Do essential oils work for anxiety?

[Guest]

In Utah with DoTerra, and Young Living, essential oils are big business now. Right now I rely on pharmecuticals for my anxiety, depression, ADHD, and Tourette Syndrome. These 4 medications get costly every month, so I'm wondering if anyone knows if essential oils for anxiety actually work or if I'm better off just sticking with my pills and don't seek alternative medicines. Thanks.

[Vort]

While I am by no means a fan of overmedication that we see so often today, in the vast majority of cases I think the word "essential" can be replaced by "snake".

[Sunday21]

In bulk barn, you can buy some scented oils by the cash register. If you are careful not to read scary or anxiety provoking stuff in bed, then if you put, say lavender oil, on your pillow, the scent can help trigger sleepy feelings and help you sleep. The oil does not stain and washes out. 

[Guest MormonGator]

The blunt truth: You should rely on "big medicine" because they have pesky little things called medical degrees and experience in the medical field that the girl you went to high school with who dropped out of college and sells "essential oils" out of her car doesn't have. 

Rule of thumb: If a treatment claims to work, ask "Then how come everyone who suffers from this ailment doesn't use it to get better?" Why? Because it doesn't work. That's why peach pits and cannibas oil don't cure cancer. 

Mom was a nurse for many years before she retired. She saw desperate families seek out last minute whacky "cures" for their loved ones who were dying of AIDS and cancer. It broke her heart, of course. It also made her son become a big time believer/defender in science. 

Edited December 3, 2016 by MormonGator

[zil]

3 hours ago, MormonGator said:

That's why peach pits ... don't cure cancer.

I can state with absolute certainty that if you consume a sufficient number of peach pits, you will not die of cancer.  Guaranteed.

(Because either the cyanide or the volume consumed will kill you first.)

[Guest]

2 hours ago, zil said:

I can state with absolute certainty that if you consume a sufficient number of peach pits, you will not die of cancer.  Guaranteed.

(Because either the cyanide or the volume consumed will kill you first.)

My FIL says that most thing we eat cause cancer, so that most definite way to not die of cancer is to never eat anything ever again.

[Vort]

25 minutes ago, Eowyn said:

My FIL says that most thing we eat cause cancer, so that most definite way to not die of cancer is to never eat anything ever again.

Good idea. I'll give that a 24-hour test this afternoon.

[Guest]

I guess I'll stick with my Lorazepam and Lexapro medications.

[Guest MormonGator]

5 hours ago, Eowyn said:

My FIL says that most thing we eat cause cancer, so that most definite way to not die of cancer is to never eat anything ever again.

 lol. That's awesome. 

You hear people talking about a "cancer epidemic" but in reality that's nonsense too. Some cancers like skin are increasing (though at a much slower rate than it was a few years ago) but the majority are decreasing. In fact one of the reasons for an "increase" in some cancers is because we live long enough to get cancer, we have much much better early detection rates, we are more likely to admit we have cancer...
 

Edited December 4, 2016 by MormonGator

[Backroads]

On 12/2/2016 at 8:50 PM, Zarahemla said:

In Utah with DoTerra, and Young Living, essential oils are big business now. Right now I rely on pharmecuticals for my anxiety, depression, ADHD, and Tourette Syndrome. These 4 medications get costly every month, so I'm wondering if anyone knows if essential oils for anxiety actually work or if I'm better off just sticking with my pills and don't seek alternative medicines. Thanks.

No major proper study has been done. You might have some luck with an actual NP, but you and the average oil seller will unlikely be able to help with experiments. 

A couple of years ago, one of my students has, among other issues, severe ADHD. He had some awful physical reactions to the usual medicines, so his mom toyed around with essential oils. 

By spring, she was handing me the teacher observation form to shoe the doctor so she could try out another type of medication. No more oils.

I have another severe ADHD kid this year whose medication is lavender droplets. Sigh.

[Guest MormonGator]

15 minutes ago, Backroads said:

No major proper study has been done. You might have some luck with an actual NP, but you and the average oil seller will unlikely be able to help with experiments. 

A couple of years ago, one of my students has, among other issues, severe ADHD. He had some awful physical reactions to the usual medicines, so his mom toyed around with essential oils. 

By spring, she was handing me the teacher observation form to shoe the doctor so she could try out another type of medication. No more oils.

I have another severe ADHD kid this year whose medication is lavender droplets. Sigh.

Sad, isn't it? 

There are two types of snake oil salesmen: Those who honestly believe what they are selling works. They are just innocent dupes, but are still doing great damage. Then there are the conmen who know they are frauds. Those people are much, much worse. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, MormonGator said:

Sad, isn't it? 

There are two types of snake oil salesmen: Those who honestly believe what they are selling works. They are just innocent dupes, but are still doing great damage. Then there are the conmen who know they are frauds. Those people are much, much worse. 

Why are they so big in Utah though?

[Jane_Doe]

59 minutes ago, Zarahemla said:

Why are they so big in Utah though?

It's a happenstance cultural thing.  

[Backroads]

My theory it's an offshoot of self-reliance.

[Vort]

1 hour ago, Zarahemla said:

Why are they so big in Utah though?

Because they have a good host there to which they can parasitically attach: A state full of decent, trusting people who (generally for the best of reasons) want more money and are willing to suspend their disbelief when someone they trust tells them they can make a bunch of money. The idea of making loads of money AND giving (selling) people some great, magical healing substance is simply too much for many people to ignore.

[pam]

2 hours ago, Zarahemla said:

Why are they so big in Utah though?

