Using Essential Oils for Massage

Creating your own aromatic massage blends is simple to do, and can be highly rewarding. The power of touch and scent together can be a superior combination, with significant benefits over simple massage in general. If you are interested, then you might want to look at some different blends that can be useful in a variety of different contexts (for relaxing, stimulating, uplifting, etc).

Massage has been a healing technique for practically the entire history of mankind. There are many, many schools and techniques, from deep tissue, to gentle energy work, and everything in between. The use of essential oils in these practices is becoming more popular, as more therapists understand the both energetic and biochemical activities oils can add to the practice.

One of the key reasons people choose a treatment of this nature is to relax and relieve stress. There is a range of different blends you can use for this specific purpose. Use a base oil of apricot kernel and add frankincense, lavender and ylang ylang. The most common concentrations of essential oils in these formulas is about 1 to 3% of the overall volume. You can adjust the amount of each individual essential oil so their harmonious aromas suit your tastes.

When a balance of aromatic compounds in the base oil is achieved, the relaxation results can be profound. This is useful after you’ve experienced a hard day at work, or at one of those times when your mind refuses to switch off. The olfactory system gets triggered by scents and particular combinations, where actual changes in brain activity can be measured from inhalation of the oils’ relaxing aromas.

There are ways you can do the exact opposite, and utilize other oils in order to energize the body. This can be particularly useful to make the muscles more supple and increase blood flow — which is appreciated by athletes. You can blend rosemary, lemongrass and black pepper and this gives you an intoxicating mixture of spice and herb that helps stimulate energy in the body.

You can blend this with grape seed or hazelnut as your base. Invigorating massages can take one of two forms: simply a light rub-down to bring a little blood flow to the muscles (excellent for the pre-race massage for an athlete) — or deeper tissue work for after workouts and competition. This type of massage will still encourage blood flow, but will also aid in ridding the muscles of lactic acid and other metabolic wastes.

If you are a romantic person, then you will know the power of sensual touch. You can enhance a particular mood by utilizing scents that embrace the sweet smells of flowers. A carrier oil of sweet almond works well when mixing rose and jasmine. Make this more enticing by using something interesting such as clary sage or sandalwood. These aromas can create an atmosphere that is the perfect accompaniment to an evening of romance.

Aromatic massage oils have a great variety of applications. The trick is simply finding the essential oils to add that give the desired effect. If you have any doubts then try to experiment with them. You can mix small amounts in trial and error, and do further research as to what oils will create the sensations you’re attempting to achieve. Finding a blend that works for you, your partners or your clients can be especially rewarding, and is certainly worth your creative efforts.

The author is the co-owner of www.anandaapothecary.com – More aromatherapy resources are available on this site.

Learn more about Occult Activities of the Jinn

Through their powers of flying and invisibility, the Jinn are the chief component in occult activities. Voodoo, Black magic, Poltergeists, Witchcraft and Mediums can all be explained through the world of the Jinn. Likewise, so can the illusions and feats of magicians. Because the Jinn can traverse huge distances over a matter of seconds, their value to magicians is great. In return for helping them in their magic, the Jinns often ask the magicians to worship them and Satan. Thus the magicians take the Jinn and Satan as lords besides God. In our day, some of the feats performed by magicians and entertainers are without doubt from the assistance of the Jinn. Making the Statue of Liberty disappear, flying across the Grand Canyon and retrieving a ship from the Bermuda Triangle, have all been done by the Jewish magician David Copperfield. There is NO way that a man could do such things without the assistance of the Jinn. It would not be surprising therefore, if David Copperfield had sold his soul to Satan himself.may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him

One of the most frequent activities associated with the Jinn, is fortune telling. Before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, fortune-tellers and soothsayers were wide spread. These people would use their associates from the Jinn to find out about the future. The Jinns would go to the lowest heaven and listen to the Angels conversing amongst themselves about events of the Future which they heard from God. The Jinns would then inform the fortune-tellers. This is why before the time of the Prophet many fortune-tellers were very accurate in their predictions. However, upon the Prophet’s arrival the heavens were guarded intensely by the Angels, and any Jinn who tried to listen was attacked by meteors (shooting stars):

“And We have guarded it (the heavens) from every accursed devil, except one who is able to snatch a hearing and he is pursued by a brightly burning flame.” (Quran 15:17-18)

The Prophet also said: “They (the Jinn) would pass the information back down until it reaches the lips of a magician or forrtune-teller Sometimes a meteor would overtake them before they could pass it on. If they passed it on before being struck, they would add to it a hundred lies” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari). Thus, it is clear from this as to how fortune-tellers get predictions of the future sometimes right. It is also evident as to why they get so many wrong. Men like Nostradamus are an example, as some of his predictions of the future were correct whilst many were completely wrong. Unfortunately, the amount of fortune telling which occurs amongst the Muslims is also increasing. By visiting Muslim lands such as Morocco, one is able to see as to how much inter Jinn-fortune-teller activity there really is. If you look up at the sky on a clear night in Morocco, you will see the heavens ablaze with shooting stars! A clear display of the devils being chased away from the heavens.

