Has Health Information Hijacked Your Amygdala?
Most everyone has had the unpleasant experience of surfing through the online abyss of “Doctor Google.”
Even if you didn’t have health anxiety to begin with, combine a rudimentary compilation of innocent bodily gurgles and aches with a few minutes of skimming through health blogs, and you can end up terrifying yourself. By the conclusion of the search, even a rational, calm human can be persuaded of their imminent demise from a frightening self-diagnosis.
Furthermore, it doesn’t help that our nation is currently experiencing a mental health crisis and our healthcare system has been failing to make any progress with chronic diseases.
To add on top of all this fear and unrest is the bombardment of world events and negative news.
All these factors can put us into a habitual state of anxiety.
When we are in this space, we cannot heal. This is because our bodies and brains are doing the best they can to just survive.
Our amygdala’s (emotional brains) have been officially hijacked!
From Health Fear to Health Empowerment
It’s time to take our power back and give our minds and bodies the respite they crave.
There is one such modality that works directly on our emotional brain to help us achieve this.
Essential oils have ancient roots in healing traditions and have been verified in recent research to positively modulate our physiology, biology, and psychology in a myriad of ways.
As success stories pile up on how oils can aid our mind and body, this modality is growing in use by consumers. Therefore, it’s important to have reliable, science-based information on how to incorporate them into one’s wellness routine.
Today, I want to offer you such a resource that perfectly balances traditional use with modern day wisdom of essential oils.
So, sit back, breathe, and take this in…
In case you didn’t know, we are amid an essential oils’ revolution!
Education for Essential Oils Empowerment
I found The Essential Oils Revolution podcast only a few months ago and have been obsessed with it ever since. This show is jam-backed with trustworthy experts including certified aromatherapists, physicians, holistic practitioners, and experienced users. I’ve learned so much from it and have successfully applied some of the clinical tips with my clients.
Recently, I had the honor of chatting with the host of this program that was featured in Feedspot’s “Top Aromatherapy Podcasts”.
Below, I’ve listed the major takeaways from the show and provided the link.
A Breakdown of Topics from the Essential Oils Revolution Podcast
In this interview, I discuss how essential oils can help us to turn down the amygdala hijack and enhance our health. Topics include:
- How I integrate naturopathic and functional medicine, lifestyle, and essential oils into my practice. These modalities support the foundation of health, bridging conventional with integrative health care and empower the user. (Learn more on how essential oils and naturopathic medicine are a perfect duo.)
- How I combine the aromatic properties of essential oils with their physiological, biochemical, and psychological applications in my naturopathic and functional medicine clinical practice. (Note clinical aromatherapy is a another branch of aromatherapy certification.)
- How essential oils can elicit the relaxation response to allow for our innate abilities to heal.
- A case study: I give an example of incorporating ylang ylang for heart synergy and a Joyful blend for soothing trauma and psychological symptoms.
- How to balance cortisol patterns with essential oils, specifically for cortisol deregulation and HPA dysfunction.
- The research on peppermint oil for digestive health.
- What got me started with essential oils and how that led me to naturopathic medicine school and functional medicine.
- How essential oils are epigenetic modulators altering cellular patterns and they also influence the microbiome favorably.
- Closing questions: What I do for self-care and what I said to ditch and what to replace it with.
Click here for the direct link to the full show notes page, or listen on iTunes or Spotify.
Be sure to check out The Essential Oil Revolution Podcast on Facebook and the host, Samantha Lee Wright on Facebook and Instagram.
Stay tuned, I have an exciting announcement coming that came about unexpectedly after this show was aired!
Enjoy the program and be sure to provide feedback below!
More References on Essential Oils and the Microbiome
- Recently, I wrote a full review of essential oils and the gut microbiome published in Townsend Letter. It can be found here.
- Aromatic Studies has a link with references on a lot of the in vitro and in vivo (animal) studies. Results indicate they build commensals, assist with intestinal permeability, and decrease pathogens.
- Here’s the study with 106 metabolic syndrome patients prescribed oregano oil for clearing infections. There were no negative perturbance of the microbiome or dysbiosis.
- Here’s the study with anxiety subjects that shows a correlation with improvement in anxiety and a change in microbial metabolites. (Individual differences are noted because everyone’s microbiome is unique.)
Naturopathic Medicine and Holistic Resources for Hormonal, Mood, and Digestive Support
- Stay Connected! Sign-up for my free weekly newsletter.
- Free resources and more education on essential oils and mind-body wellness are available to you here.
- Learn about my community membership program that provides full access to my essential oils database, essential oils course, Q&As, and exclusive content.
- Tools for coping with isolation and separation.
Stay tuned for an upcoming opportunity that can support you in holistic mind-body-heart-soul healing. (Join my newsletter to learn more.)
Many blessings.
Disclaimer: This material is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. (Affiliation link.)
This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic quality essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for purity and standardized constituents. There is no quality control in the United States, and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only to contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. The studies are not based solely on a specific brand of an essential oil, unless stated. Please read the full study for more information.
Thanks Pixabay and Canva.