While gardening three days ago, sprained the middle joint of my middle finger. It HURT! At first, assumed the sudden pain was due to a cactus spine stuck in my gardening glove. But by early evening…as the pain increased, and the finger stiffened with swelling and bruising, I became concerned it was sprained or may somehow have been fractured?
Signs and Symptoms of a Sprained Finger
A sprained finger most often is experienced as a sudden onset of pain during activity. (With a ligament tear, an audible snap or pop might be heard at the time of injury.)
REVERED FOR 5000 YEARS, essential oils are life-enhancing gifts from the plant kingdom, lending their restorative properties to body, mind, and spirit. Anti-infectious therapeutic essential oils may be either calming and soothing OR stimulating. These essences from plants’ flowers, leaves, roots & bark are nature’s offering of well-being ~ both for the plants & for those who use essential oils for culinary and health benefits.
The Chinese were likely the first culture to study and create applications using aromatic plants for health and well-being. The oldest known medical book was written by the Chinese author Shen Nong in 2,700 BC describing cures using aromatic herbs.
In Egypt fragrant oils were used for bathing, massage and embalming. The invention of an extraction still for cedarwood oil is credited to the Egyptians. Many cultural traditions burned fragrant incense scented with herbs and oils to create an uplifting, calming atmosphere for religious ceremonies and spiritual communion.
Al-Razi (854-925) wrote a medical encyclopedia “Al Kitab al Hawi” in Persia and invented various tools that continued to be used in pharmacies up to the 20th century!
Another famous Persian scholar Avicenna (also known as Ibn Sina, 980-1037), wrote 40 medical books, the most famous of which was his 5-book “Canon of Medicine,” the definitive medical textbook for the following 700 years.
Ibn Sena drew from various European and Asian sources such as the Chinese medicine “Zhubing Yuanhuo Lun” for its extensive pathology text, written circa 610 by Chao Yuan-Fang. Ibn-Sina also referred to the early classic Chinese text ‘Maijing’ by Wang Shu-hu on pulse diagnosis, written circa 310.
The Saxon “Leech Book of Bald” written in the 10th century describes medicinal properties of 500 different plants with “a conscious effort to transfer to Anglo-Saxon practice…[the] most useful in native and Mediterranean medicine,” finally giving birth to the European pharmaceutical industry by the 13th century.
Pure Organic Essential Oils ~ Holistic Remedies for Our Modern Lifestyles
In the past two decades, 100% pure therapeutic-quality essential oils have re-emerged as holistic remedies for the stressful effects of our 21st century lifestyles. Superior to many conventional medications & supplements, therapeutic-grade essential oils deliver positive – often profound – benefits whether through inhalation, direct skin application, or by internal consumption without negative side-effects. They also purify our bodies & environment with oxygen-rich compounds, effectively neutralizing harmful microbes.
In late February, a client from 2009 called for a clinical (medical) aromatherapy consultation. She wondered if essential oils dissolve fatty tumors? She had 2 lipomas growing on her arms. (Lipomas are non-malignant fatty tumors…often genetic, her mother has them, too.) One was getting sore to touch…worrying her.
Standard Medical ‘Treatment’ for Lipomas
Is one of two choices: ~ To live with them, if they aren’t uncomfortable (as weirdly unsightly as they are). ~ OR to do surgery leaving ugly scars….and more often than not, the lipomas grow back in the same or near by location.
After watching some YouTube videos on lipoma surgeries, my client decided that option was definitely NOT for her, prompting her call for this consultation and request a custom formulated essential oils remedy to dissolve fatty tumors.
Fat-Dissolving Essential Oils
I researched fat-dissolving essential oils, compiling a list of seven, including Grapefruit (of course!) and Patchouli, among others. With my client’s permission, I dowsed for which essential oils would benefit her body’s ability to heal the lipomas, selecting 6 of the 7 essential oils for a custom blend. I then created Lypos™ a 10% dilution strength using organic virgin coconut oil as the carrier. Both my client and husband, liked its Earthy – Spicy – Fresh Citrus fragrance.
She called two weeks later, thrilled! The lipomas had become smaller. The painful one wasn’t sore anymore. My client had been faithfully applying our custom blend morning and evening. LOVES the relaxing aroma and is very optimistic about the outcome.
She thinks I’m a miracle-worker / healer. I think she’s a sweetheart… receptive and willing to use nature’s incredible holistic remedies. I feel honored to do this work.
