Gina McConeghy is a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist and Registered Environmental Health Specialist for the State of NJ. Since one of Gina’s many responsibilities is to assist people during the pandemic, she uses powerful and effective essential oils to help protect herself both physically and emotionally. During this interview Gina shares the science behind an essential oil’s ability to kill viruses.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL HEAR ABOUT THINGS LIKE:
- What inspired Gina to become a certified Clinical Aroma therapist
- Testing the potency of essential oils
- Using oils aromatically, topically, and internally
- doTERRA’s most recommended products
SOME QUESTIONS IRENE ASKS GINA:
- What exactly are essential oils?
- What is the science behind an essential oil’s ability to kill viruses?
- Do you have top tips for virus prevention?
- What is the process for getting essential oils delivered straight to customers’ doors?
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Listen to the podcast here
Positive in the Pandemic: Gina McConeghy: Certified Clinical Aromatherapist and Registered Environmental Health Specialist for the State of NJ
Welcome once again to the show whose mission is to educate, enlighten, and provide healing choices through interviews with grief and trauma specialists, healers, mediums, and people who have inspiring stories to share. Make sure to follow us and like us on social, @IreneSWeinberg on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
This interview is a must-read for all of you who would like to support and enhance your immune systems, especially now that the Coronavirus pandemic is in full swing. I’m delighted to introduce you to my dear friend, Gina McConeghy, who is both a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist and a Registered Environmental Health Specialist for the State of New Jersey.
One of Gina’s many responsibilities is to assist people during the pandemic. To help protect herself both physically and emotionally, Gina has been using very powerful and effective essential oils. By the way, you don’t have to be a registered environmental specialist to be using essential oils to enhance and support your immune system. I am also faithfully using them every day, topically, internally, and in diffusers. I find them to be very helpful in countless ways.
Gina, welcome once again to the show. I’d like you to please share with our readers exactly what essential oils are, how they kill viruses, how they’re used, and your top tips for virus prevention and more. Let’s begin our interview with this question. Please tell us about your background and what inspired you to become a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist.
I’m a Registered Environmental Health Specialist in the State of New Jersey, and I work in the public sector now. I’ve also worked in the private sector as an inspector. My basic job function is to ensure the food supply is safe for consumers. When I worked in the private sector, part of my responsibility was to ensure that any over-the-counter drugs that were being recalled were removed from sale.
Seeing all these recalls, I began to wonder if there was a better way to take care of myself and my family. It was at that time I began a course at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which changed my life. This is where I began to learn about other options for healing and staying well. I started to learn about essential oils, and I enrolled in an aromatherapy course. The rest is history. I have no over-the-counter drugs in my home. I rarely use antibiotics, and I truly believe that there is an oil for everything.
What exactly are essential oils, Gina? The people out there are saying, “What is this with these essential oils? Is there a difference in the quality and effectiveness of essential oils?”
You see essential oils everywhere now, and quality is so important. I’ll start by telling you what an essential oil is. Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts. They’re volatile aromatic compounds that are characteristic of a plant. They’re found in the seeds, bark stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of the plants. They’re 50 to 70 times more potent than dried herbs, and they’re easily metabolized by the body.
A fun fact is that 80% of the world’s population uses herbal medicine. However, only 10% of the world’s plants can be distilled into essential oils. Their quality of essential oils is very important. When we’re looking to use an essential oil, we’re looking at the purity of the oil to make sure that there are no toxins, pesticides, weeds, or fillers and the proper extraction methods are applied specifically to that plant.
Essential Oils: When using essential oils, look at their purity to make sure there are no toxins, pesticides, weeds, or fillers, and that the proper extraction methods are applied specifically to that plant.
I want to say that you have to be careful about the company that you’re using for the oil. You need to be careful if they’re testing it, what they’re doing, if they’re making sure it’s therapeutic grade, and all that kind of stuff, right?
Right. The potency is very important. These plants have to be grown and harvested in their natural habitat to ensure that the therapeutic compounds are there. The only way to do that is to test. You have to make sure that the essential oils are third-party tested and that there are multiple different ways that the oils are tested. Researchers are testing the health benefits of these compounds and how they affect the human body.
