Sensitization ** Was: Introduction

[Guest guest]

Hi Butch,

Thank you that was an interesting read and one I often think about when studying

aromatherapy and the risks involved as well as the benefits it brings. I have

often asked if there has been any documented case of aromatherapy massagers

having long term effect form the persistent contact and inhalation of essential

oils. Do you know of any documented findings/studies/reports on this?

 

Secondly the book you mention, sounds like a great resource tool, do you know if

it is available in Australia, or would I have to import it in?

 

Tania

>

 

> Then see the below post .. the three potential problems resulted from

> dermal application of essential oils are Irritation, Sensitization and

> Photo Sensitization. Irritation generally is local and goes away

> shortly after the irritant is removed. Photo sensitization can be

> avoided by not exposing the skin to sunlight for 12 or so hours after

> dermal contact with certain EO .. not gonna go into them now .. except

> to say that some serious damage can occur.. and the last potential

> danger is Sensitization .. which is for life.

>

[Guest guest]

Hey Tania,

 

There are several people on this list who have become sensitized to even

the most " Innocuous " oil, Lavender. Trust me, it happens and it's not

pretty.

 

Personally, I knew a woman who was told to soak in a tub with 20 drops of

tea tree after childbirth to help with healing her perineum... she did...

nothing happened... HOWEVER, the NEXT time she tried it, she felt itchy,

burning pain and couldn't use TT after that.

 

It's not something to take lightly and I'm not saying YOU are but there is

a certain school of thought that says it doesn't happen... ever, unless one

is using any brand than their own... which of course is pure crap, but it's

almost thanksgiving and I don't want to get into that just now.

 

Cheers!

Kathleen Petrides

The PurrfinickyQueen

http://www.fatcatcandleco.com

Candles, Kitty Carpets, articles, practically everything but the Hairball!

 

 

> [Original Message]

> Tania Small <tmsmall

>

> 11/24/2004 6:10:28 PM

> RE: Sensitization ** Was: Introduction

>

>

> Hi Butch,

> Thank you that was an interesting read and one I often think about when

studying aromatherapy and the risks involved as well as the benefits it

brings. I have often asked if there has been any documented case of

aromatherapy massagers having long term effect form the persistent contact

and inhalation of essential oils. Do you know of any documented

findings/studies/reports on this?

>

> Secondly the book you mention, sounds like a great resource tool, do you

know if it is available in Australia, or would I have to import it in?

>

> Tania

> >

>

> > Then see the below post .. the three potential problems resulted from

> > dermal application of essential oils are Irritation, Sensitization and

> > Photo Sensitization. Irritation generally is local and goes away

> > shortly after the irritant is removed. Photo sensitization can be

> > avoided by not exposing the skin to sunlight for 12 or so hours after

> > dermal contact with certain EO .. not gonna go into them now .. except

> > to say that some serious damage can occur.. and the last potential

> > danger is Sensitization .. which is for life.

> >

>

>

>

>

> Step By Step Instructions On Making Rose Petal Preserves:

http://www.av-at.com/stuff/rosejam.html

>

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[Guest guest]

Hi Kathleen,

 

Thanks for your input - I am with you! I would never dream of using anything

neat on my skin and prefer the less is more approach. My reason for asking is

that we were discussing it in a class I was in, and I was interested in the long

term effects on massagers and no-one could give me any information. I wanted to

be fully informed before I make a decision on which path of aromatherapy I go

down.

 

Thanks for your response

Tania

 

 

Kathleen wrote;

> There are several people on this list who have become

> sensitized to even

> the most " Innocuous " oil, Lavender. Trust me, it happens and it's not

> pretty.

[Guest guest]

Hi Terri,

 

> Hello all,

>

> I'm just going to jump right in. Here's my quick story...My name is

> terri and my initial interest in aromatherapy was to use it in my

> daycare business. I used lavender and tea tree from a random company

> i found on line in a spray bottle with water to cleanse the tables,

> furniture and air. I've been captivated by eos and wanting to learn

> more all the time.

 

You came to the right place .. and welcome. :-)

 

And .. lemme tell you that LOTS of folks have become sensitized to Tea

Tree and Lavender.

 

> One of my clients, a reflexologist shared with me that she uses

> (certain) oils neat on herself and her children and has for years.

 

One of my friends drives drunk often .. lucky he has been so far.

 

> I went along for the ride and learned that neat topical application

> was highly discouraged and so forth...

 

Right .. ceptin I won't ride along with my friend. ;-)

 

> LONG story short, I can't really find a lot saying why eos shouldn't

> be applied neat except for that they can cause skin irritation.

 

Then see the below post .. the three potential problems resulted from

dermal application of essential oils are Irritation, Sensitization and

Photo Sensitization. Irritation generally is local and goes away

shortly after the irritant is removed. Photo sensitization can be

avoided by not exposing the skin to sunlight for 12 or so hours after

dermal contact with certain EO .. not gonna go into them now .. except

to say that some serious damage can occur.. and the last potential

danger is Sensitization .. which is for life.

