Empower Yourself With Natural Healing and Essential Oils – Ep 044 Holistic Health Educator, Denise Schwendeman

0 (1s):
Welcome to the Soul Science Nutrition Podcast, where you’ll discover that when it comes to your health, you’re so much more powerful than you’ve been led to believe. And now your host, she’s a holistic nutrition and lifestyle coach, chef author, and Yogi, Christine Okezie. Hello,

Christine Okezie (23s):
And welcome to the soul science nutrition podcast. I’m Christine Okezie. Thanks so much for listening. So in previous episodes, you’ve heard me share about my passion for cultivating our intuition of giving ourselves permission to listen to that inner guidance system when it comes to navigating our health. Well, on today’s show, I spoke with my dear friend and fellow holistic health colleague, Denise Schwendeman whose journey to help her son heal through severe challenges is a living Testament to the healing power of integrating our intellect and our intuition. When it comes to our health inspired to use natural modalities of healing alongside Western medicine, Denise incorporated essential oils into her son’s care.

Christine Okezie (1m 9s):
A decade later she’s become a passionate educator of natural health care in the U S and internationally becoming a diamond leader distributor with doTERRA international, a leader in the healing essential oil industry. Denise is also certified in ageless grace, a cutting edge brain fitness program based on neuroplasticity that focuses on the healthy longevity of the body and the mind Denise’s inspiration to learn how to use this modality came once again from her desire to help her family heal. Her father had been taking doTERRA supplements to improve his cognition, which improved significantly after one year. She has since added ageless grace as system of movement to her father’s self-care routine and her mom, thanks her at least once a week, because now they can have full conversations and he remembers the conversations they’re having from one day to the next, what a gift.

Christine Okezie (1m 60s):
I think you’ll learn that Denise truly is an inspiration in that she walks her talk in this field of natural health. Denise lets us know that there’s power embracing both the art and the science of health and healing, the importance of finding partnership with our heart and our mind, because that’s what we need in order to really care for these bodies. Denise’s goal is to empower others, to incorporate natural products into their daily lives, to support their bodies, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Listen in on this fun and highly informative conversation will you’ll learn some amazing tips on how essential oils can help you with some of the most common elements and get lots of inspirational guidance on how to honor the innate intelligence of our bodies.

Christine Okezie (2m 46s):
And to remember the importance that we are our best advocate when it comes to our own health. And once again, if you do like the show, please feel free to leave a rating and review and you haven’t hit that subscribe button. Please do to help me keep the podcast growing. Thanks so much and enjoy the show. Hello, Denise, welcome to the podcast. So great to have you here today,

Denise Schwenedman (3m 8s):
Christine, thank you for inviting me. I’m so excited to be here.

Christine Okezie (3m 13s):
So Denise, I would love if you would just start off by sharing, you know, why you became so passionate about natural healing and the more specifically, eventually the power of essential oils in your journey.

Denise Schwenedman (3m 24s):
Sure. So I’d love to, so I was surprised with my second child to learn that he had a rare pediatric cancer. And so our journey started with him at four months old and quickly learned that a body that’s small has a hard time with that many medications. And so what I always looked for were complimentary natural practices to help his body actually rid of some of the toxins, but also support his body. So I’m always about supporting the body.

Denise Schwenedman (4m 6s):
So we did, we did lots of things. I mean, we did things for him as he got older, as simply as guide him in yoga, had him do karate things that things for his mind and his body to strengthen that way. We, we worked with healers, we worked with acupuncturists, we work with our chiropractor and it’s interesting because the hospital might say something like very well-intentioned Oh, don’t take him to an acupuncture. You don’t want, you know, needles stuck in him. And I would just be like, Oh, okay. I mean, how many, how many times do you do with the needle?

Denise Schwenedman (4m 47s):
It’s just an interesting dichotomy. Like they just don’t understand natural medicine. There’s a very easy way to integrate natural products and procedures that actually strengthen the body. It, they strengthen the mind, the outlook. And so I was so intrigued. It actually wasn’t until his secondary cancer when he was seven or actually five that we, I found essential oils, which is what I do now really like you and I have been talking about this. We bought in function way. We brought in practices that we could alter where he was just in a really healthy way that his outlook would look better than people, his anxiety and his fears would be calmed.

Denise Schwenedman (5m 36s):
Just, just practices that really spoke to his whole body.

Christine Okezie (5m 41s):
Thank you. Now, how did you know to do that in the exploration? So you, but it sounds like you did while there was a lot of contrast in terms of, you know, treatment options as you went through the process, how were you able to integrate how receptive eventually did his providers, you know, support that

Denise Schwenedman (6m 1s):
I, I have to tell you, first of all, I love physicians. I love the way their brains work. I love what they know beautiful. I do. And I honor that. I honor them. Totally. Absolutely. We were really fortunate in that our physicians really weren’t threatened by me. So our goals were aligned and the goal was to keep Luke healthy and to keep him on this planet. And so in that we were all aligned and all wanting the best for Luke. And so they, they knew that I was using different things and, and they were okay with it. I might get a couple of, you know, comments once in awhile, but not really.

Denise Schwenedman (6m 42s):
When he started treatment for leukemia, they said to us, well, they said to me, Mrs. Schwendeman Luke should not be on any vitamins while he’s on this chemo. And I said to this very, Oh, terrific, terrific, man, love him. I won’t mention his name. But I said, do you think it makes sense that I’m not building his body up with whole food ingredients while you’re tearing it down with chemo? And he said, you know what, Mrs. Schwinden you do what you feel is best. Okay. I can work with that type of physician. Yes, yes. Somebody already lucky when, who knows, they don’t necessarily know everything.

Denise Schwenedman (7m 26s):
Yeah. And they don’t know Luke. So you asked me a question and I didn’t really answer it. I was very connected to Lucas instantly. As soon as he was born, I knew there was something wrong with him. And I kept taking him back to his pediatrician. So from three months to four months, I was at his pediatrician three times and on the phone with them at least five. Wow. Okay. Okay. And it was a, a knowing and he at the last visit, he said to me, let’s see what happens this weekend. Let’s see how the, the bruising, he had bruising around his eyes. That’s how he presented. But little things all along the way were, were signals to me.

