Alternative medicines

Posts Tagged ‘wellness’

Everyone gets the occasional headache, but some headaches get so bad they won’t go away. While drugs treat the symptoms, they often ignore the underlying cause of the problem.

The worst headaches can be slow to respond to the intended effect of the medications. The stronger medications can have negative and long-lasting effects to the rest of your body when used for extended periods. They is why many people finally decide to look to other, more natural (and safer) solutions for their problem such as chiropractic.

Some Types of Headaches

When treating any type of health condition, the first and most important step is to understand what is causing the problem. Since there are many different kinds of headaches, some are more effectively treated by chiropractic than others. Headaches are often caused by

-changes in constriction of the vascular system

-tension in the muscles

-sinus congestion

These headaches can refer or radiate pain all over your head and they can feel like they’re centered in many different locations, but it is most important to realize that chiropractic seems to work best in the types of headaches that are based around muscle tension and changes to vascular flow. Sinus headaches have also had success, but they are likely to have a more complicated cause.

The three main types of headaches most often found in chiropractic offices are:

-migraine headaches

-tension headaches

-cervicogenic headaches (from the neck)

This last category sounds a bit daunting but cervicogenic simply means a headache that is caused by referred pain that actually originates within the bone or muscles of the neck.

Tension Headaches

If we become stressed, scared, or angry, your body will respond with increased muscle tension in the head, neck, and shoulders. This reaction is called the fight or flight response, and it is the normal response to stress. If we are stressed often (as most of us are) and we can neither run or fight, the muscle tension becomes a habit.

This can lead to some imbalances in the way we hold our body, which in turn leads to more muscle tension and pain. Chiropractic treatment can relax these muscles and realign the spine’s structure to put and end to the vicious cycle of pain. Those seeking chiropractic care for tension headaches can often see a marked improvement in just a few treatments as the nerves become less irritated and the muscles begin to relax.

Migraine Headaches

Migraine headaches are caused by changes in vascular flow, which can be brought about b a variety of factors such as changes in the weather, hormonal changes, stress, even different smells or foods — just to name a few. These headaches do not always start as pain, but may begin with nausea or visual auras. The headache can be strong or weak, but most migraine sufferers experience very painful headaches.

Recent studies have shown chiropractic treatment may play a significant role in reducing the number of migraines a person has. By careful manipulation of the neck and spine, chiropractic adjustments may be able to reduce nerve irritation in the spine, thus preventing radiating or referred pain, and improve vascular flow.

Treatment

Chiropractic care centers around manipulation of the spine and neck to improve blood flow and posture. To reduce the headaches, the chiropractor will perform spinal adjustments using his hands, but may also include massage, trigger point therapy, or other types of complementary treatments to address the problem. The doctor of chiropractic will probably also include some home care recommendations such as stretching exercises and posture education to help keep things balanced between visits.

To treat problems related to sinusitis, people are now reaching for the natural and alternative remedies rather than the traditional chemical treatments. This could be due to the expensive medications and the adverse side effects linked to the use of chemical-based drugs.

Chronic sinusitis is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide, and with allergens like pollen, cigarette smoke, smog or pollution, and pet dander, it’s no wonder many of us struggle with sinus problems on a daily basis. Rather than relying on, or worse, becoming dependent upon, prescription or over-the-counter drugs, why not try one of the many natural solutions available instead?

Even with the use of antibiotics, stubborn sinus problems may still persist, and too many antibiotics usually ends up causing negative effects such as yeast infections as they not only kill the “bad” bacteria, but also the “good” bacteria our bodies need to stay healthy.

Using natural solutions to relieve and treat your sinus problems is just easy. You don’t even have to issue big cash to get one since most sources of the natural remedies are readily available and can be found at home. For example, warm water combined with salt and baking soda can be used to flush nasal secretion. Just pour the mixture on one nostril and blow it away gently, you can have easy relief of sinus problems. You can even do it as much as you need to.

Steam from hot water can often also work wonders for sinus problems. Try leaning over your bathroom sink with a towel draped over your head, then run the hot water for about five minutes while breathing in the steam. Doing this several times a day, while also running hot water on your forehead and nose in the shower, will help to loosen stubborn mucous and congestion that’s built up within the sinus cavities.

