Essential oils can be very helpful for sleep problems, anxiety, headaches, and mood swings, feelings of stress, to focus attention and to improve the immune system. These are a few of the conditions. The Essential Oils Desk Reference includes pages of conditions that can be helped with essential oils.

The following information is taken from Essential Oils Desk Reference 2006, preface page xi

Essential oils are some of the oldest and most powerful therapeutic agents known and have been used in healing for thousands of years. Oils like cinnamon, clove and lemon were used as antiseptics hundreds of years before scientists developed synthetic medications.

During the last century, natural therapeutic agents have been often overlooked with the advancement of antibiotics and prescription drugs. During the last decade essential oils have become popular again as health care professionals have rediscovered the antibacterial and therapeutic action of these oils. For many years, oils were adulterated for commercial use, destroying their therapeutic biochemistry and making them useful only as air-freshening or flavoring compounds.

In their pure state, essential oils are some of the most concentrated natural extracts known, exhibiting significant and immediate antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and hormone-balancing effects. In clinical practice, they have been shown to have a profound influence on the central nervous system, helping to reduce or eliminate pain, release muscle tension and provide strong emotional uplift.

The essential oil can be from 100 to 10,000 times more concentrated than the herb from which it is extracted, and therefore more potent. Even though they are many times more potent than natural herbs, essential oils—unlike prescription drugs—very rarely generate any negative side effects. This is very important for those wanting to maintain or regain their health naturally.

For more information www.youngliving.com

Prayer, calling upon God, laying on of hands, asking Jesus to be part of a healing session—these are all methods that have been used for centuries. Christians have long understood the power of prayer. More recently, the scientific community has conducted double blind studies with patients in hospitals, proving that prayer speeds up the healing process. Those who were prayed for—even without their knowledge or the knowledge of their physicians—had shorter hospital stays than those who did not receive prayer.

Healing prayer during a therapy session might be as simple as praying together. Or it might be using the power of Christ to look at past trauma to heal the unresolved issues. Asking the Holy Spirit to be present in a session allows both the client and the therapist to focus on the most important issues to be addressed and to allow God’s guidance in the healing process.

ealing prayer can be combined with other therapies to increase the power of those therapies. For example, using EMDR to resolve trauma can be even more powerful when the client and counselor pray first to ask God to show them which issues to address. Including prayer with the use of Essential Oils can increase the impact of the oils on the mind and body. Sometimes a moment of prayer is all that is needed to calm the person and allow the therapy to succeed.

The largest organ of our body is our skin and our skin needs touch to stay healthy. Research shows that young babies die if they are not touched. Massage is a wonderful way to get more of the touching that is often lacking in our society.

Our bodies store stress in our tissues and muscles. Massage works to release these stresses and improve our immune system. When our muscles tighten up, our spine can be pulled out of alignment causing pain and imbalance in our skeletal system. Massage helps relax these muscles and helps keep our bodies aligned.

Massage releases emotional tensions and helps clear our minds of daily stresses. As we relax and let go of stress, our nerve endings calm and we feel less pain. Massage improves our sleep, helps with pain management, increases healing, and just plain feels good.

Raindrop Technique

One special massage which combines essential oils and massage is called Raindrop Technique. This method was developed by Gary Young based on research with essential oils and methods learned from the Lakota Indian Nation.

“Raindrop Technique is based on the idea--now being explored in a number of scientific studies—that many types of scoliosis and spinal misalignments are caused by viruses or bacteria that lie formant along the spine. These pathogens create inflammation, which, in turn, contorts and disfigures the spinal column.” (Essential Science 2006. p. 217).

Seven essential oils are applied, one at a time, to the back and feet while using massage. The anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial effects of the oils help the body correct defects in the curvature of the spine. What a wonderful way to improve health and feel totally relaxed at the same time.

Essential Science Publishing (2006). Essential oils desk reference (3 rd Ed). www.essentialscience.com

Natural sunlight is the oldest form of light therapy and is the ultimate source of full-spectrum light. Sunlight helps reduce depression and provides our bodies with vitamin D.

Most artificial lighting lacks the full spectrum of light provided by sunlight and interferes with the body’s absorption of nutrients. It’s important to be exposed to full spectrum light to maintain health.

“Current studies conducted by the Navy indicate that fluorescent light, not exposure to sunlight, promotes the development of skin cancer”. (Goldberg 2000 p. 303)

Our bodies produce melatonin during dark hours when we sleep. Sleeping with lights on interferes with this production and with our circadian rhythms. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is a result of disrupted circadian rhythms and lack of full spectrum light.

Light therapy involves using special full spectrum lighting for about 30 minutes a day, while sitting, or while reading. Usually it takes about 14 days to see the benefits of the light therapy.

Exposing the skin to sunlight or full-spectrum lighting can help relieve depression, migraines, cravings for carbohydrates due to metabolic imbalances, and hypertension.

Goldberg. B (2002). Alternative medicine: The definitive guide (2 nd Ed). Berkley, CA: Celestrial Arts.

Lost and Found refers clients to Brain Matters for high resolution brain SPECT functional imaging which detects mild to moderate brain injury when MRI’s will not. SPECT provides helpful data in the diagnostic evaluation of ADHD, bipolar, Disorder and Anxiety disorders.

(Note: link to their web at www.brainmattersinc.com)

The American diet is notoriously poor with too little attention paid to fruits and vegetables and too much attention paid to fast foods high in salts and fats. Most of us did not get good information in school about the essentials our bodies need to maintain optimal health. A nutritional consultation will review your food intake as well as your lifestyle habits and make recommendations to help you move toward healthier eating and living.

The body needs a balance of all 3 types of fuel to keep it running and allow the brain to function.

1. Protein: building blocks for brain and body functioning
   • Meat, cheese, milk, nuts, seeds, beans and rice together
2. Carbohydrates: help fuel the body
   • Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, sugars
3. fats: help convert the fuel
   • good fats are Omega 3’s and found in olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, fish
   • bad fats are the fats used in fast foods and fatty meats—generally those that harden when cool and don’t stay liquid (trans fats

The body needs these fuels in specific amounts, about 35 % protein, 50% good carbohydrates, and 15% good fats each day to maintain its energy and health and keep the brain alert. These percentages vary depending on body type.

Pure water is essential for the body to wash out wastes and distribute the foods throughout the body. Most people need 8-12 glasses a day. In hot dry weather or with lots of exercise, the body may require more.

Fruit juices should be limited to 1-2 glasses a day as they increase sugar levels. Whole fruits provide better nutrition and don’t cause the increases in sugar levels because of the fiber in the whole fruit.

Most prepared foods and especially fast foods contain huge amounts of salt—far more than the recommended daily amount.

Eating the right foods makes a big difference in our energy levels and over all health. Learning what your body really needs and making the changes can make all the difference in the world.

Sheryl L. Brickner, Nutritional Consultant
PhD LPC LAC RPT/S

303-420-8080 ext. 1102