Denise Schwenedman (8m 8s):
Okay. And I said, it’s not, it’s not, Oh. He said the yellowing around me, a snappy yellow. And I said, it’s the rings around his eyes. And as soon as I said the word ring, I saw something in his eye. And, and he remembered reading an article about how neuroblastoma presents in India. Wow. And he said, let me just check one more thing. And he found the tumor because he knew where to look.

Christine Okezie (8m 33s):
Oh, wow. Beautiful. Amazing. Yes. Ah, yeah. Chills, because everything that you’re talking about really speaks to the importance of being aligned, you know, using both sides of our brain, if you will, or, or, or, or even more so all levels of our intelligence. Right. So that we’ve got our mental cognitive intelligence or we’re taking in the information, having the benefit of very, you know, he enlightened supportive, you know, conventional doctors. Right. But we’re also taking in our emotional intelligence, just that connection that inherent, or even the somatic, like you said, I knew instantly. And I got that. You felt that in your body.

Christine Okezie (9m 14s):
So there’s the somatic intelligence, all these levels that we’re operating on when it comes to navigating what’s right. For our bodies and those we love for that matter.

Denise Schwenedman (9m 22s):
Absolutely. Oh my gosh. I couldn’t have said it better. It is. If you stay in touch with your, whether you want to call it gut intuition, the connection. If you listen to it and you, you work on it, it almost is immediate. They would say a medication. And I would say, Oh no, we won’t be doing that. Or, Oh, okay. That sounds, that sounds fine. We can do that. And interestingly enough, when I didn’t want to do something and I don’t mean I didn’t want to do it just because I didn’t want to do it. I knew it. Wasn’t my friend. I’d ask questions and I’d ask questions and I’d ask questions. And what I’ve learned from, I learned so many things. I’m so glad Luke picked me as his mom.

Denise Schwenedman (10m 4s):
Cause he knew I needed to grow.

Christine Okezie (10m 7s):
Oh, that’s cool. I love that. Thank you for saying that. Yeah, he did. He absolutely.

Denise Schwenedman (10m 14s):
And is that sometimes are better advocates for others than we are for ourselves. Yes, that’s true. And that we don’t ask the questions, even if there’s a little inkling or there’s a little unsettling, you know, instinct where you go. Hmm. Something’s wrong. Ask the question, ask the question and, and you can’t accept an answer like, well, because that’s the way it is. Yeah. Right. They really should know more than that. Right.

Christine Okezie (10m 43s):
Because I say so. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah.

Denise Schwenedman (10m 48s):
So fortunate Christine, I, our physicians are top in it certainly in our country, but some top in the world. Wow. And we were very, very fortunate and they shared information with other physicians. So it wasn’t unusual for me to pick up the phone and call another physician in another country and say, what, what are you doing for this? How are you, what are you seeing? What are you using? Really? It was really a great experience, which is aligns with my, always the word. No is not a good word for me. I, I like to understand and I don’t try to be obstinate. I just want to understand.

Denise Schwenedman (11m 31s):
And the one time I got his name is Dr. Chung Nikon. Chung is a gift he’s just to give to the world. He is such a pure heart and such pure intent. And I must have asked him something 50 times and I did. I know I didn’t, it didn’t sit. Yeah. And he finally said to me, it’s nice. It’s the best we know at this time.

Christine Okezie (12m 3s):
Okay. I love that

Denise Schwenedman (12m 6s):
The best we know at this time. So you, you can’t really argue with that. We decided to do it. It PS, it’s no longer in the protocol.

Christine Okezie (12m 16s):
Interesting. I know evolving. Right.

Denise Schwenedman (12m 19s):
Exactly. And we were very fortunate to be at a hospital that is a teaching hospital. They set protocols, not follow them. Very different. They cheat the person and not the, the disease. Yeah.

Christine Okezie (12m 34s):
Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So the whole mindset of the physicians you worked with and the providers, you are really, it’s key. It’s absolutely key. It’s an open mindset. It’s treating the person and not the symptom or the disease or the body part. Right. I mean, this is huge. You were very, very fortunate to be in that supportive environment. I loved that. So, absolutely. Yeah. So it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. And I guess we’ll get into that because that’s very pertinent these days, when we’re looking at trying to discern, you know, what is the best option? How do we take care of ourselves under, you know, these very complicated lives we’re living these days, but I would love for you if you could just tell us a little bit more about your journey with essential oils, because this is where your zone of genius is Denise and, you know, and, and everything always working out.

Christine Okezie (13m 26s):
I mean the level of knowledge and research you’ve done about our bodies through your journey, dovetails with the love of how you use essential oils. And, and in my humble opinion, that’s unmatched in any one I’ve ever talked to when it comes to this. So you are the renowned expert, in my opinion, on how this really works. I mean, essential oils. It’s like, Oh yeah, that’s nice. I put some on my pillow when I fall asleep. Yes. And there’s so much

Denise Schwenedman (13m 53s):
And so much more. Thank you. That was so lovely. I, I, there is so much more, but you know what the really great thing about essential oils is you don’t have to know everything they’re going to work. I love that. And you’re going to get side benefits all the time. So I love it. I think you have to take into account it really heavily that we have one body, one brain, and it’s really our mission in life to take care of them, right. To nurture them and to keep them in good working condition at whatever age or whatever stage you are in life. Beautiful. And so when you think that essential oils come from nature, right, they come from seeds or bark or roots or flowers, whatever part of the plant, they come from it’s nature.

Denise Schwenedman (14m 46s):
And our bodies understand how to utilize the beautiful chemicals that are in those oils. And which is, which is, what’s really terrific. And in fact, most medications are based on, you know, essential oils or plants by one of my, one of my favorite things. And it all makes sense, which is the biggest benefit for me. Everything makes sense. Like, I don’t, I don’t have to question 7,000 times why this is hard because that’s just the way my brain works. But if you think about, so we have a, you know, wintergreen, right. Beautiful plant winter green has a chemical in it.

Denise Schwenedman (15m 28s):
It’s called methyl salicylate okay. When scientists synthesize methyl salicylate it becomes aspirin. Incredible. Right. So what does that, what does that mean? That means winter greens really good for inflammation. Right. And, and, and yet it’s, it’s healthy and it’s natural and your body understands what to do with it. Yes. So you get side benefits, not side effects.