Or, using a preparation of lavender, tea tree, and eucalyptus oils with boiling water may also help to open and clear the sinuses as well as the lungs. First boil a pot of water then pour into a medium sized bowl, while it’s still steamy hot, add two drops of each oil, lean over the bowl and cover your head with a towel and inhale the steam for three minutes.

If you do not have eucalyptus at home, you can use the peppermint as an alternative to eucalyptus. But be careful and avoid opening your eyes while steaming. Clean your face first before you let your eyes open to avoid irritating your eyes from the heat of the mixture.

In some cases, sinus infections are exacerbated by certain foods that cause an excess of mucous to form. If you think your sinus problems may be related to your diet, try eliminating foods like dairy and wheat products, spicy foods, and some citrus fruits.

Instead, get some drops of grapefruit seed extracts everyday or some apple cider vinegar. Although these drops are not good to taste, the effects are truly remarkable. Just follow the drops with a glass of water to wash away the unpleasant taste.

Supplements, like potassium, are also very helpful in relieving sinuses. It has a way of drying up the mucous in the sinus area. Also, by drinking plenty of water, the mucous inside the body will automatically dry up by itself.

Car crashes cause many types of injuries, and many of them don’t show up right away. You may think you are fine later that day, but when you wake up the next morning or a few days later, you feel like you can’t move. Soft tissue injuries like whiplash often don’t appear immediately. It may actually take a week or more before you find yourself with symptoms. When they do appear, they can cause stiffness, pain and stress.

Chiropractic care after an auto collision should be an automatic response. Chiropractors are trained to work with the skeleton and soft tissue. They know how the bio-mechanics of the body should work. They can detect injuries and help you get them healed.

Whiplash and many other auto accident injuries affect the spine. A chiropractor will be able to find any injuries you have suffered. They are trained to deal with traumatic injuries and make you more comfortable. Seeing a chiropractor after an accident may also make sure your other medical bills are lower. They can alleviate many problems that stem from an accident so you won’t need to see your medical doctor for additional x-rays and pain medication.

Whiplash symptoms: Neck pain Shoulder pain Headache Low back pain Blurred vision Difficulty swallowing Ringing in the ears Fatigue or weakness Nausea Dizziness Irritability Vertigo

Some Doctors of Chiropractic specialize in patients who just had auto accidents. They can show you the right exercises to help with any pain and discomfort. They understand that the injury to your neck or back can throw your muscles into a state of inflammation as they try to compensate for the injury. The gentle chiropractic manipulations to restore the spine to balance are not painful and patients may start feeling relief right away.

Some chiropractors are available on an emergency basis, so you can get your x-rays and examination as soon as possible. They can help you with your insurance company and with filing claims. If you need additional care, they can refer you to medical specialists. They are usually able to work with your attorney, other doctors and the insurance companies involved as much as is needed to help you recover from your accident.

Some of the different therapies your chiropractor may use when you are injured in an accident include gentle spinal manipulations, trigger point therapy, hot and cold therapy and TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). They are happy to work with your other physicians in creating a treatment plan that will work best for you and your recovery. Injuries from auto accidents can be tricky. The soft tissue injuries may persist for long periods of time without the proper care and treatment. Long term problems may cause secondary issues to occur such as osteoarthritis. It is important to include chiropractic care in your recovery regimen after an auto accident to help prevent this.

While it is most common for people to worry about their car before they worry about themselves, if you are in an auto accident, please take the time to see a chiropractor. The doctor will check to see if you suffered any injuries and advise you accordingly.

Meditation Cds and mp3 tracks are getting very popular and you can see why. They allow us to fit the benefits of meditation into our busy lives and with virtually no effort.

Stress is one of the biggest causes of lost work days, being linked with both psychological and physical illnesses. In the current economic climate, the stress is only increasing and it even more important to be seen to be on top of our jobs.

Meditation can be a great way to wind down from the pressures of life but it takes up time that few of us have. Plus, being under stress in the first place makes the calming meditative state difficult to achieve.

But technology has come to our rescue with meditation audio tracks. Available either on CD or as mp3 downloads, they can make meditation quick and easy.

Binaural beat technology is the answer. Playing different sounds into each ear causes the brain to generate an electrical signal whose frequency is the difference between the original two sounds.

