Jo's Health Corner: conditions

Delayed- Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and Essential Oils

It was thought among experts that DOMS was caused by the lactic acid, the by-product of anaerobic metabolism (glycosis). However, it is now believed that the free radicals hydroperoxides, ammonia, and hydroxyl radicals cause hydroxyproline damage. Hydroxyproline can be found in the connective tissue. It is a constituent of the collagen.

Any movement that is new can cause tearing and swelling that leads to soreness However, it is mostly the eccentric muscle contractions that lead to DOMS. Eccentric muscle contractions are movements that cause the muscles to forcefully contract while it lengthens. Going down the stairs, lowering weights, running downhill, and the downward movements of squats and push ups.

Stretching, hydration, pre-workout warm up, and massage are some things that may reduce DOMS. It is wise to add antioxidants before and after training to minimize or reduce occurrence of DOMS. Remember, higher intensity training increases the risk of DOMS. Some antioxidants to consider are Pantothenic Acid, niacin, vitamin C & E, beta-carotene, COQ10, n-acetyl cysteine, zinc, selenium, grape seed extract and L-Glutathione. Rehydration drinks with electrolytes, carbohydrates and ascorbates should also be consumed.

Essential oils have a high antioxidant value in addition to the other healing properties.

Here are some blends to try for over exercised muscles.

Hot Bath

Marjoram 3 drops

Lemon 2 drops

Follow with the massage oil below

Massage Oil for Over-Exercised Muscles

Eucalyptus 5 drops

Peppermint 5 drops

Ginger 5 drops

Dilute in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

More Blends:

Sore Muscle Blend

Juniper 8 drops

Wintergreen or Birch 10 drops

Lemon 8 drops

Rosemary cineol 4 drops

Lavender 8 drops

Sore Muscle Blend No.2

Cypress 9 drops

Rosemary cineol 4 drops

Lavender 8 drops

Elemi 2 drops

Valerian 2 drops

Other essential oils that may be useful are nutmeg, black pepper, basil, spruce, Roman Chamomile, peppermint.

Important

This information is for educational purposes only, and is not meant to diagnose or prescribe. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or suffer from a medical condition, consult with your health care practitioner prior to using essential oils. Be careful when using essential oils with hormonal activity and don’t hesitate to contact a professional. Make sure that you look over the safefy information before you start using essential oils.

Before you leave:

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.

Check out my safety page to make sure you are aware of any contrindications before you use essential oils. Some oils are not suitable when suffering from certain conditions. Also, Read this Before You Start Using Essential oils. Some oils should not be applied prior to sun exposure so make sure you check this list before spending time in the sun.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:

Topical Application

Inhaling Essential Oils

Are You Diffusing the Oils Correctly?

How to Dilute Essential Oils

Vita Flex Technique

If you're new to essential oils you might want to check out my Getting Started Guide.

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Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.

Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

3:00 PM | Read more...

Chicken Pox

I decided to share what I did when my children had chicken pox. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the chicken pox and how it is very contagious. The incubation time is 24 to 21 days after exposure to the virus, so it can take a long time to get over the disease if you have several children.

Aromatherapy sprays are great!

I'm a big fan of aromatherapy sprays because they are so easy to apply. They are not as messy as massage oil blends. I added things such as honey, witch hazel, herbal infusions, and aloe vera gel to the sprays. Aloe vera was added for its anti-inflammatory effect while witch hazel is astringent and aided in drying up the blisters. Honey is antibacterial as well as anti-inflammatory, but is also acted as a carrier for the essential oils since they will not emulsify in the liquids.

According to Valeri Gennari Cooksley, essential oils that are astringent, promote healing, relieve itching, and are antibacterial have traditionally been used for chicken pox. I used essential oils such as lavender, lemon, bergamot, peppermint in my sprays that I made for my children.

My favorite spray that I used for my children, this is a modification of Cooksley's spray.

