FOCUS Synergy: an anecdote

My friend JoAnn is a tech at the St. Thomas Heart Institute here in Nashville. If you have to have a treadmill test done, odds are this blond woman with the huge smile will be the tech encouraging you through the test.



JoAnn has never been certified for her position. She knows her job, and is excellent at it, but is extremely "test phobic." She's taken the certification exam several times, and always failed it.



Recently the hospital decreed that all techs must be certified. She was in a state of panic, because failing the test again meant losing her job.



She was studying hard, as she always had. But frightened that, once again, she'd not be able to access her knowledge and experience when the testing day came.



I made some suggestions. That instead of studying late into the night, she try getting up early to study. And that she use my aromastone diffuser, and diffuse our Focus Synergy (a blend of essential oils each tested and shown to improve mental focus, alertness, and memory/recall) while studying the most challenging material.



She did this. Last Saturday, on the day of the exam, we tucked a tissue with Focus on it inside her bra. (I was going to have her wear one of our amulets with the blend in it, but no jewelry is allowed in the testing area.)



She came home floating on cloud nine! Passing score on the exam was 650. Her score? 764 out of 800!



Was it the Focus? Was it her hard work (although she had studied hard for the other exams)? Was it the praying we did the morning of the exam? I don't know. Perhaps all of the above.



But Focus helped!

More anti-MRSA essential oil research

Just came across a prerelease publication on PubMed of an article proving that specific essential oils are effective against hospital acquired infections, including MRSA. Strains of staph, strep and Candida were tested.

Eucalyptus, Tea tree, Thyme white, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Grapefruit, Clove Bud, Sandalwood, Peppermint, Kunzea and Sage oil were all tested with the agar diffusion test. Olive oil, Paraffin oil, Ethanol (70%), Povidone iodine, Chlorhexidine and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) served as controls.

"Large prevailing effective zones of inhibition were observed for Thyme white, Lemon, Lemongrass and Cinnamon oil. The other oils also showed considerable efficacy. Remarkably, almost all tested oils demonstrated efficacy against hospital-acquired isolates and reference strains, whereas Olive and Paraffin oil from the control group produced no inhibition. As proven in vitro, essential oils represent a cheap and effective antiseptic topical treatment option even for antibiotic-resistant strains as MRSA and antimycotic-resistant Candida species."

Of course they don't give the chemotype of Thyme, nor which Cinnamon oil was used, but once again, Essential oils are proven as effective as the more conventional prescription medications.

Citation from the Journal of Craniomaxilofacial Surgery, 2009 May 25

antimicrobial products - contaminated?

One of the semi-related professional newsletters I receive is CosmeticsDesign. Today's issue headlined the following:

FDA finds high levels of bacteria in antimicrobial skin care products

FDA has found high levels of disease-causing bacteria in Clarcon antimicrobial products during a recent inspection, leading to the recall of several skin sanitizers and skin protectants.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said analysis of several samples of over-the-counter topical antimicrobial skin sanitizer and skin protectant products revealed high levels of various bacteria, including some associated with unsanitary conditions.
The regulator said the findings are “particularly concerning” because the products are promoted as antimicrobial agents that claim to treat open wounds, damaged skin, and protect against various infectious diseases.
The inspection also uncovered serious deviations from FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.

I find that fascinating! For years I've been saying that soaps w/ added antibacterial chemicals are bad for us, and bad for the environment. But this is a new twist. How can an antibacterial product contain "high levels of bacteria"????

Liquid Castile Soap, with antibacterial essential oils like Lavender and Teatree, and antiviral oils like Ravintsara will do very nicely for me and mine, thank you!

More on Molluscum contagiosum

One of the things that prompted the earlier post at this time was an article published in International Journal of Aromatherapy, back in 2004, by Rhiannon Harris... a case study of aromatherapy treatment of Molluscum contagiosum. I just received permission to quote here... (the treatment detailed in the case study was based on successful results with earlier cases.)