Fortune-tellers also operate through the Qareen. The Qareen is the Jinn companion which is assigned to every human being. It is this Jinn which whispers to our base desires and constantly tries to divert us from righteousness. The Prophet said: “Every one of you has been assigned a companion from the Jinn. The companions asked: Even you O’ Messenger of God? And the Prophet replied: Even me, except that God has helped me against him and he has become a Muslim. Now he only tells me to do good” (Saheeh Muslim). Because the Qareen is with a person all his life, it knows all that has happened to the person from the cradle to the grave. By making contact with the Qareen, the fortune-teller is thus able to make out that it is he who knows about the person. He looks in his crystal ball or the palm of a person and proceeds to amaze him with knowledge which no one else knows. The severity of going to a fortune-teller is such that the Prophet said: “The prayer of one who approaches a fortune-teller and asks him about anything, will not be accepted for forty days or nights” (Saheeh Muslim) and: “Whosoever approaches a fortune-teller and believes in what he says, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammed.”

The effects of the Jinn are not just limited to fortune-tellers. Other activities such as oujia boards and seances, which are used to contact the dead, are manipulated by the Jinn. ‘Are you there Charlie? Speak to us Charlie!!’ are the sort of words spoken by anxious relatives (names are obviously different!) seeking to make contact with their loved ones. And it is when the Jinn starts to talk and communicate as ‘Charlie’, that the people are truly fooled.

One of the biggest manipulations of the Jinn is through visions. Through these visions the Jinns are more likely to lead people away from the worship of God then any other way. When a person sees a vision in front of his eyes it is something which is very hard to explain away. Only by having knowledge of the world of the Jinn and conviction in God, can a person fight such a trial. The countless numbers of visions of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary over the centuries has been a popular choice for the devils. It almost seems as if leading Christians astray is the most easiest trick for the Jinns! Not only are Christians fooled by these visions, but often the Jinns possess and begin to talk from their voices. To the Christians this is known as the tongues of the Angels and thus a proof for their faith. However, the amount of unintelligible nonsense and rubbish which is heard is a clear proof that this is in fact the tongues of the devils! For other people, visions of their parents or relatives are commonplace. By taking on the form of peoples parents, the Jinns can convince people that the souls of dead people still mix with the people of the earth. This is why so many people believe in ghosts.

The onslaught of satanic visions has also hit the Muslims. Many Muslims claim to have seen visions of the Prophet Muhammed and even God! By doing this, Satan is able to lead astray the weak Muslims. Through such visions, Muslims are often told that the commands of Islam are not applicable to them. The Jinns tell them that Prayer, Fasting, Hajj etc. are not obligatory for them. It is a great deception and unfortunately one which has been very effective. The extent of satanic visions still continues to this day. The recent death of Diana Princess of Wales sparked off great love and adoration for this woman. In fact the grief of the British people was such, that it was as if Diana was something divine. No sooner had the mourning of Diana reached its peak, that visions of her were already being seen at Hampton Court Palace! If these visions did occur, the desire of Satan and his army of Jinn to capitalise on this event, was evident. Such visions are clear attempts by Satan to lead mankind away from the path of God. Protection from the Jinn

Because the Jinn can see us while we cannot see them, the Prophet Muhammad taught us many ways to protect ourselves from their harm, such as seeking refuge in Allah (God) from the accursed Satan, reciting chapters 113 and 114 of the Holy Quran, and reciting the words taught by God in the Quran: “Say: ‘My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of Satan (devils). And I seek refuge with You, my Lord, lest they may attend (or come near) me.’” (Quran 23:97-98)

Saying Bismillah (in the Name of Allah (God)) before entering one’s home, before eating or drinking, and before having intercourse will also keep Satan from entering the house or partaking with a person in his food, drink and sexual activity. Similarly, mentioning the name of Allah before entering the toilet or taking off one’s clothes will prevent the Jinn from seeing a person’s private parts or harming him, as the Prophet said. Strength of faith and religion in general will also prevent the Jinn from harming a person.

Reciting Al-Kursi verse in Arabic (Quran 2:255) provides also a strong protection against the Jinn, as we learned from the story of Abu Hurairah (one of Muhammad’s companions) with a devil.[1]

Also the Prophet Muhammad said: “Do not make your houses like graves, for Satan runs away from a house in which al-Baqarah chapter [chapter 2] is recited.”(Narrated by Saheeh Muslim)

These Arabic verses and prophetic sayings were some examples of how a Muslim would get protection from the Jinn. Islam teaches us how to deal with all of God’s creation – and not just the Jinn. A true Muslim should not fear Satan or the Jinn, because Islam taught us about them and how to get protection from their harm.

