For those who are new here, I have used a lot of natural therapies along with antibiotics on and off to get better, though I have been off antibiotics for two and a half years now.
One of the main therapies I used to help myself was use of essential oils.
I would be happy to answer any questions people have about them. Many of the oils are antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal.
They also enhance immune system response, and may carry toxins out of the body. The molecules are small enough so they penetrate the blood brain barrier.
This helped me a lot, since I did have neuropsych symptoms along with everything else.
Anyway, I notice this topic doesn't come up here too often, even though I think, from my own experience that use of essential oils is one of the more promising natural approaches to Lyme.
The oils are also easy to find and most of them are not expensive.
I have used a lot of other therapies in addition to the essential oils, but they helped me the most when my symptoms were most extreme and severe, and they kept me stable enough as I tested other things out.
And I continuously progressively improved when using them, though my recovery was marked by many hard herxes, that got less and less hard over time.
I contracted Lyme in 2001, and got slammed hard with symptoms through spring and summer of 2002.
I turned to using essential oils after my digestion gave out on oral antibiotics, and I didn't have insurance to get on IV antibiotics, or to get anything like proper treatment.
I started getting better that summer, going from probably 15% of normal to 50% of normal
(meaning that instead of feeling constantly awful and degenerating rapidly,
I started herxing and having bigger and bigger windows of good days where I was pretty normal and started climbing upwards instead of heading in the downward spiral),
and then I was on the cycle of flares and herxes through 2003, and did get on IV antibiotics briefly.
In 2003, I had a lot of emotional dramas that set me back some. My neuro symptoms worsened from stress. I was also on minocycline that year.
I started getting core synchronism bodywork done at the end of 2003, and that seemed to improve the penetration of everything else I was doing into my brain, and vastly improved my mental functioning along with the other stuff.
In 2004, I got out of a lot of the dramas other people were throwing at me, got a lot more physically and mentally stable,
and began working part-time, now that my symptoms weren't coming as severely and frequently any more, and I had more energy and could think straight.
In the fall, I started taking Yunan Paiyao orally (a Chinese herb formula commonly used for trauma and injury), and that also seemed to help improve the penetration of the essential oils and antibiotics (just amoxicillin or minocycline oral).
It also improved my energy level. It seemed to help my blood circulation, and clear the excess fibrin out of my system.
I also began taking N-Acetyl Cysteine, and that seemed to have an antimicrobial effect. At this point, I also started taking the essential oils orally instead of topically (always in small amounts diluted).
I tried weaning off the antibiotics and stayed stable.
From 2005 on, I only did the internal oils, the Yunan Baiyao, and the N-acetyl cysteine, and occasionally used the oils externally when necessary.
I was quite healthy and stable, with a minor flare once a month. I still had a lot of lumps and cystlike formations in different parts of my body, which I assumed were the disease hiding out, but didn't have major problems generally, unless I got the flu or some other issue on top of the Lyme.
I started taking celery seed extract to deal with the lumps under my skin. It alkalizes the blood, and it improves circulation, and it breaks down uric acid. The lumps reduced and I think the disease had an even harder time hiding out from treatment in my body.
I still had occasional Lyme migraines (once every couple of months), so I wondered what I could do about that.
I started taking niacin because I read that it was good for microcirculation and the brain.
That really helped prevent the headaches, and seemed to also improve my situation, which was minor but still there.
I also stopped taking the Yunan Paiyao, mostly because I was tired of drinking it, and started using serrapeptase enzyme instead for the same reasons.
That seemed to work well, though maybe not as strongly as the Y.P., but I didn't need the extra strength any more.
I also pretty much stopped using the essential oils except on an as needed basis at this point. I have been quite well and active through 2006, and even took a trip to India.
I still had some itching, burning sensations in some parts of my body, particularly in between my should blades in my back. I started using a zapper on the area for that, and that helped that situation a lot.
In the beginning of 2007, as a mark of feeling quite healthy, I started doing Bikram Yoga, which is pretty intense. But the heat and the stretching seemed to have killed even more stuff hiding in my knees, hips, ankles, and the itchy area between my shoulder blade.
I wasn't having any symptoms in these areas, but when I worked out, I could feel stuff coming out of hiding in these areas. Now, I don't have that reaction any more from doing this workout.
So anyway, that is a summary of my steady climb out of the abyss of Lyme. I didn't really go into all the scary symptomology I had at times, but I pretty much had everything people mention here on this board to some degree. The only thing I didn't have was seizures.
