NOCO Wellness 2016
keeps us awake and alert, and it’s good for memory and recall.” She suggests working with professional aromatherapists. “Essential oils affect everyone differently, which is a good reason for professional guidance. My philosophy is less is more. I dilute them first and see how they do on an individual. You need to treat essential oils like something a doctor would prescribe. They can be potent and must be used with care.” Jenn McGlue, who works in sales advertising at iHeart Media, has used essential oils and aromatherapy for many years. “I believe in letting my body heal naturally,” she says. “If I feel I’m coming down with something, I put eucalyptus on my feet, put on socks, and go to sleep.” For her daughters, ages three and four, at the beginning of a cough or cold, she puts a combination of Frankincense and peppermint in the bathtub, turns on the steam shower, and has them sit in the room and inhale the steam. “It really seems to help. If I’m sick, I put peppermint and eucalyptus in a diffuser by my bedside.” Not everyone is a believer, she says. “My husband calls it ‘witchcraft,’ but he uses it.” She tells the story of her husband’s foot injury. Kevin, the Colorado Eagles Hockey play-by-play announcer, had a game to call. “I gave him a pain cream I made and the pain went away. He even took a cotton ball soaked with it to the game and reapplied it. He made it through the game.” McGlue uses essential oils in other topical ways. “I have a peppermint and lavender concoction I mix with coconut oil you can rub on your temples for headaches. What’s the harm? Instead of taking an Advil immediately, try this, wait an hour, and if it doesn’t work, take the Advil.” The increase in interest is a doubleedged sword McGlue says. “Because it’s trendy, it’s easier for people to find new ways to use oils. But it’s also increased the discussion from people who think it’s a hoax.” The bottom line for McGlue: “There’s no harm, and I believe there’s a better benefit.”
Kay Rios, Ph.D., is a freelance writer based in Fort Collins. She is currently working on a collection of creative non-fiction essays and a mystery series.
Photo: Richard Haro
Wellness and manager of Healing Gardens Medicinal Store. “They are meant to protect plants from anything in the environment: from the sun, viruses, and predators. They help plants adapt to the environment.” Translated into human use, essential oils are the basic materials of aromatherapy. “Some essential oils are antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral,” Kempter says. “They are very versatile and can be used for a wide range of things. When people think of aromatherapy, often they think of diffusers and inhaling, but essential oils can also be used topically. We make a number of personal care products with them.” Essential oils have been used for therapeutic purposes for nearly 6,000 years. Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used them in cosmetics, perfumes, and also for spiritual, therapeutic, hygienic, and ritualistic purposes. René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist, is credited with discovering the healing properties of lavender oil when he applied it to a burn on his hand after an explosion in his laboratory. As he began to analyze the chemical properties of essential oils, he looked at how they were used to treat burns, skin infections, gangrene, and wounds in World War I soldiers. In 1928, he coined the term aromatherapy. Even with the long history of use, little published research exists on essential oils and aromatherapy. The Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota reports that’s changing with clinical studies currently underway in Europe, Australia, Japan, India, the U.S., and Canada. They also indicate existing research studies have shown positive effects for a variety of health concerns including infections, pain, anxiety, depression, premenstrual syndrome, and nausea. While researchers are not entirely clear as to how aromatherapy works, some believe it’s related to the sense of smell’s direct connection to parts of the brain (the amygdala and hippocampus) where emotions and memories are stored. So breathing in essential oil molecules may stimulate these parts of the brain, influencing physical, emotional, and mental health. Kempter has found that aromatherapy helps with heightened spiritual awareness and cognitive function. “One of my favorites is to use three drops of peppermint and three drops of rosemary in a diffuser while my 15 year old daughter and I study. It
Helpful Recipes (provided by Shonna Kempter)
Peaceful Night Diffuser Recipe › › ›
4 drops Lavender 3 drops Sweet Orange 3 drops Frankincense
Gentle Detox Bath › › › › › ›
1/2 cup of Epson Salt 1/2 cup Himalayan Salt 2 Tablespoons Baking Soda 5 drops Lavender 2 drops Cedar Wood Mix in glass container before adding to a warm bath.
First Aid Spray › › › › ›
4-ounce glass spray bottle 3 drops Tea Tree 3 drops Helichrysum 2 drops Lavender Fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled water.
Citrus-Rosemary Disinfectant Room Spray › › › › › › ›
4-ounce glass spray bottle 1 Tablespoon vodka 5 drops Lemon 5 drops Sweet Orange 3 drops Bergamont 2 drops Rosemary Fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled water
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