There’s not much worse than having to sit by and watch someone you love get sick, and of course that extends to our pets as well. With that in mind, we here at PawsiVibes came up with our Boost essential oil blend, because even if she can be a little snooty sometimes, giving The Empress a helping paw with her immune system is our duty. Made from organic rose infused in heart-healthy olive oil, our ingredients are hand-picked to help hold the line against anything that might lay your loved one low.

There are two big names in the immune-boosting world, and those are antioxidants and vitamins. Most folks have heard of vitamins even if we don’t know what all the letters mean (I know I don’t – is carnitine a vitamin? Is folate two different vitamins??). We know they’re good for us though, and having a vitamin deficiency can lead to all sorts of health problems.

Antioxidants are a bit more mysterious. You’ve probably heard the word or seen it written on some juice product or commercial, but we know they’re talking way too fast on those TV ads and don’t take a minute to explain much. That’s okay, because we’re here for you.

Anti-what-cidents?

We would play in familiar vitamin territory first, but some of those rascals also act as antioxidants, so you’re going to want this info before we go there. Those vitamins are doing so much.

So, what is an antioxidant? Antioxidants are molecules that neutralize free radicals and prevent them from oxidizing in the body. Free radicals are something every body has, and are part of the metabolic process – in other words, they’re normal. But if the balance between antioxidants and free radicals isn’t right, they can get out of control and start attacking cells or even DNA!

If you’d like a more complete explanation, check out this article from Healthline.com.

The thing to remember, though, is that free radicals are important to the body. They’re part of the immune response and fight back against infection. But if you don’t have enough antioxidants floating around, free radicals can start doing gnarly things to your body on the molecular level. Getting a regular supply of antioxidants from natural sources is vital to maintaining balance in the body.

Vital-mins

So now that we’ve done some vocab work, let’s talk about our vitamin lineup. Between the rose and olive oils, we’ve got vitamins C, A, E, and B-complex in the mix of things, and every one of them does something a little different.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is well-known as the vitamin for immune support. Antioxidant properties mean Vitamin C helps keep the balance with free radicals, but it also reduces inflammation and improves immune response by making white blood cells.

Vitamin A helps with the production and performance of white blood cells too! It also helps maintain the mucous barriers in places like the eyes and lungs – that’s part of the body’s natural defenses against bacteria and other yucky things that could make someone sick.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant too, but its most important quality is that it’s what cells use to communicate. It can activate other immune cells for a more effective immune response.

Finally we have Vitamin B-complex. Turns out that it’s nothing complicated about it (get it? my boss thinks I’m funny), and the ‘-complex’ bit is just a term used to show that it contains all 8 of the essential B vitamins.

B6 does the heavy lifting; it’s well known for its immune support, helping transport oxygen, and making red blood cells. But B-complex also includes seven other B-vitamins that pull their weight too, whether it’s supplementing the metabolism or supporting DNA production.

For more reading on B vitamins and how each plays an important role in the body, check out this article from Medical News Today.

So . . . What’s Next?

So we’ve got this oil blend bringing all these antioxidants and vitamins (and more stuff like chlorophyll, which helps heal wounds and fight infections) to the table. But how should you be using it?

Put a few drops of Boost in The Empress’ food and then get back to the big leaf you’ve been fanning her with, because she deserves only the best. Dosing information can be found on all of our essential oil bottles and their product pages.

Do you have a pet that lives like royalty (or acts like it)? Or maybe you’ve got a pupper that will let you put a crown on their soft lil’ noggin? Send us pics or a story at blog@pawsivibes.com. We’d love to hear from you! With your permission, we may even showcase your pet on our Instagram or Pinterest board! Catch them posing around some PawsiVibes merch or products and we’ll absolutely feature them in a post, and get you 10% off your next order. How cool is that?