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Boost Your Immune System With Essential Oils

Every second of every day, your body’s immune system is working tirelessly to protect you from invading bacteria, viruses and other disease causing organisms.

The immune system is the body’s first line of defence against invaders and works together with other body systems such as the lymphatic and nervous systems.

Whenever an outsider threatens the body, a whole battery of defences spring into action to seek out, recognise and destroy the invader.

The key to consistently good health therefore lays in having an optimised immune system which is working at full strength, at all times. However, the immune system may become weakened by outside forces which can have an impact on both the physical and emotional systems, thus bringing about a condition known as immuno-deficiency.

When this happens, the body becomes far more susceptible to these invading germs since it is now working at a greatly reduced level of efficiency. If this situation is not addressed quickly, it is possible that serious medical conditions may develop.

What causes Immuno-deficiency?

On the physical level poor diet, too much alcohol, pollution, insecticides, food additives and certain drugs such as antibiotics and the contraceptive pill can all depress the immune system. It is quite common for the immune system to become noticeably compromised after the repeated use of antibiotic drugs, as some of you may have already learned to your cost.

Negative emotional and psychological pressures undoubtedly contribute to the weakening of the immune system if they are allowed to continue. Psychological stress causes the release of hormones, such as adrenalin and cortisol, which over a period of time will begin to suppress the immune defences, making us more susceptible to disease. For example, cortisol reduces the level of T-helper cells, and inhibits the production of natural killer cells.

Negative cycle of stress

Prolonged physical illness itself will often lead to a negative emotional state, and this in turn can cause immunodeficiency. The weakened immune system will now be more vulnerable to further infection, and another new infection can lead to even further emotional depression. This negative cycle of illness can be very difficult to break unless a course of treatment is adopted that takes both the mind and body into consideration.

General medicine has a range of treatments to boost a depressed or flagging immune system, yet some illnesses still seem well beyond their help. Vitamin injections and supplements also have their part to play in conjunction with sound dietary advice, but again this can be only helpful in certain cases.

Boost your immune system holistically

Aromatherapy is a highly effective treatment for a depleted or suppressed immune system because we can employ essential oils that have been proven to boost the immune system. As aromatherapists already know, using essential oils to treat a depleted immune system can be a very positive treatment – especially when used regularly.

Research has shown that essential oils work as natural immune boosters in three different modes of action;-

1) They work directly against the invading bacteria and viruses due to their powerful antibacterial and antiviral actions.

2) Certain essential oils can influence the stimulation and production of phagocytes, T- cells and B- cells which are so vital to your body’s defences.

Uplifting Essential Oils

3) Other essential oils can give an uplifting boost to the emotional system, which helps to break the downward spiral caused by immunodeficiency. This effect is quite unique to aromatherapy and in fact, this third mode of action is where aromatherapy really shines by helping to break the circle of illness that is caused by depression and burnout.

Experienced aromatherapist put this knowledge to good use when treating clients with a compromised immune system or those suffering from burnout etc, since this approach can really help speed up the usually slow process back to recovery.

Regular use of the correct essential oils – particularly in aromatherapy body massage – will have a powerful effect on the limbic system, which in turn has an uplifting effect on the mind in a way that allopathic medicine has yet to appreciate.

Aromatic Armoury

The comprehensive list of essential oils in the side panel on the right illustrate how aromatherapy can help to boost the immune system by using those oils that have been shown to possess immunostimulant properties.

To produce a truly powerful synergy with these essential oils, you should put a blend together containing one essential oil from each of the three categories so that they can get to work on all three levels that are outlined above.

This will produce holistic and synergistic blend that represents everything that is the very best about the therapeutic effects of aromatherapy. Since there are several oils to choose from in each category you will have no problem creating your personal blends.

After you have created your ‘holistic’ blend of essential oils there are several ways that you can use them. One of the nicest ways to enjoy aromatherapy is to have a nice relaxing soak in the bath while the oils get to work for you. Just add 6 drops of your pre-blended undiluted essential oils (in total) to a warm bath and either agitate the droplets on the surface of the water to disperse them or use a bath dispersant to dissolve them properly.

Body massage is one of the most effective ways to use essential oils since you not only receive the healing properties of the essential oils, but you also get all the benefits that massage brings too. The therapeutic properties of essential oils combined with the revitalising effects of massage stimulate all of the organs in the body, plus the skin, muscles, nerves and glands. This massage action helps the body kick-start the healing process and helps build up your immunity once again.

Your blend can also be vaporised in an atomizer or burner, but this is the least effect way to use the oils for boosting the immune system, although the vaporised essential oils do offer protection since they kill airborne bacteria and viruses. To get the very best protection we always recommend using all the methods mentioned here on a rotational basis.