March 22, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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Alcohol and Drug relapse occurs in the same way the addiction manifested itself to begin with. That is, by a series of counterproductive occurrences that can create a downward spiral. The relapse brings about the return of the alcohol or drug addiction in the person’s life and the self-destructive pattern that was associated with it. The path to alcohol and drug addiction recovery is lost and replaced by the addiction all over again.
The occasional drinking habit turns into a regular affair, if treated casually it becomes the necessity for sustenance. A major form of major depression is rare, and may include loss of ability to react to your environment with voluntary movement; excessive purposeless movement; unwillingness to speak or a resistance to follow directions or suggestions; bizarre or involuntary movements or facial expressions; or involuntarily repeating the words or movements of others in a way that is meaningless or purposeless.
Alcoholism can be compared to a tumor which turns malignant with every passing day of ignorance and carelessness.
Drug and alcohol relapse happens much the same way the addiction manifested itself in the first place. That is, by a series of counterproductive occurrences that can create a downward spiral. The relapse brings about the return of the alcohol or drug addiction in the person’s life and the self-destructive pattern that was associated with it. The path to alcohol and drug addiction recovery is lost and replaced by the addiction all over again. Some relapse factors may include stress, frustration, anger, temptation, relationship problems, social pressure and a major life change.
The path to alcohol and drug addiction recovery is lost and replaced by the addiction all over again. Some relapse factors may include stress, frustration, anger, temptation, relationship problems, social pressure and a major life change.
The relapse brings about the return of the alcohol or drug addiction in the person’s life and the self-destructive pattern that was associated with it.
Friends and familiar people are also responsible for this addiction. Out depression, and despair men can be addicted to this illegal medicines of recreation. Drug is a biological substance which can be synthetic or non synthetic and is taken mainly for a purpose.
Drug is now a common problem among youngsters. There are various reasons behind this drug addiction. Any one get addicted to drug. He may be experiencing that stuff; he may be thinking that drug is fashionable thing to do.
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March 19, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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For most people, even today, the word alcoholic still carries a lot of shame. It suggests a damaged person, somebody who is different from the rest of society, who has a different psychological or genetic makeup and therefore can’t drink. It is very difficult for most people to admit that they are different in any way from everyone else; it is even more difficult if that difference carries with it a sense of shame.
Consider how difficult it is to admit being different, if that means having to give up something that most people enjoy without any problem. Drugs are very popular among young people. Recreational drugs addiction is the use of psychoactive substances to have fun, for the experience, or to enhance an already positive experience. National laws prohibit the use of many different recreational drugs and medicinal drugs that have the potential for recreational use.
Many other recreational drugs on the other hand are legal, widely culturally accepted, and at the most have an age restriction on using and/or purchasing them. These include alcohol, tobacco, betel nut, and caffeine products. It is often difficult to detect if a person is an alcoholic because they may have been drinking and yet doing all the work and activities that any normal person does. They are called functional alcoholics as they are very unaware of their problem, having always been able to perform all the day-to-day activities. Seeking help from a trained professional is the wisest thing that you could do.
To overcome this destructive disease, there are support groups, medical and alternative therapies available. With will, determination and the willingness to deal with the problems behind the addiction, it is possible to come out of it. There are also some social issues associated with drugs. Many people may think that taking drugs is inherently wrong and so should be illegal. But there is a question of effectiveness - Does making it illegal stop people doing it? The answer is clearly no. One could even argue that legalization would eliminate part of the attraction of taking drugs-the allure of doing something illegal.
Countries like Afghanistan, Columbia, and Jamaica have had their economies rocked and destabilized by the illegal market while bribery, corruption, and conflict have ruled. You can go for rehabilitation treatment for alcohol. This can also be done with the help of the Internet or contact some substance abuse authority. You can visit the state health website and email them about your requirements. You can also visit your local health care center or even your local parish and discuss options.