Rhiannon used:

Essential oils:

• Melissa Melissa officianalis 0.5 ml
• Ravintsara Cinnamomum camphora ct 1,8 cineole 2.0 ml
• Thymus vulgaris ct thymol 0.5 ml
• Niaouli Melaleuca quinquenervia 2.0 ml

Fixed Oils:

• Tamanu Calophyllum inophyllum 1.0 ml
• St. John's Wort infused oil Hypericum perforatum 2.0 ml
• Rose Hip Seed Oil Rosa Mosqueta 5.0 ml
  

The goals of the intervention were to exert a directly anti-viral effect, to promote skin healing, to reduce the risk of scarring, and to strengthen immune deficiencies.

The fixed oils chosen were known to assist with wound healing and skin regeneration.

The mixture was applied directly to the lesions three times a day, using a cotton swab soaked in the blend. By the second day, all lesions were reduced in size; by day five all lesions were completely resolved. No skin irritation was observed.

(If any signs of irritation had been observed, the mother had been instructed to add another 5 ml of St. John's Wort infused oil to the mixture, to dilute it further.)

Molluscum contagiosum and Lemon Myrtle Oil

Molluscum contagiosum is a viral skin infection causing wart like lesions on the skin. Most forms primarily infect children, although there is one form that is sexually transmitted and affects adults. It is passed by direct contact. See WebMD for more information.

Allopathic treatment seems to be limited to either freezing the lesions off, removal by laser, or the use of certain chemicals. These options all leave the possibility of scarring, and none kill the virus.

Unfortunately, there has been one widely publicized study showing that a 10% dilution of Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil (Backhousia citriodora) has been effective in treating the lesions. I was unaware of this study until a client called sourcing the oil, for this use on his two year old.
I urged him NOT to use it, because Lemon Myrtle is such a strong skin irritant. However he quoted the study, and went blythely on his way using it on his toddler. (I've not heard back from him, and would like to.)

I contacted Dennis Archer, the grower/distiller of the first organic Lemon Myrtle plantation in Australia, and author of the reference book by the same name.

His response to my query:
"10% Bac Cit...when I read that, I nearly fell off my chair...seems like a recipe for disaster to me...and criminal to boot...research wasn't paid for by an EO producer, by any chance? If you would forward the link, I'd be
appreciative...I suspect it would be VERY irritating, and the odds on
becoming sensitised would be enormous."

In my opinion, NO ONE knows more about the practical applications and appropriate use of Lemon Myrtle Oil, and when Dennis says it's dangerous. It IS!

(An aside...many of the sources that quote the study using Lemon Myrtle oil in a 10% dilution also note that at even a 1% dilution, Backhousia citriodora can irritate the skin.)

There are other essential oils that also have powerful anti-viral effects that should prove helpful, without the pain and irritation that treatment with Lemon Myrtle oil is bound to cause. Studies indicate that Tea Tree oil is also effective, although not as rapidly as the Lemon Myrtle Oil.

My first choice would be (for a very young child) Ravintsara Essential oil Cinnamomum camphora ct Cineole, with its high content of 1.8 Cineole. For an adult I might go with Ravensara Aromatica. Perhaps the addition of Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia) for both its anti-viral and its immunostimulant effects would also be appropriate.

For a carrier, I would choose a blend of Calophyllum inophyllum (Foraha, or Tamanu), perhaps with some Rose Hip Seed oil added.

Molluscum contagiosum is one of several "enveloped viruses"... a category that also included the various forms of herpes. The exact mechanism of how essential oils work to counteract these viruses is incertain, but the oils are believed to interact with the viral envelope. For this reason, it appears logical to assume that the oils and combinations proven effective against herpes and shingles should also be effective against Molluscum contagiosum.

Myrtle Oil for Candida?

Was browsing an issue of The International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics, and came across a study on the in vitro use of the essential oil of Myrtus Communis (Myrtle) against Candida albicans.

