Written by Dianne Tzouras June 19, 2008 Welcome to my blog.

Semper paratus. Always be prepared.

After liturgy and fellowship on the last Sunday in March, I stopped at a red light in the left lane and then, when the light turned green, I crashed into the car in front of me.

Di Tzouras

Severely shaken and out of breath, with a burn on my left wrist and forearm from the vile, smoky gunpowdery chemical discharged by the airbags, I got out of the car. At the intersection, the woman driving the other car explained that someone had cut her out from the right lane to make a left turn and that she had to stop suddenly to avoid hitting him. The police came soon after we called, directed me to move my car to the roadside, and summoned an ambulance. Stunned and weakened by the impact, I did this with some difficulty.

Lavender Essential Oil

Before the ambulance arrived, I took out some water and lavender essential oil from my purse. As I sprinkled the lavender and water on my burned and stinging skin, I felt a cooling and calming effect. After the ambulance came, I again sprinkled the liquids on my skin. The EMT (emergency medical technician) must have smelled the lavender, because he asked me what I had used on my arm, and when I told him, he asked if I always carried it with me. I answered yes, informed him that I was an essential oil distributor, and gave him my business card. The EMT said that my blood pressure was like his teenage daughter’s. Noticing my Greek surname, he said his wife was Greek too, and that he was Hispanic. When I asked if he had ever attended my parish, he stated no, that he and his wife were evangelicals, so I replied that many evangelicals in America had found Orthodox Christianity.

Once at the local hospital, I continued sprinkling lavender and water on my arm, and every time I did so, the burning and tingling sensations diminished for several minutes. My husband arrived in the emergency room, and that made me feel even better. Nearly an hour after the accident, I was still the only one giving myself first aid.

An attendant (possibly a nurse) asked me questions, looked at my arm and then left, so I continued sprinkling my irritated skin with lavender oil, which really eased my discomfort. He said that airbags always resulted in some kind of injury, and that I had received a second degree burn. Up to this time I naively thought that airbags were reinforced pillows of protective air, not toxic gases ready to explode on impact. The nurse returned with a basin so small I had to use my other hand to splash the iodine wash solution over my burned skin. I then took a trip to the lavatory.

(Incidentally, the words lavatory and lavender both come from the Latin lavare, meaning to wash, and lavender historically was used to wash clothes and skin.) On the way there, the nurse instructed me to run cold water on my arm, which I did. As a preventative against tetanus (from flying rusty nails?), I received a tetanus shot. After my arm was coated with a greasy silver burn salve, I was bandaged up and sent home (emancipated--free at last) with the salve, a narcotic painkiller prescription and a burn center referral for later that week.

NingXia Red

As my husband drove me home in our other car, I gently lifted up the edges of the gauze bandage and continued to spray my arm with lavender oil every few minutes to ease the recurring pain. When we got home, I unwrapped the bandaging and used lavender oil and water as needed, every couple hours or so. The lavender actually helped so much I never needed to take even an aspirin let alone anything stronger for the pain, as the lavender was enough. To give myself an energy boost, I drank several ounces of NingXia Red, a wholesome antioxidant juice and essential oil infusion good for every cell in the body. I also drank plenty of water and got lots of rest that night.

Thieves Cleansing Soap

As the week progressed, I improved steadily. Choosing to use the nourishing and therapeutic lavender oil and NingXia Red instead of the salve, narcotics and burn clinic, I continued to see my burn heal day by day. The blisters formed and then subsided. I gently washed the wound with Thieves Cleansing Soap (containing essential oils of clove, cinnamon, rosemary, and Eucalyptus radiata), reapplied lavender oil, and put new bandages on as needed. In about three weeks, I only used gauze to prevent further injury as the skin was healing remarkably well. During this time, I visited my chiropractor once for a routine adjustment that was hugely helpful after the impact of the accident.

When the insurance adjustor called to ask why I had only submitted one bill (for the initial emergency room treatment), my husband answered the phone and told her that I was using some kind of oils and that they were working real well.

Before I conclude, I wish to thank Almighty God for keeping me alive, for providing us all with herbal plants containing marvelous essential oils, and for healing me from this malady. God is in charge, and everything good comes from Him. As Ben Franklin wrote, “God cures and the doctor takes the fee.”

So what did I learn from this incident?

First, I must follow my own father’s advice to keep a safe distance between myself and other cars at all times.

Second, it is vitally important to carry therapeutic grade essential oils with me and to use them in situations requiring first aid.

Third, I must be ready and willing to speak out about my beliefs and business whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.

And what do you think?

Many Blessings,

Di

Please send me your comments and questions about my blog. I’d love to hear from you.

"We honor our stewardship to champion nature's living energy, essential oils, by fostering a community of healing and discovery while inspiring individuals to wellness, purpose and abundance."

Dianne Tzouras Eleos, Enhancing Life with Essential Oils
www.youngliving.org/eleos
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www.orthodoxbiz.com (Di's blog)