Using Aromatherapy For Emotional Health

The yield of Melissa oil with steam distillations is very low, and can be under a tenth of a percent. It takes approximately three tons of plant material to yield 1/2 kilo of the pure essential oil. Also very few distillations are even attempted thus the high cost of this exceedingly rare herbal essential oil. Most of the Melissa oil found in the commercial marketplace are adulterations with Lemongrass and Citronella.

Melissa essential oil has powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. It has been used effectively for treating herpes lesions. It may useful for treating various infectious diseases such as flu virus, smallpox and mumps.

Robert Tisserand’s research indicates that Melissa blended with Rose Otto is an effective treatment against shingles and cold sores. He recommends it neat for adults to treat cold sores. As it is a strong skin irritant a dilution is advised.

Melissa is often recommended for relieving nausea and indigestion, especially when associated with nervous tension. It has been used in tacchycardia to slow the heart beat, and relieve palpitations. Melissa may also be useful for lowering blood pressure.

Dementia agitation may be relieved with Melissa oil. A recent study cited in the Journal of Complimentary Medicine reported Melissa oil to be a safe and effective treatment for the management of agitation in severe dementia. The study indicated that true pure Melissa oil significantly reduced agitation and enhanced quality of life.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) study of patients with mild to moderate symptoms using Melissa herbal essential oil experienced significant benefits in cognition after 16 weeks of treatment.

Emotionally, Melissa’s delightfully fresh scent may ameliorate anger and help restore the heart’s natural rhythm of giving and receiving, allowing and accepting. A regulator, depending on the circumstances for which it is used, Melissa is both calming and uplifting.

A mild sedative in small doses use Melissa to help calm fear and anxiety. Melissa may also be helpful for integrating overwhelming feelings like shock, grief, terror and rage. Blend Melissa with Frankincense to enhance its affect for letting go, acceptance and depth of understanding. As with Helichrysum oil Melissa may help resolve past emotional trauma associated with early childhood memories, or unconscious ancestral patterns.

CAUTION: Use Melissa in very low dilutions of 1-2%, or less, as it is a strong skin irritant.

PLEASE NOTE: There are many cheap, synthetic copies of aromatic oils, but these are not recommended for therapeutic use. For best results purchase the highest quality oils you can possibly find. Use certified organic essential oils, or oils that have been tested and are pesticide free.

Aromatherapy is a gentle and noninvasive complementary health care system used for balancing and synchronizing your body, mind, spirit and emotions to enhance your health. Properly administered essential oils are a natural, safe and effective way to enhance your health and well-being and may produce satisfying results where other methods have failed. Please consult with your physician regarding serious health concerns and do not attempt to self diagnose.

It is very popular these days and it is certainly an interesting approach to wellness, but what is aromatherapy all about? Well, aromatherapy is taking scents derived from plants and using them as a holistic means of therapy. As you may imagine, this is getting into the mainstream very quickly as aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing forms of holistic therapy. Also, quite interestingly, aromatherapy treatments are not only very popular with therapists, it is also becoming extremely popular with people buying oils over the counter to use themselves. Also, aromatherapy is sometimes used in clinics and hospitals for treatment of pain relief, even though some health professionals question it, but nevertheless it sometimes used for relieving pain caused by chemotherapy, or for the rehabilitation of cardiac patients, so its uses are certainly wide and varied.

So now we know that aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oils which have been derived from flowers, trees and shrubs, as with most treatments which come from Mother Nature, you will not be surprised to find out that aromatherapy is not a new technique.. In fact aromatherapy is a term coined by French chemist Ren Maurice Gattefoss in the 1920s, but, unbelievably it goes back even further than that, as research shows that aromatherapy and its various uses has dated back to early Persia, China and other Eastern countries and back then it was also used for sacred purposes. Like anything in life you get what you pay for and for good aromatherapy treatment you need to pay for either a good practitioner or you need to buy good quality oils.

The beauty of aromatherapy is that it does not only have to be used for the relief of pain, but it’s other uses can be to help take better care of your skin, or it can be used to relieve tension and fatigue but most people like to use it as a way of a relaxing pick me up. The reason for this is that the oils are claimed by some to help improve not only physical health but also emotional and spiritual health Now although it is said anyone can use aromatherapy, it is advised that it should not be used with infants and very young children, or immediately after surgery and also caution is urged with women that are pregnant So, to sum up, aromatherapy is the use of oils to help restore a persons psychological, emotional and physical health through the use of aromatic oils, now that is a very bold claim, but can it be substantiated?

