Astral Health » Aromatherapy Safety

Epilepsy and Aromatherapy

Samantha Stevens — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 19:32:49 +0000

This is a cautionary word or two about the use of essential oils and their effect on epileptics. As epilepsy can be triggered by the smell of strong scents this brings up some issues about their safe use if you have this condition.

Â
There seems to be no consummate research on this subject but some sources report that the very worst oil for provoking unusual brain activity in epileptics is rosemary. Other risky oils for epileptics are aniseed, dill, camphor, eucalyptus, fennel, hyssop, lavender marjoram, peppermint and sage.Â All of these are very intense scents that may provoke a seizure by over stimulating the limbic part of the brain.

Â
If you are an epileptic and your symptoms have worsened lately it might be a good idea to see what products you have around that contain these essential oils.

Essential Oils Are Drugs

Samantha Stevens — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 12:49:50 +0000

Â Essential oils are more than just pretty or strong smells. They are actually drugs. Some are phototoxic (meaning that if applied to the skin they can cause it to burn or they can cause your entire system to become more absorbent of harmful U.V. rays). Many are neurotoxins if swallowed, directly inhaled or applied to the skin. Others are carcinogenic especially when burned.)Â You should handle essential oils with the same kind of care that you would any drug or potential toxin.

Â
Here are some safety tips for handling essential oils:

Â
Keep them high up and far away from toddlers and children.

Do not administer essential oils directly to the skin without first diluting them with a carrier oil.

Do not pour essential oils directly into bath water without first diluting them with a carrier oil.

Never put an essential oil intended for external use in your mouth.

Donâ€™t swallow essential oils or add them to recipes or beverages unless the product is clearly marked as a food grade material.

Avoid them completely during pregnancy.

Do not administer them to babies or toddlers.

Do not use straight or blended oils near the eyes or on the genitals.

Avoid phototoxic essential oils if you have a history of cancer.

Store them away from heat or light sources. Ultraviolet light degrades essential oils.

Only use the highest quality essential oils that you can find.

Peace Be Still..Sam

Do You Have Dirty House Syndrome?

Samantha Stevens — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 12:20:39 +0000

I was reading this interesting, but somewhat dated (2001) EPA report on â€œdirty house syndrome.â€ No itâ€™s not what you think. Dirty house syndrome is actually a nickname for what is also known as ghosting, carbon tracing and carbon tracking. The EPA calls it Black Deposition Syndrome and it is INDOOR POLLUTION caused by burning low quality candles with additives in them.

Even the finest quality wax candles can cause Black Deposition Syndrome if they contain enough additives and unfortunately essential oils are counted among the pollutant that can substantially dirty up your houseâ€™s air.Â The black soot that is dispersed into the air along with your aromatherapy is the product of the incomplete combustion of the essential oils. A candle that contains synthetic essential oils and paraffin might produce as much as 100 times soot as an ordinary candle.

So there you are, the picture of perfect self-knowledge burning eucalyptus, peppermint and juniper scented candles to purify your air when the entire time you are setting yourself up for a bad case of dirty house syndrome. If you have a respiratory problem such as chronic asthma or bronchitis or are allergic to something unknown it might be the aromatherapy candles you are burning.

How do you tell if your aromatherapy candle is causing Black Deposition Syndrome? If the flame is burning yellow it is probably emitting a lot of smoke. If the flame is burning blue then it emits less soot. Beeswax candles tend to emit the bluest flame and thus cause the least indoor pollution.

Sam