IMMUNITY = I AM UNITY
This post is contributed by One Drop Founder – Kai Tan.
I was blessed to hear this recently. That the word IMMUNITY when broken down to parts present I AM UNITY. Coincidence? I don’t think it is just a fancy play of words in English.
When we typically speak of Immunity, we think about being strong enough so we do not fall ill to strains of virus or bacteria that permeate our world. If we further this conversation, what measures then will truly contribute to the strengthening of our Immune System?
A less-than robust immunity unfortunately does not stop at just giving you the flus and coughs. An on-going tear-down can also lead to way more chronic and life-threathening conditions such as cancer.
So, what would UNITY in our body mean and look like?
I have my humble thoughts around it. And I hope this adds value to you.
1. Unity of all Body Systems
Our body is an integration of 12 body systems – Skeletal, Muscular, Cardiovascular, Digestive, Nervous, Respiratory, Endocrine, Reproductive, Immune, Lymphatic, Urinary and Integumentary. Because of how modern science organise departments of specialisation in hospitals, many of us are conditioned to see these various parts as separate. Truth is, all these system are part of a WHOLE and any part operating in deficiency will affect the WHOLE.
I love how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) draws connections of the systems all the time and bring attention to the relationships and to scaffold our way into understanding and embracing how to care for our health as a unity of systems.
For example, the Digestive System is well known to be the grounds where more than 80% of the immune cells breed. Simply put – caring for your digestion will surely impact the level of your immunity. A lesser known pairing is the Bladder/Kidney (Urinary system) with the Lungs (Respiratory system) This relationship of Lungs and Kidneys affects fluid metabolism,or accumulation of Fluids in the body.
2. Unity of Mind, Body, Spirit
Countless researches have highlighted that the health and resilience of a human body can no longer be narrowly viewed only on the physical plane. The mind – what we believe in and how we see the world tangibly affect our body. Have you tried this visualisation technique before – to simply see and think yourself through drinking a full glass of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Most of us at that very thought would already be salivating. Our body cannot tell what is vividly imagined vs real. So when the body thinks it, it can lead its sensory system to produce body functions that respond to it.
So let’s take a more practical example – stress. This word hangs at the corner of our mouth so much and often, our lives are entangled in the perception that certain tasks are too huge, certain situations are too risky and certain people are too much to handle. Just the very thought of that can activate your body to produce cortisol hormones that are stress-busters. And if we persistently see situations as stressful or keep subjecting ourselves to stress, our body will run an overload of cortisol. That alone can dampen immunity.
And hey we haven’t even got started on emotions and the very spirit or soul of who we are.
If your goal is truly to establish a body of unity, I invite you to take baby steps today to start by addressing 1 of the 12 systems you feel is seeking some urgent TLC. Start listening to your body, start caring for its needs with wholesome food and nature’s best resources. Care about what and how your think. Watch and monitor how your emotions swing. Let those emotional patterns reveal what your heart may be fundamentally needing.
Write to me at kai@onedrop.sg if you will like to have a chat about your health state and what actions you can take to reverse it.
Have Yourself a Very Ningxia Christmas
This post is contributed by One Drop Founder – Kai Tan
Are you planning for a Christmas party or an intimate gathering of close friends?
This collection of Ningxia shots and drinks recipes from Young Living Diamonds in USA will prove to be a hit with your guests for sure!
The Ningxia range includes the all-time favourite Ningxia Red, the mind-boosting Ningxia Nitro and the refreshingly light Ningxia Zyng.