Sometimes you may even know that these specific centers for senior addiction treatment are well-suited for their needs. Especially because they will be living amongst people of the same age group as they are of and they will be comfortable even like living at the treatment center. Drug and alcohol relapse happens much the same way the addiction manifested itself in the first place. That is, by a series of counterproductive occurrences that can create a downward spiral.
The relapse brings about the return of the alcohol or drug addiction in the person’s life and the self-destructive pattern that was associated with it. The path to alcohol and drug addiction recovery is lost and replaced by the addiction all over again. Some relapse factors may include stress, frustration, anger, temptation, relationship problems, social pressure and a major life change.
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March 16, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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Gambling can surely strain your relationships; interfere with responsibilities at home and work, and lead to financial catastrophe. You become a different person altogether and even do things you never thought you would, like stealing to get money to gamble or take money meant for your children.
Pathological gambling was recognized as a psychiatric disorder in the DSM-III, but the criteria were significantly reworked based on large-scale studies and statistical methods for the DSM-IV. Extreme cases of problem gambling may cross over into the realm of mental disorders. As defined by American Psychiatric Association, pathological gambling is an impulse control disorder that is a chronic and progressive mental illness.
Compulsive gamblers keep gambling whether they’re up or down, broke or flush, happy or depressed. Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive gambling, is a type of impulse-control disorder. Compulsive gamblers can’t control the impulse to gamble. Gambling is all they can think about and all they want to do, no matter the consequences. Even when they know the odds are against them, even when they can’t afford to lose, people with a gambling addiction can’t “stay off the bet.”
Problem gamblers typically deny or minimize the problem. It is sometimes referred to as the “hidden illness” because there are no obvious physical signs or symptoms like there are in drug or alcohol addiction. Gamblers take extreme steps to hide their gambling. For example, problem gamblers often withdraw from their loved ones, sneak around, and lie about where they’ve been and what they’ve been up to.
Available research seems to indicate that problem gambling is an internal tendency, and that problem gamblers will tend to risk money on whatever game is available, rather than a particular game being available inducing problem gambling in otherwise “normal” individuals.
Research has also indicated that problem gamblers tend to risk money on fast-paced games. Therefore a problem gambler is much more likely to lose a lot of money on poker or slot machines, where rounds end quickly and there is a constant temptation to play again or increase bets, as opposed to a state lottery where the gambler must wait until the next drawing to see results.
Unlike other people, gamblers fail to recognize that gambling puts them at risk of losing all of these attributes and that gambling is a random process, where the odds are stacked against them, so they are more likely to lose than to win. Money is central to the experience of gambling. Gambling addicts, as with other people, attach many different positive attributes to money, such as power, comfort, security and freedom. Furthermore, when they do win, people with gambling addictions tend to gamble away their winnings quickly.
One of the giant leaps in treatment is realizing you have a problem with gambling. It takes tremendous strength and courage to own up to this, especially if you have lost a lot of money and strained or broken relationships along the way.
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March 15, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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Depression is the lack of positive thinking or loss of hopefulness. And unfortunately, because of the stigma that still exists concerning depression and its many forms like mental illness, many people who need help do not seek it. Even though there is very clear scientific data that indicates irrefutably that a physical connection exists with most mental disorders, many people still stigmatize others because they stupidly hold on to the misguided beliefs of yesteryear that people with mental disorders are weak or just lack will power.
It is extremely common for people to become depressed over a divorce, and untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide. Thus, a divorce can significantly increase a person’s risk for suicide. One study by the National Institute for Healthcare Research indicates that divorced people are three times as likely to die by suicide as people who are married. Thus, if you are going through a divorce, you need to get a strong support network in place. And get into therapy, whether you think you need to or not. Be proactive.
All of the blame is on the criminal–the cowardly perpetrator of the domestic violence–not on the victim.Many domestic violence victims try to change their behavior (even though they are not doing anything wrong) because the horrible attacks leave them hopeless, helpless, and confused. But there really nothing that the victims can do to stop the violence, because they are dealing with a selfish, cruel criminal who does not have a conscience.
