We’re going to have a Home Remedies discussion, then we’re going to have a giveaway. Excuse me a moment while I first rub on some peppermint oil to get rid of the last of my headache. But you should know that yesterday I had to break down and take an over-the-counter migraine med – so don’t think I am closed looking at all the options. I mean, a migraine will make a girl desperate. ;)

First let’s talk about conventional doctors.

I am grateful for them and so very amazed by the investments they have made toward their career of serving people. I am constantly impressed by the sacrifices they make daily and the long hours they put in. I could go on and on in gratitude about the doctors who delivered my babies, performed surgeries on my husband, stitched up my sons, and on it goes.

Except for times we get late night phone calls about our son who fell and bit through his upper lip and needs stitches (his scar healed perfectly, thanks to one of our fav local doctors!), heading to our conventional doctors is no longer our first choice when we or our kids aren’t feeling well. Typically, we now look at other options like simple home remedies, chiropractic, or our natural doctor in a city nearby who looks at the root of problems instead of only treating the symptoms.

People should know they have options.

Before our youngest son was born with chronic eczema, I didn’t know. The kids got sick, I took them to the doctor. I got sick, I went to the doctor. It’s the thing to do, right?

Maybe. Sometimes. But I’m so grateful to know that that is just one option of many.

I hear from frustrated people all the time who have gone to their doctor with miserable symptoms – only to be given the same medication, or a stronger medication over and over to no avail.

That’s exactly what we experienced with Malachi. When he first broke out from head to toe with eczema (when he was about 4 months old), he was given steroids and cortisone. The rash went away. I was so relieved! But then the meds wore off and the rash reappeared. Back to the doctor. Again, he was offered steroids and cortisone. We were taken aback. Really? That’s our only option? Should we really keep giving this stuff to our baby?

That’s when we first realized we’d better look into other options.

So we went to specialists. To allergists. To dermatologists. Every time the answer was the same: steroids and cortisone.

This was heartbreaking (because our son was suffering) and more than frustrating (because the answers we were being given weren’t helping).

This is when we moved on to alternative forms of care. This is when we learned that it is best to get to the root of the problem instead of simply trying to treat the symptoms. This is when we learned that eczema isn’t even a skin condition, but rather an internal issue manifesting itself through the skin. This is when our lives and home turned upside-down as we changed our diet, our detergents and cleaners, and our medicine cabinet.

My Home Remedy Knowledge Quest

This has been a journey, and not one I’ll likely ever feel as though I’ve arrived. I’ve swung from one extreme to another in an effort to do what’s best for my family. But I’ve landed peacefully at the place of knowing that I have a lot to learn and I’ll never do it all perfectly. After all, is there actually a “perfect” way to do it?

For all major illnesses, I contact our natural doctor (about an hour away from us) who has been amazing at helping us become and stay healthy. But for minor illnesses like colds, stomach aches, low fevers, or even bug bites – we first try simple home remedies. This has saved us wads of money on what I consider to be unnecessary doctor visits. Why spend $100+ on a doc appointment when a few simple ingredients at home will give us comfort and a boost to help our bodies heal?

One of my goals this summer is to learn more about home remedies and natural care. I want to sharpen my knowledge and continue to build up our “medicine cabinet.” Through the years, we have been accumulating a nice supply of basic essential oils, vitamins, minerals, and herbal tinctures. But what else? There’s so much to learn!

How I’m Learning Right Now

A few weeks ago, I received an email about a set of herbs, essential oils, and natural care resources. I immediately went to hit the delete button because it looked like just one more thing someone wanted me to buy or promote. (You should see my overloaded inbox!!) But because the focus is on home remedies, I decided I should at least glance at it to see if it was something that would help me learn.

I took a couple days to look over it and chew on it before I realized that I really should invest. The price was amazing, but it doesn’t matter how much money I’ll “save” if I’m not going to use something, right?!

Getting this was a great idea! During the two weeks I’ve had the resources, I have learned a so much, and I really like having the quick go-to references. Since this is a topic many of you also want to learn more about, I decided I wanted to share the opportunity with you, too. In fact, I’ve been enjoying it so much that I went back and bought a second set to give to one of you! (See rafflecopter below.)

The thing is, just like over-the-counter meds like Advil or Sudafed, essential oils and natural remedies aren’t something to mess with unless you understand just how to use them. That’s why I’m thankful to come across these well-studied resources. What I love most about going the natural route is that I can know exactly what I’m putting in or on my body (unlike meds where I have no idea what ingredients are or why I should trust them).

I’ve already taken a few hours to really dig into these books and courses. I’ll have them forever as resources to revisit at any time, but I also found that I wanted to take notes as I read and learned. I thought it would be nice to have a “Home Remedies Notebook” where I jotted some go-to information for easy access.

So I had a little fun and I made this:

This Home Remedies Notebook is free to all!!
Find download instructions here.

I printed the pages and put them into a binder. I also printed several of my favorite reference pages from the books and sources in this package so I would have them handy for quick help as needed. Beyond that, I created a new “Home Remedies” file on my computer so I could easily find these books and courses whenever I need them.

I’m pretty excited about all of this and happy about what I’m learning! I started ordering a few supplies so I could make some bath baths and teas. After all, I’ll want to have these on hand when we need them, and I can’t buy most of these in my small town.

Be sure to grab the FREE Natural Remedies Notebook printable!