Christine Okezie (15m 54s):
Oh, I love that. Yeah. Well, we are in nature. I mean, this is the whole, you know, the whole core of all the natural healing. It’s, it’s kind of a, I dunno, it’s, it’s, we, we say natural healing as if any other kind of healing is not natural because, because the body has an insistent of intelligence that always wants to come into balance and thus it is self-healing in that very fundamental sense. Right. And of course we are nature. We are the plans. We are the earth, we are the, you know, fragrance and the buds and the roots. And, and so we’re always looking for ways to find, I think, deeper and deeper levels of, of, of alignment, you know? And once again, and integration, because I think when we live too far, apart from nature, you know, we talk about this a lot in our modern lifestyle, the foods that we ingest, the way that we don’t take care of our sleep, you know, or our need for joy and play.

Christine Okezie (16m 44s):
Right. We get out of sync. So I love this. Okay. So continue

Denise Schwenedman (16m 50s):
And something that, you know, you said when you see how the body is always self-correcting. Yes. And I have to tell you, I watched a lot in the 10 years that we went through treatment and it’s interesting too, you, you definitely know there’s a higher being that created the body, whatever you believe in because it self-corrects, but you also see how the body systems fall on each other. And if you can stop the systems from falling all the way down, if you can stop it a third of the way or half of the way or three quarters of the way, it is so much easier to restore health.

Denise Schwenedman (17m 35s):
Got it. And so what we’d always try and do is say, say, someone gets sick and you feel it, you know, you feel the symptoms, you have a slight headache, you know, this is like a little, Ooh, don’t wait for a full-out, you know, cold or something, take care of it at that point. Correct. So what we saw is, especially in the hospital, it, your systems can fall on each other in days. Wow. Right. Hours, sometimes depending Luke was little, he had a little body things happen quickly. Absolutely. But it could take months to bring all those systems back up into working order.

Denise Schwenedman (18m 18s):
And so we just, I, I was so empowered by the essential oils instead of waiting for test results or, you know, hearing from someone we always weighed the risk and benefits of going out or doing something with him because his immune system was never strong. Yes. And so, but, but nine times out of 10, he’d be fine. That one time you’d, you’d hear back from someone say, Oh, I’m sorry, so-and-so had 104 fever last night. Right. And you had spent time with that person. So, Oh boy, we asked, but what do you do? You know, what you do? You just start building and boosting that immune system.

Denise Schwenedman (18m 59s):
And it’s all about keeping the immune system up. So for me, this tool, these tools, along with all the other tools we brought in that I mentioned earlier, it’s the acupuncture, it’s the chiropractic care. It’s the things for his mind. It’s the karate, it’s the Olga, it’s the Shinjin Jitsu. It’s all of those beautiful practices, speaking to different parts of his body, plus the oils. And I want to tell you that when you’re applying an oil to someone who feels unwell, right, just feels terrible and you’re applying your whale and you’re implying it with the intent of it, helping them, the bond that you create with my goodness is just amazing.

Denise Schwenedman (19m 50s):
I can’t, I can’t even tell because of how good does that feel? You know, a lot of times when people are sick, people don’t touch them. That’s right.

Christine Okezie (19m 57s):
It’s the human touch that often gets very sterilized and sanitized and, you know, in the clinical setting. Oh my goodness. Yeah. And I think that’s, that’s part of the healing wisdom of, of why it is an ancient tool because the application of healing oils goes way, way back, you know, before we had microscopes and, you know, ventilators and, and all kinds of, you know, sterile, sterile environments, we knew the healing, I think, intuitively living you the benefit of, of touch of, of someone’s loving touch.

Denise Schwenedman (20m 27s):
Oh, absolutely. And think about what they used for even things like fever, they used lemon right down, down the spine. They just put lemon down the spine too. And that’s a great detoxer main thing.

Christine Okezie (20m 42s):
And when you reached your spine, I guess you can, you can kind of get there. Yeah.

Denise Schwenedman (20m 47s):
You can get to the top. There’s a real, there’s a really great practice we use is called symphony of the cells. And it’s a series of oils that you use and that’s applying to the spine is a really great way to get to every part of your body because everything comes off your spine. Yeah.

Christine Okezie (21m 4s):
I love that. Tell me more about that.

Denise Schwenedman (21m 7s):
Gosh, symphony, the sales was created by a gentleman. His name is boy Truman and his mom is Carol Truman. And I don’t know if you’ve ever read Carol’s book, but it’s buried feelings, never die. Oh

Christine Okezie (21m 21s):
Wow. I’m going to have to put that in the show notes.

Denise Schwenedman (21m 25s):
It is a spectacular book and basically exactly what the title is. If you push things down, if you don’t address things, it’s going to take up somewhere in your body. Absolutely. And so his it’s just an application process. It’s not a massage and it’s so easy. You can do it in five minutes and there are 21 of them. It’s, it’s an amazing gift. But so many pathogens live in our spine and pathogens. Don’t like oils. Huh?

Christine Okezie (21m 58s):
Fascinating. Okay. So, so this is an actual, so this goes into the use. We can use them topically. I think a lot of people are familiar with, you know, aroma therapy, but we’re now talking about the actual skin to skin absorption of the oil. Right?

Denise Schwenedman (22m 14s):
Absolutely. Wow. Okay. So there are different ways to use it. And one of the best ways to get all of the benefits is aromatically. It is one of the best ways, Oh my gosh, you get 99% of the benefit from essential oils. You just have to make sure that the oils are clean. They have to be pure. Yeah.

Christine Okezie (22m 32s):
So not all essential oils created equal, not all oils create equal in terms of where they get them. Right. So how do, how do we source them, you know, appropriately, responsibly, et cetera, all that.

Denise Schwenedman (22m 44s):
So this is a really good question. And you have to be really comfortable with the company. Yeah. I chose the company I work with because they do a tremendous amount of testing. I work with them because they work with growers all over the world where the plant is most therapeutically indigenous. What does that mean? That means that, that the right it’s grown at the right height. It’s that the right amount of sunlight, it has the right amount of rainfall or maybe not rainfall. They go as far as harvesting at the right time of day when chemicals are most available in the plant.

Denise Schwenedman (23m 27s):
Wow. I know. Isn’t that? Terrific.

