Fall Time
The time for falling leaves and apple cider has finally come. Cozy sweaters and mugs of steaming hot cocoa feel like home, and pumpkin patches seem like the perfect place to spend a day. Whether you’re a fan of carving pumpkins or creating your own Halloween costume, there is something for everyone to love about fall. Bundle up in your favorite sweater and head outside to enjoy this colorful time of year.
1. LEARN TO COOK A NEW HEARTY SOUP
As the temperature drops, eating something warm becomes more appealing and inviting. Search the dōTERRA® blog for a yummy new soup recipe, or come up with your own. Adding oils to your recipe will provide a boost of flavor, and you will enjoy the benefits of the oil. Try using in-season vegetables for the best flavor and nutrients. As herbs are out of season, try using Oregano, Cilantro, and Black Pepper oils instead of the herb. You might be surprised at how much flavor one drop of oil can add. There is no shortage of great soup recipes out there, prepared either in your slow cooker or on the stove.
2. GO FOR A HIKE
Mother Nature is at her best during fall. The bright and vivid colors of the season make it the perfect time to head for the mountains. Find a trail with lots of trees so that you can enjoy the changing colors up close. If you live in an area without mountains, take a long walk down a path that is lined with trees. Should seasonal threats make you want to stay inside, try dōTERRA Breathe®, Lavender, or Melaleuca to help you enjoy the outdoors. If hiking is not up your alley, try a nice scenic drive through a canyon, or a relaxing bike ride through the park.
3. ATTEND A HARVEST FESTIVAL
Apple picking, corn mazes, and hay bale rides are all activities usually found at a community har - vest festival. Check out your local community’s website or Facebook page to find events near you. Not only will these events be fun for your entire family, but they benefit your community as well.
4. SPEND A DAY BAKING
This is the time of year when you can never decide if it is time to turn on the heater or not. Why not heat your house using your oven for a change? Baking is one of the best ways to warm your home, making it smell like all of your favorite home-baked goods. The dōTERRA blog is full of yummy fall baking recipes. Whether your specialty is a homemade pie or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, use this time of year to hone your skills. Adding dōTERRA On Guard® oil to your favorite recipe is a great way to up your immune system while enjoying your favorite treat.
5. DECORATE FOR FALL OR HALLOWEEN
Changing the décor around your home is the perfect way to invite fall into your house. Whether you choose to decorate for the season or the holiday, your home will feel festive and welcoming. Try making your own diffuser blend that fills your home with the cozy scents of fall. Also, see what upcycles you can create with your oil bottles to use as decorations.
6. VISIT A FARMERS MARKET
Shopping local takes on a fresh new meaning in the fall. We all know the tastiest produce comes from the fall harvest. Fall is an excellent time for corn, apples, and pumpkin, but did you know many other vegetables are ripe in the fall?
• Broccoli and kale are sweeter and less bitter and sharp when harvested in cooler temperatures.
• Chiles and peppers strut their best flavors when harvested at the beginning of fall.
• Pears and apples are great sweet additions to any fall meal.
7. MAKE A FIRE
If you are looking for a foolproof way to enjoy this season, you can find it with a nice fire in your backyard or fireplace, roasting s’mores with family and friends. Try adding your own twist on this holiday classic. Another favorite is to make your favorite chocolate chip cookies, sans the chocolate chips, and use them as the base of the s’mores. Start your fire just before sunset and enjoy the vibrant hue as the sun goes down.
By Dr. Brannick Riggs, MD
Wow! Can you believe that it is fall again? F. Scott Fitzgerald said in The Great Gatsby, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall. ”Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, meant the crisp temperatures of fall were 80–90 degrees. No matter where we live and no matter the temperature drop, fall means it is time for the kids to go back to school. It means that our kids who have been playing outside every day with a few of the neighborhood kids are now going to be in classrooms with 30 other children, and going to recess with hundreds of others. It means more stress in our homes as we try to stay on top of homework assignments, class projects, and extra-curricular activities. It also means that we begin dealing with some seasonal environmental threats as the weather changes and we start to spend more time indoors.
How might we use dōTERRA products to deal with the changes that fall brings?
Supporting Healthy Brain Activity
School stresses the brain as we are constantly presented with new information and try to assimilate that into our brains. No matter the level of learning, from “new math” to calculus, from letter recognition to writing a haiku, we need our brain to function optimally. Essential fatty acids have been shown to support healthy brain function. While Omega-6 fatty acids are important, we have a diet rich in these and do not need any help in consuming more. The optimal consumption of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids are a 1:1 ratio. Therefore, we often need a good daily supplement to increase our Omega-3 fatty acids to obtain that balance. IQ Mega® or xEO Mega® can help balance our ratio in fatty acids, thereby supporting healthy brain development in kids and brain function in adults.
