Dasia Ryan

A wound that cannot be wholly cured…

March 29, 2018

I’ve written about my primary motivation for diving deep into the world of the healing and health benefits to essential oils, but there is another that is more personal to me, even more personal than my little boy believe it or not!

I have endometriosis.

That is the first time I have written that sentence. I have spoken it to some, phrased it differently to others but there it is, out there.

I suffered with obtaining a firm diagnosis for more than 5 years, but two laparoscpoic surgeries and well over a decade later it is something that effects my life daily, and my goals and aspirations.

I am in pain every. single. day. Some days it is easily managed and others it’s not. The pain effects my moods, my appearance (just google endo belly), my appetite and overall sense of well being. I have grown not just tired but weary with exhaustion and fatigue over the effects of this disease on my body; and with no Samwise to carry me I turned to essential oils.

Let me be clear there is no cure for endometriosis, so I am not purporting that is what I have found. Having endometriosis puts you in a permanent state of coping, with physical pain, but also loss – loss of opportunities due to the pain but also real loss in terms of relationships present and future whether it’s from your mood and uncontrolled hormones or your body attacking the new life you are trying to create – having endometriosis makes it much more difficult to conceive and carry a child.

And there it is: the wound that can never be wholly cured.

Image result for frodo being stabbed

While I wish the pain of my disease only came upon me once a year like Frodo’s Morgul shoulder wound, I am reminded every month in an excruciating week of immense pain, heartache, depression, stomach issues and the necessity for a great washing machine (despite modern products sold to help with all of this).

I am 1 in 10; 10% of the population of women around the world that can say, “Me too, I feel your pain.” In a sense, this 10% is like our own version of the fellowship: every month we try to keep the darkness at bay and find some good in this world that is worth fighting for, amidst the trials our bodies put us through.

But with a 4-year-old and a new found family love for hiking I can’t just lie around with Tylenol and heat pads anymore. So, I did extensive research and consulted with a dear friend and oil enthusiast to find some oils that could help balance my moods and hormones, but most importantly my pain.

Again, I am not cured. Let me say it again: I am not cured. What I am is equipped, empowered, and invigorated, not just each month, but each day. I can diffuse oils to aid with my headaches, sadness or irritability. I use different roller ball blends on my abdomen depending on my pain level and bloating and to support my immune system, (endometriosis is an immuno-suppressive disease so beyond the other physical side effects, endo sisters are more susceptible to colds and allergies each month when the darkness comes). My precious go to for all of this?

Clary sage.

The main ingredient in the Morgul wound blend, clary sage is the sting to my inner Shelob, or the phial of Galadriel in my dark tunnel. While I am not cured (did I mention that?) I am able to cope and feel hope.

My prayer and firm conviction is that this product can help others like me, other 1 in 10’s. And that is just one more reason why Athelas Oils was started and why I believe our roller blends can equip, empower and invigorate you, even if you don’t have endometriosis. Here’s to keeping the monthly darkness of Mordor banished to the East where it belongs!

Almien!

Dasia Ryan

The Bark of a Warg that Started it All

January 27, 2018

My son is a delightful and charming little hobbit… most of the time. He enjoys the comforts of home and hearth, but also has some Took in him that calls him to adventure (he is a 4 year old after all). Living in a cold dry climate, often times these adventures outdoors get the best of him and he succumbs to the elements, needing much more than a pocket handkerchief to aid him.

It began two years ago when we moved from the lush, humid, almost Lorien surroundings of California to Colorado. My son had been ill very few times in his 3 years of life, so when the cold bite of November hit, it hit him hard. We tried several homeopathic over the counter cough syrups to aid his struggling lungs at night when he laid down to rest. We bought a vaporizer, we used vapor rub on his feet with socks, hot baths steaming the room all to no avail. The doctor recommended a low dose of dimetapp, nothing. Then we tried an inhaler for the coughing fits, little relief. For a full month my little boy cried and wept as he woke in the night struggling to breathe and stop coughing, and I cried with him. My boy had croup, a viral, dry, barking cough that simply had to pass. My hobbit sounded like a warg barking on the hunt and it stung my core like a morgul blade to hear its cry.

My elven instincts to heal him had fully kicked in. I scoured the internet for remedies to try and came across tea tree oil. His teacher at school also recommended we try steaming some in a pot over the stove to fill the house with its vapor. It finally brought him some relief. But when this nasty little coughses came back a month later, I felt the full weight of my defeat like the burden of the ring. Was my son destined to sound like a warg forever? Would it ever fully go away?

This time I went to my oils and pinterest board first, making him a chest rub of cypress and fractionated coconut oil and diffusing tea tree and eucalyptus oil in his room around the clock. And thus my journey into the glorious world of essential oils began. Much like Aragorn healing the wounded on the battle field, I felt an urge and a calling to help my son find some peace and aid as he struggled with the bark of a warg. But more importantly, this time I wanted to find ways to prevent him from ever getting the bark in the first place.

My collection slowly grew to include oils like clove and cinnamon bark, orange and frankincense for their immunity boosting capabilities. One diffuser turned into three and I began mixing roller balls for daily use for a myriad of ailments for my family: headaches, my time of the month, bug bites, scrapes and owies (most often used on my Took of a son), motion sickness, and others to target emotions, anxiety and worry.

I have seen the powerful transformation essential oils can bring to someone’s wellness and sense of peace, not least of which my own when my son finally had a full night sleep after five that were broken. I KNOW beyond the shadow that lies over Mordor, that essential oils can bring about a revolutionary change for you and your family as you venture out your front door. It is from this passion and commitment that Athelas Oils was founded and we cannot wait to join you as a part of your fellowship to aid in the success of your adventures. Join us and you will never have to go out on your own.

Almien!

Dasia Ryan – Co-Founder and Mixologist