This entrainment process has been known and safely used for many years. Your brain reaches deep meditation states that could take years of practice to achieve and are hard to maintain by normal methods.

Pleasant music or relaxing sounds mask the tones. You can choose to pay attention to these or to mentally tune them out. You can use the time for some quiet reflection.

Meditation mp3 and CDs come in different lengths and prices. Some are designed to deal with specific issues. Deep meditation is available at the touch of a button. Relaxation is quick and easy.

A massage is a well-known therapeutic activity that helps to relieve the body of all forms of stress: physical, mental, and emotional. It is practiced in a ceremonial fashion in some Oriental cultures. It is a prescribed form of therapy in a few alternative medical systems. For those of you who have not experienced the beneficial effects of a full body massage, this article should encourage you to get an appointment for one at the earliest.

We are used to getting and giving a simple massage at home. You come home all stressed out and irritable. Then your spouse leads you to your favorite chair, and then begins to loosen the muscles at the back of your neck with a gentle massage. The smile comes back, and you feel your stress ebbing away! That is exactly what a number of alternative therapies have discovered ages ago, and our mainstream medical science is discovering now. A home massage is wonderful, but a professional massage is a great deal better.

First, find yourself a reputed massage salon to gain the full benefit of a body massage. Each person receiving a massage is assigned a separate cabin. You will have to divest yourself of your garments preparatory to the massage. Lie prone on the massage table. A sheet or towel will be draped over you to keep the body heat in. Choose your massage from those on offer. Generally there are two basic full body massages: general body massage, and deep tissue massage. Of course there are many variations available besides.

When the massage therapist begins the massage, you feel a certain pressure forming in the area being massaged. It stops just short of being painful. However that feeling is momentary. Immediately afterwards you’ll feel the pressure getting less and with it you’ll feel a relaxation that is very pleasant. The pain, the soreness and the tiredness you came in with, will just evaporate! The massaging effect exercises your blood vessels and your nerves. The blood circulation picks up pace and the nerves get back to their proper position. The increased blood circulation helps the restorative elements in the blood to reach damaged areas faster and better. This heals the body, thus improving your health.

It is not only sportspersons who require massage therapy. We all do! Our life has become so hectic; our lifestyle has become so sedentary or lacking in physical activity that our body suffers for it. We sit in awkward positions, we slouch, we shamble around… all this unconsciously. The result is that our blood vessels get shifted from their normal positions and so also do the nerves. Knotted blood vessels means poor blood circulation, which means poor health. Knotted nerves means your very sensations are disturbed. The brain gets a lot of static from cramped up nerves. Result: tension and stress, which makes you lose concentration, comprehension, and conviction. The body massage, as administered by a qualified professional massage therapist, mind you, works the body in such a way that your blood vessels and nerves regain their normal position. Your blood begins to flow normally and your nerves function normally. The physical pressure of the massage even serves to reduce flab, if any. Your skin benefits as well. The massage itself, and the massage oils, rejuvenate the skin. The subcutaneous blood circulation improves and the muscles that lie just below the dermal layer get exercised. This results in a firmer, tauter, radiant skin tone. So you end up looking better.

We generally believe that a massage is a form of physical therapy, and hence benefits us in a physical way only. This is not true. We are benefited mentally as well as physically. Just as the muscles get tired due to the accumulation of wastes, our brain undergoes much the same effect when we exert ourselves mentally. The enhanced blood circulation washes away the accumulated toxins from the brain, and leaves it fresh and tension-free! That’s why you can get a really good, healthy sleep after a body massage.

Massage therapy is a form of touch therapy. A touch or a caress shows empathy. It is probably instinctive in those animals that must seek their mother for support and feeding as soon as they are born. Most animals are born blind, and so they depend on touch to find and detect their mother. Even if not blind, young ones nestle and cuddle up against their mother when they sleep, the touch, the feel being sufficient to reassure them of a support system. Our subconscious translates the masseur’s professional touch to a strong, positive symbol of reassurance and of support. Hence, our spirits are lifted and we emerge from the massage psychologically healthy.

