Anxiety, depression and attention disorders are on the rise. I believe the causes are two-fold, first simply because we live in a culture saturated with unimportant things. We have thousands of choices we can make every day, from the foods we eat to products for our home and health. Marketing campaigns reach for our hearts, showing that we will be happy if we just purchase their goods and services. We can have instant gratification: on-demand movies, fast food and drugs to take away our symptoms in an hour. These are solutions targeted at making us content for the moment. It’s easy to fall into habits that can be harmful to us if we only have a short term fix in mind, leading to anxiety with so much information or depression from lack of contentment.

I believe a second cause of the increase in these health issues is the vast amount of chemicals we are exposed to every day. Some have even said today we are exposed to more chemicals in a day than people 100 years ago were exposed to in a lifetime. This does not even include chemicals we choose to subject ourselves to: over the counter & prescription drugs, plastics, untested cosmetic ingredients, perfumes and artificial fragrance. All of these chemicals can wreak havoc on our bodies and may cause hormonal imbalance which also may contribute to anxiety & depression.
I saw a mom with a newborn baby in the home fragrance aisle at the store the other day contemplating which “home scent” to purchase, I couldn’t help myself and I just told her to avoid using any of it around her kids, for their sake. Our children’s bodies and ours are being bombarded with chemicals, many of them we consciously are burning and “plugging in” to our homes, poisoning our air. We are chemical beings and all these fragranced products are causing chemical reactions in our bodies – the evidence is mounting that these chemicals are linked to anxiety, depression and attention disorders to name only a few. Over the counter and prescription drugs are even worse, with these and other health issues listed as potential side effects. I’m actually surprised at how many people ask if essential oils will interact with the drugs they are taking, yet don’t give a thought to using a home cleansing wipe labeled “harmful to humans and domestic animals” or consider how common household products and cosmetics are interfering with their prescriptions. Perfumes and artificial fragrance are known to disrupt hormones and the endocrine system making us more vulnerable to symptoms of anxiety, depression and attention disorders.

If you are truly looking for help with issues like anxiety, depression or attention disorders, you seriously have to consider cleaning up your environment, diet and personal care products. Essential oils may offer some promise for dealing with these but they cannot compensate for a lack of common sense and poor choices. I myself have used essential oils to deal with anxiety and depression but I have been careful to assess what might be triggering these symptoms in my body. 

Anti-depressants are some of the most widely prescribed drugs, with prescribed usage doubling in just one decade: 1996-2005.  Some studies have even shown that their effects may be questionable.  Dr. Mercola offers some insight into this research and alternatives to prescription drugs even suggesting that placebos have as great an impact on improving your mood .   Keeping this in mind, essential oils may be a great side-effect free option to try before going on medications.   These suggestions have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

Lavender essential oil helps balance the body, may help with insomnia and is calming. Simply smelling something pleasant can have a positive effect on our psyche. Make sure you are using only a pure, food grade lavender essential oil. I met someone the other day who had a bad experience with lavender. After applying a drop to her pillow, she developed a horrible headache. If an essential oils is altered or diluted with any chemical, one can never really know what side effects may occur from fillers. It is always best to use essential oils from a trusted source that verifiies the ingredients of their products. Mine is Young Living essential oils because I know they have the highest quality control standards in the industry.

Frankincense essential oil may be helpful in alleviating symptoms of depression. I apply Frankincense to my face every day, it’s excellent and nourishing to the skin plus it gives a boost to my psyche. Frankincense can be diffused to improve concentration and mental clarity. Because of this quality, it would be a great choice for using when a student needs to get homework done. This is an excellent oil to use for anxiety – when you have a lot of things going on and you don’t know where to begin. This oil is clearly evidence of divine creation – one breath in and your mind is clear and focused for the most important task at hand.

Valor is a Young Living essential oil blend that has similar qualities to frankincense – simply because frankincense is one of it’s ingredients. It also contains spruce which is grounding and helps create positive memory. I used this in one of my yoga classes and afterwards one student commented that at the beginning of relaxation her mind was running in several directions. She said that the second she smelled Valor, her mind was completely cleared and she could just relax. This blend may also be a good choice for helping focus and dealing with attention disorders.

Peace & Calming is a Young Living blend of essential oils. It’s a blend that appeals to most people, it’s a sweeter smell with tangerine essential oil. Some think it evokes thoughts of childhood. Just applying a drop to your carotid artery as a natural perfume can be calming. When it is applied to the soles of the feet it can help move you into a peaceful nights rest. This would be a good choice for overactive children and pets, or adults who suffer from nervous tension.

Stress Away – Roll-On is a Young Living blend that contains vanilla & lime essential oils. This is another blend that works well as a natural perfume with positive side effects of calming you when you are experiencing anxiety.

