One of the great features of using essential oils as medicine is that you don't have to wait to get sick to get the benefits. In fact, you can easily keep yourself from catching a cold or flu by proactive essential oil use. And this isn't just aroma-marketing, there's a good amount of supportive research. Here's some simple techniques to optimize immunity in the coming months with essential oils, and the data to back it up.
The easiest method of using oils for immune support is simple inhalation. Inhaling essential oils has two important aspects: The oils come in contact with the cells of the respiratory system, and they're circulated throughout your body. How is it you can catch a cold from someone (who is already ill) sneezing? It's by inhaling the microbes that they've spread into the air. When essential oils are absorbed through the cells in your sinuses, bronchial tubes and lungs, they directly support immunity in these cells, while having systemic actions as well.
Research indicates that essential oils can prevent or limit viral replication via "pretreatment". In other words, cells that have come in contact with antiviral essential oils first are not as easily infected by viruses. (This particular effect was shown with melissa essential oil and the herpes virus, and should prove true with other correctly paired oil/virus combinations). This is important specifically for the first line of defense, the cells of the respiratory system lining.
Inhalation also results in measurable amounts of essential oil being absorbed into the bloodstream. Research on eucalyptus globulus -- a readily available, inexpensive oil -- increased the phagocytotic activity of white blood cells in a dose-dependent manner. This means the immune system gets "turned up" by eucalyptus inhalation, with these cells consuming more foreign invaders in the body. At the same time, several markers of inflammation are reduced. This counteracts the activity of viral invaders, for it is known that H1N1, for example, induces acute inflammatory immune response in the lungs.
Beyond the stimulation of the immune system and prevention of infection, oils have been shown to directly inactivate viruses and bacteria. Research involving vapors of lemongrass and geranium showed these vapors could destroy pathogens on surrounding surfaces as well as in the air -- a process occurs in the body as well. This is helpful because it's not exposure to one single virus or bacterial that can make us sick. It's a combination of factors, one of which is the overall microbial load; how many active viruses or bacteria our body has to deal with. As vaporized oils inactivate microbes both inside and outside the body, the benefit is obvious.
The means of inhaling essential oils for immune support can range from the extremely simple to the relatively complex. On the simple end, one can insert a cotton ball into a small glass vial, saturate that cotton ball with eucalyptus essential oil, and inhale from this for a couple minutes several times per day. Increase the efficacy by using a stronger antiviral essential oils such as bay laurel, or a blend of oils such as equal parts eucalyptus radiata, bay laurel, and tea tree.
To protect your family, household or workplace, consider using a cold-air nebulizing diffuser to make a mist of essential oils which evaporate into your environment. You can combine a timer with the diffuser to conserve your oils, and run the diffuser for no more than 10 minutes every hour (it's generally true that one needs less oil than they think to get the results they want -- they are very potent medicines). You can run this throughout the hours people are in the environment. Exposure for just a few hours per day, on a daily basis, should be enough for continual immune support for most people. (Consider longer times if the users are immunocompromised).
Topical application, or use of the oils in baths are also excellent therapeutic means. Many users find these oils can be used "neat", but certainly dilute in a carrier if there's any chance of skin sensitivity (or if using with children). Massage small amounts daily into the chest bone, under the chin and on the sides of throat, and all around the ends of your feet. A few drops into a drawn bath allows for both absorption through the skin as well as inhalation.
Many users of essential oils have reported that while everyone around them got sick, they were the only ones who stayed well. You can offer this wonderful health benefit to your family and friends in these upcoming Fall and Winter months -- these techniques and oils can really make a difference in being well.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")