Maybe you consider a full body massage a fad, with cosmetic benefits solely. That is not the whole fact. Massage therapy is definitely a therapeutic activity. Allopathy includes it in physiotherapy. Many Oriental medical systems are based solely on massage therapy, as for example, acupressure and acupuncture. So you need have no reservations about its efficacy and scientific validity. Just be sure to go to a licensed professional massage therapist. You’ll feel recharged and healthy, physically, mentally, and psychologically.

Reishi is frequently prescribed in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a panacea. It is widely used by both laymen and professionals in the Orient as a treatment for things as innocuous as stress or weight loss to more serious conditions such as arthritis and even cancer.

Working with cancer research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science & Medicine is Dr. Fukumi Morishige, a strong proponent for the use of reishi in cancer treatment.

The following case reports were given by Dr. Morishige in a speech re-printed in the periodical, Chinese Traditional Medicine Part III.

Growing up in Japan as Dr. Morishige did, it was impossible not to have heard of reishi. But he dismissed it as a mild herbal remedy to be used with limited results for non-terminal illnesses, not as a viable option for treating terminal conditions such as cancer. His curiosity arose when two of his cancer patients showed signs of remission, which they themselves claimed were due to their use of reishi.

The first case he encountered was a woman in her late 30’s with lung cancer. A number of hospitals had told her the cancer was too advanced to be treatable. There had also been secondary complications in the form of edema of the chest. However, when she came to see Dr. Morishige half a year later, all those symptoms had disappeared. The woman insisted her recovery had come as a result of 4 gm of reishi administered daily by her husband.

Next was a young boy with congenital liver cancer. At five years of age, his doctor had told his parents the cancer was terminal and subsequently discontinued treatment. Four years later, the parents took their son to see Dr. Morishige, who was no longer able to find any traces of the cancer. The boy’s parents told Dr. Morishige they’d been administering reishi to their son via his naso-gastric feeding tube. It was after this that Dr. Morishige decided to take a closer look at reishi’s effect on cancer.

The following are five of his case studies using reishi and Vitamin C (for prevention of side effects):

Case 1: A patient with a 5 cm (2 in.) brain tumor who had lost consciousness was placed on 6 gm of reishi per day in June of ‘86. By September, this 70-year-old-male patient had emerged from his comatose state. The reishi was decreased to 3 gm per day. Another three months later, December of 1986, scans showed diminishing size of the tumor. After it shrunk to 1 cm (0.4 in.), the hospital released the man to return home and live with his family.

Case 2: A 50+ female with metastatic lung cancer and hemoptysis (coughing up blood) began a regimen of 6 gm/day of reishi. Six months later, the tumor had disappeared. And whereas before she had experienced severe shortness of breath, she could now effortlessly climb stairs.

Case 3: Patient with breast cancer that had spread to the bones was in unbearable pain and immobilized below the head. An initial dose of 9 grams of reishi daily was increased to 20 grams per day. Two months later, the woman was pain free and released after demonstrating improvement in her ability to walk.

Case 4: A man with rectal cancer metastasized to the liver was placed on 6 grams per day of reishi. Six months later, CT scans revealed that the tumor had shrunk. The patient showed improved health.

Case 5: A patient with pancreatic cancer and short life prognosis was put on 9 grams of reishi per day, orally, and 30 grams of Vitamin C, intravenously. Twelve months later, he reported that he longer experienced any symptoms and was back to work. He said he’d continued taking 5 grams per day of reishi after leaving the hospital.

Note: This article is provided for scientific and informational purposes only. This product has not been tested by the FDA and should not be used for self-treatment of tumors. Never use any herb for medicinal purposes without consulting a licensed medical doctor.

Reference: Morishige, Fukumi, 1987. Chinese Traditional Medicine Part III, Page 12 – 23, ISBN4-88580-053-6 C-0077

As the owner of an aromatherapy company, I get asked all the time: “How do I get started using essential oils? Well, one of the simplest and rewarding ways of doing this is getting into the “aroma” part of aromatherapy — the inhalation and enjoyment of the scent of the oils themselves. This in fact is a gateway to utilizing the whole realm of therapy available from pure essential oils. Once you get familiar with the oils and the way they smell by diffusing their aromas, you’ll be more apt to investigate the powerful medicinal aspects of aromatherapy and its many application techniques.