Hope I didn't bore anyone with this extremely long post.
I just figure it might help to know what I tried that worked for me.
I also want to encourage people, so they can have faith that it is possible to get better.
If you're going through hell, keep on going, as the song says.
I am posting less often because my life is more active, but I still try to be involved because I know how dark and rough the road into and out of Lyme can be. Also, I am well, but I know that people relapse and that Lyme could always come back and bite me in the *&%#.
Farah
Posted by valymemom (Member # 7076) on :
Farah
I am going out of town but I would like to email you directly. I think I emailed you thru lymenet but did not hear back.
I thought I tried to email from your website, also with no answer.
Could you give the best email for getting in touch with you next week. Good to see you checking in!
Janis
Posted by Vermont_Lymie (Member # 9780) on :
Thanks so much Farah, it is wonderful information to share your story.
Because of your older posts, I have used several essential oils, especiallyl frankincense, eucalyptus, geranium, bergamot, and a few others. Less frequently, lemon and peppermint.
They seem to help in my sense of well-being, when used in baths or putting them on trouble spots (never directly, but with jojoba oil) like sore muscles. Great stuff, thanks again for sharing.
Posted by BOEJR (Member # 1734) on :
Hi Farah,
I have an essential oil question I hope that you don't mind answering.
I have read that no more than three oils should be used in a day. Is this true for single oils or just for blends?
Also, Can you tell me what oils you used? And whether you used them topically, aroma or ingested?
Thanks,
Julia
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
what is an essential oil? i've never heard of such a thing.
Posted by JeffM (Member # 8919) on :
the pure extract of a living thing, e.g, lavender
Posted by farah (Member # 8496) on :
Hi Julia,
I think that rule might be more useful for simpler problems than the ones people with Lyme have. I use a combination of about seven oils mixed together.
I don't use them individually usually for Lyme, though the individual oils can have significant activity on their own.
The person who mentioned that rule of thumb probably thought it would be harder to process and acclimate when introducing a bunch of oils into the body at once.
People with Lyme herx with the oils, and the first herxes can feel like a chemical sensitivity reaction.
My observation on my own body was that as I used the oils over the liver, I seemed to kill of the bacteria that was residing there and my chemical sensitivities disappeared.
I think the chemical sensitivity to all sorts of things in my environment had been a result of a liver compromised and infiltrated by bacteria. Once they died off, the problem went away.
At first I used the oils topically in the area of the symptoms, which for a lot of times in the beginning were all over my body.
I used a combination of eucalyptus, frankincense, lemon, thyme, patchouli, geranium, and lavender diluted in a base of grapeseed oil.
The concentration usually needs to be stronger to treat Lyme and co-infections than is generally used in aromatherapy.
For instance, if I was having hearing problems I would massage a drop in and around my ear.
If I was having visual problems, I would carefully massage the oils around my eyebrow, temples, and cheekbones.
If one of my legs would go weak, I would work on my leg, etcetera.
For me, these symptoms would often subside within minutes, the hour, or more severe symptoms within the day, depending on how consistent I was in working on them.
But desperation of feeling your body falling apart on you all the time can force a person to be very consistent. Fear is a great motivator.
If I was having brain problems, I would massage it into my scalp. A lot of times, it felt like I was chasing the disease around my body.
I would rub the oils in one area, I would feel creepy crawly sensations in that area, then the symptom would go away in that area, but I would feel the creepy crawlies move somewhere else, and another symptom would pop up.
But each time, a lot of the "creepy crawlies"(which I assume were the keets, or related things that shouldn't have been there) would also die.
I would herx, get sleepy, and then the next day I would feel so much better.
Getting better feels like one step back, two steps forwards constantly till one day you look back and see how much better than you were a month ago, six months ago, a year ago, or five years ago.
Later, as I got off of antibiotics, I started taking the same mixture internally, about 3-5 drops 3-5 times daily. It tastes weird, like eating perfume, but it helped actually better than the oral antibiotics for me at the time, especially in combination with the other stuff.
Another thing I often forget to mention is that I learned to do the Core Synchronism on myself.
If there was a place on my body that was congested or had poor circulation or had cysts I would hold those areas and work with the rhythm of circulation there, and eventually the congestion would release, and I would often feel a twitch as the bacteria relocated (or at least that is what it feels like to me).
The two things, the essential oils, and the Core Sync, seemed to really have a synergistic effect with each other.
