Reclaiming Wellness: 2024 dōTERRA Convention Recap

Welcome back to Harvesters’ Corner! Fall, a season I truly love, is finally here. I was recently up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was able to see the beginnings of the color change spread across the mountains. A rainstorm brought a dusting of snow to the higher mountain peaks, and splotches of red and yellow grew in size and vividness throughout the oaks and aspens while I was there. It was a special sight to see, much different than the dusty desert where I live. While in Salt Lake City I was able to help my aunts preserve numerous quarts of peaches and apples, as well as attend the annual dōTERRA convention. This year’s theme “Reclaim” seemed a bit unusual prior to the convention, but after felt very appropriate. After all, considering how hectic and chaotic the modern world is, who doesn’t desire to reclaim their health and wellness, reclaim their energy, or reclaim a restful night’s sleep? The good news is this: There is a way!

Presenters throughout the convention made reference to the “Wellness Pyramid.” At its base, giving us a firm foundation for wellness, is “Nutrition and Digestion.” The importance of a whole-food diet, vitamins, and good gut health were stressed again and again. It was very interesting to see the research on how various oils were able to support digestive health. The next level is “Movement and Metabolism.” As we age our “get up and go” tends to “get up and leave.” As a result we become very sedentary and the waist lines begin to increase. Getting up and moving is important for keeping our metabolism active. We all know that. Why else are there so many New Years resolutions of staring to exercise by riding a bike or getting a gym membership (and actually using it!). Many of society’s health concerns could be reversed through eating a healthy whole-food diet and getting out and moving more.

The next level is one of the hardest for me, personally. Getting enough rest and managing stress. In February 2020, the American Heart Association published an article titled, “Chronic Stress can cause Heart Trouble.” The articles stated, “Heart disease is another potential stress-related problem. Stress may lead to high blood pressure, which can pose a risk for heart attack and stroke. Stress also may contribute to such cardiovascular disease risks as smoking, overeating, and lack of physical activity.” (1) Hmm. Article published February 2020. COVID lockdown starts March 2020. I feel fairly confident saying that most people’s stress levels have increased since early 2020. I know that my own stressors have increased. Going hand in hand with getting plenty of rest and managing stress is the next level, “Reducing Toxicity.” What causes stress? There’s my favorite definition: doing the same thing daily and expecting a different outcome from the day before. Does this sound familiar to anyone else? Toxicity can also increase stress. We know we need to drink plenty of water daily, but because of stress we turn to sodas and/or energy drinks. What do these do? They increase the toxic load on our bodies, which affects rest, which in turn affects movement and metabolism, which in turn affects what we eat and what our bodies can (and more importantly can’t) do with what we put into them.

Incidentally, have you noticed that the four levels we have talked about so far are levels we have direct control over? We chose what we eat. We chose how active we are. We can also choose how to deal with stress and what toxins we introduce to our bodies. This is summed up by the term “Lifestyle”. This is where making “Lifestyle changes” becomes important. Simple actions, like eating better, getting up and moving, drinking more water than soda, going to bed a bit earlier, start to have a profound impact as these changes become habits. These are steps that we have more control over than we typically think.

The last two levels on the “Wellness Pyramid” are “Informed Self-Care” and “Proactive Medical Care.” The first of these two levels is where the essential oils and products dōTERRA offers come into play. Concerning the last, I remember people telling me as a was a young girl that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I hear stories weekly from my husband, who works in medicine, about how the body can compensate for problems for a long period of time, and how ugly it can be when the body stops compensating. That is when ugly terms like “cirrhosis,” “cancer,” “myocardial infarction (heart attack),” and “cerebrovascular accident (stroke)” start coming into play where patient’s health is concerned. The proactive medical care is comparable to getting the oil changed in your car. Frequent oil changes maintain the engine’s health. Or you can choose to not change the oil, and have the engine seize up and break, resulting in replacing the engine. Our bodies are our engine. How do we take care of it?

One aspect of convention that my husband enjoyed was the Science Symposium held the day before convention began. Dr. David Hill, Founding Executive and Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board at dōTERRA, asked the poignant question, “What does science mean to you?” He then stated that at dōTERRA, “Science is the foundation of what we do.” Our knowledge of how the oils affect the body come from research undertaken by scientists at dōTERRA, which gets published for peer review, analysis, and further experimentation. Why is this important? Again, we turn to Dr. Hill. “Education is the single most powerful tool we have.” Words such as purity, clarity, and consistency are concepts often discussed when talking about the oils but what, exactly, are the specific ideas being referenced? Why does the fact that we use “Certified Pure Tested Grade” (CPTG) as a standard to the world matter?

Dr. Russell Osguthorpe

To address and answer these questions, we will soon start a quarterly science blog, which will look at the above ideas, along with some of the different types of testing being done and discussing some of the basic chemistry behind the oils. How do we know for sure that they are truly “Certified Pure Tested Grade?” Why should molecules like Linalool, Limonene, and alpha-Pinene be important to us? As Dr. Russell Osguthorpe, Chief Medical Advisor at dōTERRA stated during the Science Symposium, “Essential oils are so much more than a fragrance.”

One of our first blogs looked at the impact dōTERRA was having with the people in Haiti growing vetiver. During the recent convention we had the opportunity to talk with one of the main sourcing partners in Haiti. Jeff is a native Haitian who loves to talk about his country and people and wants to see a better and more stable future for them. Haiti has been in the news frequently over the summer, both because of hurricanes as well as political turmoil. For much of the population their constant in live has been poverty. But in the villages raising vetiver, a new constant has emerged. Jeff’s face glowed as he talked about the impact the water stations the Healing Hands Foundation pioneered are making in people’s lives. Five water stations have been completed since 2022. Each station consists of a well, a solar-powered water pump, and a storage reservoir. Each station services five to six villages on average. And the work hasn’t stopped. Jeff continues to meet with representatives of villages who want to join the Co-Impact Sourcing Initiative. In addition, Jeff also received word just before the convention began that the drilling on a sixth well had reached a good water source, thus paving the way for more Haitians to have access to pure, clear water.

Jeff was not the only sourcing partner we were able to meet with during the convention. I am receiving stories from around the world for use in future blogs. It was truly a pleasure to see these individuals become excited as they heard that we want to tell the stories of their friends and neighbors. Emily Wright stated, “Our growers are some of the most vulnerable people, who have been taken advantage of in the past. Co-Impact and Healing Hands are making changes in their lives…We give them hope for the future, and they give us love as they tend the plants.”

I am excited as we prepare for the coming year. I am certain that with the contacts made through convention and the science blogs we are planning, that it will be a fun year. Join us next time here at Harvesters’ Corner as we travel to a country bridging two continents—Turkey—and see the impact we have on the people working hard to raise oregano. Until next time, stay safe!

Sources

1.    American Heart Association News. “Chronic stress can cause heart trouble.” 4 February 2020. Online. < https://www.heart.org/en/news/2020/02/04/chronic-stress-can-cause-heart-trouble> Accessed 28 September 2024.