As a Doctor of Physical Therapy at The Healing Collective Functional & Integrative Medicine, I love integrating oils into my practice for its aromatic effects as well as the physiological effects for my clients. Some of my top favorite oils (it's hard to choose because I have a different favorite for each condition I treat! ) include Copaiba, Melissa, Marjoram, Lavender, Frankincense, Clary Sage, and the Deep Blue & Balance blends. So if you are a current patient and would like to integrate aromatherapy into your appointment, just ask! It's free of charge.
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The Art & Science of Essential Oils
Dr. Jessie • November 4, 2022
I (Dr. Jessie) have been working with high-quality essential oils since 2013 when I was first introduced to what is still my favorite DoTERRA blend called Balance. I was interning at the Physical Therapy department at a hospital in my hometown and was offered a free sample vial of Balance by one of my coworkers after I had been sharing about my stress levels and the pressures of being a medical student. I fell in love with the immediate effects (and of course the delightful aroma!) and have been using essential oils ever since.
The scientific community has increasingly been investigating and affirming the positive benefits of aromatherapy, and with good reason. Aromatherapy has been utilized for thousands of years, and it is exciting to see the modern western world acknowledging its benefits from conditions ranging from Insomnia to Anxiety, Depression, Nausea, Low appetite, Dry Mouth and more.
The oils I use are the highest quality available, appropriate for even those who have chemical sensitivities. Please inquire for more information.
And for those of you who are curious about some of the research and clinical findings, this next section is for you.
THE EVIDENCE FOR ESSENTIAL OILS
A 2017 clinical trial in the ICU of a hospital showed that "aromatherapy alleviated stress and improved sleep quality in intensive care unit patients after 2 days of the experimental treatment. These results demonstrate that aromatherapy affects stress and sleep quality, thus indicating its value in nursing interventions." -Cho, Lee & Hur 2017
In another hospital-based study, you may be surprised to learn that yes, Lavendar did improve sleep and reduce stress but Bergamot essential oil had the strongest results for sleep and stress for these inpatient surgical patients.
Other essential oils that have been found to be helpful for stress & sleep include Clary Sage, Roman Chamomile, and Neroli.
In December of 2018, Choi's study investigating the anti-viral activity of 62 different essential oils "demonstrated anti-influenza activity in 11 essential oils ... with marjoram, clary sage and anise essential oils being the most effective at reducing visible cytopathic effects of the A/WS/33 virus. All 3 oils contained linalool, suggesting that this may have anti-influenza activity." Hammer Karson and Riley et al found that "Lemongrass, oregano, and bay inhibited all organisms [Acinetobacter baumanii, Aeromonas veronii biogroup sobria, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia col, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype typhimurium, Serratia marcescens and Staphylococcus aureus] at concentrations of < or = 2.0%."
A recent 2020 review describes how Essential Oils (EOs) "have shown wide-spectrum antimicrobial potentials via targeting the major determinants of pathogenicity, drug-resistance and its spread including cell membrane, drug efflux pumps, quorum sensing, biofilms and R-plasmids. Latest reports confirm the EOs having strong direct-killing or re-sensitizing potentials to replace or rejuvenate otherwise fading antibiotics arsenal." (Yu, Tang and Khare et al, 2020)
There is obviously much more research to be done, but the preliminary results have been promising. Scan the resources below for even more studies to browse.
HOW DO I GET QUALITY OILS?
Getting HIGH-QUALITY oils is essential (no pun intended), as the FDA does not regulate what additives or chemical fillers go into oils. I have used and trust DoTERRA oils since I was first introduced to them back in 2013. If your oils are cheap, you can almost guarantee that they are filled with chemical additives or rancid carrier/filler oils: it "saves" companies money to add things to the oils to "stretch" them, but it is always at a cost to health. One way you can check is to smell the oils -- this takes some training as many of us get used to smelling--and even preferring--rancid oils (for example, most of the olive oil consumed in the USA is rancid). Or, choose to purchase oils from companies that you trust, that go the extra length to ensure pure and therapeutic, food-grade oils.
You can shop for the top-quality essential oils through my link here or reach out for more information!
RESOURCES
Ayik C, Özden D. The effects of preoperative aromatherapy massage on anxiety and sleep quality of colorectal surgery patients: A randomized controlled study. Complement Ther Med. 2018;36:93‐99. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29458940/
Barati F, Nasiri A, Akbari N, Sharifzadeh G. The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients. Nephrourol Mon. 2016;8(5):e38347. Published 2016 Jul 31. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5111093/
Bharkatiya M, Nema RK, Rathore KS, Panchawat S. Aromatherapy: short overview. Int J Green Pharm.2008;2(1):13–6.