Be aware that untreated hypomania can lead to severe mania. Some people with either type of bipolar disorder, who suffer from severe manic or depressive episodes, may experience psychosis. Bipolar disorder I is the classic form of the disorder and involves recurrent episodes of mania and depression. Bipolar disorder II occurs when severe mania is not exhibited, instead a minor mania is exhibited, known as hypomania. Hypomania is a milder version of mania, and it makes you feel good, for a while, but the feelings do not last.
And please understand that when you are depressed that you affect the people around you. So get help for your loved ones as well as yourself. If you need to take medication, then you should do so. Many people who have depression do not get help. So please, do the right thing and make those appointments. Again, you may need to take medication. So, please leave that option open. People take medication all of the time for a variety of ailments, why should taking medication for depression be any different?
Pregnant women who do not receive treatment for their depression are at a high risk for postpartum depression. Untreated depression and untreated postpartum depression can lead to suicide. And untreated depression is the main cause for suicide. Thus it is critical that all pregnant women receive immediate treatment for depression. If you are pregnant and think that you may have depression, please make appointments with a doctor and a therapist.
You can ask the doctor and therapist all of the questions that you can think of. And you can do your own research. You can seek a second and even a third opinion. But the bottom line is that you need to do what is necessary to get better. You can get the best of counseling and the best advice that is available for any depressed individual from experts. You need a bit of patience and a bit of hope to overcome your depressed state.
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March 13, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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The drug addiction treatment program must be chosen according to the kind of addiction the addict is in. If your loved one is into methamphetamine addiction then going for a meth rehab center and taking the treatment program will be best for the addict. This treatment program should be checked for the license from the state substance abuse. Make sure that the center has a proper license to treat the kind of addiction you want to take treatment for.
Friends and familiar people are also responsible for this addiction. Out depression, and despair men can be addicted to this illegal medicines of recreation. Drug is a biological substance which can be synthetic or non synthetic and is taken mainly for a purpose.Drug is now a common problem among youngsters. There are various reasons behind this drug addiction. Any one get addicted to drug. He may be experiencing that stuff; he may be thinking that drug is fashionable thing to do.
Drug addiction to any sort of drugs is not only harmful for the physical health but also this is injurious for the mental and psychological health. Therefore, the addiction to any sort should be avoided in any respect but the fact is that by saying to keep aloof from drug addiction is not all but the thing which is more important is to take the appropriate steps to eradicate drug addiction of any sort from the root. The purposes can be relieving symptoms, curing diseases or as preventive medicine etc. But by the term drugs we usually mean something illegal and recreational drugs. There are lots of drugs and lots of ways to intake those drugs.
But what do we do with those people who are already addicted to drugs. Moreover, it should also be kept in mind that drug addiction these days are no more confined only to the illegal drugs only but these days people are found to be getting the prescription drug addiction more often.There are various reasons for which a person gets himself into this hell. The reason can be depression, loneliness, sudden loss of special someone, sometimes it can be mere curiosity, sometimes fun and sometimes to show off in the friend’s circle.
A person may he be of any age can get addicted to drugs. Teenagers of the present world are most likely to get drug addicted. Teenagers often get addicted to drugs just to follow their idols, rockstars or movie stars. They just want to feel high and get some hallucinations. Even well-known athletes takes drugs to enhance their stamina and hence the performance in their field of expertise.
Many individuals start using a particular drug and find that they have total control over their habit. However, after a certain period of time, these people may start to lose the control that they once had. Eventually, it will take more and more of the same type of drug for the individual to achieve the same state of euphoria as they experienced previously.Drug abuse is a very serious problem in many places in the world, particularly the United States. What starts out as a simple curiosity or use that is considered social may result in a serious addiction .
Detoxification simply means removing toxins from a person’s body by completely cleansing it from within. This is done in several instances, and drug cure is just one subset of the entire treatment genre. People who are obese might undergo drug cure or people who have digestive problems might. Here the intention is to clear all the unwanted materials accumulated in their bodies that might be a result of faulty digestive processes. In a similar manner, people who are into drug addiction will also be detoxified, i.e. their bodies will be purged of all the residual toxins that will have been produced by the addictive substance they were prone to consume.