One reason is the corporate office for the biggest distributor is in Utah

[zil]

The citizens of Utah will fall for anything (apparently it's scam-central) - or so said something I read somewhere some time back.

[Guest]

Any alternative medicine today is really where mainstream medicine was 200 years ago.  Some of it is real.  Much of it is guess work.  How can you tell which is which?  How did they tell 200 years ago?  They couldn't.  Some tried some methods.  Others tried other methods.  Over time enough people noticed some things working and others didn't. Some endured long enough to generate scientific data to determine how effective or ineffective they were.

As far as these oils, I've found that they are of three different types.

1. They don't work at all.  They simply have a smell.
2. Some work through aromatherapy which is largely a psycho-somatic therapy which may work for many, but is somewhat undependable.  But for something like anxiety, psycho-somatic is a perfect way to treat it.
3. Some work through some chemicals that interact with the body when inhaled through the lungs.

Think about that third one.  How is this any different than medication of any kind?  It's method of entry is different.  That's all.

Still, the available data on any of this is sketchy.  And everyone claims that only theirs is the pure form that will actually work.  Well, they can't all be correct with that claim.

 

[priesthoodpower]

dont forget about DIET and EXERCISE, here is a candid interview with health specialists Chris Kresser that should help open your mind about medicine and human health, its a Joe Rogan podcast that I stumbled upon one day.
..at the 30 min mark they talk about depression/adhd but I suggest you watch the full 2hrs.  There is some cussing so put your headphones on if the kids are around.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_2vNj8pshY

I get offended by cussing and do not watch anything other then PG movies but I decided that I should look past that if there is information that can benefit me and my family. 

 

[mordorbund]

14 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Some work through aromatherapy which is largely a psycho-somatic therapy which may work for many, but is somewhat undependable.  But for something like anxiety, psycho-somatic is a perfect way to treat it.

So, when you say "psycho-somatic" ....

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, mordorbund said:

So, when you say "psycho-somatic" ....

The man who could only count to Number 1!

[zil]

8 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

The man who could only count to Number 1!

Given that there's an infinite number of numbers before number 1, I'd say that was an impressive feat.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, zil said:

Given that there's an infinite number of numbers before number 1, I'd say that was an impressive feat.

You're sure you're not my daughter?

[Blackmarch]

On December 2, 2016 at 8:50 PM, Zarahemla said:

In Utah with DoTerra, and Young Living, essential oils are big business now. Right now I rely on pharmecuticals for my anxiety, depression, ADHD, and Tourette Syndrome. These 4 medications get costly every month, so I'm wondering if anyone knows if essential oils for anxiety actually work or if I'm better off just sticking with my pills and don't seek alternative medicines. Thanks.

Dunno how effective they are but i love them for other reasons.

 

On December 5, 2016 at 2:57 AM, priesthoodpower said:

dont forget about DIET and EXERCISE, here is a candid interview with health specialists Chris Kresser that should help open your mind about medicine and human health, its a Joe Rogan podcast that I stumbled upon one day.
..at the 30 min mark they talk about depression/adhd but I suggest you watch the full 2hrs.  There is some cussing so put your headphones on if the kids are around.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_2vNj8pshY

I get offended by cussing and do not watch anything other then PG movies but I decided that I should look past that if there is information that can benefit me and my family. 

 

.... Ive found with many things there is usually a cleaner alternative somewhere. No idea where to look for that for this tho.

[anatess2]

As somebody who applies homeopathic medicine in my home, I can tell you that yes, there are non-pharmaceutical medicines for anxiety.  But this is the thing you need to remember about the difference between homeopathic and pharma.  Pharma is designed to directly address that symptom and that symptom only.  It is target-based.  So the chem components of that medicine is carefully selected for that specific problem.  That's not how homeopathic medicine works.  So, for example, your question of - can you replace Lorazepam with essential oils - is not a good question.  The direct answer is, of course you can't.  Because, that's not how homeopathic medicine is approached. 

So, if you want to approach alternative medicine for anxiety, you'll have to approach it holistically and not target-based like how traditional medicine approaches it.  What makes alternative medicine sound like voodoo science is because, every single person has unique characteristics that make medicine unique to that person as well.  So, saying - it worked for John Doe, it should work for me - is not necessarily true.  Your own body's chemical composition is unique to John's so the medicines you need would also be different.  Of course there are generalities - lavender is generally an effective relaxation substance for most people, for example.  But say, you have a headache... well, there are a hundred homeopathic cures for headaches... It takes quite a good bit of study and learning about your own self to be able to apply exactly what headache cure would work for you.  So to fully replace your Lorazepam, you'll need to study your own body and all the available remedies and come up with that unique holistic cure for you - a part of the solution can be in the form of essential oils.  It can be intimidating when you first walk into the medicine aisles of the "natural" stores.  You will notice certain things like - if your personality is this, this medicine will be good for you... yeah, sounds like voodoo science right?  And then most of these stuff is actually not designed to cure you from the ailment but simply to induce your body to heal itself.  So yeah, it is very difficult for the FDA to sign off on these things when the science is so individual based.  That's why you get a lot of these "Miracle cure!" stories that just end up sounding like scams.  In any case, the remedy goes beyond just the homeopathic medicine or the essential oil, etc. - what you eat, what you do, etc. all contribute to it.

In any case, even if you are not comfortable getting immersed in alternative medicine, at least be cognizant of the holistic way of thinking - where you think about your entire body as a system instead of just looking at each individual part in isolation.

Edited January 31, 2017 by anatess2