The world of the Jinn is one which is both sinister and intriguing. By knowing of this world we can explain many of the mysteries and issues which bother us. By doing this we can avoid the extremes which the people have gone to; nothing being more extreme then worshipping others besides God. By learning the monotheism of God, we defend ourselves from these hidden allies of Satan:

“Indeed he (Satan) and his tribe watch you from a position where you cannot see them.” (Quran 7:27)

Footnotes:

[1] Abu Hurairah (a companion of Muhammad) said: “The Prophet Muhammad put me in charge of guarding compulsory charity collected in the month of Ramadan. Somebody came and began to take away some food-stuff from it. I caught him and said, ‘I must take you to the Prophet of God.’ He replied, ‘I am a needy man with a large family, and so I have a pressing need.’ So I let him go. When I saw the Prophet next morning, he asked me, ‘O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?’ I said, ‘O Prophet of God! He complained of a pressing need and a big family. I felt pity for him and I let him go.’ The prophet said, ‘He told you a lie and he will return.’ I was sure according to the saying of the Prophet that he would return. I waited for him. He sneaked up again and began to steal food-stuff from the charity. I caught him and said, ‘I must take you to the Prophet.’ He replied, ‘Let go of me, I am a needy man. I have to bear the expenses of a big family. I will not come back.’ So I took pity on him and let him go. I went at dawn to the Prophet who asked me, ‘O Abu Hurairah! What did your captive do last night?’ I replied, ‘O Prophet of God! He complained of a pressing need and the burden of a big family. I took pity on him and so I let him go.’ The Prophet replied, ‘He told you a lie and he will return.’ (That man) came again to steal the food-stuff. I arrested him and said, ‘I must take you to the Prophet of God, and this is the last of three times. You promised that you would not come again but you did.’ He replied, ‘Let go of me, and I shall teach you some words with which God may benefit you.’ I asked, ‘what are those words?’ He replied, ‘When you go to bed, recite Al-Kursi verse (Quran 2:255), for there will be a guardian appointed over you from God, and no devil will be able to approach you till morning.’ So I let him go. Next morning the Prophet of God asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do last night.’ I answered, ‘He promised to teach me some words which he claimed will benefit me before God. So I let him go.’ The Prophet asked, ‘What are those words that he taught you?’ I said, ‘He told me: When you go to bed, recite Al-Kursi verse from the beginning to the end and that by reciting it, there will be a guardian appointed over you from God who will protect you during the night, and no devil will be able to come near you until morning.’ The Prophet said, ‘Verily, he has told you the truth though he is a liar. O Abu Hurairah! Do you know with whom you were speaking for the last three nights?’ I said, ‘No.’ The prophet replied, ‘That was a devil.’” (Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Read more on this topic or more related subjects, Visit Quranic Healing (PEACCE OF MIND AND SOUL)is an Unusual Spiritual Guide for Healing, has been created to help heal and educate others about the existence of black magic, voodoo, demonic possession, spirit attachment, and other spiritual problems and healing from these problems. quranichealing.com The Original Spiritual Healing Resource Since 1997. Find out how you can become more healthy through spiritual alternatives.

Adam Asar, Author of Peace of mind Healing of Broken Lives, and Founder of Quranichealing who writes articles for Quranichealing blog Quranichealing blog

Aromatherapy For Men: Keep Your Skin Looking Youthful With These Formulas

Women seem to get all the attention when it comes to both skin care AND aromatherapy. Blends for “mature” skin care are often designed around floral notes, with hormone balancing constituents mostly designed for feminine skin. Well here’s a look at oils and recipes using oils actually proven to reduce wrinkle appearance, with mild and “earthy” aromas just for men.

Blends for helping the skin look younger are based on essential oils and carrier oils with regenerative, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. These are really the three main therapeutic requirements of anti-aging skin care. We’ll look at three groups of essential oils first, from which you can choose one oil from each type. We’ll then look at the “carrier oils” into which the essential oils are blended, which have therapeutic properties as well.

Two of the most important anti-aging oils, with historical use of perhaps thousands of years, are frankincense and myrrh. These oils are distilled from the resins (or sap) of very hearty desert trees and shrubs. They have very complex chemical make ups, having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties all in one oil. Frankincense has even been the subject of peer-reviewed research, showing the ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines and smooth skin texture overall. These oils are available in both steam distilled and carbon dioxide distillations, and it is the carbon dioxide distillations that are most desirable for this purpose.

The essential oils of helichryum and rosemary are popular ingredients in recipes designed to reduce the appearance of scars. This process is almost precisely akin to reducing the appearance of wrinkles. Helichrysum is nearly a “magic” oil in its healing properties for the skin; rosemary (specifically of the chemotype called “verbenone) enhances skin cell metabolism. Both these oils contain natural molecular constituents which stimulate the growth of new skin cells as well — VERY good stuff!

Then we come to the oils rich in nutrients that are both potent antioxidants and necessary for cellular regeneration. These are all found as carbon dioxide extracts: Carrot root, rosehip, and sea buckthorn. Each of these oils is a shade of reddish-orange, indicating its high level of antioxidants and carotenoids (vitamin-A compounds closely tied to skin health). Use any one, or all three — just know the more you use in your formula, the more red the formula will leave your skin for a little while application. With 1% or less concentration, this will be hardly noticed — if at all. You can even consider making a “daytime” and “nighttime” formula, using higher levels of these oils in the blend applied just before retiring for the evening.

