Slow Down, People!! Essential Oils Safety

I've been itching to write this post.  So so eager to get this information out there.  Our little community has exploded with essential oil users, my Facebook newsfeed is loaded with posts about people using oils or recommending oils or boasting about oils.  You all have probably heard at least something about the amazing healing power of essential oils by now, and you probably have an awareness that essential oils are so much more than something to smell.

But, do you personally know an aromatherapist?  Do you even know what an aromatherapist is?

If you started getting into essential oils, who got you started on them?  A chiropractor?  A massage therapist?  How in-depth have they been trained on using these gems of natural healing?  I'm a massage therapist and I can speak for our category that we are not specifically trained in essential oil use - aka aromatherapy.  I'm pretty certain chiropractors aren't either.  They're trained in the manipulation of bones and in working with the nervous system.  We're trained in working with the muscles.  Aromatherapists are trained in healing with essential oils - using them safely, properly, and effectively.

We're all learning as we go.  I know I am.  I was under the impression essential oils are totally safe.  I was under the impression you can use any of them anytime anywhere with no repercussions.  I was under a lot of impressions...  But I wasn't raised around them - they've been a totally new concept to me as a natural healing method for only three and a half years.  I've been raised around herbal remedies and homeopathic remedies my entire life.  I certainly don't know everything about those remedies, but I've had quite a few years to research them and learn as I go.  Three and a half years isn't a very long time.  Not for something as broad and complex as essential oils.

Essential oils need to be treated with a bit more respect.  I realize people have gone a bit overboard with them, including myself.  But just as you wouldn't OD on a pharmaceutical drug (I hope), you shouldn't OD on essential oils, either.  They are medicine - the chemical components of the healing elements of a plant - real, powerful, effective medicine and should be used for their intended purposes.  They can do amazing things, as my family and I have experienced first-hand.  But if overused, they can cause harm, which we've also experienced first-hand.  The last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt out of good intentions, and then on top of that wind up with these oils getting a bad name all because of misuse.

I wish I had learned more about them before diving in head-first.  We've had a few negative experiences due to my lack of knowledge.

The realization of my huge lack of knowledge set in when I attended the first class conducted outside of my Young Living oils (yes, I've branched out, more on that later) by and actual aromatherapist - somebody who specializes in essential oils and aromatherapy.  She spoke of overusing the oils, and not going overboard with them because it takes a toll on our livers.  The liver needs to filter everything, and these oils are so incredibly potent that they create extra work for your liver, so you can see how overusing the oils can possibly wind up causing more harm than good.

That was us in late November/early December.  We had cold symptoms going on for quite awhile - runny noses, coughs, whatever, and several times we kept catching bugs going around resulting in fevers or fatigue, etc.  This was all happening despite my daily use of Thieves, applied to our feet as well as diffused in the air overnight, along with other oils that are supposed to be good for the immune system.  I was using these a couple times a day, every day, and we were not getting better.  Why were we not getting better?  I brought this up to the woman conducting the class and she suggested I cut the oils out.  Give our bodies a break.  So I did.  I didn't apply Thieves that night, nor did I diffuse it, and I didn't touch them at all the next day.  I took my normal supplements, and gave Harlee his normal liquid vitamins in his juice, and left the oils out.

Wouldn't ya know, within days we were better.  Coughs gone, noses clear, feeling good.  All of us.  And we haven't been sick since (well, Harlee just recently developed a cough but I'm treating that homeopathically and relieving it with intermittent use of essential oils).

