One example is from a trip I took a couple of weeks ago to visit my friend Heidi Strawser. While on the plane on the way, I started to feel really yucky and sick. I had read that peppermint essential oil helps ward off nausea, so I took a tiny bottle of it along with me. As soon as I began to feel bad, I opened the bottle and took several really deep sniffs of it. Then, for a while after that, I kept the bottle close and took more deep breaths every few minutes. In 5 or 10 minutes, I felt just fine!
What really inspired me to write this post, though, was an experience that I had a couple of days ago with my younger daughter, age 7. Mary Grace is usually pretty attentive when we're doing her homeschool work, but that day she was way off in space and just wasn't having any luck at all trying to concentrate. I was getting very frustrated trying to work with her, and I could tell that she was getting frustrated as well.
I opened up the aromatherapy book and looked to see what kinds of essential oils might help with concentration. I found as many of the suggested oils as I could, filled a humidifier with purified water (since I don't have an aromatherapy diffuser I just used what I did have!), and added several drops of 3 different essential oils that I had on hand. As I was standing at the sink filling the humidifier and adding the oils, I heard Mary Grace call out, "Hey Mom! What are you doing?!" I told her what I was doing and that it would help her to be able to concentrate. Then she began explaining to me that she didn't need any essential oils to help her concentrate. I turned around to talk to her about it, but she wasn't there. I took a closer look and saw that she was at the kitchen table (where she was supposed to be doing her work), but she was upside down with her feet in the air! Needless to say, that confirmed to me the need to get those essential oils going to see if they helped!
The truth is that, for the first few minutes, I didn't see any improvement. After about 10 minutes or so, though, she actually began to pay much better attention to her work! I was very pleased and a little surprised. It wasn't too long before she was working very well, and we actually were able to finish that day's work without tears and frustration. While I can't guarantee that the essential oils were responsible for her improved concentration, they sure did seem to be. I can promise that I will absolutely be trying that again!
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I can't testify to the concentration, but I can say that peppermint oil is pretty calming!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is! Maybe that's how it helps improve concentration--by calming folks down so they can pay attention better. I don't know for sure HOW it works, but it sure seemed to work pretty well. Besides that, it just smells so good that it's nice to smell it anyway! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat is the book that you have? I'm starting to use some essential oils and would love to have a book that contains information about them.
ReplyDeleteThe book I have is called Aromatherapy: A Lifetime Guide to Healing with Essential Oils by Valerie Gennari Cooksley. There is also a book carried by Beeyoutiful that I'm considering buying (I don't remember the name of theirs). If I come across another good one, I'll try to let you know. Maybe you can let me know if you find any good ones too!
ReplyDeleteWhat were the three that you used? I know I need concentration sometimes as much as the kids. I've read that fish oil can help with congnitive abilities. I'm taking pills to test out that theory. Of course, they are the definition of a horse pill - I worry my obit will read - chocked to death on fish oil! Geesh! Needless to say, the aromatherapy may be the better route for my kiddos. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I use essential oils a little bit but need to study how to use them.
ReplyDeleteI'm visiting from the crew's blogwalk.
April, I used rosemary, peppermint, and lemon essential oils. There are others mentioned in my book as well, but I already had those 3, so I used what I had. I know what you mean about the fish oil being horse pills too!! My kids and I can swallow them if we have to, but I'm always a little concerned about it too--especially for the kids. If the EOs continue to seem to work, I think I'll just stick with those!
ReplyDeleteBriana, I'm glad you came by! Thanks. :)