Christine Okezie (23m 29s):
Such great care. I love that. Yeah, no. I mean, cause I mean, that’s the whole thing. This is, this is an art and a science with backed with so much wisdom and so much cultural knowing, you know? And so I love that we need to find a company that honors that tradition.

Denise Schwenedman (23m 46s):
Right? Absolutely. And there are over 400 studies now on oils, not just the plants, but the actual oils. That’s amazing.

Christine Okezie (23m 56s):
Who’s doing the, the studies and the research.

Denise Schwenedman (23m 59s):
So it’s you usually universities have research, right? It’s also like John Hopkins.

Christine Okezie (24m 8s):
Wow. So all these academic institutions are really looking at the healing Edmonds. I love it. And you see, there is so much progress going on. We always have to remember this because it gets a little dark, sometimes

Denise Schwenedman (24m 18s):
It does. But, but in your knowing, in your own knowing, is there a balance like that’s, that’s what I’m always striving to achieve. Right. Just the balance that we know I’m going to add this because it’s really going to lift, I have to take this because I have something I can’t necessarily take care of naturally. And that’s, that’s a little bit of belief too, but it is, it’s a knowing. So can, and, and especially for like say another person in your life that you are a parent for, or you’re the adult child for an older parent.

Denise Schwenedman (24m 58s):
That’s right. And that’s where I find myself right now, like on my, my, my parents’ medical proxy and I’m still very much helping Luke and Victoria navigate their, their lives and their health. And so I think if you can step back and do your due diligence, you would you do that to diligence when you look for a restaurant, when you plan a vacation, when you you’re up

Christine Okezie (25m 26s):
The car. Right? Exactly. Exactly. Or even like the right pair of shoes, you know, what kind of sneakers do I get? You know, now there are 10 different kinds, you know.

Denise Schwenedman (25m 38s):
Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. And I, I just, I like people to understand that essential oils are a little bit like medications in that. Not everyone works the same way. Not each, every oil works the same way every body, because our chemistries are different. Don’t just try one oil and say, it didn’t work, work with that person you’re working with. When we get a medication from a physician and we’re not getting the response we want, we go back to them and we ask them for, you know, I need something else, do the same thing with something natural. Wow.

Christine Okezie (26m 17s):
That’s great advice. That is great advice. What are the top let’s say for someone who just says, well, you know, cause that me, I mean, you know, me, I, I have my little stash of what I use, but what are the five top five or top three, whatever essential oils, just to kind of really, you know, maybe upgrade some, you know, self-care upgrade some natural options for typical, you know, ailments around the house. You know, things like that.

Denise Schwenedman (26m 42s):
So blends or single oils,

Christine Okezie (26m 45s):
Let’s start with it. Single oils, oils,

Denise Schwenedman (26m 49s):
Number one, single oil King of oils has to be frankincense.

Christine Okezie (26m 55s):
I love frankincense.

Denise Schwenedman (26m 57s):
Oh my goodness. Frankincense is so health-giving for your mind and for your body. And we started to talk a little bit about aroma therapy. So why is aroma therapy so beneficial to us, many things, first of all, it’s lands on our skin and our tissues take it in. Okay. Right. It, it goes to our factory. It goes to our Olympic system. Our limbic system is genius. Just when you understand how the limbic system impacts your entire body, you understand why it works. So think about all of your sense of memories and think about what those memories evoke.

Denise Schwenedman (27m 40s):
When you walk into someone’s home and they’re cooking something and it brings you right back to your grandmother’s kitchen. That’s right, right. From, for me, it’s working with a young child who has maybe ADHD. And I say to them, you know what, just grab this. When you’re feeling a little out of sorts and included on your pulse points, that aroma and knowing that it’s going to lessen what they’re feeling at that moment works. As soon as they go to grab that bottle of oil. And I love how that works. That’s all limbic system. That’s all you understanding that that Roma is gonna calm you or uplift you.

Denise Schwenedman (28m 21s):
And so the reason I bring this back in is because frankincense diffused is going to uplift the mood of a room. It’s going to, it’s going to actually come any anxiousness. You have oil. So definitely frankincense, frankincense. Got it. I love bergamot. Okay. For one specifically, I’m going to tell you it’s a really, really good oil for self-acceptance. And self-love

Christine Okezie (28m 50s):
Tell me more about that. How do oil help you love yourself,

Denise Schwenedman (28m 56s):
That limbic system. Right. But I would take a little bergamot and put it over my heart and kind of, you know, look in the mirror and say, you’ve done this today. It was a really good thing. You’re on the right track. This is, this is how you start making incremental changes in your life. Thank you. Yes. Yes. How you embrace yourself, especially right now, we’re headed into this season of love. Right, right. Right. Starts with self-love starts with self care.

Christine Okezie (29m 25s):
Couldn’t say it better. It’s

Denise Schwenedman (29m 27s):
A beautiful oil. I love lavender. Of course. It’s the Swiss army knife.

Christine Okezie (29m 34s):
I couldn’t agree more when all else when in doubt lavender. Oh my gosh.

Denise Schwenedman (29m 39s):
It is just, it is the best when I tell people what it does. I’m like this, this little bottle does all of that. Amazing. Just amazing. It’s good for calming. It’s good for skin. It’s good for your histamine response. I mean, it is good for, so, so many things, it’s one you must have on you all the time.

Christine Okezie (30m 5s):
Okay. So, you know, in terms of working with some of the benefits now or conditions, right. So this could be some of those oils you mentioned would be great for anxiety, right. For sort of mood, low mood, right. Or when we’re really down on ourselves, kind of in that worry or self, you know, kind of, you know, self-critical mode. Right. Okay. How often, I mean, again, it’s about routine and ritual and consistency to, you know, relative consistency, whatever that means for all of us, but what do you recommend?

Denise Schwenedman (30m 36s):
This is a, this is a really good question. Yeah. You can not put 10 oils drops of oil on in the morning. Okay.

Christine Okezie (30m 44s):
We can overdo it with essential oils. Okay.

Denise Schwenedman (30m 46s):
I think it’s going to be good until, you know, you get home

Christine Okezie (30m 49s):
That night. Okay, great.