And no “men’s” skin care formula would be complete without sandalwood essential oil. In addition to being a soft, relaxing aroma, it’s very balancing and protective at the same time. Sandalwood balances skin oils (helps both “too oily” and “too dry” become “normal”), and has even been shown to protect against skin cancers.

There are several carrier oils to choose from, with three that are highly regarded for their anti-aging properties: Rosehip seed oil (pressed from the seed, different than the rosehip CO2), tamanu nut oil and argan nut oil. Rosehip seed’s use is backed by research showing smoothing of skin texture, lines and wrinkles. Tamanu is a very therapeutic oil with a highly regenerative nature — it is though to almost triple the speed of new cell formation. Argan is high in antioxidants, and has recently made big waves in the natural beauty industry for its anti-aging action. You can use any of these oils singly as your base, or blend all three together in equal parts.

On to the mixing! This is really, really easy. And you can make several ounces at once, enough to last a couple of months (store everything over one ounce in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them). These essential oil quantities are given for each ounce, so increase according to your final volume. For normal-to-dry skin: eight drops frankincense OR myrrh “CO2″, six drops rosemary verbenone OR helichrsyum, six drops sandalwood and sixteen drops rosehip “CO2″. Yes, it sounds so simple, but this, in the three base oils, is a downright excellent formula for anti-aging skin care.

For variations of skin type, consider these: For those with acne-prone skin, DO NOT use rosehip seed oil carrier — either eliminate it or replace it with organic virgin coconut (which cures acne alone for some users). And use sea buckthorn “CO2″ instead of rosehip “CO2″ For those with sensitive skin, reduce each oil by two drops and add four drops of lavender (don’t worry, it won’t be enough to smell like a flower)!

That’s it — these formulations are as fine as any you’ll find in high-end boutiques at a fraction of the cost. Feel free too to adjust the recipes to your skin’s needs; this is easily done, and you can perfect your recipe to care for your “manly” skin for years to come.

The Ananda Apothecary is a fully-stocked source of therapeutic aromatherapy products, including cold processed carrier oils and a great selection of aromatherapy essential oil diffusers.

The Big Three Aromatherapy Oils For Stress Reduction

Scientific research backing the medicinal use of essential oils is being released almost daily. You’ll find these reports through sites such as “pubmed”, which compile all the latest biomedical research published in peer-reviewed journals. The total amount of data is largest in examination of antiseptic, antibacterial, and other physiological actions of oils, yet the body of research examining their “aroma-therapeutic” type effects is now of reasonable size. Some scientists have concluded that the psycho-emotional actions of aromatic oils are potent enough and consistent enough to warrant recommendation as “complementary therapies” as natural anxiolytics (anxiety-reducers) and/or anti-depressants.

Three essential oils stand out among the approximately 100 varieties in use today in popular aromatherapy. These are: lavender, the great soothing and healing oil which began the modern aromatherapy revolution; sandalwood, an aromatic with a history of over 1000 years; and bergamot, the flavoring added to Earl Grey tea, and aromatherapy’s number-one anti-depressant oil. The wonderful thing about having three “proven” anti-stress oils is that it’s likely one of them will work for you. Not everyone loves the brilliant floral aroma of lavender, but almost everyone will appreciate at least one of these important oils.

Lavender essential oil was first recognized medicinally as a wound healer. It’s potent anti-inflammatory and regenerative action quickly healed the burn resulting from a laboratory accident, and prompted the first aroma-medicine book to be written. This same soothing action occurs for our minds and emotions — the sweet smell of lavender has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve sleep in a great many research studies.

In research, lavender’s actions result both from inhalation and ingestion. A recently published series of studies showed a slow-release capsule containing 80mg of lavender essential oil was proven as effective as benchmark sedative pharmaceutical drugs. Curiously, there’s not much in the way of data regarding topical application for psychological effects. But knowing the way essential oils work — apply them topically and you’ll both smell them and have them absorbed in to your bloodstream — it’s not a far stretch to assume topical application will produce similar results.

Sandalwood has similar, but not precisely the same, actions as lavender. Sandalwood is an excellent stress reducer without being sedative. Lavender actually slows response time, where sandalwood does not. One study’s participants inhaling sandalwood reported feeling greater clarity and relaxation — being more grounded and centered. Yet another study showed inhaled sandalwood to improve the sleep/wake cycle, resulting in deeper, more effective rest. Also interesting, in this study ti was determined the action of sandalwood was due to its presence in the bloodstream, not from the awareness of the aroma itself — an indication that topical application should have the same effects.

