Therapeutic Actions of EO ** Have a question for AT's

[Guest guest]

Hey Chris, Anita .. other good folks ..

 

Even though I refuse to be known as an Aromatherapy practitioner I can

confirm that what Chris wrote below is EXACTLY correct. ;-)

 

Folks sometimes have difficulty understanding these simple facts. There

is nothing complicated in your explanation if we don't try to can it or

squeeze it into a tube.

 

Its logical when we look at the relationship between human physical and

psychological makeup and the influences chemical variables have on us.

 

> Hi Anita,

>

> When it comes to physiological oil actions I'll say that the oils

> definitely work even if a person can't smell them. An anti-bacterial oil

> (like oregano for example) will still work to kill bacteria in the

> respiratory tract if inhaled whether the scent can be detected or not.

 

Right .. natural gas will kill us whether we smell it or not .. that's

why they put stinky stuff in it .. so we will know it is there.

 

> For psychological and emotional issues, I think the answer is two part.

> I would have to say that chemicals in certain EO's that, for example,

> promote relaxation will still enter into the body/bloodstream via

> inhalation even if the person can't smell them, but scents that are more

> emotional triggers (say a person who feels comforted by a particular

> small cause grandma's house smelled that way) won't be effective if the

> person can't smell them.

 

Right .. and that is really about all we need to know.

 

But it is not really all there is to know. When we try to categorize

physiological, psychological and emotional response or cause-effect we

can get into more overlap than we might imagine .. because sometimes

(though not routinely) a physiological effect can occur as a result of a

triggering of the mind - that is, a psychological effect can cause

physiological healing .. and a psychological or emotional effect can

counter physiological healing.

 

Will a state of mind preclude the Carvacrol in Oregano from kicking big

bad bug butts? NO! But even with the big bad bug butts kicked that

state of mind can preclude us from feeling well .. and whole .. again.

 

> I hope that made sense ...

 

Does to me .. but if it doesn't to others .. I think they need to say so

rather than sit in wonder. Its simple once we get in the right frame of

mind .. but trying to speak of therapeutic actions/benefits as if they

were totally separate and distinct is not telling the whole story.

 

VooDoo is real. Faith healing is real. ;-)

 

> *Smile*

> Chris (list mom - off to make soap and play with a stinky baby who is

> pestering me cause I've been on the computer for too long in his not so

> humble opinion

 

Used to be there were some Walt Disney tapes that would paralyze little

rug rats. ;-)

 

> http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

Now I'm gonna mosey on down the page.

 

> Anita Reeves [anita-r]

>

> have an imortant question for the Aroma Therapists on the list, or

> anyone who may know the answer.

>

> Do people who have no olfactory sensors, or that are not functioning get

> the benifit from smelling the eseential oils?

 

As explained above.

 

> I know two people who can not smell. One had a brain injury and it

> severed his olfactory nerve(s). The other I'm not sure, he just says he

> can no longer smell things.

 

This situation has come up many times on various lists over the years.

 

> I know that the essential oils will help when applied to the skin, with

> carriers of coarse, but what about the sniffing of the eo's for that

> particular application. Does it the components/chemicals of the oil go

> to the brain or other parts of the body anyway?

 

Someone sorta questioned (maybe it was a question) on another list ..

whether sniffing Lavandula angustifolia would stop the pain of a burn.

I think the answer is no .. but I've not tried it. So true it is that

there are cases where pain and other effects can be negated or increased

by direct dermal application. But .. there are far more cases where the

benefit is NOT from the dermal application .. but rather from inhalation

of the volatile molecules of the EO as they rise into the air and are

taken into the olfactory system. Massage is a good example.

 

I won't get into dermal absorption much .. except to say that the skin

is the largest protective organ of the body and glad we should be that

it is cause if it were not we would be spending a lot of time in

emergency rooms due to exposure to all kinds of crap on a daily basis.

 

Some folks like to debate whether or not " essential oils " absorb. It is

a waste of time to debate this. First, there is little known about it

because there is little research conducted on it .. and that research

that is conducted is normally flawed .. in order for it to be accurate

one would have to have their head in a rebreather when the oils were

applied to the skin .. otherwise, a blood test to detect particular

chemical components would not be valid as how they got into the blood

would not be definite.

 

Secondly, there are some chemical components that are known to absorb to

certain levels .. generally they are the sensitizing components. It

would be total blind faith to accept that all the hundreds of chemical

components in an EO will absorb .. or absorb to the same depth. SOME of

them will absorb and some will not .. so its a question of absorption of

chemical components .. not of absorption of essential oils. Follow that

by asking .. can we get the same benefits from a PART of the natural

synergy of an EO? Is it not really necessary that an EO be PURE .. and

WHOLE? If the answer is .. it is not necessary .. then why the concern

about getting pure, whole, unadulterated essential oils?

 

> This question I've been meaning to ask for a long time!

> Thanks,

> Anita in TX

 

Good question .. I've seen it asked dozens of times over the years ..

and glad you asked.

 

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

[Guest guest]

Thanks Butch for your response as well. That is more or less what I was

thinking, about the sniffing and getting into the bloodstream even if you

couldn't smell it. Know this question has been asked a LOT, but not since I

have been on the list. So, wanted to know from some more knowledgable people

than I, in this area.

Interesting to think that an EO, that is reported to be useful in helping the

skin( ie excema, wrinkles, dermatitis, ect.) may be actually doing it through

the bloodstream, by way of the inhilation, rather than the dermal application of

said EO in a carrier of some sort. Hadn't thought of it in this way, hmmm...

Thanks,

Anita in TX