Well, as you may imagine, as with most holistic practices, it is very wide open for debate. Of course it is of no surprise that this is the case, as medical science struggle to believe without concrete proof that people can be cured of ailments solely through the use of aromatic oils, simply because it is on the basis of being in harmony with natural healing. Also, quite surprisingly, a lot of holistic practitioners are of the opinion that aromatherapy is more of an art form than an actual healing process itself, so even this can make the issue seem even more fudged as to whether there are healing properties or not. So is it any surprise that there is confusion over exactly what aromatherapy can and can not do for you, because to be blunt, there is very little evidence to support all the claims made by aroma therapists regarding the various healing properties of oils.

Essential oils are a curiosity to many folks — they smell nice, but they’re just not sure what to do with them, never mind how to get the most from aromatherapy’s science-proven benefits (like antiviral, antibacterial and stress-reducing actions). So where to start?! Inhale! Breathe them in! By using a diffuser to accelerate the evaporation of oils in the air around you, not only does your place smell great, but its the best way to use the most sought-after uses of aromatherapy: immune system and emotional support. We’ll start with a quick review of the potential benefits of diffusing essential oils for your family, with specific notes for children, then look at the best diffusers for each use.

Scientifically Proven Health Benefits of Essential Oils

The big interests in home use of essential oils is twofold: 1) They can bring calm to overexcited youngsters while acting as antidepressants for everyone. 2) They have proven antibacterial and antiviral actions; they are able to destroy these microbes in the air, while simultaneously support the strength of our immune system. There’s a good bit of scientific data backing both these claims available for free viewing at PubMed.Gov — start by simply searching for “essential oil” and see where it takes you. Again, the easiest way to reap these benefits of essential oils is to use a diffuser to release the oils into the air in your environment. A diffuser simply evaporates oils faster than they would naturally, getting a therapeutic concentration into your living or office space — but there are many diffuser styles — we’ll help you find the one best suited to your needs.

Diffusers For Antiviral/Antimicrobial Action & Immune Support

For disinfecting the air in your environment, you need to evaporate a relatively high concentration of essential oils. The only way to do this effectively, while conserving the oils to keep costs to a minimum is to use a “nebulizing” diffuser in conjunction with a timer system. While these diffusers will have a somewhat higher initial cost, they’re the only diffusers that will output “therapeutic” doses of essential oils for every possible application. These diffusers “nebulize” the oils, making them into a fine, quickly evaporating mist. This is also the diffuser that will diffuse aroma in the largest area; so even if you’re only wanting a pleasing aroma in your home, for over 800 square feet, this is the diffuser of choice.

The nebulizers come in two styles: “cold air” and “ultrasonic”. The cold air units use only air pressure to diffuse the oils, and output the highest concentration of any diffuser type. The ultrasonic is essentially a small water-humidification unit, where oils are mixed with water and then evaporated. Both styles typically have output controls, so you can turn up or down the amount of oil being diffused. They are also both exceptionally quiet.

Diffusers for “Aroma”-therapy: Anti-Stress and Emotional Support

For simple aromatic use — where oils are used for uplifting your spirits, calming or helping your children sleep, or just making your environment smell fantastic, a “fan” or “warming” diffuser is totally appropriate. The fan diffusers work by blowing air from a small fan over a pad that has been saturated with essential oils — the warming diffusers work the same way, but with a little bit of heat (they don’t get so hot as to burn anyone, and are safe to use around kids). The fan units will emit a quiet hum when on, the warming units will be silent — and the fan units will generally emit aroma into a moderately-sized space, while the less-expensive warming units are suited for a single room.

Use Oils Efficiently with a Timer

The best way to use the least amount of essential oil for your needs is to use a timer — either built-in to the diffuser or a readily-available appliance timer. For ANY application, whether simple aromatic use or medicinal needs, one need only be exposed to the diffused oils for a few minutes at a time. Aromatically, your “smell scent” will become quickly accustom to the aroma, and you’ll start to think the diffuser isn’t working anymore. Running the diffuser for only a few minutes every half an hour lets your nose “forget” the oils are in the air. The same principal works for disinfecting the air and immune-system support — there’s no need to over-saturate the air with essential oils. They are so potent that there’s no need to continually diffuse a high concentration for these results.