Bergamot is the most popular “anti-depressant” anti-depressant essential oil, also an anxiety reducer, being employed as an aromatic rather than being ingested or topically applied. One study of adolescents wearing aromatherapy amulets showed a statistically significant reduction of stress and depression relative to controls. Bergamot is also known to reduce one’s perceived level of pain. Its inhalation is known to alter the plasticity of neurons involved in our stress response. This means the sensory input isn’t reinforced when inhaling this lovely bitter-sweet citrus aroma (imagine hearing a jackhammer just for a moment, or continually — it’s hearing it continually that leads to stress, and bergamot actually alters the brain such that this “stress reinforcement” occurs less). Finally, it is not a sedative or sleep enhancer, but rather a stimulant, though it may secondarily support better rest through a healthier psycho-emotional state.

So when the question arises, “which essential oil should I use” for stress reduction, the answer is you should experiment a bit. If you’re unfamiliar with these three oils, try a sample of each and see how you respond. It’s helpful if you like the aromas, that way you’ll continue to use them.

The general methods for each of these oils: lavender — inhalation, topical, ingestion; sandalwood — inhalation, topical; bergamot — inhalation. Your actual method of use should also be experimented with. All of these can used in simple diffusers (sandalwood alone may or may not be too thick for some cold-air nebulizing diffusers). The can all be topically applied as a natural perfume, or massaged into the feet (a highly receptive area for essential oils). Care must be taken with bergamot only, as it can be a mild skin irritant for some, and will cause the skin where applied to be hyper-sensitive to sunlight. If you choose to ingest a couple drops of lavender per day, be aware that this isn’t recommended for all oils, that the quantity should remain low, and the effects may take some time to experience.

Discover more of the important healing properties of essential oils and aroma-medicine at www.anandaapothecary.com/essential-oils.html and www.synergyessentialoils.com.

Got Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria? Use Essential Oils!

If you’ve heard the news at all in the last five years, you’ve heard of MRSA, also called the “superbug”. The acronym refers to any strain of Staphyulococcus aureus bacteria that has become resistant to treatment with certain major classes of antibiotics. The point is that modern medicine isn’t able to handle this bacteria too well — you’ve also likely heard that because of this, several thousand people are dying annually of infections with this bacterium.

The search for an antidote to this deadly bacteria has been a prominent area of research in the last several years — and several essential oils have been found to be highly effective in eradicating the bug. Infections occur in the nasal passages and respiratory system, as well as in open wounds (including areas such as catheter insertions). Clearly an effective treatment should be available in both vapor phase (for inhalation) and in liquid for topical application. Essential oils meet both these requirements, and have been successfully tested in both conditions.

In a study performed by the Metropolitan University of Manchester, a vaporized essential oil blend containing lemongrass and geranium was tested against several strains of bacteria. The blend was found to reduce the spread of bacteria (including MRSA) on agar plates (with in a laboratory setting) as well as reduce the overall bacteria count in an office environment. The overall reduction of bacteria in the air was a staggering 89% with the diffuser running continually for 15 hours.

While a number of studies have evaluated the efficacy of tea tree essential oil, as it has historically been a highly effective and well-tolerated antiseptic, it is clear that tea tree is not the most effective oil for this purpose. For example, in a “dressing model” study (where preparations were made using wound dressings), the most effective formulas were either a blend of tea tree AND geranium, or of geranium and grapefruit seed extract. Several other studies have found blends of essential oils to be more effective than any single oil alone.

With this synergy of essential oils in mind, a company in the UK called “Benchmark Oils” has developed a new strain of thyme with unique chemical characteristics. In effect, this new strain of thyme produces an essential oil that chemically appears like a mixture of tea tree and thyme essential oils. This single oil alone was found to quickly eradicate MRSA, and at the same time its application at 100% strength did not cause skin irritation (as is possible with some “spice” essential oils such as cinnamon and clove). Maggie Tisserand, company director, noted: “What is interesting is that the thyme oil we use is food grade and, in preliminary company trials, shows no adverse effects on intact skin.”

In actual human subjects, an essential oil blend called Polytoxinol(tm) eradicated MRSA infections from traumatic injury sites. This blend is formulated with eucalyptus, tea tree, thyme, clove and lemongrass essential oils diluted in ethanol. The blend completely eradicated MRSA infections where no supplemental antibiotics were used. This same formula treated chronic MRSA osteomyelitis (bone infection) that was unresponsive to antibiotics for two years.

The possibility of using essential oils for treatment of serious infectious illness is real. The data supports the use of oils for both prevention (by diffusion in your living and working spaces) and treatment of MRSA infections — and it follows that the vast majority of common bacterial illnesses can be successfully prevented and treated with essential oils as well. The versatility, safety, and availability of essential oils should make them the choice for such treatment in the future, as their acceptance becomes more widespread.

The author has made available reports on specific anti-microbials such as eucalyptus essential oil, and using essential oils.

Optimal Health And Energy With Raw Foods

When it comes to health, the real common denominator is energy. And we know to get this energy we need a balance of proper nutrition, exercise and rest. Exercise is fairly straightforward — there’s a way to do it that suits everyone. Rest is simple too, if we can make the time, and reduce our stimulant intake so that we can actually sleep at night. But nutrition seems to continue to be a puzzle. Many diets can help one condition or another, but very few offer a complete picture: a lifelong path to high energy and vibrant health. Ready to make a real change? It’s time to have a look at the raw and living foods diet.

