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Aromatherapy and Prevention of Suicidal Thought

Posted on March 25, 2019 by in Aromatherapy and Prevention of Suicidal Thaought

Do you know…………Suicidal thoughts are those that involve ending one’s own life, usually rooted in feelings of hopelessness, depression, anxiety, other mental illness, isolation, and abusing drugs or alcohol. This could also be triggered by a major life changing event. Sadly, this leaves behind families, friends, teachers, and therapists all wondering what could have possibly been done to prevent them?

This article is just for informational purpose. If you come across someone suffering from suicidal thoughts and depression, please listen to them compassionately and seek appropriate help immediately.

According to the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. In 2017, 47,173 Americans committed suicide and 1,400,000 attempts were made. According to the Jason Foundation, more teenagers and young adults die from suicide each year than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined.

     Aromatherapy for Suicidal Thought

Unfortunately, we live in a different world now where life style, our food, our environment, and stress level has changed. If our body is not equipped to deal with it i.e. if our body is unable to filter those free radicals and millions – billions more floating in our vicinity, compared to the anti-oxidant we have in our body to combat them, we feel sick. This affect us emotionally, mentally as well and we develop a feeling of failure, depression, isolation, etc. Ultimately, in few instances, could turn into a suicidal thought too. Depression can affect the way people feel, think, react to the situation and can cause both physical and emotional symptoms, like:

 

anxiety

restlessness

sadness

difficulty concentrating

difficulty sleeping

feeling of failure, incapable to handle the situation

First step to prevention of suicidal thoughts is awareness and education by alerting family members/Parent to have family meeting with love and compassion, a therapist, teacher, or suicidal hotline (The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline available at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) is a free and confidential service available 24/7), consuming an anti-depression diet, supplementing to support cognitive health, exercise, and Aromatherapy with the use of Essential Oils. Essential Oils are natural plant extracts with different therapeutic properties and have been used since ancient times to cure different ailments. A sense of smell is one of the five senses and a powerful connector between people and the world around them. Aromas are highly emotive and everyone reacts to scents differently based on their past experiences, memory, and emotions. This, in turn, may provide some relief in mood disorders, such as depression. Essential oils that could be helpful are:

  1. Bergamot
  2. Lavender
  3. Roman Chamomile
  4. Ylang Ylang
  5. Sweet orange
  6. Grapefruit
  7. Neroli
  8. Frankincense
  9. Jasmine
  10. Sandalwood

 

Om Healing………..Uma
(Founder of AromaWellness)
visit aromawellness.net, to order
Call 414-793-8645, to schedule your consultation appointment

Aromatherapy and Sense of Smell

Posted on March 18, 2019 by in Aromatherapy and Sense of Smell

Do you know……..today, when I was searching TED talk, came across, ‘The Historical Significance of Smell’ by Caro Verbeek. Yes! You guessed it right, being an Aromatherapist, I immediately opened it and was amazed to hear her talk about Neroli, Myrrh, Fran

Aromatherapy and Sense of Smell

kincense Essential Oils and the way she diffused oils for her audience.

Smell is one of the five senses (taste, sight, touch, smell, and hearing) that we all have. If one sense is not working due to an accident or illness, then other senses take over or become stronger to make up for the missing sense and give us clear picture of the things around us. Helen Adams Keller, an American author, political activist, and lecturer, who was deaf-blind said, “Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived.” Our nose is an important protrusion on our face that is used to smell. Our sense of smell allows us to learn, to taste, to protect and alert from danger (gas leak, spoiled or burnt food, fire), to enjoy our world. In addition to being the organ for smell, the nose also cleans the air we breathe and impacts the sound of our voice. Dogs have a more sensitive sense of smell than human.

It’s beyond the scope of this article to discuss the anatomy of nose and the physiology of olfaction. But, for our simple understanding; inside of the nose is lined with mucous membranes (secretes mucus that captures dust, germs, and other small particles that could irritate your lungs) that have millions of tiny odor receptors, connected to olfactory nerve. When odor molecules of various substances that travel through the air into our nose, these odor receptors are stimulated and send signals that travel along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is underneath the front of your brain just above the nasal cavity. Signals are sent from the olfactory bulb to other parts of the brain to be interpreted as a smell we may recognize and identify with our environment. The sense of smell is sometimes lost for a short time when a person has a cold and we can’t taste the food during that period. Many people who have smell disorders also notice problems with their sense of taste. Problems with the sense of smell increase as people get older, and they are more common in men than women.

In 1991, laureates Richard Axel of Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Linda Buck at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center discovered about 1,000 genes that encode for olfactory receptors inside the human nose. They also found that each receptor is tuned for only a small number of odors.

Scientists regarded Limbic System of the Brain, as playing a major role in controlling our mood, memory, behaviour and emotions. Given that our sense of smell plays an important part in our psychological make-up, in Aromatherapy, we use fragrant Essential Oils with their individual specific smell and chemical (therapeutic) properties to balance and establish harmony between body-mind-soul. In modern Western health care facilities, Aromatherapy is often used as a holistic approach to conventional medicine. Different Oils are recommended to remedy different ailments and symptoms. eg:

Bergamot Essential Oil:  for stress, depression, anxiety, anorexia

Eucalyptus Essential Oil: for respiratory issues, antiseptic, decongestant, Stimulant
Jasmine Essential Oil:  for depression, childbirth, stress, libido
Lavender Essential Oil: is one of the most popular essential oils, Stress, sleeping, antiseptic, sedative, anti-inflammatory
Lemon Essential Oil: digestion, circulation problems, immunity booster, mood enhancer
Peppermint Essential Oil: cooling agent, sharpens focus, congestion, digestion.
Tea tree Essential Oil: immune booster, skin conditions, burns and cuts, insecticide, anti-viral, anti-bacterial