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February 24, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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The term “impotence” has traditionally been used to signify the inability of the male to attain and maintain erection of the penis sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse. Impotence, in most circumstances, is more precisely referred to as erectile dysfunction as this term differentiates itself from loss of libido, premature ejaculation, or inability to achieve orgasm.
Muira Puama extract has recently become popular in the west for its noted effects in increasing libido and enhancing erections. This is, of course, the primary reason why Muira Puama was included in Extagen.
The indigenous tribes in Brazil have used the roots and bark internally in a tea as an aphrodisiac, for treating sexual debility and erectile dysfunction, nervous system disorders, neuralgia, baldness, impotency, gastrointestinal disorders, neuromuscular problems and rheumatism.
One reason why there is not yet any firm understanding of the physiological activity of the extract is a fabulously complicated concoction of fatty acids, sterols, essential oils, and other chemicals, and it is not clearly which ones are responsible for its physiological properties.
It is from the Olacaceae family, and the genus is Ptychopetalum (species olacoides) and is also known as Muira Puama, Marapuama, Marapama, Potency Wood and Potenzholz. The bark and roots are used in herbal treatments.
For example, Muira Puama has been extensively studied by the Sexology Institute of Paris, France. A high percentage of participants in scientifically controlled case studies reported that taking Muira Puama extract was highly effective in increasing erectile efficiency and libido.
Like with any medication, there are potential side effects of Muira Puama. The most commonly noted side effect is insomnia. Some users have reported feeling jittery and having increased occurrences of muscle spasms. No serious side effects have been reported.
Presently, the mechanism of action of Muira puama is unknown, From the preliminary information, it appears that it works on enhancing both psychological and physical aspects of sexual function. Future research will undoubtably shed additional light on t his extremely promising herb for erectile dysfunction.
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January 31, 2010
healthy life
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Follow these instructions, record them and play them back to yourself on an mp3 player, cd player, tape recorder, or whatever technology you have accessible This works! Just record and play it back to yourself and follow the instructions:
Sit down. Close your eyes and draw in a deep breath. Im not going to try to put you to sleep as it is totally unnecessary. But, I will ask you to close your eyes so that your attention cannot be distracted by anything else near you.
Now, tell yourself that every word I say is going to be implanted in your mind and be printed, ingrained and embedded on your brain. This message is going to stay permanently fixed, imprinted and embedded and without your will or knowledge; in fact, perfectly and unconsciously on your part — you, yourself and your whole body is going to obey these commands.
1. Every day, three times a day, in the morning, at midday and in the evening at the usual meal times, you will feel a healthy feel of hunger.
2. You will experience a sensation that makes you think, I think it would be better to get something healthy to eat.
3. Then, you eat and you enjoy the flavor of the food without overeating. You are also careful to chew properly, and you transform food into some form of soft paste before you swallow.
4. By doing this, you easily digest your food in a healthy way and you feel fine in your stomach/intestines. Your body will assimilate what youve eaten and your body will make proper use of it to make blood, muscle, strength and energy, in a word — life.
Since you have well digested your food, your bowel function will be absolutely normal and every morning on arising, you will feel the need of emptying your bowels without ever needing to take any laxative medicines. Your properly eating of fruits and vegetables, grains, other healthy food items balances your entire system.
Furthermore, every night from the time you wish to go to sleep to the time you wish to awaken the next morning, you will sleep deeply, quietly and calmly without any nightmares. Upon awakening, you will feel perfectly well, cheerful and active.
If you occasionally suffered from feelings that werent totally happy and content; from now on, you will increase your feelings and thoughts of happiness. You will always be perfectly cheerful and happy, even without reason for your happiness.
From this moment on, you will be patient and with an even temperament. You will enjoy being always patient and being the master of yourself. The things that might have bothered you in the past now leave you totally unbothered and perfectly calm. There is your concept of, Dont worry, be happy.