All of the essential oils, this whole talk, it’s geared, and it represents doTERRA. doTERRA is the global leader in sourcing essential oils. doTERRA means gift of the Earth. Everything that I’m saying from this point on is about doTERRA. I’m not talking about essential oils that you might pick up at Macy’s or that you might get off the internet or at Walmart.
It’s because you don’t know the quality of what you’re getting with them, but doTERRA is the highest quality.
doTERRA tests every single batch of oil. They could trace it back to the exact lot that they distilled. There’s a lot of insurance. You can be assured that you’re getting a high-quality product.
When it comes to essential oils, I like to remind people that frankincense is an essential oil. What was the most valuable thing that the three wise men could give to Jesus? It was frankincense. Essential oils go all the way back to biblical times. Human beings have been using them, and now this company comes along and makes sure they’re pure and therapeutic and all of that, which is a wonderful thing.
You said something very important that I want to touch upon. You said frankincense. Essential oils are sourced where they’re grown indigenously. Frankincense comes from Oman, Somalia. You can’t grow frankincense in France or Florida or any place else. The beautiful thing about doTERRA is that they’ve partnered globally with people that grew and distilled the oils. You said frankincense, so they have partnerships. They have very valuable information that they are teaching doTERRA. doTERRA is upgrading their equipment. They’re helping them in many ways. It’s a beautiful partnership.
Here’s the other thing I want to ask you because essential oils are known to be antiviral. For the people who want to know more, what is the science behind an essential oil’s ability to kill viruses?
Essential oils have many health benefits. Right now, to know that they’re antiviral and antibacterial is huge. I just wanted everybody to know that they’re so very important at this time dealing with this pandemic. Essential oils are lipid soluble. They’re very small in molecular size, and they have the ability to travel across the cell membrane. They can actually kill viruses that reside on and in the cell. It’s nature fighting nature, and it’s very effective.
Essential oils are lipid soluble. They are small in molecular size, have the ability to travel across the cell membrane, and can kill viruses that reside on and in the cell. Click To Tweet
There are single oils that are very antiviral. There are some proprietary blends that have been scientifically proven to kill viruses. There are numerous studies that are published in PubMed and National Institute of Health. You could use this time right now to google antiviral, antibacterial effects on using essential oils. You’ll come up with so much information. I think you had actually read something to me about the study of one of the proprietary blends that doTERRA has. Do you have that available that you could read?
Sure. It’s about On Guard. It’s a blend, and the oils in that blend have been studied for their strong abilities to kill harmful bacteria, mold, and viruses. That’s an example. I have that in my diffusers all over my condo right now. If there’s anything blowing that I don’t want coming towards me, hopefully, that’s going to get rid of it. It’s certainly enhancing my immune system to enable my immune system to be resistant to it. Gina, what are the various ways to use essential oils? Are there certain oils that are especially effective for heightening our immune system during this pandemic?
Yes. The three ways that we use essential oils, we use them aromatically, topically, and internally. I’ll go over the aromatic use first. Aromatic simply means inhaling. You can put a drop of essential oil in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together, and then cup your hands over your nose and your mouth, and just breathe.
The other way that we could benefit from using essential oils aromatically is diffusing them in a diffuser. I highly recommend using diffusers at this time because diffusers will help reduce the harmful pathogens in the air by breaking up the molecules of the essential oil and pumping them through the air. That is what we need right now. If somebody is ill in your house or if you’re feeling bad, you can actually knock down the viral load in the air. You’re purifying the air. Diffusing essential oils is also very great for reducing stress in the house. Some simple essential oils that people are familiar with, I’d say cedarwood, lavender, bergamot oil, those are really fantastic stress reducers. The less stress you have, the better your immune system can work.
When I’m putting the On Guard in my diffuser, I also put in some of those essential oils that help calm the emotions because we’re all under so much stress right now. They’re also oils that help with the emotions that are roll-ons. There are other oils that help with emotions and all of that kind of thing, right?