Peppermint oil is the first choice for mental clarity for attention disorders. Simply applying the oil to the temples can improve concentration and focus. Diffusing peppermint oil when you are studying can help improve memory retention. Peppermint may also be useful in treating headaches brought on by anxiety or depression.

Essential oils have the potential to even out moods, balance our emotions and help improve our mental clarity. But first, it is important to clear your environment and personal exposure to man-made chemicals that may be contributing to these issues. If you are on a lot of medications, have intelligent conversations with your doctor or pharmicist about potential side effects. There are many natural, drug free solutions to anxiety, depression and attention disorders for those willing to do some research and tune into themselves to figure what might be triggering these symptoms in the first place.

Essential oils offer many of the same benefits to pets as they do to people.  They can support the immune system, bring balance to the mind and body, help heal  injuries and offer  natural cleaning options.  As with humans, it is imperative that only the purest essential oils are used on your pets.   I have listed just a few of the many uses for pets taken from oils in the Everyday Oils Collection.  These uses are recommendations from Dr. Mary Hess, DVM.

Lemon essential oil:  Used to increase awareness in training or cognitive issues.  It is an anti-parasitic and can be combined with others safely, excellent for skin conditions.  Use topically, diffused or ingested.

Lavender essential oil:  Use for injuries while hiking or riding. Gentle but anti-infectious.  When combined with peppermint, healing is increased and infection and pain is decreased.  Repels parasites and calms nervous system.  May be helpful for masses and tumors.

Frankincense: Safer, gentle oil that is a favorite for smaller pets and birds.  Used in every aspect of pet care: wounds, tumors, behavior, infections, bacteria and fungal control. Dilution recommended with lavender.

Peppermint: Use with PanAway for any injury. Most used oil for overheated horses and dogs, provides cooling quickly. Used on long hikes, placing a drop in water for internal cooling. Peppermint must be diluted for cats, 1 part oil to 4 parts vegetable oil

Purification: Use for parasites such as fleas, ticks and mosquitos for dog and horse. Dilute 75% for cats. For birds, mist the cage with oil instead of applying directly to the bird.

Valor: Useful for all pets for fear, behavior and training. Especially useful for pet rescue. Use for skin masses, itching, allergies and infections. Diffuse or apply topically. Place around collar or leash.

Peace & Calming: Main calming blend of this collection. Use for fear, anxiety, behavior problems, car rides, excitement. Builds confidence.

PanAway: Best oil blend for injury. Can be used with cats if diluted. Used for urinary issues, osteo-arthritis pain, dental extraction or post surgery. Use topically in warm compresss, in raindrop technique or vita-flex points on feet.

Thieves:  Strongest anti-infectious blend in this collection. Can be used on all pets if diluted properly. Provides significant pain relief, particularly for dental problems. Has anti-parasitic properties, especially for ticks. Can be used topically to location of injury, vita-flex, raindrop, or internally.  Diffuse

Using essential oils on pets is similar to people as there are precautions you should take.  Because pets are much smaller, essential oils should be diluted more than for an adult person.

Dilution guidelines:  when in doubt contact your DVM.

Horses require minimum to no dilution ( 1 drop essential oil in 1 tsp carrier oil to help disperse)

Dogs:     0-25lbs – 75% dilution (1 drop essential oil to 4 drops carrier oil)

26-45lbs -50-75%

46-75lbs – 50%

76-90lbs – 25-50%

90-150lbs-25%

+150lbs – 0-25%

Cats, ferrets, rabbits, reptiles – 75-90%

Birds & Amphibians – 90-95% or hydrosols (1 drop essential oil mixed with water in 8 ounce spray bottle)

Lemon

Lavender

Peppermint

Frankincense

Purification essential oil blend: contains citronella, lemongrass, lavandin, rosemary, Melaleuca alternifolia and myrtle.

Peace & Calming essential oil blend: Blue tansy, patchouli, tangerine, orange, ylang ylang.

Valor essential oil blend: Rosewood, blue tansy, frankincense, spruce

PanAway essential oil blend: Helichrysum, wintergreen, clove, peppermint.

Thieves:Clove, rosemary, lemon, cinnamon bark, Eucalyptus radiata.

See 110 uses for the Everyday Oils Kit for specific usages of these oils.

You can purchase the Everyday Oils Kit for $115 wholesale or    $150 Retail

Or for $150, you can get wholesale pricing on any Young Living products when you purchase the Start Living with Everyday Oils Kit  (select Independent Distributor and order the $150  Start Living With Everyday Oils Kit for lifetime wholesale pricing, and no monthly minimums)  or retail (select customer).  If your cookies are not enabled, enter #1003003 as your sponsor & enroller, Pure Home and Body.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.