Immediately that sounds a little crazy. Far out. “What, am I going to have salad at every meal?” The answer is, only if you want to. The raw and living food diet is not simply about keeping all your food preparation at below a certain temperature, it’s about eating gourmet, beautifully prepared, nutrient dense meals and feeling your best every single day.

The first issue raised by opponents of this way of eating is that the food is hard to digest; others suggest it’s “cold” when they need warming foods. It’s obvious that anyone voicing either of these concerns has either not experienced the diet, or has made any attempt to tailor it to their personal needs. The food is FAR more easily digested than cooked foods! Consider that 99% of the food eaten by animals on the planet is raw — do they seem like they’re having a hard time? Are they contracting diabetes, cancers and heart disease at incredibly alarming rates? Certainly not!

The two biggest differences between raw and cooked food is the availability of enzymes and the availability of “life force”. Let’s start with enzymes: what are they and why do we care. Enzymes are the spark of every chemical reaction that goes on in the body — many go so far to call them “the spark of life”. Consider the amazing amount of chemical changes going on all the time in our bellies, muscles, brains…all over really. Each of these changes — converting the food we eat into precisely the right molecular structure our bodies need — requires an enzyme. Our bodies need an endless supply of these to keep functioning. When these enzymes are not supplied by our diet, our bodies need to make them all — which really wears us out, and actually makes us susceptible to the epidemic of major illnesses we see today.

We find we get so tired just from having a meal. Is it supposed to be this way? Does it make sense that every time we eat, we need a cup of coffee (or preferably a nap) to keep us going? Raw food changes all this — our energy levels stay consistent because we’re having a much easier time digesting our food (the enzymes for digestion are already in the food). We don’t have to deal with the myriad of toxins found in foods prepared at high temperatures. Our bodies are finally getting what they need!

Raw food diets have been at the cornerstone of healing major, life-threatening diseases where no cure was considered possible. Diabetes for example has been “cured” (they no longer need supplemental insulin) in individuals who have “gone raw” — moving their diet to 100% plant based, un-cooked, low-glycemic index foods (research Gabriel Cousins and the Tree of Life foundation). Major alternative cancer treatment centers support the use of the raw food diet as the best way to alkalize and oxygenate our bodies through diet, creating an environment inhospitable to cancer cells.

While these practical dietary reasons are a great inspiration themselves, many people find the potential for personal transformation the greatest inspiration of all. A special method of photograph shows the obvious difference between cooked and raw foods in terms of life force. And by eating foods with the strongest life force, we ourselves can shine with the greatest life force.

The case for the raw food diet is really very extensive: from healing ourselves to healing the planet (which we may cover in another article), and the greatest proponents of raw food are committing themselves to personal and planetary evolution. This is really just a quick peek at why one might want to consider eating this way, and there are whole books on the subject for those of you interested in learning more. It’s an exceptionally intriguing topic, very much worth further investigation!

The author regularly employs pure aromatherapy essential oils and Bach flower essence therapy in her practice.

Consumer’s Guide To Fish Oil Pills

Whenever buying fish oil supplements, the most crucial question to be asking is definitely: Exactly how safe is this particular product? Such as all other seafood products, fish oil tablets are usually susceptible to hazards associated with toxic contamination. The fact is, it is gotten therefore harmful how the Fda offers distributed assertions prompting people to restrict the quantity of fish we eat. Fish oils are subject to the same exact danger of contaminants.

Why Aren’t Almost all Fish Oil Pills Harmless?

While improvements in science have made way for manufacturers to come up with omega-3 fish oil supplements with extremely low probability of toxin contaminants, numerous makers still take shortcuts with their basic safety steps. This is certainly mainly because being sure the safe practices and excellent with their fish oil supplements price these manufacturers a great deal of cash. Fish oil items which have undergone these basic safety and high quality actions are often called pharmaceutical grade fish oil pills.

Why Don’t You Just Buy Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil Supplements?

Pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements are a molecularly-distilled fish oil supplement. Basically, this means that the fish oil in these products have gone via an intensive purification procedure, providing you with a considerably lower risk of toxins. Also, pharmaceutical grade omega-3 fish oil tablets have double the concentration of natural fish oils. They are a bit a lot more high-priced than natural fish oils, but that’s to get expected. There is certainly usually a premium for being paid designed for high quality and security.

Unfortunately, there is actually no regulation pertaining to the expression “pharmaceutical grade”. That means that there is without a doubt nothing to stop various unethical businesses to slap their items with the term “pharmaceutical grade” irrespective of whether it is actually a fact.

The International Fish Oil Standards Plan: The Cream Of The Crop

The International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) program came into being when Nutrasource Diagnostics Inc. in Canada acknowledged the actual requirement for a certification plan with regard to fish oil. They argued that the current requirements designed for fish oil safe practices were not only too several regarding the diverse health associations around the world, but additionally excessively lenient. The IFOS subsequently released its very own group of strict standards in regards to exactly what comprises a small enough degree of poisons.

