Archive for February 22nd, 2010

For thousands of years, aromatherapy has been used to promote physical, mental and spiritual health. It involves using a plant’s essential oil, taken from its flowers, leaves, bark or roots, and massaging it (mixed with another substance like oil or lotion) into the skin, inhaling it or using it to fragrance a room.

Even as far back as Egyptian times, essential oils were made by soaking plants and filtering the oil through a linen bag.

The actual term “aromatherapy,” however, wasn’t coined until 1928, by Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist. He first used the oils to treat wounds during World War I, and later continued experimenting with them. He found that certain oils had different healing properties, and he classified each oil as antiseptic, stimulating, calming, antitoxic, etc., depending on its uses.

How Does Aromatherapy Work?

It’s thought that essential oils activate nerve cells in the nose, which send impulses to the limbic system of the brain — the part that deals with emotions and memory.

Aromatherapy is used both emotionally to invigorate, calm, relieve stress and more, and physically to help relieve certain conditions by stimulating the immune system, circulatory system and nervous system.

Essential oils can be applied by an aromatherapist, who can mix a custom blend of oils for a specific complaint, or can be bought individually in health food stores. Unless you are very knowledgeable about essential oils and their effects, it’s best to consult with a trained aromatherapist before using them. Tiny amounts of essential oils can produce marked changes, and some can be harmful, particularly to pregnant women.

Traditionally, essential oils are used by:

Mixing them with a carrier oil or lotion, and massaging them into the skin.

Inhaling during an aromatherapy session.

Adding them to bathwater. (Check out the new, highly recommended Vermont Soap Organics aromatherapy bath salts.)

Health Benefits of Aromatherapy

Essential oils have been used to treat a seemingly endless number of conditions, including: Anxiety Depression Urinary tract infections Vertigo Headaches and earaches Panic attacks Dermatitis Fatigue Irritability Chickenpox Allergies Herpes Arthritis Stress Cancer Flatulence Laryngitis

Although much of aromatherapy’s benefits are based on anecdotal evidence, aromatherapy is receiving more attention from researchers as an effective and safe treatment option.

Promotes Deep Sleep

A 2005 study published in the journal Chronobiology International found that lavender essential oil acts as a mild sedative and promotes deep sleep. In the study, 31 healthy sleepers spent three nights in a sleep lab: one to adapt to the study, the next with lavender oil administered into the air and the third with a control (distilled water) stimulus.

The lavender:

Increased the percentage of deep or slow-wave sleep in men and women.

Increased stage 2 (light) sleep.

Decreased rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep.

Further, all the participants reported higher vigor the morning after the lavender exposure.

Fight Staph Infection

Three essential oils studied by researchers at the University of Manchester were able to kill, within two minutes of contact:

MRSA (staph infection)

E. coli

Many other bacteria and fungi

They say the oils can be blended into soaps and shampoos that, if used by hospital staff, doctors and patients, could eliminate the spread of these “super bugs.” Patients could even simply inhale the oils to prevent being at risk.

The particular oils used in the study will not be released until the researchers can find funding for a clinical trial.

Said researcher Peter Warn from the University’s Faculty of Medicine:

“We believe that our discovery could revolutionize the fight to combat MRSA and other `super bugs,’ but we need to carry out a trial and to do that we need a small amount of funding … We are having problems finding this funding because essential oils cannot be patented as they are naturally occurring, so few drug companies are interested in our work as they do not see it as commercially viable. Obviously, we find this very frustrating as we believe our findings could help to stamp out MRSA and save lives.”

Benefits for Childbirth

According to a paper published in the August 2005 issue of Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, an aromatherapy service produced beneficial results for patients at a UK maternity unit. The aromatherapy was found to normalize childbirth and increase the satisfaction of mothers in regard to their labor experiences.

Improvement in Shingles Outbreaks

A case study of six hospice patients with shingles outbreaks found that a combination of three essential oils improved symptoms significantly.

The patients sprayed a solution of 95 percent distilled water, 5 percent essential oil blend of Ravensara, Bergamot and Niaouli onto the rash at least three times a day. According to Noel Gilligan, the registered aromatherapist who ran the study, after 48 hours, all patients reported:

A significant reduction in shingles pain.

A scabbing and healing of the shingles pustules.

Either a disappearance (one case) or reduction (five cases) or a “drying up” (three cases) of the pustules.

