5 Ways To Boost Your Immune System Using Essential Oils
A healthy immune system is essential for overall health and well-being. Not only does it help our bodies fight off disease, but it also keeps us emotionally and mentally healthy. Which is why, now more than ever, we should do what we can to keep our bodies natural defense system working as optimally as possible.
BOOSTING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
The key thing to remember is that your immune system is a system, not a single entity. So, in order for it to function well, it requires overall balance and harmony. Generally speaking, the best thing you can do to boost your immune system is to try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. That includes:
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Getting enough sleep (7-9 hours) - rest and repair is critical for the body systems to restore themselves.
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Exercising regularly - moving the body improves circulation and blood flow
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Eating healthy - include foods rich in vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron and zinc
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Minimizing stress - according to the Cleveland Clinic, stress decreases the body's lymphocytes (white blood cells that help fight off infection). The lower your lymphocyte level, the more at risk you are for viruses, including the common cold and cold sores.
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Staying hydrated - water helps get rid of toxic foreign invaders from the body through the kidneys
HOW ESSENTIAL OILS CAN HELP
Just like your immune system, aromatherapy is a holistic approach that uses essential oils to support various systems of the body, the mind and the spirit, all in an integrated way. Aromatherapy aims to create harmony between our emotional, mental, and physical states to help us function at our best.
HERE ARE 5 WAYS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM USING ESSENTIAL OILS
1.) Diffuse a blend of essential oils that cheer you up. Emotional wellbeing has shown to be an effective way to maintain a healthy immune system. A study conducted by Pennsylvania State University in State College found that negative moods may change the way in which the immune response functions and they’re associated with an increased risk of aggravated bodily inflammation. So keeping your spirits up is a good way to avoid adding stress on the body. And smelling scents that make you happy is an instant boost to the soul. It offsets the sluggish, the negative and the heavy feelings we may have these days.
Try this: diffuse a blend of essential oils based on a scent memory from a happy time in the past. Or make a blend based on oils shown to energize and uplift like the citruses:
4 drops Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi)
4 drops Lemon (Citrus limon)
2 drops Lime (Citrus aurantifolia)
3 drops Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis)
Click here to learn how to diffuse essential oils effectively & safely.
2.) Go for a walk among the trees. Whether you have a forest nearby, or just a local park, take a stroll among the majestic evergreen trees. Trees release aromatic compounds called phytoncides which are terpenes found in many coniferous essential oils. According to several studies, breathing in these aromas has shown to decrease stress hormones, anxiety, anger and fatigue.
Try this: take a midday break and spend 20 minutes slowly walking among the trees. Breathe in and out, stopping along the way to inhale deeply. Be present in the moment and focus on what’s around you. Take in nature’s beauty.
Click here to listen and learn about forest therapy for healing & wellbeing
3.) Give yourself an aromatic massage. Not only does the act of massaging help increase circulation and relax your muscles, but it also, according to researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, increases the number of lymphocytes (white blood cells) in the body, which help your immune system fight off pathogens. And when you include essential oils in a massage, you’re adding aromas that help relax the mind and, in some cases, leveraging chemical components in certain essential oils that act on the body to help release tension in muscles.
Try this: make an essential oil blend of:
30ml Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis)
4 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
3 drops Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)
3 drops Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana)
to create a calming and pain-relieving massage oil application.
Click here to learn how to use essential oils for acute and chronic pain & inflammation.
4.) Do a 5 minute meditation with scent. Take a moment to still the mind and relax the body. Meditating is a wonderful way to not only improve your mental state, but also to take a temporary load off the body. According to Deepak Chopra, your immune system is not just a physical mechanism used to fight disease. It actually transmits your thoughts and moods to your cells. And meditating with scent allows you to focus on something other than what’s going on in your life.
Try this: find a quiet corner to sit comfortably. Put one drop of essential oil on a scent strip or cotton pad (do not smell directly out of the bottle!) and place near you. Close your eyes and focus in on the aroma. Pay attention to how it speaks to you. Ask yourself what the aroma is telling you, what it reminds you of, how you are responding to it. Notice how the aroma evolves over time.
Click here to listen and learn how to meditate with essential oils.
5.) Create a sleep sanctuary. If you’re having a difficult time falling asleep, diffusing essential oils 15 minutes before bedtime is a great way to create a calming and inviting atmosphere to help you fall asleep. Diffusing essential oils all night is not going to help you fall asleep. Read 5 Ways To Use Essential Oils For Better Sleep to understand why.
Try this: make a blend of:
4 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
4 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
2 drops Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)
and diffuse in the bedroom 15 minutes before bedtime. Close the door behind you (read or watch TV in another room) while creating this sleep sanctuary, and when you come in to go to sleep, turn off the diffuser, put away your phone, and gently drift off to sleep.