1/4 cup distilled Witch hazel lotion

1/4 cup aloe vera gel -

7 drops of lemon essential oil -

20 drops of lavender essential oils

7 drops of bergamot essential oils

3 drops of peppermint essential oil

1 tbls honey

Mix the essential oils with the honey in a glass bowl, add the aloe vera gel. Add the witch hazel and make sure it is all mixed, pour into a spray bottle with a relatively fine nozzle.

Aromatic baths are very healing

I'm also a fan of an aromatic bath, and according to Cooksley, it is an effective way to promote healing and provide a cooling relief for the itching. I like to use baking soda since Cooksley suggested it is very effective in easing the itching. She says it is important to use tepid water in the bath for inflammatory conditions. Tepid water will also provide relief for itching and hot spots. For my children I used Roman chamomile, lavender and tea tree as suggested by Cooksley.

Bath # 1

1 cup of baking soda

2 drops of lavender essential oil

2 drop of Roman chamomile essential oil

1 drop of tea tree essential oil
I mix the essential oils with the baking soda and add to tepid bath water once the bath tub is filled.

Make sure the diet is good, make healing bone broths, avoid food that promote inflammation, and encourage the intake of healing teas.

This information is not meant to diagnose or treat, it is for information and education purpose only.

Before you leave:

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:

Topical Application

Inhaling Essential Oils

Are You Diffusing the Oils Correctly?

How to Dilute Essential Oils

Vita Flex Technique

If you're new to essential oils you might want to check out my Getting Started Guide.

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Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday
Domestically Divine

5:47 PM | Read more...

Coughing- What To Do About It Naturally

Coughing can really ruin a whole night's sleep, even for the non-coughing members of the family. I remember when my daughter suffered from persistent cough when we lived in moist and moldy house in Wales. The cough didn't stop until I added essential oils to her treatment. I find essential oils extremely helpful in treating respiratory disorders, many times I used them in combination with herbal products. It is very easy and convenient to use essential oils for colds, coughs, bronchitis, sinus problems, or other respiratory problems.

Dry or moist cough

Coughs can be dry or moist, so when you choose the essential oils you need to consider the nature of the cough. I use essential oils with expectorant and mucolytic properties for moist coughs, and when the cough is dry I use oils with antispasmodic and anti-tussive properties. Anti-tussive and antispasmodic essential oils are especially useful at night if the cough prevents sleep. Steam inhalations, chest rubs, and baths are just some ways that I apply the oils. In my daughter's case I added drops of cypress oil under her pillow at night.

Here is a chest rub I used several times for moist coughs:

4 drops rosemary

8 drops hyssop

12 drops eucalyptus

2 tbl. cold pressed vegetable oil

Mix the essential oils with the vegetable oil. Massage the upper chest area and lower neck, both front and back. Inhale the essences from the hands before washing them. I use this blend a couple of times a day.

This is a chest rub I've used several times for dry coughs:

3 drops pine

12 drops eucalyptus

6 drops hyssop
2 tbl. cold pressed vegetable oil

Mix and use the same way as the previous rub for moist coughs.

A steam inhalation I used for both moist and dry coughs:

a bowl

4 cups of hot water

1 drop cedarwood

1 drop eucalyptus

1 drop hyssop

Pour the hot water into the bowl. Add essential oils. Hold the head about 8 inches over the bowl with a towel over the head to form a tent. Inhale slowly and deeply while keeping the eyes closed. Steam for about 5-10 minutes, two to three times a day. Cover the upper chest and neck with a towel or blanket immediately following the treatment.

Cypress, juniper, frankincense, lavender, myrrh, peppermint, and sandalwood are other oils that historically have been used for coughs.

These are just some suggestions on what to do using essential oils, if you suffer from persistent cough for a longer time you should see a physician.

The posts Essential Oils and Bronchitis, Essential Oils and the Common Cold, Essential Oils for The Respiratory and Immune System will give you more information about using essential oils for respiratory concerns.

Simple Home Remedies that have historically been used for coughs.

Syrup

You can make a simple cough syrup from warm pineapple juice and two teaspoons of honey. The bromelain in the pineapple is activated by the honey.