Cavanagh HM, Wilkinson JM. Biological activities of lavender essential oil. Phytother Res. 2002;16(4):301–8.
Cermelli C, Fabio A, Fabio G, et al. Effect of eucalyptus essential oil on respiratory bacteria and viruses. Curr Microbiol.2008;56(1):89–92.
Cho EH, Lee MY, Hur MH. The Effects of Aromatherapy on Intensive Care Unit Patients' Stress and Sleep Quality: A Nonrandomised Controlled Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017;2017:2856592. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available Online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5742427/
Cho EH, Lee MY, Hur MH. The Effects of Aromatherapy on Intensive Care Unit Patients' Stress and Sleep Quality: A Nonrandomised Controlled Trial. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017;2017:2856592. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available Online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5742427/
Cho MY, Min ES, Hur MH, Lee MS. Effects of aromatherapy on the anxiety, vital signs, and sleep quality of percutaneous coronary intervention patients in intensive care units. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:381381. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23476690/
Choi HJ. Chemical Constituents of Essential Oils Possessing Anti-Influenza A/WS/33 Virus Activity. Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2018;9(6):348‐353. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available online: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6296812/
Gujral H. Aromatherapy: Do Essential Oils Really Work? Johns Hopkins Medicine Health. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available online: www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/aromatherapy-do-essential-oils-really-work
Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and other plant extracts. J Appl Microbiol. 1999;86(6):985‐990. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available Online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10438227/
Itai T, Amayasu H, Kuribayashi M, Kawamura N, Okada M, Momose A, et al. Psychological effects of aromatherapy on chronic hemodialysis patients. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci.2000;54(4):393–7.
Kanany M, Mazloom R, Emami A, Mokhber N. Lavender essential oils fragrance therapeutic effect on anxiety of patients undergoing hemodialysis. J Nurs Midwife.2011;10(3-4):63–71.
Karaman T, Karaman S, Dogru S, et al. Evaluating the efficacy of lavender aromatherapy on peripheral venous cannulation pain and anxiety: A prospective, randomized study. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;23:64‐68. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27157961/
Kim M, Kwon YJ. Effects of aroma inhalation on blood pressure, pulse, visual analog scale, and McNair scale in nursing students practicing intravenous injection at the first time. Int J Adv Sci Technol.2010;23(2):61–8.
Meepagala KM, Sturtz G, Wedge DE. Antifungal constituents of the essential oil fraction of Artemisia dracunculus L. Var. dracunculus. J Agric Food Chem. 2002;50(24):6989‐6992.
Kutlu AK, Yılmaz E, Çeçen D. Effects of aroma inhalation on examination anxiety. TLN.2008;3(4):125–30.
Nasiri A, Mahmodi MA. Aromatherapy massage with lavender essential oil and the prevention of disability in ADL in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2018;30:116‐121. Available Online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29389470/
Özlü ZK, Bilican P. Effects of Aromatherapy Massage on the Sleep Quality and Physiological Parameters of Patients in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit. Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2017;14(3):83‐88. Published 2017 Mar 1. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28480419/
Perez C. Clinical aromatherapy. Part I: An introduction into nursing practice. Clin J Oncol Nurs.2003;7(5):595–6.
Sahebalzamani M, Khanavi M, Alavimajd H, Mirkarimi SM, Karimi M. Effects of inhalation aromatherapy on female students' anxiety and depression settling in dormitory of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Islamic Azad Univ Med Sci J .2010;20(3):175–81.
Salamati A, Mashouf S, Mojab F. Effect of Inhalation of Lavender Essential Oil on Vital Signs in Open Heart Surgery ICU. Iran J Pharm Res. 2017;16(1):404‐409. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28496494/
Wilkinson SM, Love SB, Westcombe AM, Gambles MA, Burgess CC, Cargill A, et al. Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. J Clin Oncol.2007;25(5):532–9.