Denise Schwenedman (30m 52s):
So, and, and, and actually yes, four drops of anything at one time is more than enough. Yeah. And I usually tell people, start with one or two. Okay. One or two. And I really like it applied, applied to post points. It depends on what you’re doing, but applied to pulse points. Really good end. Usually with a carrier oil, it’s always good to start with a carrier oil, especially when you’re first using that oil. Okay. It’s just really good.

Christine Okezie (31m 24s):
So the carrier oil, so let’s say, you know, we have a little bottle of essential oil that doesn’t have the carrier oil in it. Right. So unless we get in a roller and then we add the carrier to the roller, is that what it is? And what are the carrier oils that, that you, you use or that your company uses that we should be looking at?

Denise Schwenedman (31m 40s):
So we choose a fractionated coconut oil, right. And there’s a reason because the way it is, it’s, it’s a lightweight oil. So it can still easily get into your tissue. Doesn’t necessarily sit on top and doesn’t have this really, really oily consistency. So you can put it on and go to bed. And you’re not going to get oil all over your pillow, case your sheets. Now you can also use hobo oil or almond oil or olive oil. Okay. Just make sure it’s organic.

Christine Okezie (32m 16s):
Ah, okay. Wait. So again, we’re kind of defeating the purpose if we’ve got, you know, pesticides and herbicides and all of that going on,

Denise Schwenedman (32m 22s):
Right. Because think of what essential oils do they go right into your bloodstream. They’ll take that with it. Got it. Yeah. So it has to be clean and that makes sense, right? It just it’s something that makes sense. I do actually like using fractionated, coconut oil with applying the oils, it, like I said goes in, in a more moderate pace, right. Because oils are volatile out of the bottle. So some goes on right away. It goes in quickly, the rest flashes off. Hmm. Interesting. So when you have it in an oil, it stays on the skin. It goes in at a more moderate pace. It, it absorbs it and hangs onto the fat under the skin.

Denise Schwenedman (33m 4s):
It’s a lot of sustainability there.

Christine Okezie (33m 6s):
I love that. What about, let’s talk about just a couple more ailments or conditions like digestion, you know, really important these days connected to everything. So, so what do you recommend for digestion?

Denise Schwenedman (33m 20s):
Yeah. So what is our digestion? Our gut is the seed of our immunity. 70, 70 to 80% of our immunity comes from our guts. This is why we’re not eating fried foods right now. This is why we’re not, you were really conscious it all, you know what, everything, and you know, this Christina, I’ve taken classes with you. And I know, I know this and I love your cookbook and know your non diet book. It starts with the food you eat. Yeah. It starts with the sleep. You get, it all starts with the water you drink and the exercise you get.

Denise Schwenedman (34m 2s):
This makes you a whole well-rounded healthy person. Okay. The natural tools you add are things like probiotics or things like natural digestive enzymes. These are, these are important. So that you’re processing food correctly. And you’re getting all the benefits from the, in the nutrients, from the foods you’re eating the probiotics. Our gut flora really needs to be sharp right now. And so this is a way for adding a probiotic is a really good way. We have some terrific oils. We have a blend called digestion is chock full of wheels and plant matter that all over the world they use in pulses and teas to restore a gut health.

Denise Schwenedman (34m 51s):
Okay. So that’s like fennel and a niece and cardamom and ginger and peppermint, like these are the staples all over the world.

Christine Okezie (35m 0s):
Okay. So a lot of anti-inflammatory benefits with oils. You just mentioned, and this digest seven, which is an oil blend that your company makes, is that ingested, is that rolled on? Can I diffuse that? I mean,

Denise Schwenedman (35m 12s):
So you can do all three. You can, you can absolutely put it in a glass of water, especially if you have like acid reflux. Okay. It really helps cool all the way down and once, and once it hits, you know, your stomach, it really helps. Like you said, it’s very, anti-inflammatory my daughter uses it for cramps.

Christine Okezie (35m 35s):
Ah, okay, good. So hormone balance, move on to that real quick. So let’s talk about like, you know, menopausal, perimenopausal, you know, things going on, just erratic hormones.

Denise Schwenedman (35m 46s):
So this is like my jam, but awesome. This is what I love. I love it because you know, when you get to a certain age, what does, what does it miss position say? Well, you know, you just have to go through it as part of the process. Right. And, and that may be, but to a certain extent, but it does not have to be uncomfortable or at the best or awful at the worst. Right. It does not have to be so all these great, great Bergamo is a really good oil. Oh, good. Really good oil. All of these fabulous hormone balancing oils, I think in terms of all hormones, it’s just not sex hormones.

Denise Schwenedman (36m 29s):
Our bodies are run by hormones. You got it. And so if we can use these oils to balance, well, one of the big things I’m working on right now is insulin resistance and how that affects our body. Right? And the insulin is a hormone,

Christine Okezie (36m 45s):
Number one, you know, sort of hormone issue these days

Denise Schwenedman (36m 48s):
It’s is just amazing. And so when you think about supporting your thyroid, when you think about supporting your adrenal glands, which release cortisol, these are all so important for overall hormonal health. And so there are many, many tools, and it’s one of my favorite things to talk about because I’m there, that’s what, that’s where I am right now. And so you’re your own scientist, your own, right. But isn’t that why most of us get into the things that, you know,

Christine Okezie (37m 22s):
I, I, my, my I’m my own Guinea pig. Absolutely.

Denise Schwenedman (37m 25s):
Absolutely.

Christine Okezie (37m 29s):
I’ll never make a recommend. I always say this, I’ll never make a recommendation that I haven’t tried on myself. So I mean,

Denise Schwenedman (37m 35s):
Exactly. Right. Exactly. Yes. But, but those challenges in our own life challenge us to find solutions. Definitely. Definitely. And I love that. Yeah.

Christine Okezie (37m 47s):
Okay. So to drill down even further then, so tell us, okay, what are you working on? What do you, what can you recommend for insulin resistance? These are not necessarily related, but they can be insulin resistance and adrenal.

Denise Schwenedman (38m 3s):
So adrenal fatigue, we have an amazing, roll-on called cheer and cheer has nutmeg in it really fascinating. And nutmeg is really good for adrenal fatigue. So for you all listening, adrenals are a little cats that sit on top of your kidneys. So if you put your, your hands on your waist and your thumb in the front, right where your fingers hit on the back is about where your adrenals are. And if you feel always, always fatigue more than likely it’s adrenal fatigue. And so just rolling that on the tops, you know, right there in the back two times a day, you asked me about frequency, right.

