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Hemorrhoids Relief and Treatment with Aromatherapy
from:Aromatherapy currently enjoys steadily increasing popularity as
a method of treatment for hemorrhoids these days, but
aromatherapy can often be confusing to the average person. What
is it? How does it work? Does it even work at all? These are
valid questions that should be asked of any regimen of
treatment. When properly used and understood, aromatherapy
offers beneficial, at home treatment of hemorrhoids.
First, it is helpful to understand precisely what aromatherapy
is and is not. Aromatherapy is not magic. It does not imply that
merely by sniffing a particular scent your ills will be cured.
In point of fact, aromatherapy is a bit of a misleading term.
Properly speaking, it should be labeled as plant-based
medication that is taken either by inhalation, according to the
same principle by which asthma inhalers work, or topically
through the skin, just as ointments and creams work. The
essential oils used in aromatherapy are medications, and just as
chemically complicated and potentially dangerous as any other
medications.
In fact, essential oils are generally not oils at all. They are
concentrated liquids that are extracted from plants by various
means that include simmering, steaming, and condensation. Due to
these methods, it generally takes quite a bit of plant matter to
equal a proportionally tiny amount of essential oils.
Fortunately for one's pocketbook, essential oils are used only
in minute quantities due to their level of concentration. As an
example, some studies have shown that essential oil of oregano
is such a powerful antiseptic that 1 part oregano oil to 4000
parts water will sterilize the water. It would be impossible to
use on a human being undiluted, it would be far too powerful.
Therefore, essential oils are always diluted in a carrier oil or
water before use. Also, due to the concentration level,
essential oils should never be taken by mouth without the
supervision of a qualified herbalist who is familiar
specifically with aromatherapy.
Essential oils are also usually quite volatile, which means
that the active, medicinal chemicals in them evaporate quickly
when exposed to air. Therefore, essential oils are kept in
tightly closed, dark glass bottles, in pure form, until right
before they are to be used. Then, and only then, they are mixed
with the carrier that dilutes them to their proper strength. If
a prepared blend is left exposed to oxygen for even a day, the
actual medication is probably gone. It may still smell nice, and
can be used for that purpose, but don't expect to get the
therapeutic effect anymore.
There are two different ways to treat hemorrhoids with
essential oils, and these can be used together. The first method
involves a shallow bath of hot water. This method should only be
done in a bathtub, as the dosages given are not meant for a
sitz-bath that fits over the toilet. Run a shallow, hot bath,
and sprinkle twenty drops of lavender and twenty drops of
juniper
essential oils. Swish through the water with your hand to make
sure that they are well mixed in the water, and soak for twenty
minutes. To use the other method, you'll also need a carrier oil
of some kind. The most popular carrier oil for aromatherapy is
sweet almond oil, but apricot oil also works well. In a pinch,
the vegetable oil that is used for baking can work, but this is
not optimal as it is practically guaranteed to have some
impurities. Blend two drops of lavender and one drop of geranium
oil with one ounce of the carrier oil, and apply to the area as
you would an ointment.
Always test yourself for allergies to essential oils by
diluting one drop in a small amount of carrier oil and dabbing
it on the inside of your elbow. Leave it there for twenty-four
hours and check closely for a reaction. If you are allergic to
an essential oil, it is important to know before applying it to
such a sensitive and tender area of your body. In addition,
should you start to have any skin reactions during treatment,
immediately cease all aromatherapeutic treatments immediately,
along with anything else you've been placing on your skin. Given
these cautions, however, aromatherapy has offered relief and
treatment to many people who are suffering from hemorrhoids. In
combination with a diet and lifestyle change, these aromatherapy
treatments should clear up the problem in no time.
About the author:
Mr. Urquhart, Chief writer and editor for a number of health websites, writes extensively about hemorrhoidscovering hemorrhoids treatment and internal and external hemorrhoids.
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