Your mind is free from negative thoughts and negative ideas and fear. You are positive, confident, mindful and conscious of your thoughts and by being so you keep yourself on the path of being positive, confident, aware and conscious always.
If you negative thoughts creeping in, you simply say, Stop. Cancel. Cancel. Cancel. Say these words for yourself, I am King of my domain of positive living. I am filled with the light and love of the creative force. I am a winner in all things in life and I gain by helping others to help themselves. My mind, body and spirit all benefit from my positive lifestyle.
As of now, all of your organs are performing their functions perfectly. The heart beats in a normal way and the circulation of your blood takes place as it should. The lungs are carrying out their oxygenation functions and also the stomach, intestines, the liver, the kidneys and the bladder. If at present any of them is acting abnormally, that abnormality becomes less every day so that quite soon, it will have vanished completely and the effective organ will have recovered its normal function.
If there has been any trouble in any organs in the past, they immediately begin to get better from day to day and soon are totally and entirely healed. Say to yourself silently in your mind, Every day in every way, Im getting better and better and better. My unconscious mind acts upon the entire human organism for the natural, automatic healing ability.
From this moment on, any lack of self-confidence or any lack of self-trust whatsoever — will disappear little by little, day by day, and opens to accept total self-confidence based on the knowledge of the force of the incalculable power which is in each one of us.
It is totally necessary for every person to have self-confidence. With it, you can accomplish far more in life. With confidence, you can accomplish whatever you want; which is good, honest, honorable, and beneficial to yourself and those you love, and the planet in general. Now, you have confidence in yourself and this confidence gives you the knowledge that you are capable of perfectly accomplishing whatever you want.
So, anything that you want to accomplish or achieve, something you always think that is easy and you make the words, no, dont, never, difficult, impossible, I cannot disappear from your vocabulary. They are not winners English. In simple English, I say, It is easy and I can do it.
By considering everything is easy, it becomes smooth for you even though it might seem difficult for others. You do it easily, quickly, without stress, totally effortlessly.
You tell yourself, every day: From this moment on I am shown, guided and drawn to the right people, places, resources, information, insights and synchronizations to help me manifest what I desire.
From all the points of view, physical and mental, I now enjoy excellent health.
Better health than you have never had before.
Now I am going to count up from 1 to 3 and when I say 3 you will open your eyes and come out of the relaxed state in which you are now. You will come out of it naturally, without feeling in the least drowsy or even tired.
Really, you will feel strong, vigorous, alert, active, full of life. You will feel very cheerful and strong in every way. 1, coming up slowly, feeling rejuvenated and revitalized 2, feeling better and better. 3 you are now wide awake and feeling much, much better than before .
Record it, play it back 2x a day of 21 days, and pray and believe a miracle will happen. And it will.
Dr. Jay Polmar, a therapist, healer, hypnotherapist, and energy worker knows the secrets to life and healing. In his 63 years he has helped thousands around the world and teaches some of these secrets in ThinkRight.
If you liked that little method, you’ll love ThinkRight ThinkRight and have a great life!, and ThinkRight and have a great life!
January 26, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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Learning to stop anxiety and panic attacks isn’t difficult, but they can be very difficult to conquer on their own, without any guidance. Here is how I learned to stop these attacks forever.
If your chest feel heavy and it is difficult to breath, like there was not enough oxygen in the air, it is the initial symptoms for a panic attack. The two biggest side effects of panic attacks I found out a few weeks later are the perception of breathing difficulties, along with an elevated and even painful heart rate
* The first thing that will help you stop panic attacks is realizing that these attacks are nothing more and nothing less than your body reacting to stress in your life, which activates the biological fight-or-flight reaction. There is no physical cause, and these episodes do not harm your body or pose any danger to you.
* You might not even realize at first that you’re having a panic episode. You might think you’re having a heart attack, or your lungs aren’t working properly, or you are sick, but all of these feelings are physical manifestations of problems that are actually entirely internal. Tell yourself that you are fine, these attacks don’t kill anyone, and that this attack will pass, will help you get through your next episode.
