk about the vital benefits that Diatomaceous earth has on your body. Personally, I drink about 2 teaspoons of it daily in my water bottle.  (I follow that with 2 teaspoons of Redmond Clay in the next water bottle I fill, but that’s another story.) Why? Because like everyone else who is reading this, I have parasites, tapeworms, bacteria, viruses, and toxins in my body.  Diatomaceous earth is HIGHLY effective at completely removing them from your body.  Since we accumulate these kinds of undesirables in our body every day, I’ve incorporated daily doses of DE in my water every day in order to win the long term battle. If you refuse to take DE regularly, at least give small amounts to your pets and cattle every day. I give my small dogs ½ teaspoon daily for maintenance, and a bit more if they ever get an ear infection or are throwing up. They readily eat it and in fact, when I started them on it, it caused one of the dogs to stop getting into the soil of my plants.

Parasites, tape worm, and weevils--oh my! photo c/o historyfilms.net

How do we get parasites, tape worms, e-coli, etc? Kind of a yucky topic, but let’s put our iron stomachs in for a moment and learn a little bit.  First of all, you can easily get parasites/worms from the foods you eat. For example, if you eat wheat or other whole grains, you are consuming weevils.  It doesn’t matter how often that wheat was cleaned or how much you paid for it, you’ve got weevils. If you consume regular commercial red meat you also have parasites, and most likely some e-coli in your body as well. There are internal and external parasites associated with cattle.  If you eat pork, regardless of how long you cook it, you definitely have parasites and bacteria in your body. The fat in the  pork is made up primarily of the toxins and waste that the pig eats. It’s just a fact of life, folks. Lungworms, which are rampant in the intestines of cattle, cause viral and bacterial pneumonia.  Sushi also houses parasites, salmonella, and a myriad of other bacteria.  The raw fish is the least of my worries.

Dogs, Cats, and most pets carry parasites, which can be transferred to humans. photo c/o www.javno.com

Secondly, if you have pets such as dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, etc. you have parasites as well—that is if you ever pet them, let them sit on you, lick your face, etc. Parasites from pets particularly dwell in your intestines leaching the nutrition that you had otherwise intended for your own body. It is virtually impossible to have pets and not have parasites as a result—unless you use DE in your body and in there’s another story. (I’ll get to that later.)  In fact, just  one kind of internal round worm known as Toxocara, has infected 14 percent of our population according to the CDC. Toxocara comes specifically from dogs and cats. Toxocara is particularly predatory among children. This doesn’t mean that 14 percent of the population has pets. It means that there are sufficient  number of pets in our surroundings. Even those without pets are exposed to parasites that originate from them. Toxocara is easily accessible simply by playing in a sandbox or a playground of dirt or mulch.

Soil is another source of such body invaders. If we work with it in our gardening, we’re going to get it in our bodies.  Hanging out at a farm which uses pesticides and herbicides also brings unwanted toxins in our body.

Giardia and other water-born parasites photo c/o physorg.com

Unfortunately, water, whether it’s treated by the city or not, is one of the biggest culprits of introducing unwanted bacteria and viruses into our bodies.  In a disaster scenario in which we would have to forage for water, we are likely to consume even more. This is another reason why I’m grateful for the existence of Diatomaceous earth.  Not only can I use it to filter any questionable water, but even if I use other methods, I can also consume the DE regularly to help counteract anything I may have missed in my water filtration or cooking.  DE is a very effective water filter!  All you need to do is take a bucket and drape a tight-knitted cloth on top of the bucket, then a cup or two of DE on top of the fabric in a small mound. Slowly pour the questionable water through the DE into the bucket. Not only will you have drinkable water, but you will also have mineral and vitamin enriched water. This is why I often refer to preparedness as a source of peace in my life as opposed to panic. I can’t help but look at DE and say to myself, “Wow, Heavenly Father. You’re just full of nice little miracles all over the place.” I mean really, a substance that kills unwanted bugs of all kinds, but is good for humans and cattle! Cool!

So, what are the consequences of parasites and other like critters in your body? Blindness, obesity, anemia, frequent headaches, weakened immune system, irregular bowel movements, depression, stunted growth, autism, and even death  (although the benefits are so vast and innumerable that it requires a whole “nother article). That’s just what can happen to humans. Imagine what is taking place inside the animals we love or are trying to raise.  The great thing, though, is that de-worming doesn’t need to be an unpleasant one-time event that you hope you’re doing often enough. Keep your body optimal by paying attention to extracting toxins from your body every day by incorporating DE in your daily regime. After watching a medical video about what parasites can do in my body after only 72 hours, I’m definitely converted to the every day approach. Ugh!  Besides, wouldn’t you rather use an organic method of de-worming you and your pets/cattle etc. instead of nasty chemicals?! I know I would. When I teach about water consumption, I teach that adding flavoring to your water changes the chemical make-up and causes the body to have to work harder to process the water into a distilled state so that it can use it. However, when you’re adding the DE, all you’re adding is organic vitamins and minerals that your body will readily assimilate and not have to work hard to extract from the water.  If you must, you can consume the DE in juice or something else like that, but I have found that I seriously don’t notice the taste in the water at all.  Besides, is there anything that can taste bad enough to prevent me from trying to fight THIS? (yuck alert!)

