Every day, people looking for better health pour millions of dollars into the pharmaceutical industry. While certain medications can be beneficial, others can lead to painful side effects and may simply swap one problem for another.
On the other hand, holistic therapies offer an option for optimal health care with few, if any, negative consequences. Here’s what you need to know about holistic therapy and how essential oils can be used to improve your well-being.
Out of the vast assortment of oil types and their effects, following are five of the most popular and powerful essential oils for holistic therapy:
1. Frankincense
Made by distilling the resin of the frankincense tree, frankincense oil is a potent essential oil with various therapeutic properties that help:
- Harmonize hormones
- Support circulation and blood flow
- Promote relaxation
- Reduce skin irritation
- Reduce inflammation
- Enhance memory
- Support oral health
2. Neroli
Sourced from a citrus fruit, this essential oil is derived by the vapor distillation of neroli flowers and has numerous health benefits, including its ability to:
- Prevent infection
- Kill bacteria
- Promote skin health
- Relax muscle tension
- Promote relaxation
- Support healthy digestion
- Treat cases of food poisoning
- Reduce depression
3. Myrrh
Extracted from resin, the essential oil myrrh originated in Egypt and was used to mend injuries in ancient Greece. Today, myrrh continues to offer an assortment of health enhancements that can:
- Reduce cough
- Reduce fungal infections
- Promote digestion
- Remove toxins
- Treat cuts and wounds
- Support the immune system
- Promote circulation
- Reduce symptoms of indigestion
- Reduce cramps and muscle pains
4. Vetiver
Derived from a grass first grown in the equatorial areas of Asia, vetiver is an essential oil with a warm and earthy aroma. This grass can:
- Reduce inflammation
- Reduce the appearance of scars
- Reduce bacterial infections
- Promote nervous system health
- Reduce symptoms of insomnia
- Promote healing
- Promote immune system functioning
- Moisturize the skin
5. Sage
Removed from the stem and purified, sage leaves create powerful essential oil that can help:
- Reduce fungal and bacterial infections
- Reduce inflammation
- Improve digestion
- Improve mental stability
- Remove toxins
- Reduce headaches
- Reduce symptoms of the colds, coughs, fevers and infections
- Reduce and eliminate scarring
What Is Holistic Therapy?
Many people have heard of holistic therapy, but few are aware of the philosophy, technique and resulting health benefits of holistic practices. Holistic therapy acknowledges four key aspects of a human — body, mind, soul and emotions — and considers each aspect during the healing process to achieve maximum health and well-being.
In short, holistic therapy is centered around the concept that one can attain maximum health by finding a balance among these key elements.
Another core belief of holistic practitioners is the idea that simply treating the symptoms of a person’s issue is not enough to alleviate the problem — it ignores many aspects of a person, thereby treating only a piece of the individual and not the “whole.”
Holistic caretakers believe that the root cause of a physical, emotional, spiritual or behavioral issue needs to be addressed in order to access recovery and improve one’s overall sense of health and wellness.
How are Essential Oils and Holistic Therapy Related?
As an approach that considers multiple aspects of the human condition, the methods of holistic therapies are diverse and unique. One of the most popular and widely incorporated forms of holistic therapy is the use of essential oils. Known for their purity and characteristic scents, essential oils not only add a natural fragrance to your environment, but they can also offer a magnitude of health benefits when used properly.
Resulting from the therapeutic properties residing in each oil, these benefits can have substantial emotional and physical healing effects on individuals. With an assortment of diverse therapeutic effects, essential oils can have the ability to accelerate and improve relaxation, quality of sleep, mental awareness, and alleviate and/or soothe bruises, the common cold, cuts, stress relief, skin irritation, psoriasis, bug bites and inflammation.
In fact, in their care for people struggling with addiction, Elevate Addictions Services has found that essential oils can help those struggling with substance abuse dependency and can be one piece in a holistic recovery process.
Handle Oils With Care
It’s important to remember that these powerful essential oils for holistic therapy are very potent. When using, keep the following tips in mind:
- Do not put essential oils in your nose, ears, eyes or any areas of sensitive skin.
- Always read and adhere to product labels before using essential oils.
- Due to the potency of these oils, use them with care.
- When buying essential oils, try to be certain they are certified USDA organic, 100 percent pure, therapeutic grade and indigenously sourced.
As you are looking to optimize your health, remember that the foods you eat can be your medicine or your poison. When you have specific issues that plague you, essential oils are one way to treat the problem, but eating clean, exercising and treating the whole self (rather than one piece) can go a long way to helping you reach your health goals.
Image credit: (pixabay)
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