 

Sensitization compared to sensitization is like comparing getting

crapped on by a pigeon to getting attacked by an angry Mama Eagle.

 

> In my short experience I've not had any irritation nor has she that i

> know of in her last five years of experience. Nor has her friend in

> 8 years of using these oils neat...

 

My dumb friend has been driving home from the pub without dying or

killing someone else for damn near 10 years .. but the more he does it

the greater are his odds of ending his stretch of good luck.

 

> She is following these recommendations and I worry about her...she

> has just taken HIGH dosages of a strong oil blend internally in

> attempt to fight a respirtory infection and she doesn't seem to be

> improving.

 

Sounds like a true .. dyed in the wool .. follower of Young Living.

Some of them are smart enough to bail out early .. others hang around

waiting for Gary Young to serve the Kool Aid.

 

> anyway, in my journey for knowledge could someone kindly point me to

> information on why not to use essential oils neat. Is it actually a

> *dangerous* method of application or should i simply use caution?

 

Yep .. see below.

 

> Just starting and learning....thanks for reading this.

 

Welcome fer'shur .. and again welcome to the list.

 

> All my best,

> Terri

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

 

butch owen <butchbsi

Thu, 05 Jun 2003 07:22:37 -0700

Sensitization

 

 

Hi y'all,

 

There are might be some folks wondering about sensitization. So please

pay close attention cause this can be rough stuff!

 

IF we talk about initial sensitizing we're almost always talking about

dermal contact with essential oils or some other chemical .. not the

ingestion or inhalation. Some natural products are known to be potent

sensitizers .. some are occasional sensitizers and some are known as

non sensitizing. But even non sensitizing EO can cause some folks to

become sensitized .. its a matter of luck .. bad luck!

 

I have had blond hair (not much, but its blond) all my life .. and now

there's no gray in it .. blondes rarely have gray hair. However, my

mustache and beard (I have no beard now) have been salt and pepper since

I was in my mid-20s .. and for the last few years the salt increased as

the pepper became less noticeable. I started maybe three years ago

using Just For Men mustache, sideburn and beard dressing .. its was real

easy .. just brush it in and in five minutes the pepper is back.

 

Well .. back in September 2002 I was using it during my weekly vain

attempt to look younger .. and all of a sudden my face broke out like

bees had attacked me .. burned the crap out of me too. I figured it had

already passed the expiration date cause I had purchased it during my

last trip to the USA .. so I stopped using it as I was about to make

another trip .. which I did two weeks later.

 

I bought some new Just for Men .. and when I used it, the same thing

went down. I had become SENSITIZED to that product. Then, it was a

matter of learning what exactly I had become sensitized to .. I wrote a

letter to the manufacturers and they did not reply. They were are NOT

going to tell me what was in that product .. which is another reason I'm

not in favor of Fragrance Oils .. manufacturers of Fragrance Oils have

successfully lobbied the FDA to have their ingredients classified as

" trade secrets. "

 

Sensitization is not just spice oils, though they're in the top category

as potential sensitizers .. its also oils made from leaves, bark, seeds,

roots, blossoms, gum, etc. And sensitization is impossible to avoid

entirely .. like traffic accidents .. but we can greatly reduce the

potential by avoiding oils we know are known sensitizers and not using

the others (the safe ones) undiluted. Its a case of dealing with the

immune system and though its hard to fool Mama Nature, its not

impossible to deceive the immune system.

 

What happens in sensitization is the immune system registers a foreign

invader .. it alerts all its soldiers that the body's defense system has

been breached. But it RARELY reacts when this happens .. it registers

the profile of the invader and prepares for defensive action the next

time that invader strikes .. which might be days or weeks or months or

even years later. But attack it will .. at some point in time .. and

attacks will continue forever if the immune system's security officer

detects another invasion by that foreign enemy.

 

Because its not the oil itself that's causing the reaction .. but rather

one or maybe a combination of the chemical components of that oil, this

creates problems that continue even if we don't use that oil again.

 

The problems can arise anytime we come into contact with ANY substance

containing that chemical or combination of chemicals that has been duly

registered as an enemy agent by our immune system .. and that time, it

doesn't have to be via dermal application only .. it can occur when we

eat foods that contain the enemy agents. This is likely to occur for

sure because the aromatherapy industry is a small user of essential

oils; its the cosmetics, perfumery and FOOD industry that uses the

lion's share.

 

So how do we fool Old Mama Nature? We don't attack with brigades of

3,000 troops .. we slip squads of ten or so troops into the area of

operations because it is less likely to trigger the panic and alarm that

the immune system goes into when it registers foreign enemy invaders.