Right. Conversely, if you’re working from home like I am, you need to stay on task. You’re in another environment. I’m not used to not having certain things at my desk, so you have to adapt. I’d love to diffuse rosemary, lemon and eucalyptus. There are some other proprietary blends from doTERRA that help with focus, just staying on task and calming the nerves.
Inhalation is the quickest way for the essential oils to get into your body. Having that diffuser on, those oils are getting right into your blood system. This is probably my number one recommendation at this time. It’s to keep those essential oils pumping through diffusers. Have diffusers in your bathrooms with the antiviral oils. Have them in your workspace to help you stay on task and just have them in your living area just to keep the germ load down.
What’s interesting is you could be diffusing lemon and rosemary to stay focused, but those are two oils that are highly antiviral and antimicrobial. That’s the beauty of essential oils. You’re killing two birds with one stone. You don’t have to know a ton about it. The most important thing is just to get those oils going.
There are so many of them. No matter what the blend is, you can choose the one that works best for your needs. Let me ask you, as a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist and a Registered Environmental Health Specialist for the State of New Jersey, do you have top tips for virus prevention?
I would really say diffusing right now in the home. I would stay home, not leave if you don’t have to. I would respect and follow the social distancing recommendations. Keep your hands and the environment clean. Keep your stress level down. The first sign of illness, I would use essential oils, not only aromatically but topically. I would consume warm hot liquids with honey, ginger, turmeric, and lemon.
By the way, all those items that I just mentioned are essential oils that doTERRA offers. One time, I ran out of fresh ginger, and I’m not leaving the house if I don’t have to. I put a drop of ginger in my tea with a little honey. It was delicious. It’s very warming, very antiviral. Another thing that I would recommend is probiotics. Probiotics is vital at this time. A healthy immune response starts in your gut, and probiotics support a healthy immune system. There are two products that doTERRA does have. There’s one that you take internally, and there’s another one that’s geared for children. It’s not a capsule. This is even good for adults that can’t swallow. There are two different probiotics that I would recommend.
A healthy immune response starts in your gut, and probiotics support a healthy immune system. Click To Tweet
Your nutritional status is so important right now. doTERRA actually has a line of nutritional products that you probably wouldn’t have to leave your house for some time. Of course, you don’t want to just be consuming whole food supplements, super shakes and greens and whatnot. It offers a lifeline. I think it’s very important because you could really use this time right now to build up your immune system with the proper nutrition and the proper use of essential oils. An interesting fact is essential oils work better when the body is healthy. They actually help nutrients assimilate better in your body. They go hand in hand.
Essential Oils: Essential oils work better when the body is healthy. They actually help nutrients assimilate better in your body. They go hand in hand.
I would say they’re wonderful tools. I think this time can be a positive time for people as they think about maybe making certain good changes in their lives, forming new habits and ways of being and getting their health up in a myriad of ways. Now that people are getting the idea and perhaps deciding that they might like to try bringing essential oils into their lives, especially right now with what’s going on, how can they connect directly with you to find out more about addressing their specific health needs and enhancing their immune systems?
You can contact me directly via email. My email is GMcConeghy@OptOnline.net. You can email me directly, and in the subject line, just put Grief and Rebirth so I know that you were a reader here. I’ll get back to you right away. The other thing that you can do is you can go to the doTERRA website. I have a direct link to the doTERRA website that will put you into my site specifically. I’m going to give you this address, and there’s a little tab there and it says Contact Us. Put Grief and Rebirth there, and if you would like to leave your contact information, I can call, text or email you. It’s MydoTerra.com/AromaCouture.
Gina, for people who are wondering, what is the process for getting these delivered, especially in these times, straight to their doors? How does this company do this?
What I would recommend is you set up your own account. Set it up through me. If you go to www.Doterra.com and set up an account, you’re going to be placed as an orphan. I don’t want anybody to be an orphan. You need to specifically be on my site to connect with me. If by some chance you do get into a site and you want to enroll and they ask you for a sponsor number or do you know a wellness advocate that you want to work with, there’s a specific number that’s affiliated with my account, and that’s 445208.