Diffusion of an essential oil means to distribute the oil in the air around you. Essential oils easily evaporate — more easily than water — so this is a pretty straightforward thing to do. At the same time, there are ways to get even more essential oil in the air, at a higher concentration than, say, if you just let a bottle sit open on a table. This is where an aromatherapy diffuser comes it. The diffuser evaporates the essential oil faster, using one of many possible methods (more on that in a moment). And why would you want to evaporate the oil faster? If you just left a bottle sitting open, you and your family would occasionally smell the aroma coming from the bottle; if you’d like your whole room or house to be filled with that aroma, you’d use a diffuser.

All diffusers will improve the rate of evaporation of essential oils into your surrounding space. It is important to recognize that while this may use your oils faster, there are good reasons to do this: diffusing oils so they can be smelled over a much larger space; diffusing oils in a work environment to eliminate the scents of of other activities; and perhaps the most important is sometimes diffusing high concentrations of oils such that we can absorb more oils through our respiratory systems for our health. The least expensive diffusers will use a small heating element to evaporate the oils, or a small fan which moves air more quickly over the oils for the same effect. These are usually excellent choices for a small bedroom or office. A little more high-tech are the humidifying ultrasonic diffusers, which are actually just small ultrasonic humidifiers. They do a wonderful job in small to medium environments, particularly in dry climates or during the winter with forced-air heat systems.

There are other simple, inexpensive ‘low-tech’ methods of diffusing essential oils. These are as simple as candle warmers — where a candle gently evaporates a few drops of essential oil floating on a small bowl of water above a tea-light candle (don’t forget the water! So many people report these devices burn their oils, but they’ve put them just over the heat!). A Reed Diffuser is also common, which evaporates aromatic oils through bamboo reeds and slowly into the air. Though they do most often use a synthetic dispersion agent called DPG or dipropylene glycol, which most aromatherapists will not recommend using, as at some point the diffusion process requires one breathing in its vapors.

The high end of aromatherapy diffusers are called cold-air nebulizing diffusers. The use nothing but a pressurized stream of air to make a fine mist of essential oil, which then evaporates directly into the air. The best of these units have a variable output control so they can be properly adjusted to the size of the room and/or the desired concentration of aroma in the air. The nebulizing diffuser has the capability of both simply diffusing oils for their aromatic effects, and to go so far as to deliver true therapy in aroma medicine. The classic aroma medicine texts show images of people placed in oxygen-style tents inhaling significant quantities of essential oil vapor to cure them of very serious infectious diseases. This effect can be created in small rooms, though it is important to have the guidance of a natural health professional before including this modality in a treatment program for yourself or a loved one. At the same time, these techniques are very worthwhile investigating, and the curing of infectious illness is considered one of the most promising medical application of essential oil therapy.

The choice of oils you can use in a diffuser is even more diverse than the kinds of diffusers available. It is really best to start with your desired reason for diffusing oils, then select your oils following this guideline. For general use, Citrus oils are very lovely, and combine very well to make your own unique scents. Try Lemon, Lime, Bergamot, Orange and Grapefruit together for example. Or the “evegreen” oils all blend together well: Fir, Spruce, Pine and Juniper create a very welcoming and warm atmosphere. Floral oils can be easily blended too, as can the woods and the herbs. Once you venture outside of blending oils from the same family, you’ll want to pay a little closer attention to the ratios of each oil you use, as it’s easy to make odd smelling recipes if you just start putting in “a little of this and a little of that”! On can always use a single oil at any time, particularly if you really enjoy one, but in the long run, blends can often be more interesting to the advanced aromatherapy user.

Finally, if you’re wanting to diffuse with specific therapeutic purposes in mind, you might want find some recipes from Aromatherapists created with your needs in mind. Lavender diffused during the course of the night (in very small amounts) can significantly improve sleep — this would be considered a therapeutic application. To improve mental clarity, Rosemary has shown positive results in many studies, and is a lovely stimulating aroma. To support the immune system, some therapists recommend a blend of Rosemary, Thyme Linalool, Hyssop and Melissa. You can pick and choose among the immune supportive oils that sound best for your needs — and the essential oils from herbs also seem to easily blend well together to create a fun and healing combination.

