Natural Body Guru

Over exercised muscles cause pain and sometimes even tremble as we try to continue using them. The best therapy is rest followed by a hot bath and a massage. Use ice if there is swelling and pain caused by inflammation. After the rest and ice, take a hot bath into which you have added two drops of lemon essential oil and three drops of marjoram essential oil and soak for as long as possible.

After your bath, massage the aching muscles with 5 drops each of eucalyptus, peppermint, and ginger essential oils diluted in one tablespoon of a carrier oil such as shea or jojoba oil. If there is no relief after this, you may have an injury and you should see a physician!

Perfume wearers are often faced with the same dilemma. They want to be enveloped in a soft fragrance all day, but if they put just a little bit of perfume on it will wear off by the middle of the day. If they put on enough to last through the day, then in the morning they will be overwhelming the senses of everyone around them.

The best technique for striking the perfect balance is layering. Begin the day by showering with a scented body wash that compliments the body oil fragrance you favor. Follow up the shower with a matching scented moisturizer. Finally, before you head out the door, spray perfume on the inside of your wrists and behind each ear. This should leave you smelling sweet all day long.

Are you confused about whether to use an ointment, a lotion or a cream to relieve your dry skin? These terms describe the way skin care products are prepared. Ointments are prepared using oil and may stay on your skin longer but many people don’t like them because they are  greasy and don’t soak into the skin. Creams are less oily than ointments and can be made from natural products so they do soak into the skin easily. Lotions are water-based and get absorbed into the skin quickly, causing instant, but not long-lasting, relief. For longer-lasting relief, choose ointments or creams.

If you have dry or itchy skin, avoid using too much soap, antiperspirants,  hot baths or anything else that removes your natural oils. Skin dryness and itchiness is worse when the humidity is low and you should definitely avoid stress, too much exposure to the sun, and smoking or secondhand smoke.

The essential oils used to treat level 4 stress problems are called absolutes. They are heavier than other essential oils and also more expensive. If you have used the blends for levels 1, 2 and 3 and have not gotten any relief, and you want to continue on a natural pathway to good health, I recommend you try the absolutes. Your next alternative after the absolutes is going to a physician or a psychiatrist. You can lighten these absolute formulas by adding 1 to 2 drops of lemon, bergamot or pettigraine essential oils as substitutes and you will not lessen the effectiveness of the recipes.

For general use you can try one of these three blends: 2 drops of narcissus and 5 drops of rose; 7 drops of michela alba and 2 drops of tonka bean; or 3 drops of osmanthus and 4 drops of hyacinth. For specific uses try the following:

Chronic Depression

• 3 drops osmanthus
• 3 drops jasmine

Increasing Anxiety

• 5 drops michela alba
• 6 drops jonquil

Heart Murmurs

• 8 drops rose
• 9 drops valerian

Specific blends for levels one and three types of stress:

Insomnia

• 14 drops lemon
• 9 drops marjoram
• 8 drops vetiver

Last week we talked about the four levels of stress and I started giving you recipes for stresses in level two. Today I have recipes for stresses in levels one and three. You can use one of the following three blends  for general use. First, 15 drops of clary-sage, 10 drops of lemon and 5 drops of lavender. Second, 15 drops of marjoram, 10 drops of lemon and 5 drops of chamomile. Last, 17 drops of pettigraine, 8 drops of nutmeg and 5 drops of neroli.

I also have some formulas you can try for more specific uses. Remember you can use the blend in a diffuser or a spray bottle. If you can not use either of those methods on the job, put one or two drops on a tissue and sniff it occasionally during the day at work. At night take a bath and use 6 to 8 drops of your blend in the bath water and also make a massage oil to rub over your body before bed.

