did someone say office?

We officially have an office!
10760 FM 2813, STE 400 Flint, TX 75762 

Exciting news for The Holistic Approach come March 1st! We have partnered up with Dr. Kelsey Musgrove at Full Circle Physical Therapy and IBCLC, Allyson Robertson, with Lactation Consultants of East Texas to provide amazing services for the community! Be on the look out for more information in regards to workshops, specials and grand opening details. We are honored for this opportunity! 
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​Message from Amber

A big goal of mine was to always have an office front for the public. Little did I know that it would be sooner rather than later. One thing is for sure: when the Lord decides it's time for growth He makes it known. This opportunity is definitely one of them. 
I cannot wait to share this space with the community and bring forth knowledge and education in aromatherapy and birth. 
Here is a sneak peek of what the space will look like. 

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Aromatherapy Continued: Opinions on Brands ​

In January's newsletter I dug deep on how to choose a reputable source when it comes to essential oils. The ultimate question was, "Does brand really matter?" and in short the answer is yes. I broke down 6 questions to ask yourself when choosing a brand and today I am going to use those same questions to go over a few with you.
Thank you to those that replied in which brands you'd want an opinion about. Plant Therapy was a popular one along with their organic vs. non-organic line.
Let's dive right in shall we?
Note: In no shape or form am I affiliated with any of these companies. This information I provide is merely an opinion of my own and should be treated as such.
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Plant Therapy:
This brand caught me by surprise.
I love the layout of their website. They make it easily accessible to find details of their products, GC/MS reports, directions in how to use the product, if it is safe for children, pregnancy/nursing as well as animals, and they even throw in a safety data sheet as well. Prices are fantastic, pure and unadulterated.
As far as organic vs. non-organic labeling goes that is part of their paid partnership with ECOCERT ICO. Some plants are easier to maintain in a certified organic environment than others. They also state that many small farmers they use cannot afford to certify their organically grown plants, which means the non organic oils may still be organic just not labeled through ECOCERT ICO. With this paid partnership you are able to gain access to more information about the product like what farm did it come from and know that the farmer is following strict guidelines through USDA standards.
Lastly, they follow Robert Tisserand's guidelines when it comes to essential oils in safety. He is one of the world's leading experts in aromatherapy with countless hours of research and development. 
dōTERRA:
dōTERRA started in 2008 and is a well known company of essential oils in multilevel marketing. They started CPTG - Certified Pure Tested Grade - which became their symbol of quality control standard. Additional to the GC/MS reports they also perform 7 other tests on an oil before selling to consumers. If you become a wholesale member you are able to get these oils 25% cheaper than at retail price. Their website is easy to navigate, but lacks information about proper usage when it comes to kids and pregnancy/nursing. The only precaution for this is to consult a physician. No reports available online about their CPTG results either. 
dōTERRA advocates ingesting oils, which is a huge red flag as an aromatherapist. Taking oils internally can cause great damage if not used properly and correctly. They provide a free ebook on which oils are considered "safe" to ingest and even go into detail on how much and when to use them, but do not provide any research backing up the information. 
Overall, prices are a bit more than I like to see. Some are way over priced than what they are worth. No test results readily available online. The do have their own chemistry handbook talking about highlights of their oils, but again we would need those results to make sure they match the information in the book. Not every batch is going to be the same in chemistry findings.
Eden's Garden:
Eden's garden is a women-led, family-owned and faith-based company. They started back in 2009 and very strategically state that their oils are 100% therapeutic grade and follow USDA guidelines. (If you remember in my last newsletter I stated that therapeutic grade is merely a trademark and means nothing but a paid partnership to add to their label.) Eden's garden is not an MLM either.
Website is easy to maneuver and give detailed information about the product scientifically, but do not go over safety for kids or pregnancy/nursing. They state to consult a physician and/or licensed aromatherapist for safety and ingestion of oils. Most of their products have a GC/MS report available online. Prices are decent and shipping is free in USA. 
Two things that stick out to me is that on their LEARN tab they have a comparing list for MLM trademark oils to their specific blends as well as a carrier oil list to help pick the best oil to use for a specific task. Very informative and precise. 
Selah Oils:
Selah Oils is another faith based company and does not play around when it comes to truth about essential oils. They do not promote meaningless labeling like therapeutic grade or paid partnership of organic/non-organic. They actually state on their product pages if it's from an organic farm or not. Now it's up to you if you want to believe them or not.
Though their website is slightly confusing at first, once you figure out how to get to the main tabs the literature they provide is more than any company I have found.They follow Robert Tisserand's safety guidelines, give references on where their information was cited from, do not participate as an MLM, and prices are superb. 
Overall, great company and standards. They even have a "health issues" tab where you can get direct information about a concern you are having instead of looking it up yourself. 
Young Living:
Young Living was once known as the leading essential oil company in the world. They are the oldest company in selling essential oils to consumers of almost 30 years. They are well known for their MLM standards as well as their Seed to Seal program and they own their own farms and testing labs as well. 
Their website is easy to use, gives scientific detail about their products, but does not release results of their GC/MS testing to the public. Red flag. They give 24% off on products under special conditions, but even with the discounted rate you are paying way more than necessary. They are the first company to be FDA approved for ingestion with their vitality line, however there is no safety guidelines on usage or dilution.
Unfortunately they have been caught in the act with the use of synthetic properties in products which is a HUGE red flag for me. If a company is not willing to share data of what's inside their products and then gets busted in doing the opposite of what they stand for - red flag! 
Overall, highest priced essential oils on the market, little to no safety guidelines given nor followed, and does not promote education but rather how to use products and encourage incentives on how to grow a business.

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Lots of information shared in what I hope in an unbiased way!
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and learned something along the way.
HAVE A TOPIC YOU'D LIKE ME TO COVER? SHOOT ME AN EMAIL WITH YOUR SUGGESTIONS!
As always I would love any feedback, questions, comments or concerns you might have!
Have a great day and God Bless!