Christine Okezie (38m 50s):
Times a day, like once in the morning, once at night.

Denise Schwenedman (38m 53s):
Oh my gosh. I’m telling you, it’ll pick you up. I would do it not at night. I would do it once in the morning and once at like three.

Christine Okezie (38m 59s):
Okay. All right. Cause this is a pick me up right. When we tend to dip. Yes. Okay. Got it. Okay.

Denise Schwenedman (39m 5s):
Amazing for that. Awesome. And we are just coming into the world, talking about metabolic, right. How our metabolic system works and, and how we’re our energy, how we’re giving energy to our cells in our body. Yeah.

Christine Okezie (39m 22s):
Yeah. Okay. And this is it. This is the whole thing. Right? So the essential oils or natural healing is always working towards how does the body, you know, not have to work so hard to get into balance. And I think this is the key paradigm, right? Which is you use the word often. And I think it’s by nemesis, it used restore and build up. And I love that because that that’s really what we’re trying to do with all these things, with food, with oils, with, you know, any kind of healing modality with our body and our mind, it’s gentle, it’s moderated. It’s, bio-individual, it’s checking in, okay. How is my body? Well, what’s my body gonna tell me about this. This is the essence of natural healing that I, that I know you embody, which is why I love having you on the show.

Christine Okezie (40m 5s):
This is amazing.

Denise Schwenedman (40m 6s):
I love that. You’re so right. It’s every bit of that. It’s every bit of that. And so I tell people to pair it with an existing habit, right? Yes. Because that makes it well, that just makes sense. Or put it where it put the oils, that’s where you’re going to use them. Right.

Christine Okezie (40m 24s):
Right. And it’s like those vitamins that everybody buys and they don’t take them. Right. Right.

Denise Schwenedman (40m 32s):
I already know you’re, you’re resistant to do something, but you know, you have to do with something that you enjoy anchor it in so that it is just part of your daily life now. Yeah.

Christine Okezie (40m 46s):
Yeah. And it really is. It’s, that’s our routines. Right. Our, how our health is all about self care routines. Tell me something that’s true. That almost nobody agrees with you on,

Denise Schwenedman (40m 58s):
Oh, Oh my goodness. That’s true. That nobody agrees with That. Your genes, your inheritance. Right. So what you’ve inherited from your family has been passed down does not have to come to fruition that your lifestyle and your choices can determine a different outcome.

Christine Okezie (41m 30s):
Tell me more why that is your truth. That’s my truth,

Denise Schwenedman (41m 34s):
Because I I’ve heard it. So often people say to me, well, I’m going to get cancer because everyone in my family has cancer. And that is, I get such a visceral feeling like I, that is just not acceptable to me. I understand what, what, what, no, no. And so I just, I recently had this conversation because I, you know, we have a lot of really close relationships with nurses and doctors. I mean, they raised Luke with us. Yes. And they all have ownership of Luke, which I love. But the theory right now is that your, your genes actually do have more, more power over what happens then what you do and what you expose yourself on in your daily life.

Christine Okezie (42m 31s):
Yeah. That’s still the mainstream, you know, kind of principle. Unfortunately, I think it’s slowly getting better. It we’re we’re you and I, you know, we’re kind of biased because we, we, we move and groove in circles. And I’m sure a lot of folks on this podcast who are listening, move and groove in very similar circles, or we know that our genes are not our destiny and end and loving the fact that there’s a ton of science, you know, modern science backing us up now. But yes, I hear you. So thank you for bringing that up. Which, which is interesting because I run, I run up to that just even in my own family, you know, there are folks in my family, extended family who are baked in that belief. I mean, yeah.

Christine Okezie (43m 11s):
What did Henry Ford say? Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t you’re right. I mean, just the whole idea of how, what we think our whole attitude determines, you know, that, that success or failure that’s so much of our experience is based on our attitudes.

Denise Schwenedman (43m 27s):
Exactly. That’s that reticulating activator. Yeah, exactly. Thank you. It’s a fancier thing than Henry Ford said, but you don’t know what it is, right? Yeah. You prove yourself, right?

Christine Okezie (43m 40s):
Yeah. Yeah. And more importantly, the biology of our belief system, as, you know, folks like Bruce slipped him have have, you know, research so eloquently on. And I think that’s what we want to get into is our belief system. You know, what we think, feel and believe actually has very much, this goes to the heart of natural medicine. This goes to the heart of, of natural healing. Is that where they’re not discreet the body, the mind and the emotions, they’re one integrated system.

Denise Schwenedman (44m 5s):
Right. So I’m going to 100% agree with that because I had a doctor once say to me, I was explaining what was I was feeling. And he said, that can’t happen. And I said, why can’t that happen? And he said, because they’re two different systems. I said, yes, but both those systems are in my body. So I think it’s probably bad kind of answer to me is nonsense.

Christine Okezie (44m 29s):
It’s hard to understand that. Yeah. I, and, okay. Yeah. So again, your journey I think is, is really beautiful because you actually, it’s more than just, you know, intellectual, or even more than just philosophy. You do understand that you can maintain personal sovereignty plus have the wisdom, you know, and the scientific knowledge of the doctor’s backing. It’s not, and, or it’s, you know, or, or it’s not black and white. And this is I think, a really important, important place to live in right now when it comes to this conversation about health.

Denise Schwenedman (45m 7s):
Well, yeah, absolutely. So we had an integrative approach before. That was really a word was thrown around. Exactly.

Christine Okezie (45m 15s):
You, you, did, you, you, you mapped out an integrative approach.

Denise Schwenedman (45m 19s):
I, I, you know, I have to tell you, we were so, so fortunate. The first night we were in the hospital, an older nurse said to me, and they always call the moms, moms. They never, they know our names, but they don’t address us by our names. So she said to me, mom, so there was a, a new resident. It was late at night. Yeah. Thank goodness that this beautiful woman, Katie Quinn was her name is her name. That to me, mom, you want to know exactly how much he weighs and what, what amount of medicine he can get based on his weight always. And you want to make sure that you say no, when you know it’s out of balance.