Farah
Posted by BOEJR (Member # 1734) on :
Hi again Farah,
Thank you for getting back to me. I use the essential oils by Young Living and use the desk referance to guide me now that I do not have the time to attend seminars...
I would like to formulate a bottle for someone that did not have as great results with the HBOT that I offer.
I did incorporate FIR Sauna and she is better, but not where I think she should be. Can you tell me the concentrations? How many drops of each, I have them all..
Can you apply this several times a day. Also, does this also address virus's? now that she is very, very viral.
Thanks for your help, It is greatly appreciated.
Blessings,
Julia
Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
Oils are very strong and good but I have trouble with many because of their estrogen/hormonal compounds. For instance, lavender and teatree are known to have hormonal effects. So do many others.
Posted by lalalu (Member # 10854) on :
I also use essential oils. I was instructed to layer them. For Lyme, the herbalist recommended Myrrh, Laurel, Marjoram and Manuka...putting about eight drops of each along on my spine in that order.
I think they are anti bacterial. It feels luxurious and my body responds to them. I would say that it is helpful in my healing.
Some the attributes of these oils are:
* antifungal * antiseptic * astringent * antimicrobial * immune system and circulatory stimulant * antibacterial
Posted by heiwalove (Member # 6467) on :
farah,
where do you buy your essential oils?
and what is core synch.?
thanks, and i'm so glad you're feeling better.
~heather.
Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :
My massage therapist uses a few drops of Farah's Lyme Essence in the oil she uses on me. At first, I really felt awful for a couple of hours - achy. But, as Farah said, it would clear and I felt better, especially the next day.
It took some trial and error to figure out how much and when to use it. For me, it only takes a few drops to benefit. It is worth the money.
I also put some in my bath water. I always feel like I have a herxheimer reaction. But, I really think it is just a little wake-up call to the sleepy chetes. They don't care much for the oils. I like messing with them!
Thanks for your information, Farah.
Bc
Posted by farah (Member # 8496) on :
Hi BC,
I am glad to hear you have had good results with them. Herxing is part of what makes getting better from this disease so difficult. But I am glad you feel better after.
Farah
Posted by BartonFink (Member # 10818) on :
Hello Farah
I decided to try this yesterday. I had some lavender oil so I put it on the skin a few times (when I felt burning on the skin). Today I feel like I was hit by a train!! The fatigue is awful. Can the oil really cause such a strong herx?
Thanks
Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :
BF:
(Love your name). I wouldn't put too much concentrated oil straight on your skin. It can be too strong. Try mixing it with a little grapeseed or rose oil. That seems to work well for me. Or, you could put a few drops in bath water.
I sprinkle a little lavender on my bed sheets before going to bed. It helps me to fall asleep - lovely.
Bc
Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :
Farah, I hope you can give me some ideas on using these essential oils. Currently I'm only using them for cleaning air in my home. They are lemon eucalyptus, bergamot and frankincense.
I also use lemon eucalyptus in Burts Bee body lotion to apply as a tick repellent. I've read your site on these oils being good for treating lyme. How do I use them on my body?
Thanks, Pam
Posted by chroniccosmic (Member # 7789) on :
Hi Farah,
I love your posts and have searched and read many of them. So glad you are checking in with us and that you are better. I love a good "how I crawled back to health" story.
I did get the lyme blend of essential oils and use it diluted on my stomach area. It does continue to help my poor bloated stomach but I have to alternate using it because it can give me some extreme die off.
Another thing I used to do is put a few drops in hot water on the stove but the effect was so strong that I had to stop. My neuro symptoms would go crazy, brain fog, dizziness, etc. I need to figure out a way to address the neuro stuff without having to lay down for the day. I like the idea of massaging a small diluted drop in the head or eye area. I will try that.
Any other ideas welcome and thanks for taking the time to share with us.
Posted by Monica (Member # 224) on :
I had three Raindrop Therapy sessions in December and January.
The therapist used over a dozen essential oils on my spine.
My physical therapist has no doubt they have helped me, and I agree.
Posted by farah (Member # 8496) on :
Hi Pam,
How you use the oils on your body depends on the specific oil. Generally, for Lyme, the concentration of essential oil to carrier oil needs to be stronger than normal. Normal dilutions are 5%-10% essential oil to carrier oil. For Lyme, with many oils, a 15%-20% dilution seems to be necessary.
Some oils need to be used in much lower concentrations because they are really strong and will irritate your skin, like thyme.