ATTENTION! Late pregnancy moms ~ There’s no need to suffer with sore nipples when nursing your little one! The best breastfeeding tip I learned from my natural childbirth instructor was ‘Ouchie-Pull’ Nipple Conditioning. Speaking from my own experience with both my baby boys, you will be able to nurse your baby in total comfort. Guaranteed.
When you get dressed and undressed for 8-12 weeks before your due date:
Pinch the areola just behind your nipples, gently but firmly.
Pull the breast, up and out, away from your chest, so the areola skin stretches.
Repeat 10 times, morning and evening, when dressing / undressing
This may not be comfortable for some women (it was totally okay for me), but it’s MUCH easier to deal with than sore, engorged, cracked, bleeding, nursing breasts! Your skin, areola, and nipples will gently stretch and toughen up during the last weeks before you give birth. And your breasts will be ready to nourish your wee one with the best nutrition nature provides. You and your baby will enjoy the sweet bonding and quick post birthing recovery, breast feeding provides for a loving confident start to your child’s life.
If you’re already breast-feeding and sore, consider using our gentle therapeutic Breast Balm™ blend made with baby-friendly pure essential oils, a 7% dilution in organic jojoba. $34.25 USD, 15ml bottle.
My father used to suffer from Meniere’s. It started in the 1990’s, and may have been related to the beginning of his hearing loss disabilities. Dad was in his mid-60s / early 70’s. The symptoms were VERY debilitating with rapid eye wavering, severe vertigo dizziness, and an inability to keep his balance.
In 2005, I researched and developed a proprietary combo of therapeutic essential oils that support nerve health and are anti-viral. This article is about my father’s experience, since he’s SO pleased with the results.
The StandingTall™ blend is available from our on-line store: www.GaiasPharmacopeia.com For ease of use, we have pre-diluted the blend to a 20% concentration. For chronic health issues, diluted essential oils blends are often more effective in supporting our bodies’ healing process.
USAGE SUGGESTIONS: ~ Apply daily upon arising & at bedtime, 1-2 drops to pads of big TOES / THUMBS / BASE of SKULL (brainstem). ~ For symptomatic relief – Inhale deeply for 1-2 minutes, apply 1-3 drops on TEMPLES / BASE of SKULL
One of the health-supporting effects of using therapeutic-quality essential oils are they’re ability to oxygenate our cells. Dr. Joseph Serpe’s Neuro-Institute site also discusses the importance of Oxygen Therapy, which they use to treat patients suffering with Meniere’s Disease, and dizziness from BPPV: “Oxygen is fuel for the brain and nervous system and is important for the health and recovery of the cerebellum.”
Play Video
* * *
Easy, Self-Help Hand Holds Support the Body’s Nervous System
Along with applying the therapeutic essential oils, use these easy, self-help, Hand Holds – on your tailbone & at the base of your skull – combined with deep, relaxed breathing. According to Acupressure / Jin Shin Jyutsu / Chinese medicine, etc. the breath drives the body’s energy flow through the energy meridians.
HOLD until you feel pulses (like a subtle heartbeat), matching in intensity & rhythm. If you can’t feel the pulses, holding the position 3-5 minutes will help anyway.
* * * Doing Heal Thumps Daily May Improve Your Balance
One of my Chinese Tai Chi teachers also recommends doing “Heel Thumps” daily to improve your balance. An article on WilsonEar’s website states “In over 90% of cases of Meniere’s Disease, a weak cerebellum is why you still have balance problems, dizziness, vertigo and nausea.” This Heel Thumps technique stimulates and strengthens our primitive brain, the cerebellum.
The following Heel Thumps technique may also settle inner ear debris or otoconia crystals that form as we age.
~ Wear athletic shoes to cushion your feet. ~ Hold onto a wall or sturdy (heavy) piece of furniture. ~ Rise up on the balls of your feet and “thump” down onto your heels (not too hard), so your whole body jiggles a bit from the impact. This stimulates the balance center in the primitive brain. ~ Do them morning & evening, 20 thumps per session, for 3-6 months to see if you notice an improvement.
* * * Great Results! Simple Daily Routines Eliminated Dizziness
~ My Dad applied Standing Tall™ faithfully per the usage suggestions above. For the past 2-3 years, he’s changed his routine to only inhaling the oils deeply instead of applying them to his neck. ~ He did the Heel Thumps daily along with the oils application…and now in his late 80’s continues to do them.
Before starting these self-help practices, he walked like a ‘boat at sea’ with a rolling, listing quality that made me nervous to watch, fearful he might trip and fall, especially on the steep, straight, 16-step flight of stairs to his basement office.
