That was the question Swiss researchers wanted to find an answer to. Sage has been used for ages to support of the female reproductive, respiratory, nervous, and other body systems, but is it really effective, or is it all just an old wives tale?

So the Swiss researchers put sage (Salvia officinalis) to the test. They have just completed a study evaluating the safety and efficacy of using sage to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.

Surprisingly, this is the first published study to demonstrate clinical efficacy of a sage mono-preparation in treating menopause symptoms.

At the end of the eight-week study, the researchers found that the majority of the subjects experienced a significant decrease in the number of hot flashes they experienced each day.

The most frequent symptom of menopause is hot flashes. But there are actually three types of menopausal symptoms: vasomotor (sweating, hot flashes, and palpitation), psychic and physical (fatigue, depression, decreased libido, cardiovascular, etc.), and urogenital (vaginal dryness, incontinence, and cystitis). The study divided the symptoms into these three groups and studied them all.

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is used traditionally to treat hot flashes, night sweats, and hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating). The purpose of this open-label, multicenter study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sage for the treatment of hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.

The study started by recruiting women (aged 50-65 years) from general practices in Switzerland from January 17, 2008 to December 16, 2008. All the women had to have ceased menstruation for at least 12 months and had to have a least 5 hot flashes per day. Women who used medications, hormones, supplements, and/or herbs that influence menopausal symptoms within the last month before study commencement, had surgical or medical menopause, or had serious illnesses were excluded.

The women were treated dried sage extract for 56 days. The extract was equivalent to 3400 mg of a 1:17 strength tincture of fresh sage leaves. The patients recorded the number and intensity of hot flashes over 24 hours in a daily diary.

After 8 weeks of treatment, the number of hot flashes per day significantly decreased from an average of 9.3 to 3.8 hot flashes per day (P = 0.0001).

• The number of mild hot flashes decreased 46% from baseline to week 8 (3.7 to 2.0 hot flashes/day, P > 0.05
• The number of moderate hot flashes decreased by 62% from baseline to week 8 (3.9 to 1.5 hot flashes/day, P = 0.0001).
• The number of severe hot flashes decreased 79% from baseline to week 8 (1.4 to 0.3 hot flashes/day, P = 0.0001)
• Very severe hot flashes were reduced 100% (0.3 to 0 hot flashes/day, P < 0.05).
• TSIRHF significantly decreased by 64% at 8 weeks (P = 0.001 [noted in abstract]).
• A total of 56% of physicians and 54% of patients rated efficacy as very good or good, while 23% of physicians and 25% of patients rated efficacy as poor.
• The mean global MRS score significantly decreased by 43% (P < 0.0001), while for subscales the somato-vegetative was reduced by 43% (P < 0.0001), the psychological decreased 47% (P < 0.0001), and the urogenital decreased by 20% (P < 0.01). The largest decreases were for hot flashes and sleep problems.
• There were only 2 adverse events (abdominal pain and mild diarrhea in 1 patient). Tolerability was rated very good or good by 90% of the physicians and patients. There were no abnormal laboratory parameters that were considered clinically significant.

This study tells us that sage is safe and effective for relieving hot flashes and menopausal symptoms. Click here to see the sage study from the American Botanical Council.

Although the study used dried sage extract, they used the same variety of sage used in Sage Essential Oil (Salvia officinalis). Essential oils are generally far more concentrated than extracts, so only a couple of drops would be needed.

Young Living essential oils also contain more live constituents and enzymes than dried herbs.

If you are having hot flashes and menopausal symptoms, it might make sense to try sage, whether using sage extract or sage essential oil.

* This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

My cracked heel problem is not the worn and weathered garden variety that a little moisturizer will fix – it's really bad. My pealing heels are practically a lethal weapon! Big chunks of dry skin peel off on a regular basis that I have to trim off every few days or they are so sharp they will cut my sheets and socks (or my skin if I happen to rub my heel against my leg). Then, and only then can I file them with a heavy-duty file (if no raw skin is exposed). Filing is not easy to do on heels this cracked, and I usually can't even do it.