 

Om Healing………..Uma
(Founder of AromaWellness)
visit aromawellness.net, to order
Call 414-793-8645, to schedule your consultation appointment

Aromatherapy, Relation to Nature

Posted on March 11, 2019 by in Relation to Nature

Do you know………Nature can touch our heart in so many ways; whether watching wildlife in our backyard, or feeling the first rays of sun in the morning, or taking the peaceful stroll in nature, or standing beneath a cascading waterfall, or the colorful world found in the rainforests. Nature is the perfect place to find tranquility in life for our emotional and physical well-being.

      Aromatherapy, Relation to Nature

 

We all have noticed the connection between scent and emotions. Fresh cut grass, ocean air, fresh baked cookies, and evergreen trees are some of the scents we associate with specific emotions that evoke random memories. Aromatherapy does the same. Once inhaled, they bind to smell receptors and stimulate the central nervous system that triggers a positive emotional and physical response. There are several studies supporting the physical and emotional benefits of Aromatherapy using Essential Oils and scientists are constantly working on therapeutic properties of these Essential Oils without the side effects of prescription drugs. Some health providers are taking this new Integrative (Holistic) approach, combining the mainstream and complementary medicines to treat their patients. This has surged the demand of Essential Oils in recent times.

Essential oils are volatile, natural, potent, concentrated extracts taken from the roots, leaves, seeds, bark, or blossoms of plants with distinct aroma and chemical properties. Ayurvedic medicine refers to it as “liquid sun energy.” Classically, Essential oils are used for Aromatherapy for direct application to skin with proper dilution (refer to aromawellness.net), or for inhalation, or in diffuser. Diluting essential oils also help to spread over a larger surface area of skin for easy penetration into the body and it is more cost effective. Essential Oils should not be ingested, except for certain conditions when you are in care of a licensed health care professional.

It is important for people to realize, there is a credible science behind the use and benefits of individual oil in curing certain symptoms. Therefore, one should choose Essential Oils wisely, or educate themselves properly, or contact an experienced, Certified Aromatherapist in their area. For example; many Citrus oils contain furocoumarins, which could be photosensitive (can cause chemical burns when exposed to the sun’s UV rays). Eucalyptus oil, contain phenol that could irritate the respiratory tract when inhaled. While Lavandula angustifolia oil, one type of Lavender among many species, is very safe antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, sedative, anti-anxiety, anti-viral oil, but it does have a high content of linalool, which can be sensitizing for some people.

Om Healing………..Uma
(Founder of AromaWellness)
visit aromawellness.net, to order
Call 414-793-8645, to schedule your consultation appointment

Aromatherapy Aid to Cold

Posted on March 3, 2019 by in Aromatherapy Aid to Cold

Do you know……………The bitter frigid winter temperature and snow affecting the nation, create travel nightmare and traffic accidents related to slippery road conditions. Please be mindful and continue to protect yourself from frostbite and hypothermia by wearing warm lightweight clothing in several layers, boots, mittens, and a hat. Stay indoors, if possible.

                      Aromatherapy Aid to Cold

I must admit that as much as prettier snow looks from inside, it also brings the cold (that can attack the upper respiratory tract and is spread in the air from person to person) and flu season with it.  We all have endured the misery of a cold and familiar with the symptoms of Chest and Nasal Congestion, Headaches, Coughing, Scratchy Throat, Runny Nose, and/or Difficulty Breathing, which is our body’s defense mechanism. There isn’t a known cure for the common cold, that is if you have a cold, the only thing you can do is let it run its course. Most colds clear up within a weak. Have mom’s chicken soup, which study suggested has anti-inflammatory properties that help lessen the severity of respiratory infections. Drink plenty of warm liquids/fluids to stay hydrated, salt-water gargle to soothe sore throat-cough, and rest.

Before reaching out for the conventional medicine, try to use the effective natural remedy of Essential Oils through Aromatherapy. Essential oils have been used for centuries to fight the symptoms of the common cold and various other ailments. It could be added to bathwater, to the diffuser or could be applied directly to skin with proper dilution, or used in steam inhalation to break up congestion. Essential oils help the body fight off infection, serve to strengthen the immune system. Following are some of the Essential Oils that have the therapeutic properties (anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-microbial) to manage the symptom:

Eucalyptus Essential Oil

Rosemary Essential Oil

Frankincense Essential Oil

Oregano Essential Oil

Tea Tree Essential Oil

Pine Essential Oil

Lavender Essential Oil

Peppermint Essential Oil

Lemon Grass Essential Oil

Thyme Essential Oil

Lemon Essential Oil

A very simple effective way of using essential oil/oils to manage your symptoms is Inhaler; just put a few drops of the essential oil of your choice (10 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil and 10drops of Lavender Essential Oil, 6 drops Peppermint Essential Oil) into a bowl and place the wick in the liquid, let it soak for couple of minutes, insert into the tube, seal, cap, label, and use it as required. Can place these oils on a travel pack of tissue into a sealed zip lock bag to carry with you and when nose is congested, just take out a tissue, and breathe deeply to help lessen the congestion.

Om Healing………..Uma
(Founder of AromaWellness)
visit aromawellness.net, to order
Call 414-793-8645, to schedule your consultation appointment