Dr. Eric Z's Essential Oil Guide for Arthritis
DR. ERIC Z
There’s no better way of putting it: rheumatoid arthritis can be downright debilitating. The pain is oftentimes crippling and the side effects, like heart disease, insomnia, depression and stress, just complicate matters immensely. Unfortunately, most doctors prescribe harmful pharmaceutical drugs to mask the pain, but this is not the best long-term solution.
When possible, going “natural” is most beneficial because there are virtually no side effects and many people have experienced fantastic relief by implementing an anti-inflammatory diet, adopting regular exercise and motion therapy, as well as using natural remedies like essential oils.
Peppermint
A soothing oil with cooling effects, peppermint essential oil is a go-to for pain relieving applications. In one study on arthritis and essential oils, peppermint was part of a blend intended to relieve arthritic pain and depression associated with it. The results were fantastic.” Aromatherapy significantly decreased both the pain score and the depression score of the experimental group compared with the control group,” the researchers stated. And with no side effects reported!
Frankincense
Being inflammatory by nature, we also found frankincense to help rheumatoid arthritis. Testing the pain relieving ability of an aromatherapy hand massage with patients battling with cancer, researchers discovered that frankincense relieved their pain significantly!
While the trial might have been directed toward cancer rather than arthritis, the hands are a common site of pain for people with arthritis, and the analgesic effects can be enjoyed by all.
Anti-Inflammatory Essential Oils
With pain relief in the making, a focus on the cause is warranted and necessary in order to build a lifetime of health. For inflammatory arthritic illness, anti-inflammatory oils, herbs, and foods are more than welcome!
Incorporate these anti-inflammatory oils into your regular, daily essential oil use routines in order to begin chipping away, so to speak, at the very cause of your arthritis.
Lavender
Typically used to improve sleep or treat the skin, lavender essential oil once again displays its wide range of effects when considering it for therapeutic benefits for arthritis.
As an anti-inflammatory oil, lavender can help to relieve the painful swelling and inflammation that arthritis in its various forms creates. Lavender is an analgesic as well, tackling arthritic pain from multiple angles.
Lavender may also help to relieve secondary issues that arise in a life of chronic pain since it can be used for anxiety and depression. Its gentle nature makes lavender a reliable choice for most people in many application forms.
Chamomile
Roman chamomile essential oil is a must have for its calming, soothing, and anti-inflammatory effects. As a whole herb, chamomile is renowned for its healing, soothing, and calming effects. The essential oil isolates some of these abilities, especially as an anti-inflammatory substance.
Add roman chamomile to topical massage oils to work the anti-inflammatory compounds into the skin and onto joints and other sites of pain. You can also diffuse chamomile for relaxing an anxious or depressed mind.
Try this: put 2 drops of lavender oil and 3 drops of roman chamomile in 150 ml of water in your diffuser right before bedtime.
Yarrow
As a soothing and healing herb, yarrow essential oil also carries anti-inflammatory components that can be beneficial for arthritic ailments. Yarrow essential oil is used in many preparations that include anti-inflammatory and the Ayurvedic tradition.
Topical preparations of yarrow can help to improve anti-inflammatory and pain relieving combinations. Making the most of synergistic reactions - oils working together to make each other more effective - creates one-of-a kind blends that help to relieve pain and inflammation for your specific arthritis conditions.
Try this: apply 3 drops each of lavender, frankincense, yarrow, peppermint essential oils in 1 ounce of a carrier oil like almond or jojoba, and apply topically every 4 hours.
Wintergreen
Known as "liquid aspirin," wintergreen oil is another traditional analgesic that has helped countless arthritis patients. Used with peppermint, it is particularly potent to reduce inflammation. In the words of a 2014 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, “A combination of wintergreen oil and peppermint oil is commonly used because it is believed to give far better pain relief than either wintergreen oil or peppermint oil alone. In addition, the combination of the two oils may potentiate the individual effects of each oil, thus enabling the use of lower doses of each, which, as a consequence, is likely to produce fewer side effects."
Try this: apply 5 drops each of wintergreen and peppermint essential oils in 1 ounce of a carrier oil like almond or jojoba, and apply topically every 4 hours.
Have You Tried Using Essential Oils To Ease Symptoms Of Disease? Share Your Thoughts In The Comments Below!
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Founder of DrEricZ.com, Dr. Eric L. Zielinski (“Dr. Z”) is a sought-after public health researcher, Biblical health educator, author and motivational speaker. Inspired by the timeless principles in the Bible, Dr. Z’s mission is to provide people with simple, evidenced-based tools that they need to experience the Abundant Life. By creating programs like Beat Cancer God’s Way and hosting online events such as the Essential Oils Revolution and the Heal Your Gut Summit, Dr. Z educates people in natural remedies and empowering life strategies. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and children.