Welcome to the next post in the Raising Healthy Families Series – a fun and informative series designed to help you and your family thrive! 

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Now it’s MY turn!

Here’s my eldest daughter 10 months ago. She’s 12.5 years old.

I’ve been using essential oils on Elizabeth since January.

We first became concerned about her a year or so ago. She walked on her toes and said her feet and legs hurt. She was unable to place her heels on the floor.

I got her new shoes, in the correct size. She hadn’t told me for several months that her boots were too small. She loved those boots that much. I felt like a bad mom.

It didn’t completely help the problem.

So, we took Elizabeth to the doctor. And another. And then a specialist.

The doctors said she needed surgery on her legs. Her tendons were too tight. She had hammer toes. Her spinal column was too short. Her ankles were weak. She needed pins in her ankles to straighten and strengthen.

They all said different, scary things, and they all wanted surgery.

We bought Elizabeth yet another pair of shoes – expensive, super stiff-soled walking shoes with rigid ankle brace inserts.

We did yoga. Pi-yo. The whole family encouraged. All the other kids wanted to do stretches too. It was great.

Liz wasn’t very successful at running track last season because she was almost in tears after practices and therefore didn’t do well in the races. She was in constant pain.

So we went the physical therapy route for a while, last spring and summer. It helped some. They ended our sessions with the comment that she wasn’t progressing because she feared pain, even though she wasn’t experiencing it any more. They had done all they could for her.

It seemed strange that she could run barefoot through the yard just fine.

I think it was improving, but when she thought about it, that fear of pain came back. When she didn’t think, she walked and ran fine.

We let it drop for a while since she wasn’t complaining of pain.

Absence of pain isn’t always the best answer.

Then, I noticed that Elizabeth seemed to be getting worse again, instead of better. She still walked up on her tippy toes and cried that it hurt to place her feet flat on the floor.

I still remind Liz nightly to do her stretches, assigned to her by the PT. We do yoga most mornings and more stretches. I encourage her to walk barefoot in the house and yard, reminding her that it’s heel to toe, and even to stomp, if it helps.

A real miracle at work has been the essential oils. I massage Elizabeth with the Raindrop method. We begin and end with Valor (it’s been called “chiropractor in a bottle”). It’s supposed to help her body naturally realign her spine and nerves.

The Raindrop Technique is a method of using Vita Flex, reflexology, massage techniques, etc., and essential oils applied on various locations of the body to bring it structural and electrical alignment. It is designed to bring balance to the body with its relaxing and mild application. It will help align the energy centers of the body and release them if blocked, without using hard pressure or trying to force the body to change. ~Young Living

The Raindrop Massage uses seven single oils and two oil blends: Aroma Siez, Basil, Wintergreen, Cypress, Marjoram, Oregano, Peppermint, Thyme, Valor, along with Ortho Ease Massage Oil and V-6 Mixing Oil.

And I pray over her. Every night. Every morning. Multiple times per day. For physical as well as spiritual and mental healing.

When it became possible in our budget, my husband took her to his chiropractor. He also uses essential oils in his practice and is very into natural healing methods.

Dr. Jeffery “turned on” all her core muscles. They were all off! That certainly was much of the problem. Only 5 sessions were needed to get everything working properly. He affirmed that Elizabeth should do the stretches prescribed by her PT. Now I know she’s really on the road to recovery.

And Liz is now in Civil Air Patrol – with all the marching and standing at attention, it’s all coming together and her posture is much improved. She passed both her physical training tests last month, running 1.5 miles well under the necessary time, along with many sit ups and push ups. No pain. The boots help her stand straight with her heels down. And the good peer pressure to conform to the flight helps her to try harder to stand at attention well.

Here is Elizabeth on Easter morning. Her posture is so much better than it was!

I am so thankful that surgery hasn’t been necessary. I just felt in my heart that we should look to alternative medicine to heal and her growing body would adjust itself with time. We’re still praying. Still doing stretches, still monitoring and still massaging with essential oils.

Still encouraging her and thanking God that there’s been no need for surgery.

Note: This series is designed as a fun and informative compilation to help you and your family thrive. Each post is the opinion of that particular blogger, not necessarily mine or Positively Real Media’s.