Living Magazine doTERRA Fall 2017 Living Magazine | Page 18
The Changes of
By Dr. Brannick Riggs, MD
Wow! Can you believe that it is fall
again? F. Scott Fitzgerald said in
The Great Gatsby, “Life starts all
over again when it gets crisp in
the fall.” Growing up in Tucson,
Arizona, meant the crisp temp
eratures of fall were 80–90
degrees. No matter where we live and no matter
the temperature drop, fall means it is time for the
kids to go back to school. It means that our kids who
have been playing outside every day with a few of the
neighborhood kids are now going to be in classrooms
with 30 other children, and going to recess with
hundreds of others. It means more stress in our homes
as we try to stay on top of homework assignments,
class projects, and extra-curricular activities. It also
means that we begin dealing with some seasonal
environmental threats as the weather changes and
we start to spend more time indoors.
How might we use dōTERRA products to
deal with the changes that fall brings?
Supporting Healthy Brain Activity
School stresses the brain as we are constantly
presented with new information and try to
assimilate that into our brains. No matter the
level of learning, from “new math” to calculus,
from letter recognition to writing a haiku, we need our brain to
function optimally. Essential fatty acids have been shown to
FALL
support healthy brain function. While Omega-6 fatty acids
are important, we have a diet rich in these and do not need
any help in consuming more. The optimal consumption of
Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids are a 1:1 ratio. Therefore, we
often need a good daily supplement to increase our Omega-3
fatty acids to obtain that balance. IQ Mega ® or xEO Mega ® can
help balance our ratio in fatty acids, thereby supporting healthy
brain development in kids and brain function in adults.*
Promoting Feeling of Calmness
My mother was an elementary school teacher
while I was growing up. She would often
comment that on windy days, children came
in from recess out of control. It became very
difficult to promote a learning environment in her classroom
for the rest of the day. She had a theory that the wind disrupts
the ionic field around the body, causing kids to feel very
unsettled. As I think about what I know now, I would have
recommended diffusing Lavender, Cedarwood, or Petitgrain
on those days to promote feelings of calmness and relaxation.
dōTERRA Balance ® and dōTERRA Serenity ® could also be
used for their grounding effects.
Maintaining a Healthy Gut
Recent studies have shown gut microbes
shape the architecture of sleep and stress
reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-
adrenal axis. This means that the type of
bacteria we have in our gastrointestinal tract changes how
well we sleep, how we react to stress, and how healthy our
hormonal system is. They influence memory, mood, and
cognition, and are clinically and therapeutically relevant to a
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.
18 / FALL 2017 LIVING MAGAZINE