Just Finished a Webinar where they said Stress is Really Hard on Immunity

LiveWithCancer

Some of you know I took aromatherapy certification classes awhile back - I've kind of gotten away from it all for the last year or so, but today the place I took the certification class had a Webinar on COVID19 and essential oils.

One of the presenters covered the biology of cells, specifically the virus cells. Her information was gleaned from reading a lot of the scientific studies that have come out. Anyway, she gave three ways our bodies work to keep us healthy: physical (ie, skin), chemical (stomach acids, sweat glands, saliva, etc.), and immune cells (macrophages, T cells, B cells, dendrites, etc).

We can help our immune systems out by keeping our skin healthy - clear up those cuts and scrapes! And we can help strengthen our immune cells. The best way to do that, she said, is to rest, rest, rest ... and STAY CALM! Our immune cells work best when we are emotionally calm. I know it is easier said than done, but we may be actually making ourselves more vulnerable to the virus ...

LiveWithCancer

Sorry ... I ran out of characters above ...

...by worrying and stressing about it.

A couple of other presenters mentioned how essential oils MIGHT help ... if not by actually attacking the virus, at least by helping make you calm or supporting the immune system. They recommended using three techniques: diffusing, steam inhalation (especially after having been out and about steam inhalation might kills any virus cells you might have picked up through your nose), and using a personal inhaler.

A recipe we were given for protecting the respiratory system is making a stock blend of:
25 drops Ravintsara
25 drops Tea Tree
25 drops Black Spruce

Another stock blend, this one to help take some of the load off of our immune systems, is:
33 drops of Cedarwood (juniperus virginiana)
33 drops of Frankincense
33 drops of sweet orange (or any citrus)

After making the stock blend, you can use 8-12 drops in a diffuser that intermittently diffuses throughout the day. You can make a personal inhaler by putting 15 drops of the stock blend on the cotton wick of the inhaler and using it off and on throughout the day. To do a steam inhalation, you heat water to steaming, pour into a bowl, put ONE drop (no more ... throw it out and start again if you get more than one drop) of the stock blend into the water, cover your head with a towel, breathe deeply the warm steam from the hot water for 10-15 minutes.

Of course, there are no guarantees that these actions will keep you healthy, but I thought I would pass along a bit of what I learned in the 2 hour class in case anyone here is interested.

GregP_WN

Thanks for posting, it couldn't hurt anything. Donna is always giving me cinnamon and honey that is supposed to keep colds/flu/general bad stuff away. Apparently it doesn't work for cancer though.

Bengal

Thanks for sharing this LWC. THis is some good helpful information. May I ask where you get your supplies to make up these stock blends?

LiveWithCancer

Hi Bengal,

I have several favorite places. My most favorite is Aromatics International. But, i also like Plant Therapy and Edens Garden. Whoever you buy from, make sure you can see a GCMS report for the oil(s) you buy. There are lots of scoundrels out there selling impure oils.

I also buy from Simply Earth, mainly because I get their kit every month - it is fun to get recipes and supplies all at one time. I look forward to my box arriving like a kid anticipates Christmas!

I just remembered ... there's a free 3-part class coming up called Your Essential Oil Pantry for Immune Support: Live.aromahead.com might get you to the link if you are interested in it... (if that link doesn't work and you're interested, i will try again...

Bengal

Thanks so much LWC. Not sure if I will actually do anything with it but at least I have the information if I decide to give it a try. I've been doing something as simple as soaking in the tub with lavender scented bath salts. Really helps me relax and feels great on aching joints.

LiveWithCancer

Do you make your own lavender-scented bath salts, @Bengal? If not, I can find a recipe for you - bath salts are super easy to make and probably a lot cheaper than buying them. I get a bunch of recipes for bath salts, but I only take showers so never use them.