So there is a primer on diffusing essential oils. To recap, first pick the diffuser style that will suit your needs, whether you’ll just like to smell the aromas in a smaller space, or diffuse significant quantities for health reasons. Next, you can blend one oil at a time (diffusers usually do not require one to clean them between oils, nor are the therapeutic effects significantly altered by this), by a pre-blended formula, or create your own diffuser mixture. Just be sure not to include any fixed or carrier oils for diffuser use (many massage formulas can be converted to diffuser use simply by removing the carrier oil). Start slowly, remembering that you’ll generally need less oil than you think to produce the effect you need. And welcome yourself to a whole new world of natural medicine!

There are many forms of drug and alcohol abuse. Some people binge drink while others drink just to get though the day or to cure their hang over from the previous night. Same with drugs, some abuse street drugs while others take excessive amounts of prescription pills but yet feel it is ok to take the prescription pills since they were prescribed. Whatever your choice of addiction is, they have one thing in common, low self esteem.

According to Selfesteeminternational.org, recovering addicts and alcoholics indicate that low self esteem is the biggest problem in their lives. They feel alcohol is only a symptom to the alcoholic’s real disease, alcohol or drugs act as a mask. Low self esteem causes and contributes to anxiety, neurosis, defensiveness and ultimately

Selfesteeminternational.org surveyed some 18 year olds who reported using drugs or alcohol heavily. They reported using when they were as young as seven. They indicated feeling alienated by their families, not good enough, anxious, unhappy and overly impulsive. 66% of high school seniors surveyed reported using drugs or alcohol heavily in order to fit in and fill a personal void.

Drugs and alcohol are self destructive behaviors but sometimes the pain is too much to bare and people begin to self medicate through drugs and alcohol. Addicts use their addictions to help them work through to pain of self hate, or so they think. By drinking or using drugs a vicious cycle of more self hatred starts and before you know it, your life is completely out of control. One drink turns into two, two turns in to three and before you know it your life is all about drinking. You family doesn’t want you around, you have spent all your money and lost your job. Your actions only lead to more self hate and disappointment in yourself.

People have low self esteem for many reasons. However, low self esteem is not caused from one isolated incident but by repetitive criticism over many years. The criticism can come from anyone, a parent, a sibling, teacher or society in general. It is difficult to estimate how many people are experiencing low self esteem, but it is safe to say many people suffer from at least one of the symptoms. Maybe you are happy to see someone fail, overly aggressive, do not recognize your own good qualities, or try to please others because you do not know how to say no.

Fortunately there is help out these for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. One of the most important factors in recovery is acceptance of the disease and being able to identify why you choose to be an addict in the first place. Often it is difficult to address years of low self esteem in a twelve week program. That is why follow up counseling and treatment is recommended. One new treatment that is being recommended is hypnosis. Hypnosis works with the subconscious mind to identify painful memories causing the low self esteem and help the patient work through the memory and develop new self confidence. Hypnosis is done in a safe environment and is chemical free which appeals to many recovering addicts.

Some people feel therapy and counseling is the best and only treatment needed to help recovering addicts. Unfortunately, if this were true all rehab facilities would offer a 100% cure rate. Most can not even offer a 70% cure rate. It is important to have a treatment plan that will help to identify why you started abusing drugs or alcohol in the first place, and this is difficult to do with a counselor. Often addicts have little trust in counselors and are more censored when talking until they get to know the counselor. Since hypnosis works with the subconscious mind, it allows the addict to think and speak openly about low self esteem issues.

Drug and alcohol abuse is a very serious problem, but what is more concerning is the underlying behavior of self hate. Until that issue is dealt with, the thought of alcohol and drug abuse is always there for the addict. There are many ways to help improve self esteem but why not do it in a safe environment and start dealing with the real problem today.