 

How do we do this? We dilute the oil. And try to avoid using any

essential oil .. even well diluted .. over a wide area of skin. You

gonna say .. what about massage? Well .. there are some risks in life

and that is one of them .. but its more potentially dangerous to the one

giving the massage than to the recipient because of the other danger ..

frequency of use. That requires little discussion but I'll say that the

more often we drive to the corner market, the more likely we are to have

a traffic accident.

 

Proper dilution of essential oils is critical .. and contrary to the old

rumors in this industry about neat use of Lavender and Tea Tree being

safe .. they too must be diluted. There are MANY people around who have

become sensitized to Lavender and Tea Tree .. and sensitization is for

life folks .. it can take you to the emergency room.

 

Plant Aromatics is THE Safety Manual that tells us who tested what oil

when and what level of dilution was determined to be safe.

 

Y'all keep smiling, Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

Plant Aromatics http://www.av-at.com/plantaromaticsavnp.html

[Guest guest]

, Butch Owen <butchbsi@s...>

> become sensitized to Lavender and Tea Tree .. and sensitization is for

> life folks .. it can take you to the emergency room.

 

Hi Butch:

 

I've been searching for medical reports (pubmed, BoDD, google,

etc.)that state that sensitization is " for life " and I'm not having

any luck. Can you pass your references on to me? I have a theory that

sensitization can be lessened or reversed, and my research into the

oft-repeated " for life " mantra is coming up bupkus. I searched Plant

Aromatics and it talks about sensitization, of course (!) and the

dermal testing, but again, I didn't find a reference as to the

inevitabilty of a lifetime of sensitization.

 

Since I conquered my allergic sensitization to mango pollen by using

herbalism, I'm now on a course of action to find a solution to

allergic sensitization to EOs (liver support being the first course of

action, of course.) The sensitivity to mango pollen was hightened one

year by my excessive use of EOs (weakend my liver)so I got aggressive

in my research and conquered it, to the point I can now still use my

EOs in perfumery as much as I want, and never have an allergic

reaction to pollen. There is a link, and I want to be able to help

those sensitized to EOs specifically.

http://anyamccoy.com

[Guest guest]

, " Ien Van Houten " <ienvan@c...>

wrote:

>

> rastapoodle wrote:

>

> The sensitivity to mango pollen was hightened one

> year by my excessive use of EOs (weakend my liver)

 

> Yikes! I am just starting to learn about oils,

> and have a liver that likes to be respected,

> or else.

> How great is this danger?

 

Don't panic, but be aware of a few things, such as:

EOs are solvents, like alcohol, or the fumes given off

by chemicals in a paint shop. Over time, they can harm your

liver. The liver can become overtaxed, and the whole body can be

affected, from rashes, allergies, colds, flus, etc. If anyone

gets chronic sinus or respiratory infections, for instance, and they

get stuffed noses or " clogged " up somewhere else, that's because

the liver, which is responsible for moving phlegm down and out of the

body, is unable to work at peak efficience, so you plug up. And drip,

and run, and are generally miserable.

 

I also am of the " less is more " school, both in using EOs and herbal

cures. When I knew I had created a liver problem with my excessive EO

sniffing, I began to take one capsule each of milk thistle and

schizandra a day. Started about six months before I knew allergy

season would start for me. Sailed through allergy season -- two

seasons, now, in fact.

 

However, I don't take the liver support herbs all the time now. A

month or two after my initial success, I tapered off to taking them

every few days. Sometimes only once a week. Currently, I haven't taken

them for several weeks. I'll take some tomorrow, since I now have been

jogged into remembering to take them :-)

 

I also don't sniff the oils all the time like I used to. When I blend,

I make sure the windows are open, and the overhead fan on. I know some

suppliers who have installed lab " hoods " to vent the fumes. I'm just

being more careful. I hardly ever diffuse just for the " Glade " moment.

(Never did, actually, get into that perfumed house fad.) If I diffuse

for sanitary reasons, it's on for 10 minutes, off for an hour.

 

Just common sense, conservative stuff. AT is such a new thing, we're

just still learning about the darn oils. Butch gave some references,

including for http://ifraorg.org Some of the info there will scare you!

 

Just be careful and take some liver herbs occasionally. In this

polluted world, you need them even if you don't use EOs in AT.

http://anyamccoy.com

[Guest guest]

rastapoodle wrote:

 

The sensitivity to mango pollen was hightened one

year by my excessive use of EOs (weakend my liver)

Yikes! I am just starting to learn about oils,

and have a liver that likes to be respected,

or else.

How great is this danger?

 

 

[Guest guest]

Anya wrote:

 

 

Just be careful and take some liver herbs occasionally. In this

polluted world, you need them even if you don't use EOs in AT.

http://anyamccoy.com

 

Thanks Anya!

 

I am new at oils, but an old hand at liver herbs.

I love dandelion season, and take Shipibo Treasure Tea,

with liver herbs from the Amazon Rainforest, almost daily.

 

I quite agree that we need liver herbs in this polluted world!

 

Ien in the Kootenays

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