Natural Body Guru

The severity of whooping cough, as with other childhood infectious illnesses, can be modified by using essential oils. I ran into an old friend this past weekend and she told me she had whooping cough for over 3 months. She owns a day care center so I’m sure she caught it from one of her charges but I wish I had known when she had it, I would have recommended she use essential oils to shorten the illness.

To treat children or adults with whooping cough, use bowls of hot steaming water in the sick room. To these bowls, add 3 drops of the following synergistic blend 3 times a day.

• 10 drops hyssop
• 10 drops thyme
• 10 drops cinnamon

Other oils you can use in the same proportions are tea tree, niaouli, rosemary, lavender or cypress. Be sure the steaming water is well out of reach of the child. For older children and adults, you can make a chest rub with 5 drops niaouli, 10 drops cypress and 10 drops lavender in 1 ounce of sweet almond oil. Rub the child’s back 3 or 4 times per day. These treatments are not to be used alone. You must call a doctor for the child because whooping cough is a long drawn out and debilitating illness. Without treatment from a physician, your child can become more susceptible to developing complications such as pneumonia.

Xeroderma, also known as xeroderma pigmentosa is a rare condition passed down genetically through families in which the skin and tissue covering the eye are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet light. Another symptom of the disease is an abnormal dryness of the skin. The skin in people with the disease lacks natural lubrication because they have fewer sebaceous glands than most of us have. The lack of lubrication in the skin causes it to look scaly and that’s why xeroderma is often called icthyosis, the Greek word for fish.

This disease is not easy to treat and there is really no cure for it. Children who have it often develop skin cancer by the age of 5. Rich creams like shea butter or mango butter cream are very helpful to make the person more comfortable. If you add an essential oil that is beneficial to dry skin, it will make it even more beneficial. The essential oils to choose from are chamomile, lavender, and neroli. Treatments used for psoriasis are also helpful so I would also recommend 30 Second Face Lift which has greatly helped my son with his psoriasis.

The time to treat the inevitable stretch marks new mothers get is before you receive them. Prevention of stretch marks is much easier than the cure. Stretch marks are a form of scarring that occurs when the skin is stretched during pregnancy. Once you have them, they are difficult to get rid of but you can make them lighter with dedication to daily massage using shea butter cream which is excellent for this purpose.

For prevention, expectant mothers should massage their abdomen and hips daily from the 4th or 5th month to increase the elasticity of their skin. Massaging with almond oil or shea butter alone is very helpful. Adding a blend of 10 drops mandarin and 15 drops neroli essential oils to  3 tablespoons hazelnut oil and enough liquid shea butter oil to fill a 1 ounce bottle will make it even more effective. If a cream is easier for you to handle, use shea butter cream instead of the liquid.

Many essential oils have a calming and sedative effect, especially on the nervous system. The most effective of the sedative oils are chamomile, lavender, bergamot and neroli. Others that can be used are rose, clary-sage, jasmine, marjoram and sandalwood. There are others but these are the most well known and most used. The best way to use the oil for its sedative effect is in massage or in baths.

The oil you use is strictly your choice and that will depend on your preference for a particular fragrance and on the situation when you use it. Each of the above oils has many other properties besides being sedative and you may choose the oil based on some of its other properties besides being sedative.

I want to say a few words about aromatherapy for grief because there have been two deaths among my family and friends recently. The best help for grief is from the loving care of a therapist or an aromatherapist. Talking with one after a death in your family will benefit you. The oils that are used for allaying grief are best used in massage.You can use them in a bath and they may be comforting but they are much less helpful that way.

The best oil to use is rose,  and it is actually an absolute, not an essential oil. An absolute is an essential oil that is very concentrated. Rose can be used alone or in combination with benzoin which has a degree of warmth. Another good  warming oil is marjoram, especially if loneliness is  accompanying the grief such as after a bereavement. I am not saying to simply use essential oils after a bereavement but please consider using the oils in conjunction with counseling. Other oils that can be used for grief are bergamot which is uplifting, and chamomile or lavender, which are both soothing.