The great tide of Western medicine is turning: we’ve become so jaded with the obvious inadequacies and waste of our medical institutions, with a deep feeling that “something just ain’t right”, that Natural Medicine is quickly becoming mainstream. It’s about time! When did “Conventional” medicine become “Alternative”? Now plant medicine is quickly coming back in favor — folks are trusting the beauty and grace of planet Earth, and that she has all the medicine we’ll ever need. And with that, enter Aroma Medicine. No longer do we need to feel a little odd talking about Aroma “Therapy”; while this has always really been defined as the branch of medicine utilizing the organic volatile molecules produced by plants, the term has been stigmatized in North America to some “New Age” foolishness. But researchers around the globe are telling a different story…

The body of evidence published in peer-reviewed scientific journals proclaiming the valid medical effects of essential oils is growing by leaps and bounds. Simple searches through online databases produce incredible numbers of results: Searching the site of the National Center for Biotechnology Information for the term “essential oil” yields over eight thousand results of studies involving essential oils used in aromatherapy, and “new” essential oils from plants yet to be included in modern aromatherapy’s repertoire. Consider the implications of the first result: the essential oil from Lemons prevents dementia. This is common, wonderful smelling essential oil that one can use to clean the house prevent brain damage at the same time. And this is just the tip of the iceberg; the biochemical and physiological actions of essential oils are very, very diverse.

Further down the same page is an abstract confirming the beauty of natural medicines: All the natural molecular constituents of Thyme essential oil have an additive antimicrobia effect — science and industry has a habit of extracting a single component, patenting it, and bringing it to market while forgetting to tell us that natural Thyme oil itself is even more effective. Other jaw-dropping notes about essential oils: Clove oil has the highest Oxidative Radical Absorbance Capacity of any natural substance ever tested — over 100,000, on a scale where blueberries score about 5,000 and Wolfberries are about 30,000. A large number of studies have confirmed the stress reducing effects of Lavender, going to far to show reduced Cortisol levels AND an increase in the body’s natural scavenging of oxidtive radicals — JUST FROM SMELLING the oil!

Perhaps the most important effects of all are those seen in the treatment of serious illnesses. Many modern medical aromatherapists believe the greatest promise of essential oils still lay in the development of protocols for treatment of infectious disease. The MRSA “superbug”, referring to one of several strains of Staphylococcus bacteria that are resistant to the powerful antibiotic drug Methicillin, has become an overwhelming problem in the world’s hospitals. Folks go in for care of one condition, and while their immune defenses are low, they come down with an infection that’s very hard to cure (because man-made antibiotics don’t work). Enter essential oils: Pub Med is filled with studies showing the efficacy of essential oils like Tea Tree and Geranium against MRSA (particularly when combined with another potent natural antibacterial, Grapefruit Seed Extract).

And for the really big one: essential oils are showing great promise in the treatment of many cancers. Frankincense and Lemongrass are just two of the oils that have been shown anti-tumorial, and Sandalwood has been show to specifically prevent skin cancers from UVB radiation exposure. Searching for “Frankincense tumor” gives a first result of: “Frankincense oil derived from Boswellia carteri induces tumor cell specific cytotoxicity”. The conclusion states: “Frankincense oil appears to distinguish cancerous from normal bladder cells and suppress cancer cell viability…” There are many more results like this, with a variety of oils and a variety of cancer cell lines. This is a very exiting time for natural medicine, as a combination of new extraction techniques, and faster turn around times in research facilities made lead to new, life saving protocols in the very near future (and it’s important that we as members of the world community keep voicing our opinions, and making these changes in our available medical treatments — it’s not only good for us, it’s good for the world as well, as the production of natural medicines takes SO much less energy than their pharmaceutical “equivalents”).

Essential oils offer so much more than these treatments, too! So much concentrated wellness is available to the average family taking part in the aromatherapy lifestyle. Tea Tree and Lavender (mix them 50/50 and keep a small bottle available) is perhaps the most potent antibacterial, nicest smelling and gently soothing formula for all the cuts and scrapes of childhood. Helichrysum italicum essential oil has profound healing and pain relieving effects on bumps, bruises, twists, sprains and all muscular sore spots — and it works fast. Lavender and Helichrysum are excellent for burns; use a couple drops “neat” next time you may (God forbid!) touch a hot stove and you’ll be extolling the virtues of essential oils in no time. Kids getting unruly? A belly or back rub with Roman Chamomile or Mandarin (2% in Hazelnut oil) does the trick. Try 1% Vanilla for the toddlers. You can create blends specifically for the needs of your skin to dramatically improve eczema symptoms, reduce wrinkles, make scars slowly fade, eliminate acne and athlete’s foot, and just bring a fantastic glow to your face. So many great smelling medicines from so many plants!