The article states that Candida albicans is the most frequently isolated human fungal pathogen. This is becoming even more of a problem since drug resistant strains are emerging, resistant to the most commonly used anti-fungal drugs.

Twelve different strains of Candida were tested, the majority of the strains were resistant to Fluconazole (the test medication.) Myrtle Essential Oil showed clear activity against all strains, including the drug resistant strains.

Granted, these are tests on laboratory cultures, in petri dishes. But if I were battling Candida, I would certainly be tempted to try a weak dilution of Myrtle oil, rather than the more usually recommended Tea Tree Oil.

Odd...I've always used and recommended Myrtle Oil for respiratory problems, it's a wonderfully gentle oil for treating bronchial problems in children or the elderly. I've never used it as an anti-fungal however. Time to rewrite our online description!

You may read more about the uses of Myrtle Essential Oil online at our website.

Research Results

Have you ever used Google Scholar to search for information? Me neither, until this week.

We decided to find some positive studies... and coincidently my friend Liz Tams put up a Google Scholar url (which I had never heard of.) Among the positive results:

Aromatherapy as a safe and effective treatment for the management of agitation in severe dementia: the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with Melissa. (This report has had some press coverage.)

(The famous Alopecia study)
Conclusions The results show aromatherapy to be a safe and effective treatment for alopecia areata. Treatment with these essential oils was significantly more effective than treatment with the carrier oil alone (P=.008 for the primary outcome measure). We also successfully applied an evidence-based method to an alternative therapy.

Lavender increased the percentage of deep or slow-wave sleep (SWS) in men and women. All subjects reported higher vigor the morning after Thus, lavender serves as a mild sedative and has practical applications as a novel, nonphotic method for promoting deep sleep in young men and women and for producing gender-dependent sleep effects.


Nursing Times study on the emotional effects of Lavender on post cardiotomy patients. (I need to write and ask Jane which species was used, and the different results!)

Jane Buckle presents the results of a randomised, double-blind trial of two essential oils of two different species of lavender, topically applied on post-cardiotomy patients. The emotional and behavioural stress levels of 28 patients were evaluated pre- and post-treatment on two consecutive days. The therapeutic effects of the two lavenders appeared to be different: one was almost twice as effective as the other, thereby disproving the hypothesis that aromatherapy, using topical application of essential oils, is effective purely because of touch, massage or placebo.


Acupuncture, aromatherapy, and meditation may be useful for nausea/vomiting, for mild relaxation, and for pain/anxiety, respectively


Use of peppermint essential oil in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome;

Results: Eight randomized, controlled trials were located. Collectively they indicate that peppermint oil could be efficacious for symptom relief in IBS. A metaanalysis of five placebo-controlled, double blind trials seems to support this notion. In view of the methodological flaws associated with most studies, no definitive judgment about efficacy can be given.the role of Aromatherapy in helping control chronic pain.


The use of Aromatherapy in dealing with AIDS

The use of Lavender oil (diffused) to calm agitation in patients with dementia.

Lavender oil administered in an aroma stream shows modest efficacy in the treatment of agitated behaviour in patients with severe dementia.

The response of hospice cancer patients to lavender

Antifungal activity of Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil was found to be able to inhibit growth of all clinical fungal isolates.

The effect of Basil oil on MRSA

The effects of various essential oils against candida. (surprisingly enough, in vitro, Sandalwood oil appears more effective than Tea Tree!)

Review of the Biological activities of Lavender Oil (methodology and lack of proper identification of the oils used hampers the clarity of results.)


The use of Holy Basil in treating acne:

The use of Spanish Sage in treating dementia

The use of essential oil containing mouthwash in controlling plaque and gingivitis (along with brushing and flossing, of course)(the abstract doesn't state which essential oils, unfortunately)

This is just a start..what was found by entering "essential oil research" in Google Scholar.