You can also make a cough syrup by mixing the juice of one lemon with two tablespoons glycerine, and then add 12 teaspoons honey to the mixture and stir. Stir before each use. I always use raw honey.

Ayureda

According to the Ayureda tradition you can take equal part teaspoons of lemon and honey. If you have a cough with mucus you can add 1/2 teaspoon ginger, a pinch of clove, and a pinch of cinnamon to one cup of water.

You can also gargle by adding a pinch of salt and two pinches of turmeric to a glass of water.

Onion, pear and cinnamon

Another remedy which is easy to make at home, is to slice an onion into a deep bowl and cover with honey and let it sit over night. The next day you strain the mixture and this will make a simple elixir. Another tasty remedy is hot pear juice with a cinnamon stick. You can also add cardamon and cumin to juices.

This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to prescribe. Essential oils are safe to use as long as contraindications have been researched prior to use. As always, consult with your health care practitioner if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or suffer from any medical conditions. Some oils are contraindicated in certain conditions, so check out this essential oil safety page to make sure the oils are safe for you.

This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday
Fat Tuesday
Healthy 2 Day Wednesdays hosted by the Humbled Homenaker
Wildcrafting Wednesday hosted by The Woodwife's Journal
The Better Mom Mondays Link-Up
Also shared on:

8:58 AM | Read more...

How To Deal With Earaches Naturally

I still remember the endless hours of carrying around a crying baby with earaches. My oldest son was born with a weaker immune system than his sister and brother, and I didn't know much about health back then. I didn't realize that all the trips to the doctor, who prescribed more antibiotics each time we came, were weakening his immune system even further.

Earaches

An earache is caused by an infection or inflammation in the ear. The infection can be located behind the ear drum, in the middle ear, or in the outer ear canal. An infection that takes place in the inner ear is called otitis interna, and it causes sudden onset of vertigo, loss of balance, and vomiting.

A children's ear passages are small, so fluid/mucus that normally wouldn't cause any problem in an adult, can cause problems in a child. This is one reason that a child is more prone to earaches than adults.

Why do some children get so many earaches?

Some children seem to have earaches after earaches, and it seems like it never ends. There is some evidence that ear infections often are allergy induced. Cow's milk and/or formula seem to be the most common but it is important to consider wheat, which is another common allergen.

What happens is that the allergy causes irritation to the mucus membranes, and this leads to swelling. This further leads to constriction of the eustachian tube that is located between the middle ear and the throat. The eustachian tube equalizes the pressure on both sides of the ear drum and allows for drainage of fluid from the inner ear. The pain in the ear is caused by the built-up of pressure when this tube is swollen.

Why antibiotics are not always the best answer

Antibiotics are used to treat ear infections. However, the over-use of antibiotics has caused a resistance to antibiotics. It is so bad in some areas that they had to burn down complete hospitals in order to control the resistant bugs.

Almost half of the immune cells are located in the intestines where they fight invading microorganisms. Antibiotics and immune cells are fighting each other in the intestines, and many immune cells die off or are damaged as the result from the fight. This makes the body weak and it also makes it easier for other diseases to take hold of the body. The damaged immune cells have changed shape and functions, and they don’t recognize the normal cells anymore. They start attacking the healthy tissues which can lead to inflammation and nerve damages.

Antibiotics can create an autoimmune attack on the body’s own immune system which can lead to food allergies, asthma, muscle soreness and stomach disorders, and more ear infections. The flora needs to be brought back into balance or otherwise Candida may grow.

So, what can be done?

Start with building the immune system:

Eat wholesome natural/organic foods
Avoid toxic chemicals and use natural products
Increase the amount of fresh foods
Avoid refined products
Add supplements like a multivitamins, omega-3, Probiotics, and immune boosters. You have to take your child's age into consideration before you supplement.