As we mentioned earlier, it is important to use caution when experimenting with pure essential oils. Certain varieties, in certain people, can exacerbate allergies and asthma, irritate the skin and cause uterine contractions in pregnant women. A trained aromatherapist can help you to determine which oils will be beneficial and safe for you.

About the Author: This article was provided by the world’s #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter — FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: “holistic living” pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: “holistic living” means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the http://SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world’s top experts in all six of these areas — completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com.

There is a belief in some areas that good oral hygiene can offset the destructive effects of spit tobacco. That belief could not be farther from the truth. According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a government agency dealing with oral health, “there is no evidence that brushing and flossing will undo the harm that dip and chew are doing to your teeth and gums.”

Spit tobacco can be many different forms. It may be in powder form such as snuff. It could be “chew” tobacco in a leaf form, loose or twisted, dry or moist. But whatever the name, it is still tobacco.

The tobacco industry prefers to call it smokeless tobacco. The name gives lulls you into the feeling that this type of tobacco consumption is not as bad as cigarettes or other types of tobacco smoking materials. Do not be fooled. This type of tobacco can be devastating to not only your dental hygiene, but also your health in general.

Consider some of the things that spit tobacco can cause.

Cancer of the mouth tops the list as the most dangerous of the effects. It is no respecter of age. This self-induced disease attacks the young as well as the old.

The U.S. Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, M.D., in 1986 declared that “smokeless tobacco represents a significant health risk. It is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes. It can cause cancer?”

Since those that chew or dip leave the tobacco in their mouth for extended periods of time, usually in the same place, this can cause the gums to pull away from the tooth in that area. When the gums pull away from the tooth, sensitive tooth roots are exposed providing an access to the root for any number of problems; sensitivity, decay and infection just to name a few.

Another of those problems is the side effect of the sugar contained in spit tobacco. The longer sugar remains in the mouth the more damage it will do. The extended periods that spit tobacco remains in the mouth provide a perfect opportunity for the sugars to work on the tooth root, causing massive tooth decay.

Many sports figures, as positive influences to youth, are speaking out against spit tobacco. Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins American League winner of the Gold Glove award, six years in a row has come out strong against spit tobacco. Olympic gold medal winners, Picabo Street (alpine skiing) and Dominique Dawes (gymnastics) have lent the weight of their names to the campaign against spit tobacco along with the mega-star Jackie Chan.

Spit tobacco does cause harm, sometimes deadly, to whoever may use it. No matter how much we brush or floss; the effects cannot be overcome unless the habit is stopped.

If you are currently using spit tobacco and want to quit, there are some excellent guidelines given by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Check out their website for a step-by-step guide: http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/HealthInformation/DiseasesAndConditions/SpitTobacco/QuittingGuide

Follow the guidelines, quit or help someone quit and let me know so that I can celebrate with you. This is a dental problem that we have the power to end.

About the Author:

Don Robertson is co-founder of Benefit Discount Services. Through his company he provides low cost Dental Savings to his customers. You can learn more by going to http://www.webenefityou.com.

Facial hair removal can be done in a variety of ways. In the end it really depends on the individual and what they are willing to go through in terms of pain, time and money. Ok, maybe the earlier statement is a little too serious for someone that just wants to get rid of unwanted hair.

Let’s take a look at some of the methods to remove unwanted facial hair shall we;

Shaving with a regular razor is one of the most common methods by men but not so much by women. The big advantage of shaving is that it is cheap and quick. The downside of it is that you are more prone to cuts and razor burns. To add to the misery you would have to shave on a daily basis in order to keep the hair away.

Waxing is another method that is commonly used by women and gradually becoming popular by men too. Generally, waxing is used in order to remove unwanted facial hair such as that on the upper lip. The great thing about waxing is that it keeps unwanted hair away for long periods of time due to the fact that the hair is removed from the actual root itself. The downside to waxing is that it can be painful especial when you do it for the first time. Besides that, it still remains a cheap and effective way of keeping unwanted facial hair for long periods of time.

Tweezing is another effective method that is used by both men and women. The most common area for tweezing is the eyebrows. Generally it is not recommended to tweeze your whole face as it is very time consuming as well as be very painful. Tweezing can keep unwanted facial hair away for long periods of time because of the fact that it pulls the hair out by the root, if done properly.

Electrolysis is also a very effective method for removing facial hair that can keep unwanted facial hair away for very long periods of time. Far longer that that of waxing. In order to accomplish this however, you would need to dig a little deeper into your pockets and have more time to spare (because of the multiple sessions needed in order for it to be effective).