You’ll find five guidelines that the IFOS measures. These are:

* Meets All CRN/WHO Testing Categories

* Better than 60% Omega-3 Content level

* Oxidation Amounts Much less than 75% of CRN Standard

* PCB Amounts Less than 50% of CRN Standard

* Dioxin Levels Much less Than 50% of WHO Standard

These requirements are the most rigorous in the world. Fish oil products that are certified with five-star scores from the IFOS are usually risk-free bets. They not only pass CRN and WHO requirements, but they essentially surpass them.

Whenever choosing a fish oil supplements supplement, look for any IFOS status. This normally offers you a very good concept on precisely how harmless the supplement is certainly. You might also appear at the testing results at the IFOS website to get a much better comprehension of exactly what is without a doubt inside your fish oil products.

Brittany W. Wallace is an expert on alternative medicine and fish oil pills. You can learn more about fish oil pills from her.

Eating Raw Food To Improve Your Health

We all eat raw food to some degree. Your basic salad is raw food and if you have ever had a large salad for a meal, you know it can be very filling and satisfying. When you are eating crudits at a party are also. Of course these foods consist of more than just crunchy vegetables. There are also fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, seaweed, whole grains and sprouts.

Food that is raw is essentially food that has not been cooked above 116 to 118 degrees. Food that has been cooked at higher temperatures looses its vitamins and natural enzymes. The food is actually chemically altered. This lack of vitamins in our food does affect our health. The vitamin loss to cooking can be as much as 50 percent. We need supplements because even when eating healthy foods, we do not get the vitamins from them that we would if we did not cook them out of the food.

The natural enzymes present in food helps our bodies properly digest and use the vitamins and minerals in our food. The way food is grown now the full amount of vitamins and minerals are not available, especially with the pesticides used. This is why organically grown foods are usually recommended. Cooking food above the recommended temperatures removes the enzymes 100 percent.

One of the things we all hear regularly is that we need more fiber in our diets. A high fiber diet has been found to possibly help prevent diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Most food is overcooked and loses much of its fiber content. The fiber helps clean the intestinal tract which leads to more needed nutrients being absorbed into our bodies. This also helps increase immune system functioning.

As a weight loss diet, eating raw is great. There is plenty of fiber and whole foods without sugar, white flours, or additives and preservatives. All this leads to weight loss. Your digestive system functions more efficiently and your metabolism increases. With this diet you will not be hungry since you can eat as much as you like.

When eating food that is raw it is easier for your system to digest. Faster digestion means food does not build up in the intestinal system and is less likely to putrefy. It usually takes up to 36 hours to fully be digested. Cooked food can actually leave you feeling tired after eating and take several more days to fully digest.

If you cannot completely replace your current diet try going for a 50/50 current diet/raw food diet. If you can get up to 75 percent you can see a significant increase in your health. The benefits are multi-fold. You can experience greater health, an improved immune system, weight loss, and better digestion.

We’ve got the exclusive low down on raw diet food diets for greater health now in our complete raw foods guide.

Fish Oil Side Effects: What Exactly Are These, And Moreover Should We Feel Bothered?

As end users, all of us are familiar with drug adverse effects. We see about them all towards the end of TV marketing campaigns, definitely articulated in monotone at unbelievable haste. We see all of them draped all around sides of prescription containers: very little text where the suppliers attempted to put the maximum amount directly into as few phrases as you possibly can. One has to wonder if they’re indicating the all of it. It’s always nice, in fact, to be familiar with what you are placing in our bodies prior to when it is going inside. It happens to be wonderful to be familiar with if you need to worry about what you take. That being said, along those lines, it’s calming to have a post that clarifies anything that one must know about fish oil side effects, and also how come, with the normal precautions, these side-effects ordinarily are not a cause for concern.

The omega-3 essential fatty acids in omega3 are blood thinners. Blood coagulates thanks to platelets that happen to be developed to clump at the location associated with a injury. Fish oil can “thin” an individuals blood by making the platelet cells become less tacky, and for that reason that can make it increasingly difficult for the blood to coagulate when it needs to. The negligible anti-clotting end result of fish oil is not dangerous independently, but when coupled with other useful drugs that have very similar consequences, it may well turn out to be a problem. That’s why folks who take blood thinning (anticoagulant) medicine like aspirin, Warfarin/Coumadin, or heparin need to seek the advice of a physician before taking omega3 capsules.

Omega-3 fatty acid repeat, also called “fish burps,” could be an maddening fish oil side effects that may be definitely avoided effectively. First, stick to prime quality, incredibly purified capsules; this will make sure the fish oil does not feature different bad impurities that will trigger intestinal disturbances. Subsequently, be sure to take the supplement prior to food to ensure that digestive enzymes may easily ensure much more whole absorption. Finally, have a shot at shopping for enteric-coated supplements. Enteric shells are created to be steady in the particularly acidic digestive system, and also to break up within the a lot less acidic portion that comes after that. In this manner, they avoid the supplements from busting apart right until they get through to the small bowel (the term “enteric” means “intestinal”). In this way, it takes the burp-prone belly from the equation.

