Tips to detox your whole life
Did you know that thing you’re smelling could kill you?
If you’re following my little detox series, you’ll notice I give fragrances a hard time. Sorry. Not sorry. My intense dislike for these chemical products is not merely personal. Sure I used to like my Eau De Parfum back in the day, but I just couldn’t continue to ignore the mountain of evidence that shows just how toxic these perfumes are to our bodies.
The health risks associated with synthetic fragrances have been well documented many times before so I’m not going to re-hash the same old arguments here. But it’s crucial that you realize that whenever something is commercially scented, it’s usually bad news. And most of the time you won’t even know what the chemical you’re smelling is, as manufacturers are not under any obligation to disclose the fragrances they use in their products.
If you want to read more about it, take a look here: https://www.theguardian.com/…/fragrance-perfume-personal-cl…
Or if you’re a science nerd like me, then head straight here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5122698/
Even if you don’t have time to read these articles, I strongly urge you to follow your nose on this one. Strongly scented candles – probably dodgy. Air fresheners – just don’t. Fabric softener – not really necessary and definitely not good for you or the environment.
So, what to do if you want things to smell nice but don’t want to risk health problems? I have the solution! In fact, I have lots of them! Get your hands on some essential oils! Luckily for us, good quality essential oils have never been so easy to find and come in a huge range of fresh, beautiful scents. You can create your own unique blends to suit your mood, or spend a little time researching their properties to choose one that’s right for the job.
Firstly, let me explain what essential oils are. Some people say they are the essence of a plant or flower. Each plant has it’s own unique scent to help with pollination and protect it from fungus and other microbes and even to protect it from overcrowding by other plant species. They do this by emitting a smell that prevents other plants photosynthesizing and germinating.
The oils that give plants their scent are extracted from all parts of the plant, including the seeds, roots, stems, petals, twigs and bark and even the fruit of the plant. If you want a good scientific breakdown of the hows and the whys, this is a great resource: https://www.sciencedirect.com/…/agricultural…/essential-oils
Although essential oils seem to be becoming more popular in recent times, there is historical evidence that oils have been an essential part of life for as long as, or even before we can remember. There are cave paintings in the Dordogne region of France that date back 20,000 years showing medicinal use of plants and their oils. More ‘recently’, the Egyptians used essential oils 6,500 years ago in cosmetics, medicinal ointments and food. In China, Huang Ti wrote a book about the use of essential oils in medicine around 4,600 years ago, and oils have played a key role in ancient Ayurvedic medicine for the last 3000 or so years.
Here in Austraila, the Aboriginal people have been using oils for longer than is historically recorded. These practices ingrained in this ancient culture are only now being recognized as useful in western culture, although haven’t yet made their way into western medical practice, despite growing evidence showing its benefits [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23563055]. It is understood that the gathering of the plants, leaves, bark etc. was a task undertaken by Aboriginal women and children where knowledge was passed from one generation of women to the next. Men were excluded from this tradition, as it was strictly “women’s business”.
Some of this knowledge must have included the ways in which we can use these oils. We know Aboriginal people burn leaves and bark of native plants during a smoking ceremony to create a smoke with significant anti-microbial effects. This had the effect to reduce cross-contamination of diseases and it was used to assist with healing, for example after childbirth to prevent infection from occurring.
Many oils can be applied directly to the skin, or via a carrier oil to allow absorption into the skin and then into the bloodstream where they can tackle your issues. For example, a bath with a few drops of peppermint, fennel and ginger oils might help to aid digestive issues. But it’s best to consult a naturopath or essential oil expert before you go self-dosing!!
Or these delicious oils can simply be inhaled, via a diffuser or after applying to your skin. Inhaling/smelling these oils sends a message to the olfactory system in your brain which affects your limbic system that in turn controls emotions, memories, the perception of sensory information and even our endocrine and immune responses. For example, it can control the way your respond to stress by affecting your blood pressure, pulse rate and breathing.
So let’s talk about some of these ‘magical’ oils. There are some that are so well known, they can be found on our supermarket shelves for everyday use. For example there’s eucalyptus and tea tree oils, found in many cleaning products and recognized for their antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties.
Eucalyptus oil has been used to treat sinus and respiratory congestion due to its mucolytic (mucus loosening) effect. It’s also used to relive the inflammation and discomfort associated with arthritis and muscular aches.
Tea tree (or melaleuca) can also be used on the skin to treat acne, cold sores and other skin issues. Some varieties also have a numbing effect that can help relieve the pain of insect bites and even toothaches.
The fact is you can find an oil to help with anything. Right now, I’m expecting people might be searching for something to help them keep calm in the face of this coronavirus threat and boost immunity against the virus, so let’s look at what can help.
Firstly, there are some popular oils that have been used for centuries to help with anxiety. I’m just going to list them here but it’s worth doing your research to see what resonates with you and at the end of the day you must enjoy the scent! Once you’ve got a little collection you can start playing around with blends.
So, for anxiety, I recommend lavender, chamomile, rose oil, vetiver, bergamot, geranium, ylang ylang, frankincense and jasmine. Blend one or all of these together to stimulate your senses. Here’s a lovely recipe for a roll-on applicator. In a carrier oil such as almond oil, blend:
– 10 drops of lavender
– 6 drops cedarwood
– 6 drops geranium
– 4 drops ylang ylang
– 2 drops of clary sage
To help with immunity, it’s hard to go past the “Oil of Thieves”, aka “Four Thieves Oil”. Different manufacturers give this different brand names such as ‘On Guard” or “Body Armour”, but it’s based on the age old recipe that was said to have saved lives during the bubonic plague or ‘The Black Death’. We now know the disease was a bacterial infection called “Yersinia Pestis” that was spread by infected fleas. The story goes that everyone who came into contact with the disease would die. But at the time there were 4 thieves who were stealing from the dying who despite having close contact with the ill and dead, never became sick. It’s said the judge who tried them for their crimes agreed to pardon them from the sentence of burning to death if they would share their secret of immunity. The shared their recipe for the oil blends they used and indeed were not burned, but instead sentenced to death by hanging! Their secret now shared would become the armour used by Doctors treating plague victims, with their signature beak-like masks stuffed with the herbs and spices or cloths soaked in the oil blends.
Later studies have shown that this blend is significantly effective in destroying airborne bacteria, viruses and fungal pathogens. So here’s the blend:
– 40 drops clove bud
– 35 drops lemon (or wild orange)
– 20 drops cinnamon bark
– 15 drops eucalyptus
– 10 drops rosemary
Note, it’s not recommended to ingest (eat or drink) essential oils, so please get advice before doing so.