The difference in his balance and steadiness while walking & using stairs was dramatically improved, after only a year, when I was able to visit him next. His bouts of severe eye rolling and vertigo have completely ceased and he hasn’t suffered a recurrence in years.
Hope some of these ideas help relieve YOUR dizziness!
RESOURCES:
Animated Otoconia GIF from Northwestern University,my mother’s Alma mater: http://www.northwestern.edu
Read more on Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/bppv/bppv.html
Read more on Meniere’s Disease http://www.wilsonear.com/education/balance/menieresdisease.html
Read more on other therapies at Dr. Joseph Serpe’s Neuro-Institute’s site: http://napervillebbt.com/menieres-disease-2
February 2011 When you heat your house with a woodstove like we do…now-and-then you’re going to bang your hand or fingers or get burned. I’m not talking about serious injuries, but those inevitable small bumps and bruises that happen to all of us.
I was making a fire on a cold February evening this spring. Pulled my hand back
I should have known better. My long-time friend, Laurie, invited me to join her and a walking buddy for a quick 3-mile walk around a lovely hilly Bremerton WA neighborhood. My husband and I had come up from the San Francisco Bay area on an impromptu vacation. It was a rainy week and we ‘girls’ needed to get our walk in before the next chilly downpour.
My hubby was napping, so I decided not to go into the guest bedroom to get a second pair of socks. Boy, was that a MISTAKE! I have very flexible feet that move a lot in my walking shoes. Also, have my feet get sweaty & hot (major factors for developing blisters) and sensitive skin that gets abraded easily. Less than halfway through our brisk hike I knew I had nasty blisters under the balls of both feet.
Blister from vigorous walking under ball of my foot (highlighted in coral). It wasn’t this red. The coarse callus was not painful, just ugly.
When we got back to the house, I put some of my essential oils blends on the sore (but unbroken*) blisters right away. And protected the injured skin with band-aids. My strategy was to use both anti-inflammatory as well as analgesic essential oils to soothe the skin and minimize pain.
Blister PAIN Reduction
I was dealing with different types of blisters on each foot. My left foot, which is more problematic, had a huge fluid-filled blister. The right foot had a very sore, large red “pre-blister” but no fluid, yet. The essential oils I used were German Chamomile, Peppermint, initially followed by alternating applications of several of my custom GAIA’s PHARMACOPEIA blends: Cool Blue™, Revive™, and Sweet Balm™. (It wasn’t necessary to use all these essential oils. I use my own first aid injuries as experiments to see how quickly essential oils relieve discomfort and speed healing.)
The painful fluid-filled blister stopped hurting almost immediately, within an hour or so, if not faster. The red pre-blister was more pain tenacious and took a couple of days of 2-3 times a day applications for the pain to completely disappear when I pressed/rubbed the skin firmly. But I never was the slightest bit uncomfortable wearing the shoes I had been walking in.
Blister FLUID Re-Absorption
My next concern with the fluid filled blister, was to help the skin reabsorb the fluid and heal without breaking. The main danger with an *open blister is infection, in addition, to the discomfort of extremely sensitive, damaged tissues. I continued to use the German Chamomile for its anti-inflammatory properties, followed by applications of my special REVIVE™ blend, excellent for preventing and healing infections plus speeding recovery from surgical wounds.
NOV 1st (Intro photo)
The blister flattened out within a day or two, at which point I stopped using the band-aids. Continued to apply the essential oils for a week or so, and then left the skin to heal on its own.
Ball of foot where blister was. Healing skin beginning to crack before peeling starts.
NOV 18th
The damaged skin is beginning to show signs of readiness to peel. I left it alone to let the body heal at its own pace.
Ball of foot where blister was. Damaged skin ready to peel away.
DEC 1st
The skin from the large blister started peeling yesterday, after a soaking bath. I carefully trimmed the loose skin away, so its edges wouldn’t catch on my socks. The new skin underneath is healthy and ever-so-slightly more sensitive than the rest of my foot. It will toughen up quickly. Did an hour-and-a-half Tai Chi class last night without a hint of discomfort. And my foot is fine this morning.
Damaged skin trimmed caredully. Blister on ball of my foot healed beautifully.
TORN BLISTER Essential Oil Treatment
Damaged skin under a torn blister is VERY vulnerable to infection and as we all know, extremely TENDER! I would have taken a different approach to handling that sort of situation. My go-to choice of essential oils would have been the excellent anti-infectious, but mild, Young Living blend MELROSE.** I have used it on small open wounds without discomfort.