Yu Z, Tang J, Khare T, Kumar V. The alarming antimicrobial resistance in ESKAPEE pathogens: Can essential oils come to the rescue? Fitoterapia. 2020;140:104433. Accessed 1 June 2020. Available Online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31760066/
This month has two very important celebrations that I would love to connect. Making connections is actually one of the strengths of the functional medicine detection process that guides us to the root causes of illness and toward healing! I now invite you to take a pause and ask yourself, what does pride in owning one’s sexual orientation as LGBTQ have to do with brain health and Alzheimer's Disease? As not to leave anyone out- if you identify as straight or heterosexual, what could having pride in yourself have to do with your brain health and Alzheimer's? An important connection that I would like to make involves the nervous system. The brain is a central component of the nervous system, along with the spinal cord and nerves. Our nervous system influences and controls many bodily functions and is also influenced and controlled by many factors. Our emotional state highly influences our nervous system. Individuals who do not feel accepted to be who they are without being judged, criticized, ridiculed and loved by others live under tremendous stress. They often feel unsafe- emotionally and/or physically. Living with constant emotional stress and feeling physically or emotionally unsafe takes a major toll on the nervous system, including the brain, and can be one of many contributors to cognitive impairment. This constant level of stress can impair cognitive function. Stress is inflammatory to the body and brain. Stress affects neurotransmitter production, causing excess excitatory neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and epinephrine, which up-regulate our system which can unfortunately cause even more stress. Stress also causes increased cortisol, the stress hormone to be produced. An excess of these chemicals causes health consequences to many bodily systems. To name a few: Cardiovascular- increased blood pressure and heart rate Respiratory- shallow and rapid breathing that reduces oxygenation Musculoskeletal- pain and tension Endocrine System- sex hormone and thyroid hormone abnormalities due to the HPATG (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal Thyroid Gonadal) Axis disturbance caused by high cortisol and elevated blood sugar that could advance to diabetes Immune system- Autoimmune disease risk increases significantly from chronic stress Gastrointestinal- GI issues due to parasympathetic and vagus nerve disruption And on and on! Every single system is affected by chronic stress in the nervous system.
When people ask me what is one of the most important elements of healthy living, disease prevention and feeling one’s best I always include detoxing as a top priority. Then one of 2 things generally happens. People respond with a resounding, yes! Or I get the deer in the headlight look. I love to break down information for my clients because the more understanding into why something matters, the more follow through and greater benefit to the client will occur. Detoxing is so critical because we are exposed to toxins all day, every day, in our modern life through our basic survival needs and beyond. . Exposure comes through the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, personal hygiene products we ironically use to cleanse and care for ourselves and our living spaces. Additionally, extra exposures occur when we renovate our homes or offices; buy a new mattress, carpet, or couch due to the new materials off-gassing chemicals used in the manufacturing process. On top of this certain industries provide extra exposures, such as: mechanics, chemists, beauticians who work in spas and nail salons, artists, construction workers/contractors/mechanical engineers, hospital workers, farmers and more! The deer in the headlights look continues and people wonder, how to detox? People often ask- do I have to do a juice diet or not eat…they often imagine something hard and extreme. Yes, these types of detox’s do exist but must be short lived and thus are less effective. The best type of detox is actually one that supports your daily life rather than interfering with it. There are 3 important, simple messages I’d like to share regarding detoxing. First, living a detox lifestyle is an important way to provide self care to your body, mind and emotions. This means you are eating, drinking, moving, bathing and sweating in an intentional way that helps the daily toxins that flow in, to flow right back out. This preventative method significantly reduces toxin accumulation . Second, address stored toxins by doing a deeper detox dive over multiple months. Start with supporting your drainage pathways, which is “Phase 3” of the body’s detoxing cycle. For this I recommend a detox kit by Cellcore, which they named Phase 1…sorry for the confusion! This is Phase 1 of a detox protocol but in fact it supports Phase 3 of our own body’s detox elimination cycle. Once the body’s drainage pathways are open then deeper detoxing is safe, effective and comfortable, which I love to guide people through!. Thirdly, incorporate intermittent fasting on a regular basis. At the least, do a 12 hour fast overnight. But then build up from there. I strongly recommend that we discuss this further before doing longer fasts to maximize effectiveness and minimize unwanted results. In addition to detoxing support, fasting also supports longevity, cancer prevention and treatment, metabolic disorders- but when not done correctly, especially for a woman's body, it can actually cause unwanted hormonal changes. I would love to support your detoxing needs further so if you feel you are in need and ready for some detox support, please reach out. Wishing you all the best and so, so well! With love, Tracy Shulsinger, FNP
INHALED MOLECULAR HYDROGEN IS NOW AVAILABLE IN SCHEDULED PHYSICAL THERAPY SESSIONS
Heart health is a major concern for many people. According to the Centers For Disease Control Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of death since 1950. Many daily choices are based on heart health. These may include not smoking, exercising, limiting high fat foods, taking heart focused supplements/medications, heart medical tests, and more.