NingXia Red
This a delicious superfruit beverage that combines whole NingXia wolfberry puree, a superfruit blend of blueberry, aronia, cherry, pomegrate, tart cherry, and plum juices; natural stevia extract; grape seed extract; pure vanilla extract; Orange, Yuzu, Lemon, and Tangerine essential oils. It’s a powerhouse nutrient infusion that everyone can enjoy. Made with exotic fruit extracts and the whole fruit of Young Living’s exclusive NingXia wolfberries, NingXia Red can help prevent against oxidative stress, supports eye health, and provide energy throughout the day
Ningxia Nitro
NingXia Nitro™ combines 100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils with naturally powerful ingredients to lift mental clarity and focus while also providing a surge of energy when needed. It is a go-to for mental fitness, cognitive alertness, and physical acuity
Ningxia Zyng
A hydrating splash of essential oil-infused goodness, NingXia Zyng™ uses the same whole-fruit wolfberry puree found in our popular superfruit supplement, NingXia Red®. Sparkling water, pear and blackberry juices are added with a hint of Lime and Black Pepper essential oils for a dynamic, unique taste.
All recipes posted here use the Vitality range of the Young Living oils from USA.
What is the Vitality range? This is a selected range from Young Living’s offering of essential oils that was repackaged specifically endorse the French aromatherapy’s wisdom in using essential oils for direct ingestion and adding to food. You may purchase these from Young Living USA
Save these tasty & healthy recipes for sure!
Kai Tan is one of the 4 original founders of One Drop – a Singapore grown YL team that is fast growing around the world with more than 10,000 members. She is a certified health coach with Institute of Integrative Health (NYC). Follow her on her blog, email her at kai@onedrop.sg or start your young living journey with her here.
A Box of 10 Perfect Gifts
This post is contributed by One Drop Founder – Kai Tan
Christmas dinner invites are pouring in.
The annual family gathering is set.
And the office gift exchange party is creeping around.
You are in need of good gifts. Some damn good gifts. Not an ornament that will get dusted on the shelves, nor another gift soap box. You need to get some purposeful and thoughtful gifts.
We have a plan. And we think it will cover your Christmas plans very well.
Let’s consider grabbing the EVERYDAY OILS KIT. This kit contains 10 x 5ml popular oils that you can gift individually! Prettily box it up or bag it with some curly paper strips. Ribbon on a little How-to-use card and you have a perfect present.
Who do you give what, you ask? Here are our suggestions:
1. Frankincense
– A VERY precious someone. C’mon, Baby Jesus was gifted this at birth.
– Someone who loves a deep grounded scent for quietening the mind
– The person who is looking to age-defy her looks
2. Lavender
– Someone who needs some deep slumber
– Anyone with babies and kids will adore this wonderful soother for the emotions and for tiny bumps
3. Lemon
– The person who needs the cognitive wake-up during sleepy afternoons
– EVERYONE will love the chirpy pleasing scent in a diffuser
– The DIY enthusiast who would love to life hack home cleaning products with their own make
4. Peppermint
– The man who loves a sprightly sharp scent that awakens the senses
– The one who loves his food and desires a post-meal happy belly
5. Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia)
– The teenager who wants to zap the teenage face pops
6. PanAway
– The grandparent who would love a spicy rub on those creeky joints
– The exercise fanatic who loves a speedy muscle recovery after their hardworking routines
– The stay-at-home mum who will love a winding-down with this awesome blend.
7. Purification
– The pet owner who would love to have their homes smell nice again
– Anyone who wants a non-toxic way to bust the smokey haze when they hit
8. Thieves
– Anyone with a family to care for and wants to stay away from the nasties
9. Stress Away
– Someone who faces tight work datelines
– The mum who needs to be able to unwind at the end of the day after picking up toys 583 times and repeating “NO” 1057 times in 1 single day
10. Joy
– Anyone who would love a floral sensuous scent
– The person who could do with a major emotional reconstruct
– It’s christmas! Everyone will love to put on some Joy and allow happiness to bubble up.
You know your peeps best. Get present and feel for their needs. We promise you there is a bottle of life you will find in this kit that you get to gift to them and make a phenomenal difference to!
Kai Tan is one of the 4 original founders of One Drop – a Singapore grown YL team that is fast growing around the world with more than 10,000 members. She is a certified health coach with Institute of Integrative Health (NYC). Follow her on her blog, email her at kai@onedrop.sg or start your young living journey with her here.