Other oils really shouldn't be used on the skin much at all, like clove and cinnamon, but they are incredibly good disinfectant oils, and are good to inhale. It helps to have a good reference book to look at. The oils are very potent. They really are strong medicinals. They have to be used differently with children and pregnant women.
I think some people with Lyme respond well to lower concentrations than I used. It often depends on how your immune system interfaces with Lyme and on how many co-infections you have, or what strains of borellia you have, I think.
I had the type that would turn me into a deranged paralyzed lunatic within a week of no treatment, and then probably kill me in a horrid painful way soon after. That kept me motivated to keep at it with treatment, I can assure you.
I did have strong die-offs with essential oils. They got milder and milder as I got better, though. The cranial sacral type of body work helps that a lot, keeping the circulation good, so the body can clear the dead bacteria and toxins out.
Farah
Posted by Truthfinder (Member # 8512) on :
Just one little important tip I'd like to add here about using essential oils.....
Essential oils can antidote (nullify) homeopathic remedies.
The oils are powerful substances, and most oils are very concentrated and have a very strong odor. Any strong-smelling substance can antidote homeopathic remedies, such as perfumes, paint thinner, anything containing camphor, etc. And some people are more sensitive to this problem than others.
So, before you mix oils and homeopathic remedies, try working with a remedy for a few days by itself until you know what your reactions are to the remedy. Once you know how your body responds to the remedy, then you can try using the oils and note any changes.
As a general rule, it's always a good idea to ``get to know'' one product or treatment before adding in a second one. Otherwise, you may not know what you are reacting to. In the case of oils and homeopathics, it is particularly important.
Tracy
Posted by clairenotes (Member # 10392) on :
I really like the yin qualities of your oil blend, Farah. It has a very strong grounding, nurturing effect. I also feel much more balanced emotionally (except for the full-moon cycles) and my daughter experiences this, too.
It has had an impact on the physical aspect of my illness also, to some degree, but we can only use it topically for now. Maybe this will change later.
Thank you, and congratulations on your health. It is so nice to hear some positive news.
Claire
Posted by Vanilla (Member # 11155) on :
There is a really good book on healing with flowers.
It is called Flower Power by Anne McIntyre
Flower remedies for healing body and soul through herbalism, homeopathy, aromatherapy and flower essences.
Posted by hardynaka (Member # 8099) on :
Farah, what is core sync you talk here? Is is this yoga practice you do? Your experience with yoga looks VERY interesting (improving circulation, chasing cysts...).
I'm a fan of your blend, only rubbed though (no way to ingest this stuff, even one drop, waaay too strong). It still works wonders rubbed on my liver. Also worked well on my head (I had swelling on scalp). Also for clarity on my head.
I also got tired when I rubbed everywhere, very tired, then felt better hours after.
Selma
Posted by capegal (Member # 11778) on :
HiFarah,
Can you suggest oils to help with the bloating from prednisone that is hanging on 5 months after taking it? I feel like I'm so swollen I don't have room to breath!
Thanks,
Posted by farah (Member # 8496) on :
Hi Selma,
The Core Synchronism is a type of bodywork I received that is similar to cranial sacral work.
It is based on manipulating the rhythm of cranial sacral fluid to open up areas of constriction in the body.
It especially helped with central nervous system issues for me.
The woman who worked on me said she felt as if there was scar tissue in my brain and my surrounding cranium.
I later learned that she was probably right, because people with Lyme have scarring and hypercoagulation problems.
She also told me that a lot of my neuro symptoms were due to constriction surrounding the temporal lobe of my brain.
After she worked on the temporal area of my cranium, a lot of my neuro symptoms diminished or disappeared.
The nice thing about this type of bodywork is that you don't feel much. It is painless.
I got to the point that I figured out how to do it on myself. I don't know that I did it exactly right, but I could do it so that it worked for me.
I started doing it also on areas where I had palpable cysts, and on areas where I had other symptoms, and it seemed to improve the penetration of other remedies I used, and since it opened up my circulation, I would often feel like a twitch in the area before the symptom subsided.
My theory was that it also encouraged the bacteria to relocate and die.
You can look up this system on the Internet. I think there are people around the country who are trained in this modality.
I think the person who developed it is in Albuquerque, so it is more common here.
Farah
Posted by hardynaka (Member # 8099) on :
Farah, many thanks for the info on core syncronism massage. It looks very interesting.
Do you feel it works very different from cranio sacral? I never did cranio sacral, but so many people keep talking well about it...