My business name is Aroma Couture, so that’s where the www.MydoTerra.com/AromaCouture came from. 445208 is my wellness advocate number. What’ll happen is I would like to speak with you prior to you ordering anything, so I can go over exactly what your personal needs are. There’s a lot of information, a lot to learn. Use me. Use my experience, and I will help you pick out which oils would be the most beneficial for you at this time.
You can work with people within their budget.
What I’m offering is a one-on-one consultation with whoever responds, whoever is interested in this. We’ll help them out with everything. After a person becomes a member within my group, I will communicate with them via phone call, text, or email. I also do Zoom classes. We can get people together. If you have other people that are interested, you could ask them to join in. At this point, everything is virtual. Doing that is a good thing.
When I get my doTERRA delivery, I’m always so happy because it gets delivered right to my door. I’m amazed that we can get essential oils from Oman, France, Ecuador or from wherever they’re sourced globally. This is a lifeline, and I am so appreciative of this company that they’ve set it up this way, so we don’t have to go to a store, expose ourselves right now, get something and come back. Everything that you need can be delivered directly to your door.
I would bet you have a message about the importance of healing that you’d like to share.
I think healing is up to you. If you choose to do the work, the reward of health is there for you. You have to be open to the possibilities. One step leads to another, and there are so many options out there for you to discover. As you become part of a more holistic community, you will experience many different kinds of healings that all add up to a more peaceful mindset.
Essential Oils: Healing is up to you. If you choose to do the work, the reward of health is there for you. You have to be open to the possibilities.
When there’s peace, you can come to terms with what you need to deal with your body. When you’re dealing with things, you have to be connected with mind, body, and soul just to recover and move forward. We’re all connected and honestly, I’ve learned that through using the essential oils and through connecting with other types of healing, I could truly say that it all works.
It all works, and it’s all true. Gina, what is your tip for finding joy in life?
My tip is, for me personally, helping others. It’s helping others help themselves. I’m really grateful for this time right now because I’m always available and people are always busy and they’re always doing things, continue to suffer, and are not focused. There’s so much healing right at their fingertips if they just tap into their resources. Right now, this time, we’re all inward. We all have time. I’m grateful right now for this opportunity to reach out to so many people and for the people that reach out to me right now to learn about how they could take care of themselves and their families.
It is really wonderful. It’s a space in people’s lives where they’ve got an opportunity to really learn different things and make some new choices that are beneficial to them in a way that’s a positive coming to us right now. Gina, I am so very grateful and appreciative of our friendship. I want to thank you for introducing me to essential oils and educating me about them because they’ve improved my health in countless ways.
What an inspiring and healing resource you are for people who wish to learn more about protecting themselves and their loved ones, especially during this health crisis, which is affecting our whole world. Thank you from my heart, Gina, for our literally healing interview. Make sure to follow us and like us on social, @IreneSWeinberg on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Thanks again for joining us. As I always like to say, to be continued, many blessings, and bye for now.
Guest’s Links:
- Gina McConeghy
- Gina McConeghy’s Email
- doTERRA’s website
- doTERRA – Contact Us Page
Host’s Links:
Thank you Irene Weinberg for offering this rare refuge of support and connection through your Grief and Rebirth podcast! We will all experience grief at some point in our lives. And, yet there are very limited resources for support? Throughout our lives we have learned to celebrate life and birth and milestones of happiness, but when it comes to celebrating a life who has passed or grappling with grief, we are left with limited options. I’m not very religious, but certainly spiritual—so finding the Grief and Rebirth podcast has given me a place to assemble with others and listen to insightful and enlightening interviews. As an alternative to the most usual resource which is to head to church or temple, this podcast offers an invitation to a whole healing community of inspiring messages and encouragement. Working in a healthcare setting myself, I’ve been fortunate to be able to share and recommend this podcast to countless people who have appreciated the comfort, and keep asking for more. It is with great gratitude that I commend your work and growing list of creative dialogs. You are clearly passionate about what you are sharing with us all—and we look forward to being lifelong listeners.