* Next you should try to find out the cause. Ask yourself these questions. Did you have panic episodes like this a year ago? What about six months ago? What changed? If you can’t think of any significant, stressful differences in your life, think back a month at a time. Shortlist a list of possibilities. It could be a combination of all those small possibilities.
* Extremely recent concerns might not have caused your panic attacks. Instead they might be resulting from an elevation of problems or anxiety that had been building up over months or years and finally reached “critical mass”, or they might be symptoms of a slowly-growing mental affliction, like generalized anxiety disorder or depression.
* Finally if you want to cure your panic attacks yourself, the key for self treatment is to convince yourself that what you’re experiencing are panic attacks and not something seriously wrong with your body. It may take a few doctor’s examinations before you believe that. I personally required two visits to the doctor.
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January 24, 2010
anxiety and panic attacks
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Dealing with the fear of another panic attack can completely take over your life. If left untreated, this fear can become totally debilitating as you run out of “safe” places to be. You need to find a way to control your panic attack fear.
If the more you fear having an attack, the more likely you will have one. This fear is irrational. But somehow your brain still continues to send distress signals to the body and the body responds causing those horrifying feelings during the attack.
Your chances of getting another panic attack will be greatly reduced if you can overcome your fear and have confidence that you can handle an attack.
You have to find a way to deal with the fear. There are several therapies available to you. It includes a short term solution involving prescription drugs. These can mask the symptoms but as they could be harmful, you should not take it for long term usage.
There is another method that works for most people but it takes a significant amount of time. Cognitive therapy holds a lot of promise but this is a long learning lesson from a psychotherapist. Essentially it walks you through situations that you fear bit by bit until you can take it on all at once.
Next is another approach to deal with panic attack by addressing the physical aspects of the panic attack as well as the mental. This method involves techniques that allow you to control the panic attack by performing exercises to control the body and disrupting the message being sent by your brain.
This method is able to provide quick panic attack relief. It also addresses the long term requirement of finding the trigger that sets your attacks off.
This method can help you builds your confidence in your ability to deal with future attacks and control the attack. Your fear of attacks will decline as your confidence. Thus you will experience fewer and fewer panic attacks. Soon you can start having a panic free life.
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January 7, 2010
skin care
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Background
Lavender is well-known and commonly used throughout the world. Thinking of lavender brings a picture to mind of a vibrant purple-blue color and the soft, soothing and woody smell of the flowers. Traditionally, the oil of this shrub has been used as an antiseptic, a calmative, to deter insects, to treat burns and most notably used as a perfume. Today, uses are extensive in aromatherapy as well as in the production of perfume. Most individuals, through readings or even television product ads, are familiar with lavender as a relaxant. On-going science studies are investigating the properties of lavender in potential cancer treatments for breast, ovarian, pancreatic, liver and prostate. Current clinical studies have reported lavender essential oil as possibly being beneficial for a number of conditions, including insomnia, alopecia (significant hair loss), anxiety, stress, postoperative pain and as an antibacterial and antiviral agent.
Although generally known as lavender, there are actually thirty-nine species of the genus Lavendula, but only a handful are used commercially. This fragrant plant is native to the Mediterranean region south to tropical Africa and to the southeast region of India. Today lavender is successfully cultivated in southern Europe, Australia and the United States. Aromatherapists distinguish lavender species according to their therapeutic uses and medicinal properties. True lavender (L. officinalis, L. angustifolia) when distilled at high elevations is known for its large percentage of ester content and regarded as the best in quality. Uses for true lavender include cases involving anxiety, stress, small burns, cuts and insect bites. Spike lavender (L. spica, L. latifolia) is known for its camphor content and thus used for respiratory infections, for muscular aches and pains and as a possible stimulant. Lavendin (L.fragrans, L. burnatti) is a hybrid of true lavender (L. angustifolia) and spike lavender (L. latifolia) and commonly used for large-scale commercial purposes. Stoechas lavender (L. stoechas) is used as an expectorant and known for its antimicrobial properties.