NEW PRODUCTS LAUNCHED AT APAC
This post is contributed by One Drop founder – Kai Tan.
The first ever Young Living APAC Convention completed in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend of February 23 to 25th with some greatly-welcomed and highly anticipated product launches. Some of these items include products previously launched in the USA market and not yet available in our regions. And the rest were brand new never-seen-before products that are being made available first in the Asia Pacific Region. Here’s a quick look at these exciting products that will be available for order in the various APAC markets over the course of March to April.
Specifically, Singapore is launching items 1-5 from 12 March 2018 onwards.
1. Savvy Minerals
This gorgeous chemical-free range of cosmetics stole the show at the Internatonal Grand Convention in 2017. Built on Young Living’s advocacy for a sustainable green and clean lifestyle for all, this bold product launch fills a gap sorely unmet for a long time for discerning women who want confident solutions without compromise in ingredients. Read these blog posts to learn about the Savvy Minerals.
2. Mirah Luminous Cleansing Oil
Formulated with essential oils like Sandalwood, Rose, Jasmine and put carrier oils like jojoba and argan, this facial cleanser removes pore-clogging impurities without stripping away the natural oils our skin needs. This gem is super gentle on skin but tough on make-up, dirt and oils that clog. I love how easily the formula can cleanse in ONE round, how it washes off easily with water and how it leaves the skin nicely moisturised! This rockstar will very quickly top as one of the favorites in your YL cleansing regime.
3. Mirah Lustrous Hair Oil
This is a luxurious, multi-tasking hair treatment formulated to help keep your locks soft and shiny, no matter your hair type. Infused with Abyssinian, Monoi, Camellia and Argan oils; PLUS Ylang Ylang and Rose essential oil, this hair treatment is ideal for conditioning, styling and finishing.
Say goodbye to flyaways, tangles, frizzy damaged hair. You get to nourish your hair health back to its glory with this formula that is vegan friendly and contain no of the harsh paragons, sulphites, phthalates and synthetic petrochemicals.
4. AromaSpinner
Here’s a nice twist to the popular fidget spinner! The AromaSpinner has 3 custom-designed buttons that allow you to add essential oils to. This fun, on-the-go way to diffuse essential oils offer parents and kids hours of fun and focus simultaneously,
5. Gentle Mist Personal Diffuser
Portable, compact and battery-operated, this travel-friendly diffuser allows you to diffuse your favourite essential oils on-the-go in planes, cars or gym. Such a darling to have to keep your skin and space fresh and invigorated!
6. Kunzea Essential Oil (Single)
Native to Tasmania Australia, the Kunzea oil is distilled from the leaves and green branchlets. Kunzea was used for centuries by native cultures and is referred to as the “White Cloud”. Comparable to Tea Tree oil, Kunzea shares similar properties but offers a more pleasant aroma and milder feel when applied topically. The active components of the oil trigger the body’s own healing process to relax muscles and ease mild discomforts from areas of inflammation. The aroma of Kunzea supports relieve of nervous tension, stress and mild anxiety.
Currently an APAC exclusive, Kunzea will only be next available at the Young Living International Convention in June 2018
If you are interested in trying out the Young Living oils, or would like to find out more do drop me an email at kaye@onedrop.sg or sign up here to buy the products.
ART SKIN CARE RANGE
This post is contributed by One Drop Founder – Kai Tan
So we’ve been teaching so many classes on the importance of toxic-free living.
There are tonnes of chemicals we could list but here are the 5 common ones from facial care products that you can start looking out for and chucking out from your daily regime:
1. Sodium lauryl sulfate
Known in short as SLS, this ingredient is what makes your product foam and bubble; and leave that illusion that your face is squeaky clean.
Do you know that this ingredient is also found in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers. According to the American College of Toxicity, this corrodes the fats and proteins that make up skin and muscle. SLS is also a penetration enhancer, meaning that its molecules are so small they’re able to cross the membranes of your body’s cells. Once cells are compromised, they become more vulnerable to other toxic chemicals that may be with the SLS. It also strips the skin of its natural oils that are needed for protection.
