Natural Body Guru

I read an article in a health magazine by Elizabeth Agnvall today and she confirmed something I’ve been saying all along. Agnvall’s article listed seven medical procedures you don’t need. I won’t go into all seven, but the third procedure on her list is the prescription of antibiotics for mild to moderate sinus infections. I know several people who run to the doctor at the slightest sign of a cold or the sniffles and demand a prescription for antibiotics. I told one friend that when she really got a bad sinus infection the antibiotics are not going to work for her because her body has gotten too accustomed to them.

Most sinus infections are caused by viruses and the drugs only work against bacterial infections. Using them too often will make you susceptible to more virulent types of drug resistant bacteria. My recommendation is to use natures’s own medicines, essential oils. The next time you have sinusitis, use essential oils in any of the following ways.

To really open your sinuses, use 3 drops of rosemary, 1 drop of thyme and 1 drop of peppermint in the steam inhalation method. If you have to go to work, make a blend of 2 drops rosemary, 1 drop of geranium and 1 drop of eucalyptus and put 1 drop of this blend on a tissue and inhale the aroma throughout the day. Lastly, blend together 5 drops of rosemary, 5 drops of geranium,  2 drops of eucalyptus and 3 drops of peppermint. Then use 5 drops of the blend per 1 teaspoon of sweet almond oil and massage around your neck, in front of and behind your ears, over the cheekbone, the nose and the forehead. I do this before going to bed and it makes for a very restful sleep.

My 19 year old granddaughter is deathly afraid of needles and refuses to go to the dentist for that reason. Needless to say, she now has gone from a toothache to an abscessed tooth. When things get that bad, (she says the tooth has been painful since she was 16,) I think the best thing for her to do is to go to the dentist and have that tooth removed; but first she has to get the swelling and infection out of the area. Her jaw is so swollen it looks like she is holding a ping pong ball in her mouth!

If you have an abscess, your white blood cells are rushing to an area of your body where bacteria has collected. The white blood cells are your body’s defense mechanism against bacteria and infection. To treat abscesses, make a compress and use 2 drops lavender, 2 drops tea tree, and 3 drops chamomile. Apply the compress to the swollen area twice each day until it is gone. Other oils you can substitute are eucalyptus, lemon, or juniper.

For a dental abscess, put 1 drop of chamomile on a cotton ball and apply it directly to the abscess. Rub your jaw and cheek with 3 drops of lavender and 2 drops of tea tree diluted in a teaspoon of sweet almond oil. Other essential oils that are good to treat dental abscesses are lemon, geranium, bergamot and myrrh.

Many people are now using aromatherapy as their remedy for common health conditions. Aromatherapy is an alternative form of medicine that uses essential oils or volatile liquid from plant materials and certain aromatic compounds. Basically, the essential oils have an effect on an individual’s health or mood.

There are four different modes of application for aromatherapy essential oils:

• Aerial diffusion for aerial disinfection or environmental fragrancing
• Direct inhalation for respiratory decongestion, expectoration, and disinfection
• Topical applications for body compresses, baths, and therapeutic care for the skin or general massage
• Oral applications for congestion and parasites

The third part of this series will include ways to use essential oils to effect your health or mood.

Therapeutic grade essential oils are mainly concentrated herbs and people are missing out on their health benefits because of the misconception that they are only for elevating mood and as perfume oils. Numerous essential oils also have properties that kill germs, purify the air and much more. They can be used as alternative first aid care for everything from acne to urinary infections.

If you would like to add additional essential oils to the basic three we discussed in the previous post, you may wish to include rosemary, peppermint, orange, geranium and lemon. Your Aromatherapy First Aid Kit should also include carrier oils such as almond oil, jojoba oil, and or shea oil to mix your essential oils in, plus aloe vera, vitamin E and garlic oil, which can be created by mixing garlic cloves with sweet almond or grape seed oil.

Many people are now using aromatherapy as their remedy of choice for common health conditions. Aromatherapy is an alternative form of medicine that uses essential oils or volatile liquid from plant materials and certain aromatic compounds. Basically, the essential oils have an effect on an individual’s health or mood.

There are four different modes of application for aromatherapy essential oils:

• Aerial diffusion for aerial disinfection or environmental fragrancing
• Direct inhalation for respiratory decongestion, expectoration, and disinfection
• Topical applications for body compresses, baths, and therapeutic care for the skin or general massage
• Oral applications for congestion and parasites

The third part of this series will include more ways to use essential oils to effect your health or mood.

Take a look at your current health care plan and you can see why people are seeking alternative health care remedies. It’s no wonder people are looking for cheaper alternatives; especially for routine illnesses like common colds, sinusitis, constipation and migraines. Some folks are even finding remedies for arthritis, psoriasis, alopecia and other chronic and mild illnesses.

