Compliance is an Opportunity for a YL Distributor, Not a Roadblock

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency tasked with controlling health delivery systems, requires that a medical doctor dispense any useful health information regarding an illness, disease, or injury to an individual patient. Under penalty of law, people who share treatment, diagnosis, cures, or prescriptions share information that the government controls by law. The states all have laws against practicing medicine without a license for people and pets, since they control medical and veterinary licensing.

There are many possible reasons for this seemingly oppressive system. Supporters will say it is about safety and protection of the people. As with most major industries, however, doctors, pharmaceuticals, as well as veterinarians have a very powerful lobbies to protect their financial interests in government agencies. It is clear that these laws are more to protect the incomes of pharmaceuticals, the doctors and veterinarians, more than the welfare of the patient because of the drugs and treatments they do not regulate. Acupuncture, for example, is a holistic treatment of using multiple needles inserted in the body, and that is mostly unregulated. Yet, if an unlicensed person inserts a single needle to dispense fluids, they better have a good lawyer. For vets it is even more obvious. Antibiotics for livestock, for example, are sold over the counter in farm stores, but for your pet they must be prescribed and many times dispensed by the same vet. The reason is that most veterinarians represented by the industry lobby, prefer their patients be only those who can come to their office as they can see more, and thus earn a greater income.

With the advent of the Internet, however, peer reviewed medical research, as well as medical opinions by licensed doctors (MDs) and veterinarians (DVMs) have become available online. As long as these are quoted and sourced when shared with others, the FDA should have no recourse to control the information. In theory these sources meet the criteria of the law as applied to essential oils as well. If a pet has been diagnosed with urinary track infection by a DVM, for example, then you should be able to share a quote from a book by a DVM that recommends essential oils, claims they are effective, and explains how to apply them.

In practice the heavy hand of the government has created confusion for those who attempt to share the benefits of any health product which benefits a sizable market. Distributors of essential oils must obey the law, but, it is legal to share peer reviewed research and source credentialed professionals who make the points that we want to share on essential oils. There are many overzealous up-line censors, however, who carry the FDA rules too far and stop even legal sharing of the benefits of essential oils. These individuals must be respected due to their ability to have a distributorship terminated, but constant research and contact with the Young Living compliance people can assist in overcoming some of these roadblocks.

When most distributors first become aware of the FDA rules concerning what can’t be said about essential oils the response is negative and defeating. “How can we sell the oil‘s if we can’t say anything about their usefulness?” The problem, however, is not the inability to prescribe, diagnose, cure, or treat customer medical issues, even though it seems much more effective to address the benefits to an individual issue. The truth is that focusing on disease, illness, and injury is not the most beneficial way to present essential oils.

Although many of those knowledgeable about essential oils will turn to essential oils for acute issues with their own family and pets, in order to promote the oils to others, Gary Young’s explanation of Young Living compliance policy shares a tremendous opportunity to create long lasting relationships with customers leading to excitement and new distributors. Instead of a roadblock, the compliance policy can change the focus of a distributor’s sales efforts to create a stronger, more productive organization.

Young’s sales focus on overall lifestyle and health benefits makes more sense in building a strong business for the long term. The focus on a change in lifestyle means a long term commitment for customers and makes an even stronger argument for customer to commit to become a distributor. Those individual illnesses and injuries will only sell a couple oils until the problem is gone. According to Young’s compliance letter dated May 13, 2015, “ We are not about disease claims. We don’t talk about disease, and we don’t treat and cure disease.” Instead Young writes, “We are about lifestyle and strengthening the body through nutrition and the power of essential oils.” Young said that the regular use of essential oils as part of a healthy lifestyle is what makes them valuable to our health. “When we do this the body will take care of itself,” he said.

Young goes on to say that Young Living is “about self-improvement and living life to the fullest. Everyone is different and no two products are the same; therefore, no two people respond to our products the exact same way.” The Young Living experience promises that “By simply supporting and strengthening the body with a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition, everyone can have his or her own individual experience without trying to narrow it down to a specific product for specific problem,” according to Young.

For your pets, the focus is the same; healthy lifestyle, healthy diet and strengthening body systems with essential oils to create a healthier more fulfilling life for our pets as well. From the sales side this makes more sense. A lifestyle change, with a commitment to use essential oils to support and maintain body systems so that the possibility of illness or injury is diminished, is a long term relationship opportunity that should be the goal of every Young Living distributor.

Due to the controlling nature of the government and FDA, it is easy enough for a customer to understand that by law a distributor of essential oils is not able to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any illness, disease, or injury. This understanding, then frees the distributor to share the real benefits of Young Living and their quality product with the customer; a new lifestyle which includes strengthening body systems with quality essential oils that have been proven since beginning of time to create a healthier, happier life for customer and their pet.

Good or bad, the government will continue to control the medical, pharmacological, and veterinary industries as long as lobbyists continue to support politicians who benefit. For those who are sharing the lifestyle benefits of Young Living Essential Oils, however, the freedom to focus beyond the basics of medicine, to the whole life of the customer or distributor is an opportunity to enrich the lives of others and create success.