My background is in Nutrition & Public Health. I have a master’s degree from Columbia University where I started my career in research. I also have a certification in Essential Oil Safety and have been a Certified Diabetes Educator for many years. My teaching focus is on coaching others to take back their power by developing a home inventory of natural wellness solutions. I’m also obsessed with bringing nutrition science (eating for prevention) into the kitchen by sharing my easy hacks for getting real food on the table with minimal effort. You can follow me here to chomp down on that info:
Through my own challenges, I learned that eating healthy and taking supplements was not enough. Several years ago my body was struggling with a cascade of physical and cognitive challenges following a virus. This led me to dig deeper and to educate myself on a variety of natural interventions. I knew this route was necessary to get to the root of my body dysfunction. The “band aid” approach of taking a drug to treat a symptom was not an option. My body physiology had changed and the only way to rewire my cells was to use natural interventions along with my food-as-medicine approach to heal from the inside out. By the grace and guidance of God, I made great progress and am now a big fan of systems biology – an individualized approach to natural options based on a person’s specific needs. This approach often utilizes various forms of plants – as everything in creation has been divinely designed to work synergistically with our physiology to bring about healing, cleansing and balance.
During this time I was not using essential oils on myself, but was using them with my daughter who needed respiratory support. I didn’t know they had any other uses! As a result of learning to appreciate a variety of holistic wellness approaches, I was more open to considering essential oils when they were introduced to me.
Honestly, initially I wasn’t totally on board, but my curiosity was piqued. With the blessing of an open mind combined with a compulsive drive to research – well…..everything, I dove into the study of the chemistry of EOs. There are essential oil chemists, just as there are microbiologists and bacteriologists. The experimentation began on myself, my family, friends, and my dog – yes, the oils are used for pets, large and small. At the time my home inventory included an extensive supply of natural wellness support products; all of which worked….some of the time. Essential oils (EOs) were a game changer! They are:
- safe
- simple
- effective, and
- results are often immediate.
Encouraged by the results I was experiencing and the 26,000 research studies, I began to share EOs with others. To my surprise, I found that people I shared them with were having results that outweighed my own. This included great support for backs and joints, winter immune system support, seasonal respiratory support, soothing of upset stomachs and calming of nervous tension. A friend, who had become sedentary from years as a professional athlete, was able to resume an active lifestyle after 3 weeks of applying 2 oils to each knee.
I needed to see more. One day I was at a friend’s home and her son was having great difficulty settling down for homework. He sat down and focused on his homework 30 seconds after I applied a special EO blend to his brain stem (back of neck.)
The most dramatic results I witnessed were experienced by family and friends who desperately needed help promoting restful sleep. They consistently returned with great satisfaction – plus a renewed sense of hope stemming from empowering experiences with self-care. And that’s the part that I loved the most! Teaching people to take back their power by being the first responders in their own homes.
My husband was one of my greatest success stories. He had a frequent need for immune and seasonal wellness support. His success, along with that of many other happy “oilers” is what led me to publish Winter Wellness With Essential Oils.
Personally I was thrilled to have something natural in my home to immediately address any concerns that I or one of my family members might wake up with. This was very empowering. I teach others to be self-empowered in their own health care and essential oils were filling in a large gap of self-care for everyday challenges that existed even in my own home.
This fit right in with my personal mission of having a “healer in every home.” My great grandmother was that lady in the neighborhood who many relied on to reduce suffering and restore wellness to their families. I always encourage the return to this concept where there’s someone at home who is equipped with an inventory of natural wellness options. My great grandmother, like many women of that era, was known to retrieve the necessary ingredients from her garden.
Oils are mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. Clearly, God knew we were going to need assistance and provided in creation, botanical blessings for our wellbeing.
God created specific plants that provide healing foods and therapeutic extracts intended to work in unison with our physiology to enhance function and correct imbalances. By combining food in it’s natural state with EO’s, we can bring about more rapid shifts towards wellness. I found that EO’s were the missing link in my personal wellness- physical, spiritual and emotional.
One of my areas of great focus in teaching is to ditch the chemicals. The research is in; they harm us, cause premature aging and disease. Using oil-infused chemical-free personal care products has lead to improved health in so many people whom I’ve educated.
By educating about two elements of creation that can be accessible to everyone – real food and EO’s, my goal is to inspire others to reclaim control of their wellness. I encourage everyone to see themselves as “first responders” of their households, embracing natural approaches for everyday wellness concerns.
What I love most about EO’s is their simplicity. When teaching EO workshops I start by asking everyone to forget that I am a nutritionist and to think of me as “the girl next door” who is simply interested in using natural wellness solutions and living a non-toxic lifestyle.
I encourage you to “take back your power” by being an active participant in your own wellness! Remember, every time you use an oil………..it’s a chemical you’re not using.
Grace & Blessings,
Marie