There are many natural remedies that historically have been used for ear aches and infections. Historically, home remedies like garlic soaked in olive oil and baked onion have successfully been used by many. According to Steven Horne, an oil of mullein, garlic and St.John's Wort can be made and used as ear drops. He also says colloidal silver can be used, and that echinacea can be taken internally to fight infection and reduce inflammation.

It is wise to check for food allergies and yeast infections if your child has frequent ear infections. Make sure you give your child sufficient amount of Probiotics after eating antibiotics. According to Dr. Pedersen, Probiotics should be taken twice daily for two months after the use of antibiotics. Yogurt itself doesn't contain sufficient amount of Probiotics to counteract the damage caused by the antibiotics.

What has worked for you when your child has been sick?
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Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.

Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.

This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday
Fresh Bites Friday
Whole Health Weekend Link Up
Monday Mania
Wildcrafting Wednesdays

8:31 AM | Read more...

Indigestion

Indigestion is "lack or failure of digestion; commonly used to denote vague abdominal discomfort after meals." (Dorland's) Heartburn, belching, a burning feeling after eating, vomiting, gas and abdominal pain are some of the symptoms of indigestion.

There may be several different causes to indigestion such as food allergies, leaky gut, yeast overgrowth, too much fatty food, and talking while eating or chewing with the mouth open. Hernia, cancer, coronary heart disease, acute pancreatitis and gall bladder disease can also cause indigestion, and they need to be ruled out before administering essential oils. Many have successfully improved their digestive issues just by changing the diet so I highly recommend to make dietary changes and not just rely on essential oils. Many have, myself included, improved their digestive issues by eating Paleo. Grains, legumes, sugar, and dairy are avoided on the Paleo diet.

Oil properties

I would choose essential oils with carminative and antispasmodic properties for alleviating the symptoms associated with indigestion. Carminative oils are beneficial in indigestion because they promote intestinal peristalsis, reduce the amount of gas, and relieve pain. They will assist the digestion and alleviate bloating, belching, and gas since accumulated undigested food materials will be removed easier.

Antispasmodic oils prevent spasms and contractions. They relieve the nervous tension causing spasms or colic. However, I believe it is equally important to add essential oils with relaxant nervine action to my blends. Even though the direct cause of indigestion is not stress related, the condition itself can put a lot of pressure and tension on the clients. Relaxant nervines relax the whole body by reducing tension or over activity of a certain body system. They are therefore especially useful in nervous indigestion.

Single oils

I would choose Roman chamomile, Anthemis nobilis, peppermint, Mentha piperita, ginger, Zingiber officinalis, and anise, Pimpinella anisum. They posess carminative and antispasmodic actions that are enhanced together. Anthemis nobilis and Pimpinella anisum are known remedies for digestive disorders, but they also possess nervine actions and therefore, I would choose them for their calming effect on the nervous system as well.

Administration

A stomach massage with the above oils is very useful in alleviating abdominal pain and bloating. Traditionally, Roman chamomile and anise essential oils have been diffused prior to meal times when stress and nervousness are the underlying cause. A hot compress placed over the stomach when the abdominal pain and gas are severe has traditionally been done in addition to abdominal massage. Historically, peppermint and chamomile have been mixed with honey and made into tea. I don't suggest ingesting oils unless it has been confirmed from the company selling the oils that they are suitable for ingestion.

Other oils

Neroli, cinnamon, mandarin, and rosemary have traditionally been used for indigestion as well.

Don't forget that the most important thing is to find out what is causing the indigestion in the first place. Dietary changes can make wonders.

eat slower and chew the food well
don't drink while eating
consider adding enzymes or drink apple cider vinegar
pay attention to your body and eliminate food that you suspect is the problem
increase food with good bacteria
some experts recommend to drink the juice of a lemon first thing in the morning
consider adding garlic to the diet. It may stimulate gastric juices, relieve flatulence, and it may also help detoxify the intestines.

Before you leave:

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new oil.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:

Topical Application

Inhaling Essential Oils

Are You Diffusing the Oils Correctly?

How to Dilute Essential Oils

Vita Flex Technique