Denise Schwenedman (46m 2s):
Huh. Okay. And so that was a really, so what she was telling me is that the resident was going to be way too aggressive. I see. And I didn’t know that at the time. Interesting. Okay. And so, and always with Luke and with anyone, you start at the low end, which you were speaking to a little bit before you don’t, you know, throw something at it. You, you gently add something in. And so even with medicine, even when you feel like, Oh my gosh, they’re in a dire situation. If you bolus someone with something, or if you give them something so quickly, their potties actually can’t accept it. Right. With oils, your body can take in probably four or five and use those drops.

Denise Schwenedman (46m 48s):
Got it. The rest is just going to eliminate. I see. Can’t really use them. Interesting. Yes. Yes. Makes sense. And so that’s why we say to people when you’re trying something new, try one or two drops, and then if it works in two hours later, put it on again. And then the cool thing about essential oils and how they work. If you liken it to something acute or something chronic, if you have a headache and it comes on really quickly, it should be quick to leave with essential oils really?

Christine Okezie (47m 18s):
Oh, wait. So, okay. That, that, that, that’s not, that’s kind of what I thought it would be the opposite. So, you know, people, I always say, well, you know, do this, but it’s not like Advil, but this is kind of like Advil in that regard. So

Denise Schwenedman (47m 30s):
Yes. In fact, in fact it is, so if you have a headache, it depends on, you know what, okay. So there are all kinds of headaches, stress, headache. There could be a hormonal headache. There could be a sinus headache. I mean, there are many types of headaches. There could be a migraine, which is, you know, the upper end of pain. And so what you want to do, and what I mean by that is you want to try something. And if it doesn’t work in 15 minutes, if you’re not significantly better in 15 minutes, then you’re not addressing the right thing. Wow. You say to someone, you’ll start with peppermint because peppermint is a great anti-inflammatory. Okay. And then work your way up. Okay.

Denise Schwenedman (48m 10s):
Frankincense, amazing for migraines. Wow.

Christine Okezie (48m 14s):
Applying and ingesting, which would you recommend?

Denise Schwenedman (48m 17s):
So if you’re not comfortable ingesting, then I would say, put it on your temples in the back of your neck. If you’re comfortable with ingesting, you put your top, your thumb on the top of the frankincense bottle, turn it over on your thumb, press to the roof of your mouth. Wow.

Christine Okezie (48m 33s):
All right. Great tip. Oh my gosh. Thank you. And so if it does, if that doesn’t work in 15 minutes, does that mean increase the dosage? Like take another application at 15 minutes. Okay.

Denise Schwenedman (48m 44s):
Okay. So if you’ve put, what, what I find is that usually people will get up to three and by the third time they won’t even think about going to the fourth because their headache will be so diminished. And that’s three times in, you know, 45 minutes. Yeah. Yeah. Do you have to use the oils every 15 minutes? No, but that’s something that’s acute. So on the flip side, when you’re working on something that’s chronic dealing with it, months, or years or decades yes. Then you have to be more consistent. Thank you. Then it’s, you know, every day, three times a day and in a way that is not obtrusive again, Marriott, or, you know, anchor it to something that already exists, a habit that already exists and habit stacks so that you just is a natural go-to.

Denise Schwenedman (49m 33s):
Absolutely.

Christine Okezie (49m 34s):
Okay. Okay. This is good. Because again, so many people will pick up quote, unquote, the natural alternative, and they’ll pick it up and put it down, pick it up and Oh, it just never worked for me. Right. So, but again, this is looking at there’s the regimen and the discipline

Denise Schwenedman (49m 48s):
Applies

Christine Okezie (49m 49s):
When it comes to natural or conventional or mainstream. If you want to use that word, you know, modalities. And I think that’s a really important point, you know, because there’s still self-discipline required right. When it comes to

Denise Schwenedman (50m 2s):
Absolutely. Yeah. You’re in control of your own health care. Couldn’t say it better. Absolutely. So be a part of it, make it, you know, make it happen.

Christine Okezie (50m 14s):
And again, that’s the other part, right? So the, what I love about, you know, whether it’s nutrition or whether it’s yoga or acupuncture or chigong, whatever, you’re an active participant. And I like to say health is a participatory sport, you know? No one’s coming to save you because no one cares as much as you do.

Denise Schwenedman (50m 37s):
Oh my gosh, that’s perfect. I should. They, because they should be taking care of themselves. There you go. It works all around. It does work all around us. And that, that physical aspect you’re talking about in the brain, you know, those, you know, like Chicong and all of those forms of I’m going to say exercise, but those studies so important, our brain and how it works is so important that I now I’m going into as I age. But even for Luke, Luke had a lot of treatment. So we have to keep his brain really, really sharp.

Christine Okezie (51m 17s):
Thank you. Yeah. It’s all about our central nervous system. I mean, these days, for sure. You know, everything, I think we’re talking about goes back to having a strong, nervous system. We certainly put it to the test in 2020, which makes me ask you the question. What did you learn about yourself in 2020?

Denise Schwenedman (51m 35s):
So it’s, it’s not actually quite fair because I learned it over the 10 years that we were with Luke. Sure. Our journey with Luke was always measured. Again. We always weighed the risk and benefits. Exactly. Like you would have to do in 2020, if you wanted to go out, you had to feel safe to go out. Right. But I learned through them as well as now that if you’re taking care of your immune system and you’re taking care of your mental outlook and whatever that looks like to you, if you’re feeding that, then you will be more than fine. Because if you’re stressed, it’s going to hit your immune system.

Denise Schwenedman (52m 17s):
So you have to find your own coping mechanisms. But here’s what I learned then. And what I believe now, nine times out of 10, what you’re worried about is never going to happen. And the one time it does, you have to go into action. You don’t need these. Can’t even think you just go into action. And so I don’t waste time worrying about anything. It’s a thought it’s not productive. In fact, it hurts, right? It takes down our immune system when you worry. So I think, I think if anything, I would love for people to stop worrying and to start putting that energy into boosting their immune system and boosting their outlook, porting their minds, right.

Denise Schwenedman (53m 0s):
Supporting themselves, their families throw on a diffuser. It will just uplift everyone.

