Essential Oils have been one of the newest trends in natural health. But did you know that Essential oils have been used throughout history in many cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits.
Essential Oils are defines as “a natural oil typically obtained by distillation and having the characteristic fragrance of the plant or other source from which it is extracted.”
One common use for essential oils is for relief from arthritis. In this recent post from the Food Matters website, they provide a quick quide on using essential oils as a remedy for arthritis:
“Dr. Eric Z’s Essential Oil Guide for Arthritis
There’s no better way of putting it: rheumatoid arthritis can be downright debilitating. The pain is oftentimes crippling and the side effects, like heart disease, insomnia, depression and stress, just complicate matters immensely. Unfortunately, most doctors prescribe harmful pharmaceutical drugs to mask the pain, but this is not the best long-term solution.
When possible, going “natural” is most beneficial because there are virtually no side effects and many people have experienced fantastic relief by implementing an anti-inflammatory diet, adopting regular exercise and motion therapy, as well as using natural remedies like essential oils.
Peppermint
A soothing oil with cooling effects, peppermint essential oil is a go-to for pain relieving applications. In one study on arthritis and essential oils, peppermint was part of a blend intended to relieve arthritic pain and depression associated with it. The results were fantastic.” Aromatherapy significantly decreased both the pain score and the depression score of the experimental group compared with the control group,” the researchers stated. And with no side effects reported!
Frankincense
Being inflammatory by nature, we also found frankincense to help rheumatoid arthritis. Testing the pain relieving ability of an aromatherapy hand massage with patients battling with cancer, researchers discovered that frankincense relieved their pain significantly!
While the trial might have been directed toward cancer rather than arthritis, the hands are a common site of pain for people with arthritis, and the analgesic effects can be enjoyed by all.
Anti-Inflammatory Essential Oils
With pain relief in the making, a focus on the cause is warranted and necessary in order to build a lifetime of health. For inflammatory arthritic illness, anti-inflammatory oils, herbs, and foods are more than welcome!
Incorporate these anti-inflammatory oils into your regular, daily essential oil use routines in order to begin chipping away, so to speak, at the very cause of your arthritis.
Lavender
Typically used to improve sleep or treat the skin, lavender essential oil once again displays its wide range of effects when considering it for therapeutic benefits for arthritis.
As an anti-inflammatory oil, lavender can help to relieve the painful swelling and inflammation that arthritis in its various forms creates. Lavender is an analgesic as well, tackling arthritic pain from multiple angles.
Lavender may also help to relieve secondary issues that arise in a life of chronic pain since it can be used for anxiety and depression. Its gentle nature makes lavender a reliable choice for most people in many application forms.”
Essential oils can be ingested, used topically, and diffused with a difuser. But you want to make sure to use them the right way. As not all oils are made to be used for every method.
For more essential oil treatments for arthritis, go ahead and check out the rest of this article over on the website for Food Matters.
Photo By shaepulkantor