Monthly Archives: October 2014

Using Essential Oils for Good Health

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Essential Oils are Powerful

Alternative therapies are becoming popular. They have been around for years and can be traced back approximately 5000 years. There were no doctors and high end pharmaceuticals. Back then essential oils were extracted from aromatic plants and infusing medicinal herbs into different products.

Knowledge of which herb to use for which issue was passed on from one person to another. This base was used for more discoveries and document additional uses for essential oils.

To Your Good Health

We are all concerned with the health of ourselves and our companion animals. Traditional mainstream medicine has been geared for emergency care and drug prescription plans and less about regular health medicine. Today, many individuals place a high premium on health and well-being. The cost of traditional or conventional medicine such as surgery and medicare, however, has made a high number of people turn to aromatherapy, or essential oils therapy, and other forms of alternative medicine.

Essential Oil Basics

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Essential Oils are Made From Many Parts of Plants

– Facilitates an equilibrium of physical, mental and spiritual health through natural means
– In some cases, these alternative treatments are now considered as strong and effective complements to regular medicine
– The main component of aromatherapy is essential oils
– Essential Oils are highly concentrated essences known for their healing effects

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are made from the roots, bark, leaves, flowers and fruit of plants. Experts agree the extraction process can be time-consuming, complex and require much patience. Recognition and acceptance of these factors is important. It is also important the plants are harvested at the correct time of the year and even, in some cases, the perfect time of day. An option is the less-expensive synthetic oils, although they do not offer the healing properties of their natural counterparts.

How It Works

Essential oils work by stimulating the olfactory system and later the brain or limbic system. The fragrance, other properties and effects of the oil determine how these body systems and their parts are stimulated. During a massage, these oils are inhaled and absorbed by the body at the same time, penetrating the skin and eventually reaching the organs and body systems. The absorption can be as short as 20 minutes and possibly extend to 2 hours or more, making some experts advise to avoid a shower or bathing immediately after the massage to maximize the desired effect.

Effects Last Days, Not Hours

The longevity of a fragrance also varies from 3-24 hours to 2-3 days and even longer to about a week. Eucalyptus, peppermin, thyme, and bergamot are among oils with a short-lived scent, while the scent of, lavender,lemonbalm, and other oils last between 2-3 days. Jasmine, sandalwood, ginger and cedarwood are among the oils that take as long as one week before completely evaporating.

Achieve A Sense Of Calm

The desired health balance of an individual also requires the creation of a balanced perfume, or a combination of the three types of oils based on longevity. These various combinations or aromatherapy blends can be mixed into a warm bath to relax and calm an individual, eliminate stress and depression, energize and sooth the body or aching part. The healing or calming effect of a massage can be enhanced by applying essential oils. However, this would require the use of carrier oils to prevent irritation or any other negative skin reaction. Some of these carrier oils, which help dilute essential oils, include avocado oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, wheatgerm oil, almond oil, soya oil and hazelnut oil.

5 Simple Rules to Using Essential Oils With Your Horse

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Essential Equine Wellness Kit

So now you have a kit or some oils... Now what? What are you supposed to do with the oils and how do you use them?

  1. Make a commitment to yourself and your horse to invest in the best.
    This means if you can get the best possible oils for yourself and your horse. There are many places to purchase oils. You can buy them at the drug store, health food store and even WalMart. But remember you want… Therapeutic grade oils. There is no regulation with essential oils so some companies dilute oils with synthetics and additives to get more volume rather than quality. Invest in quality.
  2. Invest in yourself. Get some information.
    If this means you have to contact me(by all means do! I’d love to share information thistleridge – at – hotmail.com (removespaces and -s)). There are many books, magazines and information for you out there. Inform yourself and make time to read and study the books.
  3. Keep an note book of ideas.
    If you are wondering if essential oils might be good for… <fill in the blank here> jot it down somewhere. I use ‘KEEP’ and EVERNOTE on my smart phone to make notes so I don’t forget. AND by the way… there usually is an oil for ‘that’.
    And if you hear of something you would like to try make note so you can try it later.
  4. What works for you may not work for someone else. And Like wise what works for them may not work for you.
    Invest in yourself and keep an open mind, but on the otherhand, be mindful we are individuals and what is working for us and our horse may not work for someone else.
  5. Keep trying.
    We have been brought up, by what I call the microwave society. We expect things to happen instantaneously. We have a headache, we take a pill and expect the head ache to be gone in 5 minutes. We really have forgotten our bodies have the ability to heal themselves. And if we have a headache it is probably for a reason.
    What I am saying here is if you are using essential oils to get to the root of your, or your horse’s issue, then it may take more than 1 application, for 1 day. It may require 1 application every 15 minutes for the first day and then 3 time per day the 2nd day and then every day for a month.  Don’t give up and keep trying.