Some years, my entire heal splits open in several places exposing raw skin and being excruciating to step on. Some years it's worse than others, but it never goes away.

So what have I done about it?

Lots and lots of things… with little success. None of the super-duper creams on the market have helped a bit, even the expensive creams made specially for this problem. I've tried applying jojoba, coconut and sesame oils straight, but they haven't managed to penetrate into the dead, thick skin on my heels.

In case it's a deeper health issue, I've done many types of cleanses, including colon cleanses, liver flushes, bentonite clay, mineral soaks, and the Master Cleanse (among others), and although these cleanses are very good to do, none of them affected my cracked heels in any way.

But this year I did something that worked much better. A friend of mine told me she uses Animal Scents Ointment for her dry, cracked heels and it works like nothing else.

Wait a minute – I thought Animal Scents Ointment was for animals!

Sure, but not exclusively. Turns out humans can use it, too. Why not? The ingredients are pure, healthy and include Young Living Therapeutic Grade™ essential oils.

Animal Scents™ Ointment was originally formulated as a natural salve to help animals heal from injuries, abrasions and cuts. But since humans are mammals, we qualify, don't we?

When you look at the list of ingredients, you can see what I mean:

Ingredients:

• Mink oil
• lecithin
• beeswax
• lanolin
• sesame seed oil
• rosewood† essential oil
• wheat germ oil
• palmarosa† essential oil
• geranium† essential oil
• patchouli† essential oil
• balsam fir† (Idaho) essential oil
• myrrh† essential oil
• carrot seed oil
• Melaleuca alternifoila† essential oil
• rose hip seed oil

† 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil.

This impressive list of fine ingredients shouldn't be limited to our pets alone. After all, it's blended with Melaleuca alternifolia and myrrh, two of nature's most powerful essential oils, and many other wonderfully beneficial oils… like Mink oil, rosewood, palmarosa, geranium, patchouli, balsam, carrot seed and rose hip seed oils (all wonderful for skin).

Besides, Animal Scents Ointment contains:

• No mineral oil
• No synthetic perfumes or fragrances
• No artificial colorings
• No toxic ingredients

I love that all the ingredients are natural!

What the heck, I decided to give it a try.

I'm so glad I did. The results have been nothing short of miraculous. After just the first application, the cracks in my heels started healing up. After a few more applications, my heels softened and became smooth – something I never thought I'd live to see!

What helped even more was to put it on at night and cover my heals with a protective cover – a strip of plastic wrap around the heal and ankle creates a spa-type wrap that really helps penetration. It also keeps the ointment from being rubbed off on your sheets.

Now, my heals are doing soooo much better, that I forget to put the Animal Scents Ointment on half the time! What's amazing is that the softness remains, even if I forget to apply the ointment for a whole week.

A little goes a long way, but you can apply it generously if you need to – it's totally up to you (and your heels). This rich blend of ingredients is effective yet gentle and safe, so you can soothe your heels without using harmful chemicals or synthetic products.

Perfect!

Did I mention it has also worked miracles on dry hands, knees and elbows as well? My dry, cracked heels AND every other dry part of me is now soft and supple!

If so, you've got to read this…

Do you have days when you feel like hiding from the rest of the world? Or attacking it? You're not alone.

Many women are plagued with various symptoms attributed to "female problems." Most of these are due to hormone imbalances. Most often, it's estrogen dominance, but other hormones also come into play. You don't have to be in menopause to have symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

Many girls just over the age of twelve (some younger, but already having menstrual cycles) suffer from many of the maladies on the list below.

If you are female and have any of the above symptoms from otherwise unexplained causes, you may be suffering from low progesterone.

Unfortunately, most medical doctors think the only way to regulate hormones is to prescribe synthetic pharmaceuticals. These drugs are often the cause of a long list of harmful side effects. The MPA alone in synthetic progesterone is a known carcinogen and raises the risk of breast cancer.