Reducing Anxiety
Lavender is well recognized as an agent able to support a reduction in anxiety, mainly due to its high linalool levels. The physiological process of reducing anxiety through the use of essential oils is quite phenomenal. Once the diffused molecules of essential oil enter the nasal cavity, they bind to receptor sites of the olfactory neurons which then trigger a cascade of events. In short, the olfactory neurons send messages to the olfactory nerve and then onto the olfactory bulb (located just three inches from the brain) where messages are initially processed. Within the olfactory bulb are input and output stations, the glomeruli and M/T (mitral and tufted) cells respectively. The olfactory output from the bulb to the brain has several targets, mainly the primary olfactory cortex and the higher olfactory associated areas where olfactory discrimination, perception and memories take place. The other is the limbic system, sometimes referred to the ‘nose’ brain comprising a complex system of 122 regions and associated areas which together is heavily responsible for the expression of emotion. Main structures of the limbic system (LS) are the amygdala, septum, hippocampus, anterior thalamus, and hypothalamus.
Diffused essential oil of lavender has been shown to alter reactions in the limbic system - a system that includes the amygdala and hippocampus, both of with are vital to our behavior, mood and memory. Recent studies have found lavender to reduce levels of cortisol (a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands). High and prolonged levels of cortisol have been shown to have a deleterious effect on the body, such as higher blood pressure, lowered immunity and decrease in bone density. A 2008 study published by the International Journal of Cardiology (Sep 26; 129(2): 193-7)found that lavender aromatherapy reduced serum cortisol and improved coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR ) in healthy men after stress was induced and concludes that lavender aromatherapy has relaxation capabilities and may be beneficial for cases concerning coronary circulation. Another study from the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan (Archives of Oral Biology 2008 Oct; 53(10): 964-8) found that salivary cortisol levels decreased in stressed subjects (via a series of mathematical tasks) after being exposed to air-borne lavender essential oil; cortisol levels did not decrease in the control group. Lavender essential oil has also been found to help babies as well. The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida (Early Human Development 2008 Jun; 84(6): 399-41) found that babies bathed with essential oil of lavender cried less and spent more time in deep sleep than babies who were not bathed with the oil.
Other Noteworthy Uses
Although lavender is mostly known for its calming properties, it has other valuable offerings as well. With the growing resistant strains of bacteria to conventional treatments, lavender is being investigated as a probable candidate for use in antibacterial products. A study by Thames Valley University, Bentford, UK (Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2009 Mar: 15(3): 275-9) looked at the antimicrobial effectiveness of various species of lavender oil on methicillin-sensitive (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) Staphylococcus aureus; all selected oils inhibited growth on MSSA and MRSA strains by direct contact. A preliminary study conducted by Southern Cross University, Australia (Alternative Medicine Review 2009 Dec; 14(4): 380-4) found that Lavender angustifolia was able to discriminate between beneficial intestinal bacteria and potential pathogens of the human gastrointestinal tract, indicating that lavender might be a possible alternative to common antibiotics that are non-discriminatory.
Conclusion
Modern science is now reporting on what ancient cultures have known for centuries - lavender has a wide assortment of supportive healing properties. Substantial evidence points to lavender as being an important option for the treatment of anxiety and the reduction in stress. Knowledge of how scent affects the brain brings more clarity in understanding the effectiveness of essential oils to support human wellness and restore health. It is safe to assess that lavender can be regarded as more than just an attractive perfume scent. As science uncovers the benefits of lavender and further pinpoints active components of this plant, more use by conventional medicine will result. However, it must be mentioned that discovering specific active components of lavender is just one piece of the puzzle. Medical research is somewhat limited in their scope and point of reference; plant essential oils are more than their components but act synergistically, even in the minutest of quantities. Lavender is a fine example where traditional application and modern medical evaluations go hand in hand.
Read more about the use of natural botanicals for skin care.
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