I'm also in the "chasing last symptoms" phase, it gets harder to know what to do, how to maintain good health and elliminate hidden cysts, metals...
It gets difficult to measure improvements as there's not much to improve. Even though I got a strong herx a few days ago when I added galaktose, so it means, cysts or whatever are still around!
Thanks then for sharing what you're trying.
Another question is about your zapper. Could you tell us what model are you using? There are so many models in the market, all of them claiming to be the closest to Hulda Clark's ideas...
Many thanks for sharing so much info! Selma
Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :
Cranio-sacral therapy rocks! I would not be able to exercise if I didn't have this. Also, it settles my tremors and twitching and helps when I feel panicky.
Clearing blockages in the spine, getting the fluid to flow freely, allows energy to move off of my body. I am often tired after a session but, feel so good later.
Posted by KauaiGoddess (Member # 11782) on :
Farah
"I would rub the oils in one area, I would feel creepy crawly sensations in that area, then the symptom would go away in that area, but I would feel the creepy crawlies move somewhere else, and another symptom would pop up.
But each time, a lot of the "creepy crawlies"(which I assume were the keets, or related things that shouldn't have been there) would also die."
I LOVE YOUR POST!
This is the first time I've heard someone else describe it like that too.
I expierenced 'creepy crawlies' all the time before I knew it was Lymes, I always thought it was yeast die off even though all my test showed no yeast and I stopped eating all sugars (even fruits).
I tried your essential oil suggestion last night and got the 'crawlies' right away. I still feel them even this morning.
I'm definantly more mentally fogged today and my heart in POUNDING and boy do I ITCH!!!!!!!!!
My 'creepy crawlies' get so bad, I itch.
Do you expierence that?
It's like an electrical circut of them bouncing around my body--my shoulder, my knee, my back, my face, my feet, my chest and around and around.
I love the idea of putting the oil on my liver. It is so stressed and is haveing a hard time detoxing, despite all I do for it.
I have chemical sensitivities ( I have held my shirt over my face in the car on the way to the doctors- I thought I was going to die from the exhaust--could hear my liver crying out for help) -- glad to hear it helped you!
Thanks again for your input.
many Mahalos~
Fawne
Posted by Angelica (Member # 15601) on :
^^^
Posted by proudmom (Member # 15532) on :
What timing, I just posted a question yesterday about emolients that I've used in the past. Can you take a look and tell me if they are ok?
Great post! Thanks for the info. Do you sell the oil combinations, Farah? It would be easier to buy it premixed - if you do that sort of thing.
You can PM me with info since we try not to have commercial stuff going on here.
Otherwise, what are the proportions of the oils? I'm so stressed right now, it would be so nice to use something like this.
Posted by Angelica (Member # 15601) on :
I bumped this thread up because people here were talking about essential oils recently and Farah knows a lot about them.
I don't know if she has been here lately but she does have a website and maybe someone will tell us where it is. I might be able to locate it because I have been there before.
***************************************
I just found her website but I don't know if it works anymore.
yinessence.com
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Didn't work. Please post if you have any further info.
I didn't realize the post was from so long ago...
Essential oils are quite potent. More so than tinctures...
Posted by Angelica (Member # 15601) on :
You can go to this link and then google her too
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
That's great. Thank you.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
her name is farah K., her website was yinessence.com, but it's out now, I wonder why.
She sells good mixes there, but I don't know if she stopped doing that or not.
It's been a while I don't see her here in lymenet.
[ 08-10-2012, 05:54 PM: Message edited by: Brussels ]
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Up
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Up again for those interested in essential oils.
I love them rubbed, but can't tolerate ingestion.
Posted by Rivendell (Member # 19922) on :
I rub them on my body - especially the bottoms of my feet - and believe they help. And use around my nose to inhail to stop respiratory infections.
I think they are helping to increase the healing for lyme and co's. When I no longer need zithromax I will know I have made huge progress.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Good to know. I do believe that RUBBING essential oils is a great tool to reach DIFFICULT parts of the body, nerves, joints, lymph, brain.
Soles of feet is a great idea. If more people tried these simple oils (only rubbed) they would see how useful they are.
They can do amazing things and are extremely relaxing.
I also learned that even CLEAN organic oils that penetrate the skin, if rubbed all over the body, will give you a DEEP relaxation feeling, no matter which oil.
I guess it is because it provides nourishment to cells DIRECTLY (without needing to pass through digestion and get lost or destroyed)...
