Holistic Healing Benefits of Therapeutic Essential Oils

The use of plant aromatics for the holistic healing of mind, body, and spirit is called aromatherapy. The Holistic Healing Benefits of Therapeutic Essential Oils are that the essential oil products can assist the human body with its natural healing abilities. Holistic healing and alternative medicine provides a foundation for the body in healing itself. Using essential oils gives one the therapeutic benefits of utilizing healing properties that include a broad spectrum of benefits to the body, mind, and spirit.

In my first hub Therapeutic Essential Oils and Healing there you learned of the importance of purchasing therapeutic grade essential oils to receive the full benefits of what the herbal oils have to offer. The second hub Therapeutic Essential Oils and Healing Naturally provide more insight of how to recognize if you are purchasing a quality product and provided NAHA’s top ten list of natural herbal oils.

As you may know many times individuals cause pain and suffering on them simply by not slowing down long enough to pay attention to what their bodies are telling them is wrong. There are numerous warning signals prior to most disease that occurs to an individual; however those warning signals are often ignored. The fast pace that everyone lives causes ‘missed harmony’ between the mind, body, and spirit.

Since I cannot offer you a whiff of chamomile or lavender to relax your mind at this time; so please turn on the video for some relaxation music while you read. This will reveal to you how a moment of relaxation can make you feel better. When the mind, body, and spirit are working together disease stands less of a chance of winning.

Within this hub, it is my intent to expose you to just how enormous the world of therapeutic grade essential oils can be; and how these oils can assist one in healing one’s “whole self” (body, mind, and spirit). These essential oils can be analgesic or pain relieving, anti-depressant, anti-spasmodic, calming, sedative, stimulating, or uplifting. In fact, there are therapeutic values of a variety of essential oil products that work to benefit specific body systems such as the circulatory system, respiratory, digestive or central nervous system; thus invoking the spirit from within.

Specific Aromatherapy Applications

 “There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and you hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking.” —William James, the father of modern psychology (1842-1910)

Thoughts and emotions reflect an individual’s emotional well being; an important factor is in one’s overall health. When your emotions and thoughts are out of sync, physical imbalances and illnesses are more likely to surface. The next time you are stressed stop for a moment and breathe and check out your body to see what is hurting.

I can almost guarantee that your neck maybe tight, shoulders hurting, and or there’s the beginnings of a head ache. Well there are some therapeutic oils that can help to relieve stress and place the mind into a more relaxed state. Here are some therapeutic essential oils that can address negative emotions and bring about holistic healing of the mind:

Stress:

The emotions of having anxiety, excessive tension, and stress are often associated with chronic illnesses, including cancer. Studies done on the stress and anxiety effects of orange essential oil in female dental patients revealed that the oil created a soothing effect, bringing calmness, peace, and balance without negative side effects.. To relieve stress some of the essential oils are bergamot, chamomile, lavender, marjoram, neroli (orange blossom), rose, sandalwood, and valerian which can assist in slowing brain waves.

Depression:

The aroma of essential oils triggers physiological and psychological responses. These oils lift our moods, aid in fighting mild to moderate depression by calming aggressive behavior, and help an individual to deal with trauma. Essential oils also can increase memory, lower anxiety, and even affect one’s dreams. Antidepressant qualities are found in some oils such as cardamom, chamomile, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, cypress, lavender, lemon, orange, neroli, rose, and ylang-ylang.

Insomnia:

According to a study performed in 1988 and reported to the International Journal of Aromatherapy, “Lavender Beats Benzodiazepines”. Lavender promotes sleep, enhances relaxation, and decreases anxiety. A drop of pure lavender oil on a pillowcase or by one’s bedside will promote peaceful sleep. Sleep-promoting oils include clary sage, frankincense, geranium, melissa, mandarin, sandalwood, and tangerine can be inhaled, rubbed on the skin with massage oil or lotion, or used in bathwater.

Stimulation:

Inhaling oils triggers a chain of internal reactions resulting from the release of endorphins (powerful mood elevating substances), to boosting the immune system, to producing pleasant, euphoric sensations, and creating a sense of well-being. Many natural oils will stimulate the mind and keep you alert including basil, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cypress, ginger, jasmine, peppermint, rosemary, and sage. Needless to say, these natural oils should NOT be used close to bedtime unless you are using them to enhance one’s libido (i.e. peppermint for the ladies). You will have to see my hub titled Aromatherapy to Essential Oils to Spice Up a Love Life to learn more about such stimulating therapeutic oils.

"Our intellect can be deceived,
Our feelings manipulated,
Our perceptions confused
And our body tricked with medication
But some day the body will present its bill," —Alice Miller, psychologist and author, Paths of Life

You probably noticed while reading the list for emotional well being of the mind that many therapeutic essential oils function in dual roles. The same can be said for the herbal oils that are applied to the body as well. In an age where antibiotics are growing weaker due to over usage and superbugs are regenerating quickly and growing stronger against well known antibiotics; many researchers believe it is time to turn to the plant kingdom for help. Essential oils are highly effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites according to many studies.