Many women turn to birth control pills to control their hormones. But is this really the best solution? Taking birth control pills has risks.

Just How Much Can Birth Control Pills Affect Your Hormones?

According to Dr. Dan Purser: “Taking just ONE birth control pill increases your risk for breast cancer for the next TEN YEARS.”

Synthetic hormones also cause many, many other problems. I know this from first hand experience as I took synthetic progesterone (Medroxyprogesterone) for 4 years to control endometriosis. Although I was in my early 30's, the Medroxyprogesterone immediately put me into a false menopause. I had hot flashes, couldn't sleep, had frequent migraines and constant uterine cramps and cervical pain. True, the uterine pain was less that the horrific menstrual cramps and unlivable PMS I would get from the endometriosis, so I put up with it. My doctor kept insisting that my symptoms were caused by the endometriosis, not the Medroxyprogesterone.

But after four years of increasing pain and no menstrual cycles, I knew it was the Medroxyprogesterone that was causing my problems and stopping my periods. It is not a good thing to interfere with natural menstrual cycles for such a long time.

I finally found a female doctor who understood the affects of synthetic progesterone and got me off of it and on to natural progesterone. To my amazement, all my false menopause symptoms disappeared within a month and my cycles returned! (It always amazes me how little most doctors know about hormones).

However, the compounded natural prescription was extremely expensive and I was looking for something more affordable.

The problem with most natural progesterone is that if you swallow it in capsules, very little gets absorbed, as most of it goes through the digestive system and out with waste matter. I tried natural progesterone creams as well, but the dosages and absorbtion were so low that they simply didn't work.

Introducing Progessence Plus Serum

Now, there is an entirely new version of natural progesterone on the market. Introducing Progessence Plus Serum. Progessence Plus Serum is not a progesterone cream – it's an entirely new type of application. It is natural progesterone blended with liquid essential oils, creating the first progesterone serum on the market.

Progessence Plus combines natural, USP-grade super-micronized (to less than 5 microns) progesterone from wild yam, melted into an essential oil infused serum containing vitamin E, and the essential oils of frankincense (boswellia sacara), copaiba, bergamot and peppermint. These specific essential oils promote skin absorption of the progesterone in even levels like nothing before.

The natural progesterone used is P4, which is a natural progesterone identical to human progesterone made from wild yams. It is a super micronized end product.

As I mentioned, only the exact essential oils needed for optimal absorption are used, in precise amounts. Studies indicate that limonene from frankincense and bergamot, and the menthol from peppermint oil enhance substance penetration through the skin.

Another great thing is that Progessence Plus does not require the cycling of application sites, like progesterone creams. It can be used every day. Progessence Plus allows women to have natural balance the way nature intended. The innovative delivery system maximizes the effects of progesterone.

If you've tried progesterone creams before and they did not seem to help; or they did for a while and then stopped, you'll find Progessence Plus Serum is different. A tremendous amount of research has gone into the creation of this product. Its not a cream or a pill. It's a one-of-a-kind progesterone serum. Applying it is easy – you just drop it onto your skin and rub it in lightly.

Dr. Dan Purser, who has spent his professional life researching and educating both physicians and women on the dangers of regular hormone therapy, helped develop this preferred safe alternative of progesterone with Dr. D Gary Young. Dr. Dan Purser's research concludes that 98% of all women, ages 12 and up would benefit from the use of progesterone cream if they have any of the symptoms listed above.

Although it may seem that girls just starting their cycles should be producing balanced hormones, today, that isn't always the case. With the leaching of hormones from plastics, the amount of hormones added to meats and poultry, it is becomming more and more common for girls to have menstrual problems. I already had serious problems at age 11, although they were from injuries, another "hidden" cause of hormonal problems and imbalances.

Dr. Purser believes that girls as young as 12, who have heavy periods, cramping, PMS will benefit from Progessence Plus . Women with complete hysterectomies as well as nursing moms can benefit from it. Pregnant women using Progessence Plus Serum can safely use it through the tenth week of pregnancy (by then the body should be making sufficient amounts on its own).