Another experience I had came from doing too many Raindrop sessions at my office.  The Raindrop Technique basically uses a bunch of essential oils that are antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, anti-microbial, etc., etc. and they are applied to the feet along the reflexology points of the spine (the edge of the arch of the foot) and dripped directly along the spine and worked in with different massage techniques.  It's supposed to boost your immune system and give you added health benefits.  But after I learned about overusing the oils, I've been a little leery of doing these sessions anymore... especially because Wintergreen, Oregano, and Peppermint were three very strong oils used in the session and those are ones that I've learned should be used sparingly.  Among them are Basil, Thyme, Cypress, and Marjoram, and the Young Living blends AromaSiez and Valor (which has frankincense in it, another very powerful oil).  I had been performing these sessions at least 1-2 times a week since the end of October.  Now that more excitement has spread through town about the effectiveness of essential oils, it seems like EVERYONE wants to get their hands in them.

Meanwhile, Elliot developed some terrible eczema on his back.  It covered his entire back, from his butt to his neck, and occasionally I could tell it bothered him, which I tried relieving with coconut oil and lavender oil.  I couldn't figure out what would be causing it - my diet?  Our laundry detergent?  I was at a loss.  Until I spoke with the aromatherapist I had met at that last class about learning something to replace Raindrop therapy, and we scheduled a class for myself and two other gals (one being a nursing mom as well).  The instructor said she was going to check and make sure that this class was safe for nursing mothers, and at that moment I thought, wait, you mean that's something we should be concerned about?  I told her how many raindrop sessions I had done, and at that moment she said "Oh my goodness STOP.  Don't do anymore.  I guarantee that's where your son's eczema is coming from."

I haven't done another session since the first week of January.  I haven't changed a single thing in my lifestyle otherwise.  And wouldn't ya know, Elliot is all clear - not a single speck of eczema to be found on his skin anywhere.

At that moment, I felt an intense desire to spread the word about oil safety.  I'm working on scheduling a class for her to come out and teach my community about safe essential oil use, so stay tuned.  I hope everyone can make it, no matter whether you're a Young Living user or a DoTerra user or Mountain Rose Herbs or Plant Therapy, or what have you - we're all using the oils and we all need to know how, and the way to learn is through someone who's been specifically trained in using them.

So many of my clients have come through and rattled off the arsenal of essential oils they've been using on themselves and/or their kids, and I've really been getting worried.  Quite a few pregnant woman have been using them too much too, like taking them internally, which is soooo so dangerous.  I knew the experience I had - I'm so thankful it wasn't worse.  I'm feeling scared for all the people out there using them so much and getting so gung-ho with it thinking they're completely harmless.  While there are plenty of oils that are a lot safer than others, like lavender, there are also a lot of oils that should be used sparingly, like peppermint, oregano, and wintergreen.  I used peppermint all the time, especially to ease an upset stomach (which it works wonders for, by the way!).  But you absolutely should not use peppermint on children under 3, as it can possibly cause breathing spasms, and otherwise should use it sparingly.  It's powerful!  Oregano has been a household favorite, especially after it cured Justin's strep throat, but again should be used sparingly.  Using it too much can be toxic to the liver.  Yet I've heard of so many people using it in "homemade flu shots" and I've seen those recipes all over Pinterest.  Slow down!  Oregano packs a punch and should be used in big situations, like the strep throat incident.  I'm glad I learned this - we started using it simply to cure a sore throat just as a precaution.  We've since quit using it at all and will only save it for acute situations (which hopefully we won't run into but it's good to have on hand).  And Wintergreen - it's one of few of the only plants in the world that naturally contains methyl salicylate, which is the main ingredient in aspirin.  No wonder it's such an effective pain killer!  But using it too much can create a toxicity, just as taking too many aspirins would.

I could go on for days.  And I have so much more to learn too!

I'm excited about what I've already learned, and excited to continue to learn more.  Keep those oils on hand, but use them with a little more reverence.  They're powerful, and should be respected as such.  I know I'm going to be a bit more careful with them!  I'm going to keep learning more about them, too.  I've finally found an opportunity to get REAL education about them, unlike any other I've been able to find before, even through Young Living.  And don't worry, Young Living is an amazing company.  I'm just realizing there's more beyond that.  Email me if you'd like more information, otherwise stay tuned, I'll definitely be writing more about it soon!