Bacterial Infections:

These oils can treat infections of the bladder, bowel, ear, gum, sinus, skin, and throat. The nature of the infection will determine whether the oils are inhaled or rubbed on the skin. The more gentle antibacterial oils include bay rum, benzoin, cardamom, eucalyptus, frankincense, geranium lavender, lemon, lemongrass, marjoram, myrrh, myrtle, pine rose, sage, and tea tree. There are numerous organic essential oils that are great bacteria fighters. Oils isolated from the first group because they have the potential to be skin irritants are bay laurel, cinnamon, clove bud, garlic, oregano, savory, and thyme are powerful antibacterial agents.

Cuts and wounds can be treated with sprays or salves that contain specific drops of essential oils isolated from basil, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, marjoram, rosemary, tea tree, or thyme. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can be treated with baths, sitzbaths, and massages using certain essential oils. Or a massage oil containing sandalwood, niaouli and or cajeput (types of tea tree oils) can be rubbed into the abdomen and kidney region of the lower back.

Viral Infections:

Often ingredients in cough drops and cold and flu medications cause other problems to occur within your body when you take them. Well there are numerous essential oils that offer natural antibiotic properties. Nevertheless, most doctors are not trained in using essential oils, but are well trained in using prescription potent antibiotics.

Just imagine going to the doctor and having them say, take two drops of this essential oil every hour until you feel better. Most likely will not happen but, these oils anti-viral therapeutic essential oils are bay, bergamot, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon bark, clove bud, eucalyptus, garlic, geranium, holy basil, juniper, lavender, melissa, lemongrass, lemon, marjoram, myrrh, oregano, rose, rosemary sage, tea tree, and thyme.

Headaches:

This pain can be caused by numerous reasons, such as stress, physical and mental fatigue, strenuous lifestyle, nervous tension, or muscle tension. Essential oils can assist in easing the pain associated with headaches. When inhaled, a variety of oils including basil, chamomile, lavender, lemongrass, marjoram, melissa, and peppermint can provide relief from headaches of different origins. 

High Blood Pressure:

Hypertension is not something an individual should play with; especially since angina, strokes, and thrombosis as well as arteriosclerosis are associated with this illness. Oils that have been shown to lower blood pressure, includes, clary sage, geranium, melissa, neroli, orange, rose, tangerine, and ylang ylang. Make sure these oils are natural and 100% pure. If you have high blood pressure there are therapeutic essential oils that you should avoid because in their potent state they can raise your blood pressure these are: hyssop, rosemary, sage, and thyme.

Pain Relief:

Therapeutic essential oils may be gently massaged into sore and tired muscles or made into a compress and applied with heat. Aromatherapy can enhance the production of endorphins and activate neurotransmitters in the brain that alleviate pain. The body can receive these applications through compresses, lotions, liniments, massage oils, or a wonderfully warm and luxurious bath. Essential oils reduce pain by different mechanisms:

Anti-inflammatory: Inflammation is associated with most chronic diseases. It’s one of the body’s warning signals usually resulting from  a poor diet, bacteria, hormonal imbalances, injuries, and or reactions to chemicals.Diminish pain through anti-inflammatory actions by applying natural oils such as chamomile, geranium, juniper, lavender, marjoram, myrrh, rose, and tea tree.

Brain: Ever noticed when you are in pain that if you can relax the pain will begin to subside a little. Well, essential oils like frankincense, ginger, and lemongrass interfere with the brain’s processing of pain signals.

Heat: Some oils for example bay laurel, bay rum, black pepper, cinnamon, clove bud, ginger, juniper, peppermint, and thyme relieve pain by increasing circulation and producing heat.

Neurotransmitters: Essential oils like birch (containing aspirin-like compounds), cayenne, and ginger hinder the production of neurotransmitters that carry pain messages from nerve endings to the central nervous system.

Numbing: Dull the pain by numbing nerve endings by using such oils as clove bud, frankincense chamomile, lavender, and lemongrass.

Relaxation: To help relieve pain through relaxation try using chamomile, clary sage, lavender, lemon, lemon eucalyptus, lemon verbena, marjoram, melissa (lemon balm), myrtle, and petitgrain (a citrus-related plant).

Healing the Spirit from Within

“If we feel distress, embarrassment, or anger, we think we’ve really blown it. Yet feeling emotional upheaval is not a spiritual faux pas; it’s the place where the warrior learns compassion. It’s where we learn to stop struggling with ourselves. It’s only when we can dwell in these places that scare us that equanimity becomes unshakable."
—Pema Chodron, American born Tibetan Buddhist nun, Beyond Rivalry

Slow down and take the time “to do you” and make that mind, body, and spirit connection. Relax to heal your mind, so that it can reenergize to heal your body, in order to heal the spirit within.  As stated earlier, it is felt that sickness often starts in the mind, or at the deeper level of the spirit, and it is often here that healing begins.

Spiritual healers see the mind, body, and spirit as one interdependent unit and believe all three must work in harmony to maintain positive healthy lifestyle. Any problem - be it a broken leg or depression needs the power of healing to restore the balance to the whole person.  Needless to say, therapeutic essential oils can assist in restoring balance to an individual in order for the holistic healing process to begin.

Namaste!

Disclaimer: This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE.  Before engaging in any complementary medical technique, including the use of natural or herbal remedies, you should do your own research, and then consult your present physician. If your doctor does not believe in alternative medicines and you would like to give them a try then find a reputable doctor, TCM specialist, certified herbalist or naturopathist familiar with alternative medicines that can assist you in deciding what treatments might meet your specific needs.