Dr. Purser found that normal progesterone serum levels are > 2.0 ng/ml. Deficient serum levels are < 1.0 ng/ml. 1 ml. applied on the neck raised progesterone levels by 1900% in 2 hours. Dosage now is 1/30 ml. = 1 drop.

Here are some of the great benefits of Progessence Plus Serum:

• Cools arteries



• Prevents 98% of hot flashes, day/night sweats, post menopausal symptoms, migraines.
• Improves post-partum depression
• Aids in weight loss
• May re-grow hair
• Mood elevator
• Reduce acne
• Helps 95% of TMJ inflammation
• Reduces cancer risk
• Good for insomnia
• Heals nerves
• Decreases endometriosis symptom
• Improves bone density
• Reduces breast tissue density
• Improves libido
• Aids in weight loss

Click here for more information on: Progessence Plus

How do women using Progessence Plus Serum feel? Here are some of their experiences:

Painful periods, menstrual migraine – Dr. Purser's account of treating a 20 year old female:
Pain, headaches, nausea, heavy flow where all a part of this young ladies life during her cycle. Hit hard while attending convention, she was in bed waiting for things to get better. She applied Progessence Plus Serum to her temples and arms. The headache began to subside, but the nausea was intense. Then out of desperation we applied 20 drops of Progessence Plus Serum (Dr. Purser said we just needed to use more to get her over the hump) to her spine and feet. Within 15 minutes she was completely out of pain, no symptoms. She continues to use Progessence Plus Serum three times daily, one to two drops on the neck.

Migraine – 21 year old female
Intense migraines left this young lady in bed, wearing sunglasses and very nauseated. Progessence Plus Serum was applied to the temples, repeatedly every hour until her hormone levels came up to normal and the head ache broke.

Change in Demeanor
I never knew how great I could feel until I tried Progessence Plus Serum. Now if I start to feel a little out of sorts, I apply Progessence Plus Serum and within minutes I feel great again. My husband is going to love this new product!
– Christin Pivero

Hot flashes gone
I have suffered with hot flashes off and on and found many products from Young Living that helped; but nothing like Progessence Plus Serum. I applied some of the samples available at the convention expo and no more hot flashes.

Helps Sleep and Night Sweats
Always a light sleeper, alert to every cricket or but outside my window, using Progessence Plus Serum I have a terrific night sleep, wake refreshed and as a side note no more night sweats.
– Debra Raybern

Sleep
With four young children I have been a light sleeper for years. Using Progessence Plus Serum from the very first night my sleep has been sound and no waking in the middle of the night. I wake refreshed. – Sera Johnson

Weight control

A quick testimony from me about Progessence Plus Serum: As you know I struggle with losing weight unless I eat 6 to 7 small meals a day, measuring out each portion, recording it and keeping a journal to track the protein, carbohydrate, fat grams as well as, calorie counting. While at the convention we ate nutritiously but the portions were large and I am sure the calorie count was extremely high and I ate only two actual meals a day and a PowerMeal for breakfast. I used two to four drops of Progessence Plus Serum each day since its release at the convention. This morning I weighed myself and was pleasantly surprised to have the scale show 4 pounds less in one weeks time. Dr. Purser stated that the use of Progessence Plus could reverse Metabolic Syndrome X – insulin resistance. I believe this new product will be life changing for me and for every woman who uses it.

– Tracy Rushton

Click here for more information on: Progessence Plus

TMJ
For years I have suffered with TMJ. Everything I ate had to be cut up as I could not open wide enough for a sandwich. After one application of Progessence Plus Serum over the jaw area, within minutes I could open my mouth fully.