A further digestion-related ill effect of fish oil is slight stomach minor discomfort, often known as a tummyache, and on occasion looseness of the bowels. Following hints and tips regarding getting around fish burps should certainly help you to avoid these types of adverse effects also.

Before i finish, just like everything else that we put in our physical structures, omega3 purchasers need to be careful of allergy symptoms. This is not as concerning as you may think, though. Individuals who experience such allergy symptoms generally simply have these to fish protein, and thankfully prime quality products (those that you need to be getting) can’t have seafood proteins.

Fish oil side effects are present, nevertheless they are not anything to excitement about, especially if you actually check out the guidance specified in this article. Most people purchase top quality fish oil products because we want the fish oil without worrying about toxic compounds that derived from eating drums of seafood. Naturally we should not exchange those toxins for loads of bad side-effects. The good news is, because of high-quality fish oil, we need not!

Jessica M. Bitts is an expert on omega-3 supplements and omega-3 fish oil side effects. You can learn more about fish oil supplements from her.

Sandalwood Oil’s Anti-Cancer, Sleep Enhancing, And Mood-Supportive Effects

Sandalwood is one of the most treasured aromatics by aromatherapy practitioners, and perhaps one of the most treasured by human civilization as well. Recorded use of the wood and its products date back over four millennium, more than any other aromatic plant. Yet while most practitioners make use of the oil for its unequaled scent, few are aware of some of its important science-proven medicinal effects.

The exotic oil comes from the heartwood of trees native to certain tropical regions of the world. Curiously, the sandalwood tree is only found growing on, or intertwined with, other trees; it’s considered, in fact, a parasite. Further, the trees are quite slow growing, and demand a certain amount of age before being mature enough to distill a significant volume of high-quality oil. This makes for a unique challenge in growing the wood and distilling the precious essential oil.

The very finest oil, certainly aromatically — and some people believe therapeutically as well — is distilled from the Santalum album species native to India. The essential oil has become so highly valued that over-harvesting of the trees has made a significant impact in deforestation in certain regions. So much so that the government of India made it a law that they now own all the sandalwood trees in the country! This, of course, is meant to prevent poaching of the trees, as clearly the offense is rather serious stealing the valuable resource from the government. Thankfully, there are plantations of this same species of tree underway, and other sources of very fine sandalwood oils that are now close in rivaling the quality of the Indian material.

It is clear that for the reasons of rarity alone, the essential oil is something to be cherished. However, the oil has some very impressive and important medicinal qualities that make it even more valuable. One application is a direct derivation of the use of the wood’s paste for skin care: The essential oil has been shown to prevent the occurrence of skin cancer if applied before exposure to UVB light as well as chemo-toxins.

Researchers have gone on to elucidate the ways the oil prevents cancers from forming on a microscopic level, noting the effect is a result of the primary natural chemical constituents of sandalwood essential oil. The important point is that this constituent is found in the essential oil from the three primary commercial sources: India, Australia and certain islands in the South Pacific. There are even sources where trees have been specifically selected for “high santalol content” which you can find from some aromatherapy companies. Including sandalwood essential oil in your skin care formulas is an excellent way to potentially make use of this wonderful benefit.

The aroma is highly regarded for its calming, centering qualities, without being sedating. Researchers in Vienna, Austria published research indicating study participants were positively affected in the areas of alertness, attentiveness, calmness, mood, relaxation and vigor. This correlates to its long-time use as the first choice aromatic in aiding meditation. It is reputed to quiet mental chatter, again while bringing the awareness to a singular focus.

While the aroma is stimulating in certain ways, calming in others, and never considered “sedating”, it has been shown in research to significantly improve sleep for those who may frequently have trouble falling or staying asleep. Sleep-disturbed subjects spent much less time awake, and much more time in dream-sleep when exposed to the oil’s vapor. However, researchers also concluded that the effect was not from the actual scent of the oil, but from action of the oil once in the bloodstream. If using sandalwood for sleep, it’s not necessary to smell it — the feet tend to be an area of the body very receptive to the actions of essential oils, and a gentle foot massage with a dilute sandalwood oil formula may help those who are having sleep difficulties.

These are only a few of the important health benefits available from sandalwood essential oil. It has a host of other wonderful skin-care properties, being used for nearly every skin care condition imaginable. It’s also an excellent fixative for natural perfumery, functioning as the base note in many fine colognes and perfumes. Because the chemical profile of the oil from the three primary sources on the globe are relatively close, you can generally use any of these for the therapeutic effects described here. For perfumery and other aromatic applications, try sampling oils from Australia and the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, in addition to an Indian oil if you can acquire it. This way you can become familiar with the range of aromas — investing in a quantity of the oil once you find your favorite is a great idea. The aroma gets even better as the oil ages, so both the price and your appreciation for your stock will increase over time.

More information on essential oil news and research is available through Ananda Aromatherapy – an online source for therapeutic grade essential oils.

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