Sure, this can sound a little overwhelming…where, really, to start when you’re new to it all? Well, that’s the trick: just get started. Anyone in your family not sleeping well? Rub a drop of lavender on each foot at bedtime for a few nights and see what happens. Someone with athlete’s foot or other similar rashes? Mix 30 drops of Tea Tree and 30 drops of Palmarosa into a fluid ounce of Jojoba oil and massage into the area a couple times a day. Just get a simple diffuser, some Black Spruce essential oil and make your house smell like the middle of the forest. Dab a drop of Rose, Amber, Jasmine or Sandalwood oil to your wrist, rub them together and smell like heaven. It’s that easy. And these simple ideas get you ready for when you might need to tap into the serious medicine available here. Essential oils won’t be foreign anymore, and you’ll start to trust their real medicinal value. Also, there are tons of great books, and very qualified teachers. Open your eyes and heart to the world of Aroma Medicine, and you’ll be sure to find your way.

It’s common for us to identify ourselves by our body. We label ourselves tall, short, thin, muscular, curvy, healthy, and unhealthy and so on. Very few of us are able to step outside of this definition and see our body for what it really is – a blessed vehicle which carries us through our joys, our troubles, our victories and our challenges.

Rather than define it and let that definition rule how you treat your body, because really you are much more than tall or short, thin or curvy, why not take supreme care of it. Why not treat it as the wonderful vehicle it is?

Let’s use a common metaphor for the human body, a car. They’re both vehicles which if taken care of will last you a long time. A car, no matter what style or model, will get you where you need to go. Your body, if taken care of, will do the same.

How Do You Care For Your Car And How Do You Care For Your Body?

More often than not, many of us tend to treat our cars better than our own bodies. Our cars get the best gas in the tank, even if it’s more expensive that regular gas. Following this act of generosity towards our car, we proceed to fueling our bodies with food void of any nutritional value. We begin a ritual of washing our cars every week, with the metaphor being a car spa but yet we rarely spend time or money on any ritual of basic self care.

We ignore the knocks and pings the very loud signals our body gives us when it needs something and yet the slightest shimmy or gurgle from under the hood of our car sends us to the auto mechanic for a diagnostic.

You might be thinking ‘but it’s dangerous to ignore these sounds from your car.” This is true, squeaking brakes or a grinding noise from the rear axel could cause an accident. However, the sounds and signals your body gives you are just as dangerous. We’ve all heard the horror stories about a friend or family member who ignored the signs and then it was too late.

Instead of continuing to follow this path, appreciate whatever shape, form and situation your body is in. It has taken you where you have needed to go, and so far hasn’t let you down. Embrace your healthy whole body as of right now, because while you are much more than your body itself, you just can’t exist and experience life without it.

Some Questions to Consider:

If you don’t take care of your car, it will be of no help to you when you need it. This includes putting in the proper fuel. If you are not, start making small changes beginning today. Drink enough water; replace junk food or fast food with food high in nutrients. Your body will take you far if you feed it well.

Are you noticing the check engine light shining at you from the dashboard? This is self care we are talking about here. It doesn’t have to be massages twice a week or expensive spa weekends four times a year, but if you can afford it, by all means, enjoy! If this isn’t a possibility, go for a walk, enjoy a bubble bath in candle light, schedule a family game night – there are many fantastic ways to take a step back to enjoy your life, find a balance and take care of the signals your body is shouting at you to be recognized.

It makes complete sense to take care of your personal well-being in all ways you know how and are capable of. You can choose to wait until the car breaks down on the side of the road to get the repaired done, or you can choose regular maintenance, bringing the car in for diagnostic checks at the first sign of a shudder or rattle that doesn’t feel right, or that spot of oil you just noticed in the driveway, any problem.

Last but not least, when you find the tread wearing thin on your tires, you replace them right? Each of us needs to take time out to evaluate the steady running of our lives, where we are and where we want to be. It’s normal for our needs change over time and ignoring these changing needs results in us ignoring who we really are – and this is not good for our health or our happiness.

So, next time you’re at the gas station or washing your car step back and remember that you wouldn’t be able to do any of those tasks if it weren’t for the divine vehicle you’re residing in – your body. Take great care of it; it’s the only one you get.