Naturopaths say that for every illness, there is a suitable natural healing alternative. Aromatherapy is a viable, much less expensive alternative health care option which uses essential oils, the volatile liquid from plant materials and certain aromatic compounds. Essential oils have an effect on an individual’s health or mood. Using these oils before you get sick is an excellent way to prevent many illnesses from occurring at all. If you do catch a cold or some other common illness, it will be much less severe.  It is definitely worth your while to really look into using these natural products to keep yourself and your family healthy.

Many people are interested in using essential oils in their home because they are finding out that essential oils are the powerful medicines nature created to keep us healthy instead of the high priced chemically enhanced products we get from the drug store. If you want to start using natural essential oils in your home medicine cabinet as a natural alternative to chemicals, the ones I suggest for your basic kit are lavender, tea tree, peppermint, chamomile, eucalyptus, geranium, rosemary, thyme, lemon, and clove. These essential oils are chosen for their medical properties first and second for their ability to take care of a broad range of health problems. We will discuss all of these oils eventually but today, let’s look into peppermint essential oil.

Peppermint has been used by many cultures (Egyptians, Chinese, and American Indians) for thousands of years because of its healthful properties. It is a superb digestive, it helps the respiratory system and promotes circulation, it is an anti-inflammatory and it is an antiseptic. These qualities make peppermint oil an excellent choice to use in the treatment of indigestion, flatulence, bad breath, headaches and migraines, skin irritations, toothache, and fatigue. Peppermint oil is very strong so if you’re going to rub it on your skin, always use a carrier oil and do not ingest it. I have put ONE drop of peppermint oil in my green tea when I didn’t have any peppermint tea bags and I liked it just as well as the tea bag but it might be something you have to work up to. I’ve used it many times for upset stomach too but I never take it neat, always mixed in water or tea. Lastly, if you put 5 drops of peppermint oil on a cottonball and put it in strategic places in your home, it can help to keep pests like mice, fleas, and ants away. Talk about a versatile essential oil!

Children can get diarrhea for many reasons, such as physical problems like bacteria, viruses, flu and ear infections. Maybe the child has an allergic reaction to a medication or even a food. Stress from nervous tension can also cause diarrhea in children, maybe from a bully at school or from hearing parental arguments that he or she doesn’t understand.

Whatever the cause of the diarrhea, it is very important that you do not let the child become dehydrated. Replace the lost fluids with lots of liquids and if the diarrhea continues for more than 24 hours, consult your physician. Give your child diluted soups and drinks with honey in them. Do not force them to eat solid food and don’t give them any dairy products because that will only make things worse.

Use any of the oils below  in a massage oil to rub gently on the abdomen:

• chamomile 
• geranium
• sandalwood
• ginger

You can also use this massage oil formula:

• 5 drops of ginger
• 8 drops of sandalwood
• 8 drops chamomile

Dilute these oils in 2 tablespoons of liquid shea oil.

Your child’s constipation can be caused by anything from a change in food habits to stress, and even by the way he or she is toilet trained. Stools become dry and pellet like. You can usually relieve this problem quickly with a combination of essential oil massage and plenty of fruit juice and water. You can also dilute any of the following essential oils in 2 tablespoons of sweet almond oil:

ESSENTIAL OILS TO TREAT CONSTIPATION

• geranium
• rosemary
• patchouli
• chamomile
• mandarin
• tangerine

Here is a synergistic blend of essential oils to treat your child’s constipation. Dilute in 2 tablespoons of  sweet almond oil 4 drops of geranium, 6 drops of patchouli and 15 drops of mandarin. Give the child a large glass of natural fruit juice and water at bedtime and then gently massage his whole abdomen in the same direction the intestines go, clockwise.

I don’t know how old I was when I had chicken pox but I think it was about Kindergarten or 1st grade. I do remember how much it itched and standing on a chair while my mother rubbed lotion on me while she told me not to scratch. I still have the scars to prove that it is not good to scratch but it’s very hard not to do so.

Chicken pox is a viral infection that is highly contagious and can be caught more than once. The virus can also lie dormant and then reappear later in life as shingles. A child can catch the virus two weeks before any symptoms appear. Symptoms include fever, a small rash that can turn into blisters that burst and crust over. The spots usually start on the trunk but can spread to the face and limbs. The child should be isolated until the scabs are completely gone.

Sleep is one of the best treatments for chickenpox and bed rest may also keep the fever down. To sooth the irritating itch, add 10 drops of lavender and 10 drops of chamomile German to a 4 ounce bottle of calamine lotion and shake the bottle well. Apply the lotion all over the body twice a day. A bath can also relieve the itching so add 2 drops of lavender essential oil to 1 cup of bicarbonate of soda and mix it in the bath water. It is also helpful to spray the air with an antiviral mixture of 8 drops of tea tree and 4 drops of thyme shaken in 1 cup of water in a plant spray bottle.