Promoting Feeling of Calmness
My mother was an elementary school teacher while I was growing up. She would often comment that on windy days, children came in from recess out of control. It became very difficult to promote a learning environment in her classroom for the rest of the day. She had a theory that the wind disrupts the ionic field around the body, causing kids to feel very unsettled. As I think about what I know now, I would have recommended diffusing Lavender, Cedarwood, or Petitgrain on those days to promote feelings of calmness and relaxation. dōTERRA Balance® and dōTERRA Serenity® could also be used for their grounding effects.
Maintaining a Healthy Gut
Recent studies have shown gut microbes shape the architecture of sleep and stress reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal axis. This means that the type of bacteria we have in our gastrointestinal tract changes how well we sleep, how we react to stress, and how healthy our hormonal system is. They influence memory, mood, and cognition, and are clinically and therapeutically relevant to a range of disorders. It is important for us to eat the right kinds of foods to support a healthy gut microbiome. This is not always easy to do with the schedule of family activities and school lunches. PB Assist® Jr. is like candy in my house. My kids have a tube every day and would have several if we would let them. They love it and I feel confident that I am helping support the brain function for memory and cognition needed for the rigors of school.*
Getting Quality Sleep
Sleep becomes especially important as we try to learn new information and retain that information for recall. Several studies have shown that lack of sleep leads to worsening memory. Children ages 6 to 13 need 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night. Teenagers ages 14 to 18 need slightly less, about 8 to 10 hours. Adults need anywhere from 7 to 9 hours of sleep. This is often difficult as we lay down at night after finishing homework, studying for a test, or working on a group assignment for class. Our brains seem to want to continue working on the problem at hand despite needing to sleep. Petitgrain, Vetiver, and Lavender oil applied to bedding or pillows as well as applying to the bottom of the big toe, where, in Eastern Medicine, the pineal gland is connected, can help prepare for a restful night’s sleep. There is nothing better as a parent than to take a few moments at the end of the day and sit on the edge of the bed rubbing oils into your children’s feet and talking about their day. This not only promotes sleep, but promotes good relationships in your home as well.
Supporting Healthy Immune System
Of course, fall and winter are the times of the year we are concerned about environmental threats. Previous articles have mentioned the dōTERRA On Guard® products. These are especially important as children are now in classrooms with 20–30 other students. As children are not the best at hygiene, problems spread quickly in that environment. Taking dōTERRA On Guard beadlets daily can support your child’s healthy immune system.* dōTERRA On Guard Foaming Hand Wash cleans and softens skin while providing protection from the common threats found in the fall and at school. If your children are too young to take the beadlets, you may include the dōTERRA On Guard oil to rotate into your nightly rub routine with your children. Fall is a beautiful time of year with the amazing color changes of leaves, the crisp air of morning or evening walks, sweaters, bonfires, and being thankful. Summer is fun, but the fall grounds us, allowing us to reconnect with those most important in our lives over a cup of peppermint hot chocolate.
Diffuser Blend
Grateful
1 drop Ginger
1 drop Cinnamon
2 drops Coriander
1 drop Clove
Fall/Winter 2020
Fall Harvest
4 drops Cedarwood
3 drops Cassia
3 drops Wild Orange
2 drops Juniper Berry
Fall 2016
Autumn Meadows
4 Douglas Fir
2 Cypress
2 Patchouli
2 Juniper Berry
Ginger Snaps
4 Ginger
2 Cassia
2 Cinnamon
Warm Pumpkin Spice
3 Cinnamon
3 Ginger
2 Clove
2 Cardamom
Orange Cinnamon Buns
4 Wild Orange
3 Cinnamon
3 Cardamom
Evening by the Fire
3 Douglas Fir
3 Frankincense
2 Sandalwood
2 Lavender
4 Wild Orange
3 Douglas Fir
2 Cinnamon Bark
3 Citrus Bliss
3 Douglas Fir
3 Citrus Bliss
2 Cinnamon Bark
1 Clove
4 Cardamom
2 Wild Orange
1 Clove
1 Ginger
1 Cinnamon Bark
2 Cinnamon Bark
1 Clove
2 Cassia
1 Ginger
3 Cypress
3 White Fir
3 Sandalwood
1 Cardamom
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