Why create the Wellness Language Toolbox?

Why now?

What resources did you use for reference?

I love the questions that I’ve been getting about the Toolbox. Each one is worthy of it’s own blog post. I’ll answer some of them here today and others on the Wellness Language Toolbox Facebook page over the next few days.

Today I will address the ‘why’s and the ‘what’.

For almost 14 years, my family has been using essential oils. Along the way, we always referred to trusted resources to figure out which oil might help address the particular need at the time.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to share my love of essential oils and help my readers understand how the use of essential oils can enhance a wellness lifestyle.

Recently, I had the opportunity to compare our long-time favorite oils from Company A to a major competitor’s oils, Company B. Much to my surprise, I really preferred the oils from Company B.

After agonizing over the decision to defect – that’s what it is considered if one chooses to leave Company A – I signed up with Company B.

When I signed up, I was bombarded with information about the products. This is a good thing, but it was a bit like trying to drink water from a fire hose.

A big emphasis at the time I signed up was being compliant with FDA regulations. The mood on the Facebook groups was tangibly panicky.

When I checked with the compliance department at Company B, I was informed that I could not cite research about essential oils on my blog if I was going to use the name of Company B.

What!?

Now I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to talk about my beloved oils and name names. But I also saw the need for spreading awareness about the numerous studies that have been done.

Thus the primary reason that my daily blog posts came to a screeching halt. I was stumped. (btw, I have tried to purge my blog of non-compliant material, but if I missed something, please let me know.)

The compliance topic has re-surfaced this week in my Facebook groups.

An excellent article by Jennifer Fong has recently been posted to numerous groups. It’s called ‘You’ll Pay Millions in Fines if You Violate These Rules’. You can read it here. Have you read it? If not, stop reading my article and go read Jennifer’s. Now.

How did that make you feel?

Paranoid? Mad? Alarmed? Too scared to ever talk about essential oils ever again?

Me, too.

There has been excellent support and guidance from Company B’s team leaders.

The following guidelines came from my upline leaders:

• Do Not Make Product Claims.
• Never imply that a product takes you from sickness to wellness.
• “Essential oils are not drugs.”
• “They do not treat disease.”
• “They DO support the body in many amazing ways.”
• “They support normal function in the body.”
• “They support body systems.”
• “Avoid any curative claim statement!”

Specific things that we can say about individual products were published in an Approved Claims List document.

What about 3rd Party resources? “There are a lot of great resources allowing people to learn and study more. Where we need to be cautious is using the resources in conjunction with selling a product…. The best use of 3rd party resources is to allow people to know where they can find that information. Allow people to do the reading and research on their own and come to their own conclusions.” — Justin Harrison

There are some excellent books that have been used as reference material for many years. To create a more portable tool, I compiled the information from many resources. My primary references are shown in the image at the left and the list is included in the Wellness Language Toolbox.

Many of the resources, not all, referenced body systems and functions. The newest book, my current favorite, is the Essential Life. More than 50 pages are devoted to body systems. The Body Systems section begins with this: “Take a holistic approach to wellness by learning to address wellness in terms of body systems. Think beyond the disease-symptom model, and instead focus on systems that govern the function of your entire body.” p.156

I didn’t receive my copy of the Essential Life until a few days ago. I specifically waited to launch the Toolbox so I could compare what I learned in the other books to what was included in the newest resource. (I love this book. I highly recommend it!)

So back to the original question: Why did I create the Wellness Language Toolbox? To fill a need. The need to “address wellness in terms of body systems”. To have compliant language and a body systems reference – at my fingertips.

Is it the only tool an essential oil advocate needs? Absolutely not. Please use other books and other 3rd party resources to learn more.

The Wellness Language Toolbox is a portable tool that gives you a place to start. A ready answer when someone says, “I have Lavender, but I’m not sure what it’s good for” or “I don’t have a Respiratory Blend, are there any other oils that support the respiratory system?”

The following disclaimer is included on almost every page of the Wellness Language Toolbox, but I’ll publish it here as well: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”