Colonoscopy Demonstrating a Moving Worm

or THIS?!

2008-11-22 – BBC News – Worm removed from woman’s brain

Bacteria can thwarted by minerals and diatomaceous earth. photo c/o www.hubtesting.net

Let’s leave the parasites alone for just a moment. One of the other assets to DE is that is also absorbs bacteria AND viruses.  Bacteria and viruses are essentially the tiniest of little critters. They are no match for DE’s effectiveness.  The fact that you have something that will absorb and get rid of both in your body is great. Even modern medicine isn’t effective at fighting viruses. One of the reasons why bacteria is no match for DE is because of the vast amount of minerals found in DE. Bacteria simply can NOT survive amidst minerals. (This is why I love using mineral make-up. It doesn’t go bad because of bacteria, because the bacteria can’t survive in minerals. Thus I may pay a bit more for my make-up initially but it lasts me a lot longer.) So the more that minerals make up your organs and blood, the less of a happy home it is for the bad guys trying to infect you.

How can DE kills bugs but not people? It’s all about the water content. Suppose that you needed to thicken 5 gallons of a very brothy soup. You wouldn’t expect to accomplish this using only a ¼ teaspoon of corn starch would you? (For those of you who really don’t know you way around the kitchen, the answer is NO WAY! hee hee) So the benefit in using DE  has to do with the overwhelming amount of water content we have in our bodies as opposed to insects. Insects have very little moisture (contrary to what you may believe when you step on a cockroach), whereas our bodies are made up mostly of water.  This is also why DE doesn’t absorb all of the water that it inevitably grows near.  DE has also been used to help clean up toxins and oil spills.

So, what kind of DE do you need to obtain and where can you get it?  Well, that is the most important question.  You must use only FOOD GRADE DE.  If the manufacturer or seller of the product cannot tell you it’s food grade unequivocally, do not purchase it. For the longest time there were only two kinds of DE, pool grade and food grade. However, in an attempt to avoid paying the FDA the necessary fees to call DE “food grade” some manufacturers have started labeling their DE as “filter grade.”  Again, I implore you to accept no substitutes for FOOD grade DE. While you can do just about everything you want with the other forms of DE such as killing insects, detracting flies, using it in your garden etc. you should not consume any DE that isn’t food grade.  The reason is how it is processed. Just like grains intended for animals should not be consumed by humans due to the regulations that permit chemical additives in order to get more out of the product per package, so too should we humans not consume DE that isn’t labeled as food grade.

diatomaceous earth perma guard food grade

You can purchase food grade DE at most health food stores. However, I found that it’s pretty pricey that route. I prefer to get it in larger quantities and save a boat load of money.  I do know that Five Star Preparedness offers DE in two different formats. They offer it in 5 and 10 pound increments that’s simply “food grade” DE. However, for those who want to be extra sure in their internal consumption, they also offer it in as “fossilized phytoplankton powder” (FPP) format.  This is in a 10 ounce jar that runs about $18.00. But I wouldn’t recommend you wasting your money on it since it’s the exact same thing that you can get in the 10 and 20 pound increments,  just with a more friendly “food” label for those who need that kind of reassurance, because for only $25 you can get the 10 pounds (that’s what I use daily). Both are food-grade.  And please don’t buy into the whopper of a lie of a company telling you that the FDA won’t “let” them label their DE food grade. The FDA is all too happy to allow someone to label something food-grade so long as that company pays for the licensing and testing to do so.

I wish that we didn’t need something like DE as a result of our surroundings. But this is just how things are, folks. If it’s there, we get to inhale it, absorb it, or eat it. But I’m sure grateful that there’s a very economical solution out in the world. To see more on what DE can do for the world around you, check out the previous article I wrote about it here Diatomaceous Earth.

Remember, being physically prepared for the future also means being as healthy as you can now. So, let’s have a little DE sprinkled in our life. Cheers.

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If you would like to host a preparedness party for your business, community, or church group, please contact Vicky at vicky@preparednesspro.com

For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!

Copyright Protected 2010, Preparedness Pro and Kellene Bishop. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.