Juniper berries are famous for making gin but the essential oil made from juniper berries is also well known in aromatherapy circles and herbal medicine. It is one of the most diuretic and detoxifying of all remedies, with a strong effect on the kidneys. Be sure and choose pure juniper berry essential oil because there is an inferior oil made from the twigs of the  of the juniper berry bush.

• To transform mental anguish and weakness into clarity and strength, use 3 drops  juniper berry and 3 drops rosemary in a diffuser.
• To purify negative thoughts and overcome a lack of self love, take a bath into which you add 2 drops juniper berry and 2 drops rose absolute.
• To ease pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms such as water retention, mix 2 drops juniper berry, 4 drops grapefruit and 4 drops fennel in 4 teaspoons of grapeseed oil and massage this blend into the bloated areas.
• To balance irregular menstrual cycles mix 4 drops juniper berry and 6 drops clary-sage into 4 teaspoons liquid shea oil and massage the abdomen in a clockwise, circular pattern every evening.
• To help soothe aching muscles, take a bath into which you have added 2 drops juniper berry and 4 drops cardamom.

Your skin is a living breathing organ and to keep it looking fresh and dewy, you must keep it hydrated along with the rest of your body. To improve the condition of your skin and delay or even reverse the aging process, do the following:

1. drink plenty of water
2. eat a diet rich in antioxidants
3. wash your face with a gentle natural soap
4. use a good moisturizing cream

Be gentle when you wash your face and don’t scrub too hard because scrubbing is not good for your skin. I splash lukewarm water on my face and then make a soapy lather in my hands but you can also use a soft cloth to wash your face. After rinsing well, I use an astringent like witch hazel on a cotton ball before moisturizing with 30 second face lift.

High school was a rough time for me. Throughout my time there, I suffered with acne problems, and it did not let up when I went to college; people just stopped outwardly making fun of me for it and started pitying me. I had really low self-esteem because of my acne for a long time and tried many different products trying to get rid of it.

Things finally started to let up once I switched skin care products and started using natural black soap and a good moisturizer. I almost immediately noticed a change in my skin. Suddenly, acne was something I no longer had to worry about, and I owe it all to using natural skin care products. If only I had discovered them back when I was in high school.

Essential oils can be used in several ways to stop bleeding. The oils you to use are some of the ones that you should have on hand in your essential oil kit. Of course, there are many more oils than the ones in the kit and substitutes can be made but the oils below are the ones I suggest you use for bleeding.

If you are bleeding from an open wound, apply a compress to the area after adding the following oils:

• 1 drop geranium
• 1 drop lemon
• 1 drop chamomile

If you have a nose bleed, lie flat on your back and pinch your nostrils, then breath in the aroma of the following essential oils that you have put on a tissue:

• 3 drops lemon
• 1 drop lavender

If you have bleeding gums, make yourself a mouthwash (do not swallow) with the following oils added to a tumbler of warm water:

• 2 drops lemon
• 1 drop lavender
• 2 drops eucalyptus

Dilute these oils in 1 teaspoon of brandy to make your mouthwash and remember – do not swallow.

Use body oils instead of  perfume or cologne if you are concerned about using natural skin care products. Traditional designer brand perfumes are comprised of concentrated oils and 75% to 85% alcohol, ethanol and or water. When you purchase perfume or cologne, you pay a high price for the brand name, the advertising campaigns, the “cosmetics gifts” you receive for purchasing a certain dollar amount, the alcohol used, and the beautiful fancy packaging.

The alcohol and ethanol used make your perfume smell very strong but it fades within a few hours. As your perfume (or the alcohol in it) evaporates, it not only takes your fragrance but your natural body oils with it, drying your skin as it goes.  Body oils are pure, concentrated perfume oils in a cosmetic grade vegetable oil. They evaporate naturally giving your skin a softer, smoother feeling – plus they contain no alcohol, ethanol or water so many people who are allergic to perfumes and colognes can wear body oils with no problem.