My LiWi Gift, The Power of Essential Oils

Five years ago, I experienced one of life's poignant defining moments—a lesson on intuition, strength and courage. I had built a very successful financial planning practice, I was revered in my industry, made lots of money and was living the dream. Or, so I thought. I had reached the top of my profession, but not without cost. The cost was my health. This is my story of triumph over death. 

Fast food and 70-hour work weeks were taking a toll. I was overweight and spiraling down fast. At the time, I had heard an interesting quote from Dalai Lama, "we lose our health in pursuit of our wealth, and lose our wealth in pursuit of our health.” This was my “ah-ah” moment. I realized I had to get into health, or I would be getting out of life. This set me on course to losing 80 pounds and regaining a vibrant, healthy life.

My quest was long and arduous. But, with fortitude, I made it happen. My life was consumed by exercise, proper nutrition and reading every health book I could get my hands on. The journey became my new passion—relishing in this pursuit until January 2009, when it all came to a screeching halt. That's when I was struck with my illness.  

How could this happen? I was finally living a healthy lifestyle—moving my body, managing stress and eating right, perhaps to an excess. Then, out of nowhere, I was hit with a strange, mysterious illness! The symptoms were vague. I wasn't flat out in bed—I could still function a little, but life was a real struggle. I had issues. I knew it. My body knew it. I desperately wanted to get better, fast. But, this was a journey all its own, one I could not dictate, plan or power through like a work-out. My attempts to get better were futile.

January passed with no improvement; then February; then March—still no improvement. After three months, I relinquished, and made a visit to a homeopathic physician. Based on my symptoms, the doctor said I had Lyme Disease. I was deflated. Nobody likes to be told they have the "D" word (disease). To me it was weakness. I felt like a coward giving in to life, and I seriously wanted to be the good guy—the hero! To confirm the diagnosis, I had a blood test and was told the results came back positive for Lyme.

Under strict doctor's orders, I was to undergo treatment immediately. "What is the protocol for treatment," I asked. "Antibiotics through intravenous (IV) therapy,” is what I was told. UGH!!! I know what antibiotics do. Sure, they kill the bad guys, but they kill the good guys as well. I knew this would severely jeopardize my immune system. Just the thought of a doctor putting me on massive doses of antibiotics made me cringe—it was out of the question!

What's more, something was not adding up. Because of my healthier practices, I was learning to listen to my body, to really be in-tune with it. It turns out, this intuition is what saved my life. I decided to become more proactive, and did my own research on Lyme Disease. I had some of the symptoms, but there were missing pieces of this puzzle. To me, something just didn't seem right.  

Then, I remembered hearing about a holistic clinic in Ecuador having amazing success in eradicating various life-threatening ailments. The alternative treatment they were using consisted of therapeutic grade essential oils. My thought was, if they had such positive results with other diseases, perhaps they could treat my Lyme diagnosis. It was worth a try.

Three weeks later, I was on a plane to South America. The first day at the clinic was a real eye opener. I was in a room with two doctors who were quite adamantly telling me that I did not have Lyme Disease. They were shaking their heads saying, "we do not see any sign of Lyme Disease in your blood.” I was very confused. “But, I tested positive,” I said, while pulling out my original blood test expecting to prove them wrong.  

I couldn't believe this was happening! They looked at it very closely and compared it to their own blood work. Then, the doctors taught me how to read blood tests. It turns out, my original doctor did not read my blood test correctly. It was all there in black and white. The test did show I was negative for Lyme Disease—the doctors in Ecuador were right.

So, what did I have? I was relieved to find out I did not have Lyme, but afraid to return home undiagnosed and untreated. To my surprise, the doctors knew exactly what was wrong with me. It showed up in my blood. To be more accurate, it swamped my blood cells. I had toxic black mold growing like a cancer inside of me. I was in shock!

Black mold is associated with poor indoor air quality. It's something you can breathe in and not even realize. Once it takes hold of your insides, it can wreak havoc. I scoured my memory to come up with where and when I could have contracted this, and came up empty. The image of mold coating my insides and spreading throughout my body was overwhelming and frightening. I was scared, alone in a foreign country and exhausted. But, I was also determined to get well. I decided to put my faith and trust in the hands of these doctors.

I told them about the antibiotic therapy suggested to me for treating the Lyme. They said, if I had undergone that treatment, it would have destroyed my immune system without getting rid of the black mold. With no natural defenses, the mold would have over-taken me in a very painful way.

After explaining how their course of action would kill the mold without damaging my immunity, I was cautiously optimistic, and extremely anxious to get started. Instead of antibiotics, the treatment consisted of therapeutic-grade essential oils through IV therapy.

The blend consisted of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary and frankincense. Yes, the same frankincense given to Baby Jesus by the Three Wise Men. It was one of the most valuable elements on the planet back then, and as far as I'm concerned, it still is today. 

After six days of undergoing treatment with the oils, there was no sign of black mold in my blood. Subsequent tests show it was completely eradicated. I had never felt better! I listened to my body. I trusted my instincts. And, as a result, I am here to write this story. Today, I am vibrant and healthy. I have a passion for life. I feel it. I see it. I live it.

I learned that the earth does provide what we need for our health and wellness. The Ancients knew it. And, it's important that we know it. Perhaps it is time to re-visit this healing art. I am now a firm believer in the power of essential oils and I would love to share my knowledge and experience with you.

Like many, I've been given a second chance at life. Because of this, I feel it is a requirement to give something back. LiWi is my gift to you, and to the world. Life is Worth it...Let the Journey Begin.