Saturday, June 11, 2016

Medications vs Essential Oils

Is it Possible to Build a Tolerance to Essential Oils?
Many aromatherapists suggest limiting the use of  the exxact same oil or oils to 21 days before taking a week break.  This is recommended for 2 reasons.  #1, this reduces the risk of sensitization to the essential oil or oils that you are using.  #2 This reduces the chance that your body will develop a resistance or tolerance to the effectiveness of the essential oils you are using.

Bacteria readily develop resistence against drugs, which expose bacteria to the exact same chemical composition each time allowing for adaptation.  The bacteria does this to preserve its existence.  This has not been observed frequently with natural plant extracts, whether from herbs or essential oils.  This is because plant extracts including essential oils, naturally have chemical or strucural variance that limits the ability of the bacterium to adapt and become resistant.

Despite resistance being a remove possibility, some users have reported that the long term use of the same essential oil has reduced its efficacy.  While it may be that the person's health condition progressed to cause a decrease in effectiveness, the rotation of essential oils still has merit.  Herbal remedies have been rotated in a similar manner for centuries to maintain their effectiveness.

Essential Oil Used with Medications
 Essential oils work in harmony with the human body, however, with all potent substances, caution and common sense is required.  Some essential oils (as well as blends and supplements that contain them) have the potential to interact with medications or are contraindicated with certain health conditions.  If you take medications while using essential oils, you should check with your doctor or pharmacist for possible interactions or contraindications before using essential oils.

The book "Integrated Guide to Essential Oils and Aromatherapy" has a CAUTION behind each single oil, so look up the single oils that are in each blend.  This lists possible concerns or cautions with certain medical conditions, age, or medications.

Some choose to use medications and essential oils concurrently.  If you chose to do so, it is best to use essential oils approximately 4 hrs following the administration of medications and to reduce the normal (or recommended) essential oil dose by half.

Although every effort has been made to find drug interactions, known cautions, and contraindictions with essential oils, the list may not include every possible caution required.  Consequently, always check with your doctor or pharmacist before using medications and essential oils together.

Reducing Reliance on Medications
you should never reduce or stop taking any medication without your health-care professional's approval.  Do NOT do so unless your provider tells you to!  Doing so can be dangerous and have serious consequences.
However, with physician approval it is possible to reduce reliance on medications in favor of a natural option with reduced side effects.
  1. You should discuss the possible effects you might experience as you work toward medication reduction with your physician
  2. Slowly introduce small doses of the essential oil you wish to use about 4 hours AFTER taking your medication (unless there is an obvious risk and contraindication).
  3. You need to reduce your medication graduaally over a period of weeks or months.  This largely depends on how long you have been taking the medication.  As a guide, the Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends the following for antipsychotic medication reduction: treatment for less than 8 wks -- reduce medication over 1-2 wks; treatment of 6-8 months -- taper medication over 6-8 wks; and longer treatment periods, reduce medication by 25% every 4-6 wks.  People who take weeks to months to reduce their medications are more likely to be successful.
  4. Follow up regularly with your health care practitioner. 
You'll find a more satisfactory result using the purest highest quality of essential oils.  Therapeutic grade is not all it's claimed.  Clinical grade MUST pass all standards set by research institutions for clinical studies.
http://ClinicalGradeEssentialOils.myameo.com 

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