If you would like to contact me regarding how to use essential oils with yourself or with your horse please feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you.

What are you using essential oils for now? do you have a favorite you would like to share with us? Please put  comment below.

 

5 Essentials of Labeling Essential Oils

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Essential oil expert, using essential oils with your horse, essential equinesI use essential oils with the horses a lot and have recently found various bottles in the stable, some of which were un-labeled. It creates a bit of an issue because sometimes I am not quite sure what is in the bottle.

If you are like me and make up your own concoctions, each bottle should be labeled  with:

  1. the type and name of the oil inside – including the latin name. There are many types of frankincense, and different varieties of Lavender.
  2. the carrier it is diluted with (for me – fractionated coconut oil or possibly aloe vera gel)
  3. who the oil was made for
  4. the date
  5. and the directions for use. (apply 3 drops 2 times per day to the bottoms of the coronet bad)

Also keeping a log-book or roster of oils, their mixtures, recipes and who you gave them to is handy for future reference.

How do you keep track of your oils and who you give them to?

Essential Equines – How to Tell if Your Horse is Interested in Essential Oils

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How do you tell if your horse is interested in the essential oil you are offering?

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Horses are Intuitive

Horses are intuitive and private creatures and do not appreciate being forced to do things. When offering your horse essential oils, don’t walk up and stuff the oil under their nose. Give them a chance to come to you and decide if they would like essential oils or not.

Horses can detect thousands of chemicals in an essential oil and if given the chance, they do have the ability to choose the one THEY think is best for them.

How to Offer an Essential Oil to Your Horse

Offer the oil just under their nose  – approximately 6 inches away. Keep the bottle well hidden in your hand (if you have it in ‘exposed’ you may lose the bottle!).

  1. If the horse is interested and accepting they will look for the bottle and stay over the bottle and dilate their nostril. The horse may just simply stand and smell or it may try to ‘eat’ the bottle.
  2. If the horse is uninterested they will look away and not come back to the scent. In some cases I have seen a horse turn totally away from the bottle.

Watch for the horse’s nostril to dilate. It may seem as though nothing is happening but they may be dilating their nostril to get full effect of the oil.

Remember when we think of oils we think of FRAGRANCE but their power is in their

Flehmen response

Flehmen response (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

chemical composition. When your horse is smelling the oils they are getting full benefit of the oil. Also remember the magnitude of the horse’s respiratory system. It is HUGE. This means the oil is being expedited to all areas of the body through the horse’s massive lungs.

What to Expect

When offering aromatically watch to see which nostril the horse inhales with first this is a key to your horses emotions. Your horse may move one nostril over the bottle, then the other.

The horse’s right nostril is controlled by the left hand side of the brain – which govern’s the horses functions, the way it does ‘stuff’.

The left hand nostril is governed by the right hand side of the brain – which is the intuitive, creative side.  Much like in people.

Your horse may product the Flehmen reaction – curling the top lip back toward the nostrils. This traps the oil’s smell in the special receptor cells in the front of the horse’s nostrils and nasal cavity.

Keep in mind each horse is different and what ‘works’ for one horse may not work for another.

Some horse’s need grounding, some horses need confidence, some horse’s need manners and training. Sometimes these different sources show as the same symptoms so we have to use a little investigation to determine what to do. All the lavender in the world will not help if your horse is just plane rude and unmanageable. here the key is key is the correct and systematic training.

I would love to know how you use essential oils with your horse. Please put in a response below. If you would like to get additional information regarding using essential oils and your horse please email me.