... and because the oils will PULL some bad toxins out: the toxins that are OIL soluble.
I am sure I do not imagine this deep relaxation after rubbing oils, because it happens all the time, for more than a decade!
anyway, I used some of Farah MIXTURES of oils, as she suggested, and they worked like magic for some problems. Always rubbed, rarely ingesting.
If more people tried, they would know how much they can help! Specially for colds, I never stopped using these oils.
Even for acupuncture (with oils rubbed on acup-points), it works too, and the effect lasts quite long!
Posted by MannaMe (Member # 33330) on :
Brussels, can you give a list of the oils you used for for the different symptoms?
Or is there a place to learn how to use essential oils? We are just starting to look into using oils and it seems a little overwhelming.
I like the idea of rubbing them on. My husband has a lot of muscle ache/pain and if there is an oil or blend that would ease the pain he would be so happy.
Do any of the oils give you energy? He was saying he just feels so tired, no energy, lately.
Which oils pull toxins out? He has trouble detoxing. (MTHFR) So anything he can do to help detox is good.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
It's been a long time I was using oils for lyme, now I only use a few for other things.
I followed mostly Farah's suggestions. There may be other threads than this one. She shared her recipes with us, which was very kind of her.
It's all here in lymenet, somewhere as I got the list from her.
I guess, it's hard to learn if you simply don't try them. And combinations can even be more challenging, that is why I started with Farah's suggestion (she had been using them for long enough to gather experience).
Most oils she suggested helped with many symptoms. If you rub strong oils like peppermint on ACU POINTS, they work like acupuncture, really. But if you rub strong oils on points that need LESS ENERGY (meridians can be sick with too much or too little energy),then your health falls down, energy too.
I used a mix called Olbas to activate some acu-points on my back (near spine) and that kept my gastritis pain under control for many years, before I discovered chlorella, that finally cured my gastritis for good.
Any oil that go inside the skin well will pull toxins, in my opinion. Use carrier oils, these are the best (like jojoba, my favorite, or grapeseed oil, cheaper).
Google carrier oil, you 'll find some suggestions!
Look also into oil pulling (where you wash your moth), then you get an idea how these oils work (any oil, really). The less they penetrate, the worst carriers they are.
If you want killing on the part of the body, look into killer essential oils (with anti bacterial functions).
If you want cleansing: look into cleansing oils (I guess Farah had really good suggestions, for starters). Try to find her other posts. If you don't, I can still look here at home to see if I find her old recipes!!
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Rub things on liver, on the tummy area (like coriander very diluted oil, or fennel oil), I remember it really calmed down my baby's bloating in the past (used here by other mothers).
Posted by Blymey919 (Member # 47424) on :
MannaMe, Valerie Worwood has a great book on aromatherapy/essential oils that's a good place to start.
For your husband's pain Arnica oil is great for bruising, soreness, injury, inflammation. Essential oils of Frankincense, Eucalyptus and Birch (all added to a carrier oil) have the properties of improving blood flow/circulation and reducing inflammation and muscle tightness. I also add in a few drops of Cinnamon Bark oil and Clove oil (added to carrier oil), both of which are antispasmodic, antibacterial, antimicrobial and analgesic.
I've used essential oils/aromatherapy for years (even before I knew I had Lyme+co-infections!) and it's a powerful resource for so many different ailments. It's been instrumental in helping me heal from Lyme as well.
The essential oil Ravinsara is one that's not been mentioned but it's incredible. Similar scent to Eucalyptus but softer smelling. It healed my Mycoplasma infection and was amazing for getting me through a very bad Bartonella infection. You can dab a few drops on the chest or even just smelling this oil from the bottle has uplifting benefits. I also do steam showers with it and lavender.
I also regularly use Geranium (emotional wellness, hormone balancing & anti-inflammatory), Neroli (nerves, digestion, immune modulator & for heart palpitations), Sandlewood (nerves, depression, anxiety & digestion), Frankincense (anti-inflammatory, immune modulator).
Lavender by the way can be used 'neat' or directly on the skin. It has been used for centuries for burns, wounds, acne and other skin conditions. Just take care not to use more than a few drops, not much is ever needed.
I personally prefer mixing my essential oils in organic cosmetic grade olive oil or grapeseed oil because diluting several essential oils this way allows for the whole sensory experience - massaging it in, smelling the oils, being in touch with your body responding to these oils... not to sound hokey but that's what aromatherapy is about, and that's the beauty of it's healing benefits.
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