Sorry for bursting that bubble. This foamy business is not very sexy at all.
2. Fragrance
Very innocent sounding. And it does not help that marketing matches it with images of gorgeous flowers and greenery. So let’s establish this fact – most fragrances found in our beauty and cleansing products are made in the laboratory and are no where near being natural.
Do you also know that virtually all synthetic fragrances are stabilized with phthalates, a group of chemicals linked to reproductive problems and birth defects in animal studies? Added fragrances in cleansers tend to be irritating and can dry out the skin.
If you do not know where your “fragrance” is from, let’s perhaps skip them altogether.
3. Petroleum & Mineral Oils
Companies love to use them because they’re cheap, have no odor and never go bad. They are commonly listed on your product as Propylene Glycol, Parraffin, Mineral Oil, Butylene Glycol, Isopropyl Alcohol and Petrolatum
Do you know manufacturers may put this in cleansers as a hydration ingredient? However these can clog pores and lead to breakouts
4. Parabens
Parabens are preservatives found in most cosmetics and skin care products. They are commonly listed as butylparaben, methylparaben, and propylparaben. They can also be listed as Alkyl parahydroxy benzoates
Do you know that parabens can mimic hormones in the body and disrupt functions of the endocrine system. There has been years of debate and research about paraben’s link to cancer.
While the argument ensue around the evidences that paraben is linked to cancer, we prefer to kick it out for options that are way safer
5. Alcohols
Alcohol is used for two reason: to make a thick skin-care product feel almost weightless and to help ingredients like retinol and vitamin C penetrate the skin more effectively. But do you know that alcohol does this by breaking down the skin’s natural barrier?
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We love that the incremental demand for safer products is causing manufacturers to relook at what they are producing. Young Living as well, has a gradually increasing range of skin care items that is effective and safe.
One of their cornerstone range has been the ART Skin Care System. ART actually stands for Age Refining Technology! One of its highly loved ingredients is the nourishing Orchid flower extract. Orchids have been regarded for their ability to retain and use water more efficiently than many other plants. In the ART line, it helps the skin to deeply absorb and retain moisture; while decreasing the appearances of fine lines. Along with a proprietary blend of botanicals and essential oil, the ART range is also preserved naturally from growth of germs, fungus and mold in the container without the need for harsh preservatives like parabens.
This system includes the ART Gentle Cleanser, ART Refreshing Toner and the ART Light Moisturiser. Let’s take a dig!
ART Gentle Cleanser
The essential oils in this light cleanser include Frankincense, Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood, Melissa, Lemon and Lavender. This is formulated to cleanse the skin without stripping its natural oils.
If you have sensitive skin, you will love the gentleness of this winner. But let’s get real – if you are trying to remove super heavy make-up, you may need the help of the newly launch Mirah Cleansing Oil (which we will have to discuss soon!!!)
ART Refreshing Toner
The purpose of toner is to close and tighten those pores that you just opened up with cleansing. So try not to skip this step. Infused with Sandalwood, Peppermint, Frankincense,Lemon and Lavender, this removes any residual impurities without drying the skin.
We’ve had tips to add additional Frankincense in to this charmer to love even more on your skin!
ART Light Moisturiser
ART Light Moisturiser
This lightweight cream absorbs beautifully and it’s particularly nice to know it is also formulated with Frankincense and Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood. What we love most is how it does not leave a clogged or greasy feel and serves as a wonderful base for our favourite Savvy Mineral make up!
The ART range fills that gap in the market for an honest, good to skin, good for our health kind of skin care product. It may not have all that jazz marketed for other commercial skin care range. But if you truly care about what you feed your skin and therefore your body with, this will be the range you can trust!
Kai Tan is one of the 4 original founders of One Drop – a Singapore grown YL team that is fast growing around the world with more than 10,000 members. She is a certified health coach with Institute of Integrative Health (NYC). Follow her on her blog, email her at kai@onedrop.sg or start your young living journey with her here.