– Teresa Gingles

How to use:

It is not necessary to use according to your female cycle, daily use is fine, but you can use according to your cycle.
Apply to clean dry skin, such as after a bath or shower (oils build up on the skin during the day, so you'll get better absorption if your skin is clean and warm).
Use as often as desired, generally one to two drops on the neck over the carotid arteries, temples, jaw, forearm, spine, behind knees, etc. every hour or until symptoms are gone. After that, use 1 to 3 drops a day.
Safe for young girls 12 to 14 years and up.

Warning: Do not use with medically prescribed progestins or birth control pills.
Symptoms of nausea may occur initially (within the first couple of hours) as the body gets used to the progesterone. Simply apply more and they should dissipate.
This product is not for men. Men will suffer lower libido if taking progesterone.

Click here for more information on: Progessence Plus

Don't be fooled by the cheap knock-offs that are sure to come. This one-of-a-kind progesterone serum is only available through Young Living. It's the best absorbing natural progesterone. Get yours today!

Now that it's mid-winter here in the U.S. the best way to take the cold chill off your bones is by a good, long soak in Epsom salts and essential oils. But, you need to know how to do it right…

First of all, buying scented bath products is not only unnecessary and expensive, but many of them contain harmful toxic chemicals, additives and artificial fragrances.

Do you really want to soak in toxins and additives? When you think of how quickly toxins get absorbed through the skin, I should hope not!

For the sake of safety and health, use only 100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils. Spend your money where it counts – on the oil – not the fillers, additives, and toxins. Mix the oils with inexpensive Epsom salt (also very therapeutic).

Many people think you can just pour essential oils into bath water. But that's not a good idea. The oils will just float on top of the water, rather than disperse evenly, even if you put them in while the water is running. Then they'll either stick to the sides of the tub or the first bit of skin they touch and no where else. You definitely won't get the full benefit of the oils.

Here's how to get the oils to disperse evenly:

Method 1: Put about 1/2 cup of Epsom salts into a glass bowl. Add 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil. Mix well and add to the tub while the water is running.

Method 2: If you don't want to bother with a bowl, simply put a handful of Epsom salts into your hand. Hold the essential oil bottle over your hand and let 10-20 drops fall onto the salts. Rub the oil into the salts with your fingers, or use the palm of your other hand and rub your palms together, letting the salts fall gently into the water as you mix. Rinse your hands and you're ready to soak!

Here's a list of my favorite Aromatherapy bath oils to soak in:

Lavender – you can't go wrong with lavender. Always soothing and relaxing, it's also tremendously nurturing for the skin and wonderful on stiff joints. And it smells heavenly…

Peace & Calming – Wonderful to relax tensions and uplift spirits. A hot soak in this essential oil (and a little applied to the feet) before bedtime pretty much guarantee a peaceful night's rest.

ImmuPower – Feel like you're coming down with something? This powerful blend of immune-boosting therapeutic-grade essential oils creates a fragrant and protective haven while increasing positive energy.

Grounding – Nothing feels better after a frantic day when you've been running all over the place than the stabilizing influence of Grounding essential oil. This relaxing and balancing blend of essential oils helps you cope with reality in a positive manner.

PanAway – When you've overexercised biking, hiking, rowing, or in yoga this classic blend provides comforting and soothing warmth to your sore, aching muscles.

Joy – When you need to warm your heart, this luxuriously exotic blend with uplifting overtones creates magnetic energy and brings joy to the heart.

Inspiration – We all need a little inspiration now and then. This essential oil creates an aromatic sanctuary for those seeking quiet meditation and spirituality.

Live with Passion – Soaking in a tub of this oil can help you find your passion and zest for life again. So many times, loss of drive and a feeling of emptiness in life stem from loosing our direction and passion.

Sensation – Stimulating to the senses and intensifying feelings of romance, this oil is great in a bath for two. Also very nourishing and hydrating for the skin and beneficial for various skin problems.

There are many more wonderful oils I could mention that are fabulous to soak in, depending on your mood and need – oils like Angelica, Harmony, Hope, Humility, Inner Child, Dreamcatcher, Magnify Your Purpose, Present Time (and ladies, don't forget Dragon Time for that time of month).