Christine Okezie (53m 8s):
Amazing. Thank you. And again, you know, this is, this is very heartfelt because Denise, if you don’t worry and you know, if you okay, if you don’t, if you decided that worry does not serve me, it is not useful. Right? What an inspiration, I think to just everybody else, because you certainly have enough justifications, if I can say to worry in your life.

Denise Schwenedman (53m 33s):
I think though, Christine and I thank you. And you have been such a dear friend for years, and I really appreciate your generosity because you share all of the things that you’ve learned and you live too, and it’s really meaningful and very helpful. So, and so I do always appreciate that and honor that you’re so generous with your time and your knowledge. And I think that everyone should feel in control of their bodies and their destinies and not give up their power, whether it’s to the situation that’s going on now, or to a white coat, be an intricate part of your personal care.

Denise Schwenedman (54m 20s):
Okay.

Christine Okezie (54m 21s):
Thank you. So be your own advocate. I like to say, you know, and use all those levels of intelligence, which is what I think you, you, that’s how you live. That’s how you, quote unquote, found your integrative healing journey for you. And your lovely son is that, you know, you weren’t in your ego, the doctors, weren’t less their hearts, weren’t in their ego. Right. And, and we don’t have to, you know, be in one camp over the other. I think that’s the whole thing. This is just, I think, a beautiful opportunity these days to recognize that, to recognize, you know, we need to operate from the, the non traumatized selves, you know, and right. And the higher intelligence, if we can’t, how are we get there all relative.

Christine Okezie (55m 2s):
Right.

Denise Schwenedman (55m 2s):
And have the conversations, have the conversations, ask your questions, have a conversations, do your due diligence. I know what I’m going to just say this really quickly. But I know when I ask people, when they say, what can I use for X, Y, and Z? And I talked to them about it and they say, well, where are the studies I would like, and I’m happy to provide studies. I would like them for, to say the same thing. When they’re handed a medicine, where are the studies? How does it work? What’s it going to affect in my body? What should I expect? I don’t want a laundry list of like the commercials, but I really want them to understand that they should understand what that does in their, in their bodies.

Denise Schwenedman (55m 48s):
I really want people to do their homework.

Christine Okezie (55m 51s):
Can you recommend any good sources of research, medical research studies that you use these days?

Denise Schwenedman (55m 59s):
So I’m a big pubmed.gov. Cool. And I’m a big environmental working group. orge . Yes. Okay. Thank you. I mean, I always hop on both. Oh, to everyone. Yes, yes. Right. And it’s not done by one group. So it’s studies from all over the world. Yeah.

Christine Okezie (56m 18s):
Right. I mean, that’s really it. What are you curious about right now?

Denise Schwenedman (56m 23s):
Love that, love that question. I’m always learning. So I’ve been taking blending classes from an Asian Chinese medicine practitioner. Love that. Oh my gosh. It’s so amazing. Oh, my gosh. Also got certified in something called Ageless Grace. Beautiful. Oh, it’s phenomenal. And it’s really for neuroplasticity.

Christine Okezie (56m 51s):
Wow. Okay. You have to tell me about that right now. Sorry.

Denise Schwenedman (56m 55s):
Okay. So I absolutely will. This wonderful woman. Her name is Denise Medved. M E D V E D. Go look her up on YouTube created this system. It’s 21 simple tools and it’s for lifelong comfort and ease, but not only have this kind of ease in your body and move here, but yeah, it’s an organic thing. So here’s an example. If you take a walk every day, that’s really good for your health, right? Not good for your brain because, because it’s rote, right. You go the same path. Right. So, so what you want to do for your brain and for creating new neuro pathways is do your multiplication tables, but do threes next time do do eight, right?

Denise Schwenedman (57m 44s):
Walk backwards. Part of the time. It’s things like that. It’s like, it’s like getting up in your, you know, and brushing your teeth with your knowledge

Christine Okezie (57m 52s):
Left hand dominant hand. Yes. Yes, yes.

Denise Schwenedman (57m 55s):
I like that because your brain has to think, right. So if you’re going to go out and exercise your body, exercise your brain. So these small movements are, are pretty organic. Most of it’s done to music and I got into it cause my father has a little bit of dementia. Okay. And so I do this and I’ve taught them how to do it. It’s 10 minutes a day. I love that. That’s great. Every day. So I love, love, love this. It’s really great for strategic. It’s great for like social strategic planning. It’s great for creativity and imagination. It’s great for kinesthetic learning. It’s great for analytical.

Denise Schwenedman (58m 35s):
I mean, it just helps with everything. Love, love, love this.

Christine Okezie (58m 40s):
Oh my gosh. All right. Thank you so many good resources to put in the show notes after the show. I love it. So I’m just going to ask Denise, is there anything that maybe I should have asked that I didn’t

Denise Schwenedman (58m 50s):
Favorite book? Yeah. What is your favorite book? And you’re going to say really it’s absolutely The Four Agreements.

Christine Okezie (59m 1s):
Oh yeah, for sure. Oh my gosh. You know, and that’s a book I pick up like so many different times in my life, you know, and I get something pearls of wisdom just all the time, all the time. Yeah.

Denise Schwenedman (59m 14s):
I, I so agree. I wish this was required reading for fourth graders and up. I, I wish our education

Christine Okezie (59m 22s):
Actually taught a lot of different everything we’ve taught.

Denise Schwenedman (59m 24s):
What about on the show should be part of fourth grade education. love it. That’s great. Well, thank you.

Christine Okezie (59m 35s):
It’s a nice, you are amazing. You’re a gift to the world and so many blessings for you. And I’m going to ask, you know, if people want to find more about you, your healing journey, all your gifts, all the, you know, wonderful, essential oil wisdom that you have and are willing to share. How can they find you?

Denise Schwenedman (59m 52s):
So for right now, because my website is currently being built, you can just go to D my first initial S C H w E N D E M a n@mac.com. Or you can call me (201) 788-2201. I always answer it. And if I don’t, I always get back to you. Okay.

Christine Okezie (1h 0m 13s):
Well, we’ll put all that information out there. Thank you so much.

Denise Schwenedman (1h 0m 15s):
Goodness. Thank you so much joining you today. And you are a gift in my life and I appreciate you so much. Thanks. Thank you.