SolveYourProblem Article Series: Aromatherapy
Teach Me Some Aromatherapy Benefits

Aromatherapy: Can It Boost Your Immune System?
   

Aromatherapy is a safe, natural, proven way in which to boost your immune system. For thousands of years people have been using essential oils for exactly that. There are many essential oils for you to choose from which will help protect your immune system.

This article will talk about stress and the immune system. Stress is a major culprit in the breakdown of the immune system. Today who doesn’t have stress in their lives? A little stress can be good but when it gets to be too much your body will tell you. If you pay attention, you can tell when you’re going too many directions at one time.

How does stress break down your immune system? When you experience something stressful your body secretes a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is helpful in small doses because it helps you to react in dangerous situations. But the system is set up so that once the danger is gone, that same hormone can help your body restore homeostasis. If there is prolonged stress, the cortisol level doesn’t have a chance to return to a lesser amount.

Too much cortisol in your blood for an extensive period of time will lower the immunity responses in your body. The first step in using aromatherapy to boost your immune system is to help yourself relax. Essential oils that are known for their ability to decrease stress and promote relaxation are: tea tree oil, chamomile, and lavender. You can heat the oils to fill the room with the vapors, put them into the bath and soak, or you can use the oil for massage.

Using essential oils for massage will benefit you three different ways. Massage is good for circulation and to help relax you, as you inhale the vapors of the essential oils you will feel your anxiety lifted away, and your skin will get nourished as well.

Skin is the first and most important barrier that keeps infection out of the bloodstream. Take care of it because it you don’t you may have a break down of your body’s first line of defense. Tea tree oil is a common essential oil used for skin care. But there are so many out there to choose from that you should find which one would work best for your skin type. Use the oil to steam, massage, or wash your face; soak in a bath; or use as a spritzer and it will help strengthen your skin’s defense.

Popular for its reputation as being the most powerful natural antiseptic, is tea tree oil. It can be used to treat acne, warts, boils, burns, athlete’s foot and vaginal infections. Because of weakening of the immune system, many people that are positive for HIV develop thrush (a yeast infection in the mouth and throat). A lot of times the thrush is resistant to the antibiotics. But because tea tree oil is often able to kill these resistant fungi and bacteria many patience have been able to use it as an alternative medication.

Frankincense is another essential oil that is known for the ability to protect against bacteria. Back in ancient cultures frankincense was often burning in temples or churches. With so many people so close to one another infections and viruses can spread quickly. One reason that frankincense was used was because of its ability to fight against viruses and bacteria and support the people’s immune systems.

When your immune system has taken a crash and you’ve gotten a cold, cough, sore throat, upset stomach, laryngitis or flu there are essential oils that can help you get rid of the ailment. Tea tree oil is proven to work for each of these ailments. Peppermint essential oil will help you get rid of your upset stomach.

Aromatherapy can help boost your immune system in more than one way. You can use is as preventative medicine all the time or when you get sick or feel like you’re getting sick, get out the essential oils. Any way that you choose to practice aromatherapy be safe and remember what role stress plays in the weakening of your immune system.

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by SolveYourProblem.com : 2006

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