Welcome to Living Well With Essential Oils

2012-03-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hello my name is David Alexander and welcome to Living Well With Essential Oils. My purpose is to make available to you some of the scientific information on the composition of essential oils and how to use them.

In other words what makes them work!

As we find today's allopathic medicine providing less help for our health needs we are reminded of the saying by Hypocrites' "food is our best medicine". For many thousands of years herbs have been used for health and medicine, now, coming full circle, we are finding that the same is still true.

We will see in the near future an end to antibiotics as strains of micro-organisms become resistant to them. Staph, Staphylococcus, and Mersa, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, infections, some totally resistant to antibiotics, are on the rise in most hospitals. The researchers who developed antibiotics knew full well the limitations and warned of their over use knowing that one day they would no longer be effective.

Herbs and Essential Oils are powerful natural substances that that can make a significant difference, for the better, in our overall health and well-being.

Companies that are on the leading edge of nutrition are now using Essential Oils in their products. I believe that this will become more commonplace as we move forward and this important and crucial information is made available to the general public.

The chemistry of plants is what the medical establishment analyses to find chemicals they synthesize to make pharmaceutical drugs from. These comprise about 40% of the pharmaceuticals produced today. Some other living things are also used for medicine, but our world will consist of the plant kingdom.

The 3 schools of Aromatherapy.

The German school of Aromatherapy practices inhalation as the method of using Essential Oils, This method enters the body through the lungs and nose.

The English school of Aromatherapy, which is the predominant school of Aromatherapy in the US, practices massage with a 2-5% concentration of Essential Oils mixed with a lipid or fatty oil like Jojoba oil. This solution, applied by massage, results in the Essential Oils being absorbed by the skin, the aroma is also important for relaxation purposes. The English school of Aromatherapy does NOT believe in the use of oils NEAT (UNDILUTED) and actually bans the use of a number of "Forbidden Oils" such as wintergreen "which should NOT be used under any circumstances" and other oils such as basil, oregano, fennel, rosemary, marjoram and clove to name a few. There are some exceptions such as the use of Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) applied to the bottoms of the feet and some use of lavender oil (Lavandula angustifolia). Lemon oil is safe to take internally. I am not sure why most of them are banned, but the banned oils are high in phenols and ketones.

Have you ever used clove oil on your gums or tooth for mouth pain or a toothache? I guess that according to the English school of Aromatherapy we should all be dead by now.

Do you ever use these spices when you cook?

There are some legitimate issues, however, which I will address later.

The French school of Aromatherapy uses German and English school methods as well as inhalation, orally, through the anus or vagina, neat (undiluted) on the skin and even injected into tissue by a qualified physician. Aromatherapy in France is part of their medicine. Doctors write a prescription, the patient has it filled by a pharmacist who will make a mixture of essential oils (if that is what is called for) and give it to the patient. Just like in the US except they also use essential oils.

I have been using essential oils, taking some orally and using them neat and diluted for over 5 years and they have worked very well for me.

If you are using Essential Oils purity is very important. My suggestion is to use a supplier of the highest quality Essential Oils.

NOTE: It is possible that followers of the French school of Aromatherapy will receive negative and potentially hostile responses from the English school of Aromatherapy.

In all fairness all schools of aromatherapy are valid and the importance of putting our differences aside and working together to promote the practice of natural healing should be one of our goals.

There are many excellent books by British school aromatherapists. The wealth of knowledge they bring to aromatherapy is invaluable and not to be dismissed simply as being from another school of thought. The loss would be yours for not including some of these books in your library.

Web Master: David Alexander

This website is for information purposes only. It is not intended to treat or diagnose any illness or to give medical advice. It is to help the consumer make informed decisions based on current information. As with any illness a consultation with a qualified health care provider should be sought and you should not attempt to treat any illness without such advice.