Tiredness

• 10 drops lemon
• 15 drops lavender
• 5 drops clary-sage

Irritability

• 12 drops pettigraine
• 10 drops nutmeg
• 8 drops sandalwood

Headaches

• 10 drops geranium
• 10 drops chamomile
• 10 drops lavender

I am stressed from writing about stress. I am just going to give you a list of essential oil synergistic blends to use for distressed conditions that we all have at different times in our lives. This is a continuation of the synergistic blends for stress level 2 but these blends are for more specific uses such as:

Helplessness/Apathy

• 15 drops grapefruit
• 10 drops rosemary
• 5 drops lavender

Depression/Guilt

• 15 drops geranium
• 10 drops bergamot
• 5 drops lavender

Anxiety

• 10 drops geranium
• 10 drops lavender
• 10 drops palma rosa

Muscular Pain

• 15 drops cypress
• 10 drops lavender
• 5 drops rosemary

Unexplained Aches and Chills

• 15 drops ginger
• 10 drops lavender
• 5 drops cardamom

Digestive Problems

• 15 drops coriander
• 10 drops grapefruit
• 5 drops cypress

Yesterday, I talked about four levels of stress that get progressively worse and the essential oils to use to relieve their symptoms. These levels get steadily worse and I’m going to  give you some synergistic blends for their treatment. The only thing is, I’m going to group levels 1 and 3 together because their symptoms need essential oils with sedative and relaxing qualities. Level 2 needs oils with a stimulating quality so that your symptoms don’t elevate into level 3. If you have reached level 4, you need the heavier sedative quality essential oils also known as “hypnotics.”

The level 2 synergistic blends of stimulant oils for stress related disorders can be used in the office place to the benefit of everyone. You can use a plant spray bottle to disperse the oils in the air. I spray my desk, let it sit for a while and then wipe it down. It keeps down germs and keeps me calm in a stressful office environment. For all levels of stress, a bath after work is imperative – use 6 to 8 drops of  your synergistic blend or the essential oil of your choice. You can also use your stress relieving oils in a massage oil which can double as a body oil that you can put on before going to work.

Three Level 2 synergistic Blends – For General Use

Blend 1

• 9 drops bergamot
• 11 drops  geranium
• 10 drops ginger

Blend 2

• 15 drops grapefruit
• 11 drops rosemary
• 5 drops palma rosa

Mental stress affects each of us differently and the way we react to it determines the severity of our suffering from that stress. Mental stress can be caused by the agony of being an over achiever, test anxiety, and worry over jobs not completed, money, or unemployment. The essential oils to treat mental stress are geranium, lavender, sandalwood, basil, patchouli, bergamot, and grapefruit.

Emotional stress can be caused by problems in our relationships, parental guilt, grief, and the inability to give or receive love. The essential oils that will relieve these types of stress are geranium, bergamot, sandalwood, vetiver, palma rosa, cardamom and rose.

The stress types discussed so far this week in Natural Body Guru can happen to us in varying degrees. The essential oils mentioned can be mixed into synergistic blends to  accommodate each level of stress. The four intensifying levels of stress are as follows:

Level 1: starts as tiredness and grows into irritability, headaches, and insomnia

Level 2: depression, anxiety, muscular pain, chronic aches, persistent infections, guilt, apathy, and helplessness

Level 3: persecution complex, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, despair, increasing guild and depression, subject to viral and bacterial infections

Level 4: unexplained pain, heart problems, high blood pressure, strokes, ulcers, arthritis and further suppression of the immune system leading to all   types of physical problems.

If you can identify the level of your stress then you will be able to choose from the formulas and blends of oils that will be the most effective treatment for your stress. If you treat your stress at the lowest level, you can stop it from developing into the next higher level.  The medical field often distinguishes sharply between mental and physical health but the human mind and body work as one unit. To take care of one is to take care of the other.

Today we will look at three kinds of stress and the aromatherapy essential oils that are best to relieve them. Of course, nothing is cut and dried and one kind of stress can lead to another. The environmental stress you experience at work can lead to mental stress which, when you take it home with you,  can lead to emotional stress.

Environmental stress is caused by such things as fluorescent lights over your desk, machinery noise, constant phone calls, or too little space in which to work. Essential oils to treat environmental stress are cedarwood, coriander, geranium, cypress, chamomile, bergamot, and basil.

Chemical stress is caused by such things as too much coffee, too much alcohol, too much sugar, too many pharmaceuticals, smog and pollution. The best aromatherapy essential oils to treat chemical stress are lavender, patchouli, geranium, clary-sage, grapefruit, lemon and rosemary.

Physical stress is caused by pushing your body beyond its limits, for example, running in your fraternity’s “fun run,” working out at the gym, or continuously driving long distances.  Essential oils to treat physical stress are rosemary, chamomile, lavender, bergamot, thyme, marjoram, geranium or fennel.