The next several blogs will be presenting a series of information about menopause. This topic is SO immense that it will take many months to share...besides menopause is a journey! This series will open with presenting an article, “Women Have Been Mislead About Menopause” in the New York Times that was published in February 2023. I tremendously appreciate this article due to the blend of compassion and sensitivity regarding women who suffer through menopause and the scientific reporting from many excellent sources including large and small studies and experts in the field. Menopause is a topic that I am very passionate about. It affects every single woman and despite this wide reach, there is still a high amount of reported confusion, distress and poor impacts to quality of life and global health reported by women during per-menopause and menopause. One healthcare topic that affects half of the population in the world is worth giving lots of attention! But yet there is tremendous controversy about this topic and many women report difficulty having a satisfying conversation w/ their providers about menopause- one where they feel well informed of benefits and not just risks, lack of judgment and a sensitivity to their experience. Here are some important take-aways from this article regarding the many signs and symptoms women can experience: About 85% of women experience symptoms during menopause Hot flash’s are too often all that is discussed and understood by women as menopause symptoms. In fact there are whole body, systemic changes as well. The severity and experiences vary woman to women but here is a more complete list of signs and symptoms: Brain: Vascular effects, cognitive changes/impairments, poor word finding, forgetfulness, short term memory disturbances. Mental/Emotional Health- Insomnia, depression, anxiety, irritability, reduced libido Skin/Mucous Membranes- Dryness to skin, mouth, eyes; accelerated skin aging in appearance and loss of elasticity Cardiovascular- Increased cholesterol Gastrointestinal- Digestive disturbances Genitourinary/Vaginal- urinary leakage/incontinence, dryness, painful intercourse, atrophic vaginitis, increase in infections such as “BV” (bacterial vaginitis) and yeast infections, excessive vaginal bleeding, unpredictable menstrual cycles, shortening or lengthening of menstrual cycle. Musculoskeletal- joint pain, bone density loss that can lead to Osteopenia and further to Osteoporosis Metabolic- weight gain and body composition changes including reduction in muscle mass and increase in belly fat
Everyone talks about what to expect during pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life, but few women are aware and few allopathic providers are talking about what to expect in perimenopause, which is why it is vital to increase awareness and inspire action. Most women enter perimenopause in their 40’s, but changes can begin as early as mid to late 30’s. These changes and symptoms can begin up to 10 years before menopause. Perimenopausal women may experience none, some, or all of the following symptoms:
Glyphosate is a worldwide commonly used herbicide and is the primary toxic chemical in Roundup™, as well as in many other herbicides.
Have you been eating a dangerous dose of poison without even knowing it?!
Since the 1970s, we've seen a huge increase of a herbicide called glyphosate on our food crops - scientists estimate that over 150,000 tons are sprayed annually across America!
This month's blog is inspired by the times- back to school, approaching fall a.k.a cold/flu season and the increase in COVID cases amongst us. In fact I was exposed myself and am now nursing myself back to health. The functional medicine approach is quite simple when it comes to maintaining and improving health. Eliminate what doesn't belong in the body that contributes to disease and introduce or increase what supports health. In regards to viral illnesses such as the common cold and COVID, this approach is very helpful. While we still can be exposed and contract an illness, the severity of the illness can be significantly reduced by following dietary considerations and taking supportive supplements before, during, and after an illness.
We have supported procedures including root canals, tooth extractions, shoulder replacements, hysterectomies, orchiopexies, ACL reconstructions, rotator cuff repairs, hip replacements, knee replacements & revisions, spinal surgeries, fusions, ankle surgeries, fracture ORIFs, osteoporosis & osteopenia, abdominal surgeries, and many many more procedures with frequency medicine. While we love to help our patients prevent the need for drugs or surgery, there are times when a procedure is essential and we especially enjoy helping the process go as smoothly as possible.
Frequency Specific Microcurrent pairs tissue and condition frequencies to elicit notable changes in patient symptoms. Brain Fog, Stroke, Acute and Chronic Concussion are conditions that all can be supported by a skilled Frequency Specific Microcurrent Practitioner who customizes treatment to your specific condition.
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