Choosing Oils For Your Purpose

All essential oils have naturally different chemical make-ups. That’s what gives them their individual aromas and their individual therapeutic actions. For an uplifting, pleasing atmosphere, the “evergreen” oils are very nice: Fir Needle, Spruce, and Juniper Berry. These are excellent antidepressant aromatics too, along with the citrus oils: Bergamot, Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit and the like, plus Rose and other uplifting flower-scents. For calming and better rest, Lavender is the first choice; when folks aren’t a fan of this popular floral oil, Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang are great choices. For all the purposes, its important to use oils you or your family actually like the smell of! There are MANY oils to choose from, and by sampling a few, you’re sure to find something everyone enjoys.

For immune support and air-cleaning, there are many oils highly regarded for their antimicrobial actions. Bay laurel is very nice, and scientifically shown to be an effective anti-viral. “Plain” Lemon and Rosemary oils are excellent antibacterials, as is Lemon Tea Tree (very potent), Lemongrass, and Eucalyptus Radiata (shown specifically to help our white blood cells function better). Most oils that are sharper and brighter will be effective, but be careful as there are some herb-oils that are too strong to diffuse, like Oregano and Thyme, along with the spice oil Cinnamon. In any case, use your judgment with the aromas: if they seem to intense, they are — and either switch to a different oil or turn down the diffuser output. Also be aware that children are MUCH more sensitive to essential oils than adults — adjust your use as necessary, and consult a reputable guide to using essential oils with children.

Conclusion: Diffuse Your Oils for Best Results!

Diffusing essential oils is easy to do, and gives the best results for certain aroma-therapeutic applications — specifically those to do with preventing colds and flu, supporting emotions and bringing calm to a family environment. There are many diffusers to choose from — generally the more expensive units will offer the greatest potential for therapeutic uses, but they’re certainly not necessary to get started. The lowest-cost warming diffusers are only about $12, simply to use, and are very durable. This, and several essential oil samples is a great way to get started using the therapeutic aspects of essential oils and aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is based on a holistic approach to healing. Very often, when you are ill or have a disease, it is not just your physical health that is suffering, your mental and spiritual state may also be in disarray. Aromatherapy treatment can be used to affect mood changes and aid in quicker recovery and healing. What is great about an aromatherapy treatment is that it is totally natural and non-invasive.

Aromatherapy treatment involves the use of naturally extracted aromatic plant extracts. Through the use of essential oils and essences, it seeks to stimulate and enhance the healing process of your body. In fact, natural health experts believe that your body is capable of regulating, maintaining and healing itself. Aromatherapy treatment works on many different levels, including emotional and physical levels, to bring relief.

Aromatherapy treatment is useful in the healing of many diseases and conditions. They include:

- calming the mind for insomnia and moodiness;

- treating skin disorders such as dermatitis, acne, eczema, psoriasis;

- promoting emotional healing such as for depression, hysteria, lack of concentration and panic attacks;

- treating burns, bruises, asthma, bronchitis, flu, muscular aches and pains;

- improving digestion such as in the case of constipation.

An essential oil is one which is made by distilling it with either water or steam or by processing it mechanically (especially in the case of citrus rinds) or by dry distillation of natural materials. After the distillation process, the essential oil becomes physically separated from the water phase.

Essential oils are not greasy and many of them do not leave oily marks behind. These oils are very easily penetrated through the skin and quickly absorbed.

If used incorrectly, they can do more harm than good as essential oils tend to be highly concentrated extracts which are obtained by distilling a variety of plant materials such as flowers, leaves, fruit peel, wood, grasses etc.

Hence, if you wish to heal for a specific condition, do seek the advice of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. The use of essential oils is a precise and learned science. It is important that you ensure you use the highest quality oils and in the right combination best for healing of your disease.

Here is an excellent way to start on an aromatherapy treatment. If you are feeling somewhat depressed, you can burn some aromatherapy candles with a scent known to be calming and soothing for nerves. As soon as you feel more relaxed, you will begin to feel the uplift in your mood.