GERMAN CHAMOMILE, perhaps, could be used this same way. I haven’t applied it to an open wound, but think it would be okay to use due to its non-irritating properties. Generally, non-sensitizing, though better diluted with a carrier oil for sensitive skin, babies & small children, the elderly, and infirm. I’ll do a bit more research for this article to see what other essential oils would be options.
Additionally, any open blisters would need to be well covered with sterile band-aids, changed several times a day to keep the area totally clean. I would also recommend cushioning socks as a barrier from further damage and sources of infection.
The BEST sock fabric for preventing blisters = Acrylic, NOT natural fibers like cotton and wool! Surprised me to find this out. So…I’m planning to purchase acrylic sock liners to wear under my favorite padded hiking socks.
Last month I woke up with a dull earache and annoying pain radiating from my right ear along my upper & lower jaw. I didn’t want to spoil our vacation with pain as it was the night before we were to leave on an impromptu driving vacation to the Pacific Northwest. Plus…I was worried about an untimely ear, sinus, tooth or gum infection!
Pressed on my ear to clear the Eustachian tubes, but the discomfort still nagged. Carefully rubbed around each of my teeth to check my gums. They were fine. Pressed across the base of my sinuses from my nose to the outer jaw along the pain line. The sinuses didn’t seem swollen or inflamed.
Hmm? Wondered what could be going on? Seriously considered using Aspirin or other analgesic (such as Ibuprofen), an indication of how uncomfortable I really was since I rarely EVER take meds. Simply am not a pill-taking sort of person.
In thinking through my options, realized pain meds like those were only going to
PARADIS™ ~ Four Perfume ‘Divas’ in a Delicate Floral Bouquet
DAMASK ROSE, NEROLI, ROSE GERANIUM, and YLANG YLANG meld in fragrant harmony with citrus and other subtle nuances. Made with all natural aromatics using pure therapeutic-quality essential oils in organic jojoba. No animal products, synthetic chemicals, or alcohol.
PARADIS, Available in a 1.8ml tester bottle, $12 +S/H // 5ml Roll-On Bottle by Special Order.
You may purchase natural perfumes from our GAIA’s PHARMACOPEIA Shoppe. VISA / MC / PAYPAL are accepted. To inquire about shipping costs to other countries: Contact Cynthe.
Cynthe’s Natural Perfume #3
FEBRUARY 2007 ~ PARADIS™ was created in a Certification in Clinical Aromatherapy workshop I was participating in, studying for my CCA degree, coordinating in our locale. We were learning to create custom blends to address specific health issues for fellow students.
An important key to creating a wonderful blend is that it must smell NICE to the person you’re creating it for! I tend towards exuberance and enthusiasm, reflected in this blend of 8 essential oils. Six of the eight precious aromatic botanical essences are perfumery divas (generally only 1-2 ‘divas’ would be featured in an individual blend). Later in the same workshop,
Easter 2010 ~ A sacred Christian remembrance of the prophet Jesus’ resurrection…the perfect occasion to write about a hand-crafted synergestic Holy Chrism blend that integrates special oils from various religious and cultural traditions.
Nine Blessings™ Holy Chrism has a complex, deep, rich, lasting fragrance.
Folks respond profoundly to it ~ from those who have no religious association for essential oils (like myself), to individuals with deep religious aromatic associations, to those who do daily meditations, and health practitioners working in healing professions.
If you would like to purchase ‘Nine Blessings’ Holy Chrism to use in a healing profession, your own spiritual journey, or sacred prayerwork, it’s available in our Gaia’s Pharmacopeia Shoppe OR you may contact Cynthe to place an order. VISA / MC or personal checks (Cynthe Brush Global) are accepted.
Sacred Oils have been used for thousands of years in spiritual rituals of various cultures and in all religious traditions….most often in the act of hands-on blessings and sacred anointings for births, marriages, royal coronations, healing the sick, special holidays, to impart sacredness to special objects, and in death transitions.
The multi-denominational Protestant Christian churches which I attended as a child did not use holy chrisms or
Fat-Dissolving Essential Oils
She called two weeks later, thrilled! The lipomas had become smaller. The painful one wasn’t sore anymore. My client had been faithfully applying our custom blend morning and evening. LOVES the relaxing aroma and is very optimistic about the outcome.
Animation of dislocated inner ear ‘crystals’