Winter is almost not long enough for all the aromatherapy baths I want to take. And to think, I used to not like winter at all!

So the next time your bones feel the chill, draw a nice, hot bath, get out your epsom salts and essential oil du juor, and sink deep into that wonderfully soothing aromatherapy bath. Ahhh…

As women mature, the most pressing health concern is menopause. Menopause is inevitable; it is unavoidable. And while it can go smoothly for some women, it can be extremely difficult for others. There are 35 known health effects associated with menopause including:

- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Increased wrinkles
- Weight gain and muscle loss (sarcopenia)
- Memory issues

Luckily, progesterone — a naturally-occurring human hormone — can combat or decrease many of these negative effects. Progesterone is known to decrease foam cell formation[1], endothelial inflammation, and plaque formation in the arteries — thus promoting a healthy cardiovascular system.

Unfortunately, as the body ages, levels of progesterone decrease. In order to stay healthy, it is recommended that most women supplement their progesterone levels.

Solution

Dr. Purser’s go-to supplement for relieving the discomfort associated with menopause is Progessence™ Plus Serum.

“In my own office practice,” Dr. Purser attests, “Liberal use of Progessence™ Plus Serum dramatically decreased hot flashes and day and night sweats.”

Progessence™ Plus is an entirely new version of natural progesterone on the market. It combines natural, USP-grade super-micronized (to less than 5 microns) progesterone from wild yam, that is melted into an essential oil infused serum containing vitamin E, and the essential oils of frankincense (boswellia sacara), copaiba, bergamot and peppermint. These specific essential oils promote skin absorption of the progesterone in remarkably even levels.

Progesterone, as mentioned above, is known to mitigate many of the health effects associated with menopause. Progessence™ Plus uses P4 natural progesterone, which is a natural progesterone identical to human progesterone made from wild yams in super micronized form. Only the exact essential oils needed for optimal absorption are used, in precise amounts.

Osteoporosis

Menopause also increases the likelihood of developing osteoporosis — a disease that decreases bone density thereby increasing the chance of fracture. To combat osteoporosis, it’s a good idea to take a supplement that contains both calcium and magnesium[2] and selenium — an antioxidant associated with reduced risk of osteoporotic hip fracture in elderly subjects.[3]

Solution

Super Cal™, a supplement that combines calcium and magnesium with selenium, is Dr. Purser’s first choice to help maintain proper bone health. Super Cal takes the expertly formulated amounts of calcium, magnesium, and selenium and infuses it with pure marjoram, wintergreen, lemongrass, and myrtle essential oils to enhance the synergistic effects of this specially blended supplement.

In summary, women find it is helpful to support their bodies with a combination of natural progesterone as found in Progessence™ Plus and a synergistically formulated calcium, as found in SuperCal.

[1] WEN-SEN LEE, CHAO-WEI LIU, SHU-HUI JUAN, YU-CHIH LIANG, PEI-YIN HO, AND YI-HSUAN LEE. Molecular Mechanism of Progesterone-Induced Antiproliferation in Rat Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells. Endocrinology 144(7):2785–2790. Copyright © 2003 by The Endocrine Society doi: 10.1210/en.2003-0045.

[2] Kitchin B, Morgan SL. Not just calcium and vitamin D: other nutritional considerations in osteoporosis. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2007 Apr; 9(1):85 –92.

[3] Zhang J, Munger RG, West NA, Cutler DR, Wenegreen HJ, Corcoran CD. Antioxidant intake and risk of osteoporotic hip fracture in Utah: an effect modified by smoking status. Am J Epidemiol. 2006 Jan 1; 163(1):9–17.

Recently featured in Essential Lifestyle magazine, Dr. Purser has an extensive resume that includes practices in family medicine with an emphasis on women’s health and preventative care of the body. Dr. Purser is a popular speaker and seminar presenter and will be speaking at the 2010 Young Living International Grand Convention.