Why So Many Are Sick
The role of a healthy immune system is to guard against disease, but a compromised immune system will likely give hints that it is not doing so well. Cues such as chronic inflammation, mucous build-up, skin lesions, and on-going fatigue all are signals that the immune system defenses are weakened. Weakening these humoral and cell-mediated defenses, known largely as B and T cells, can result in the onset of disease. Once a body has acquired a disease, the capacity of the immune system to maintain wellness is reduced and thus a vicious merry-go-round is created.
Using Essential Oils for Immune Support
Essential oils are commonly associated with reducing mental stress (triggering areas of the brain such as the amygdala) as well as being stimulating (boost the "get up and go" attitude). When taken internally, essential oils can detoxify and tone the body, and as research indicates, are excellent antimicrobials. All these characteristics support a healthy body and thus benefit the immune system. Yet, few realize that essential oils can also bolster the immune system specifically.
Mechanisms to Support the Immune System
Using essential oils to affect the immune system directly is gaining ground in research arenas. For the past two decades, promising research has pointed to the anti-inflammatory properties of essential oils. There is growing evidence that most diseases stem from inflammation. Recent research is currently looking at specific immune mechanisms that are enhanced by essential oils.
Melaleuca EO Helps Out
At the Laboratoire de Botanique in France (2006) researchers were able to identify that Melaleuca alternifolia was able to regulate the amount of inflammatory-causing secretions found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In so doing, natural anti-inflammatory agents, known as cytokines, were still able to be created and thus boosting the body's ability to protect and restore itself. This in itself is quite a finding, especially for individuals suffering from conditions associated with chronic inflammation.
Inducing Natural Killer Cells
Once a pathogen gets into the cells, it is looking to replicate and destroy tissue, often resulting in painful infections. A branch of the immune system is designated to engulf cellular invaders and send lymphocytes (T cells) to destroy these foreign bodies. At Jeonju University, Korea (2008), researchers found that niaouli essential oil (from an Australian evergreen) was able to enhance the effect of cell-mediated immunity (one of two major branches of the immune system). Researchers support clinical use of niaouli essential oil to control infectious diseases.
Redirecting the Immune Response
The Institute of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine in Italy (2008) found that Eucalyptus essential oil actually stimulates a component of the immune system known as macrophages. These immune cells are one of the primary defenses against pathogens invading our human cells. Using in vivo (in rats) and in vitro trials, they were able to pinpoint that eucalyptus essential oil does indeed mimic our natural immune response. Researchers propose that such findings may drive develop of a new family of immune-regulatory drugs/treatments altogether. This could be quite helpful for those who have weakened immune systems due to contracted diseases and effects of chemotherapy.
Concluding Thoughts
In a perfect world where our planetary environment was well tended, our purpose was clear and community supported, and our foods were safe and saturated with nutrition, it is likely that few of us would suffer from disease and frequent sickness. Yet, in these modern times of high stress, environmental hazards, individualism, and processed foods our immune systems are often compromised and in some cases malfunction. Recent research indicates that essential oils are able to boost the functions of the immune system as well as suppress certain components when misdirected. With such capabilities, essential oils seem indispensable and a gift to humanity.
The role of a healthy immune system is to guard against disease, but a compromised immune system will likely give hints that it is not doing so well. Cues such as chronic inflammation, mucous build-up, skin lesions, and on-going fatigue all are signals that the immune system defenses are weakened. Weakening these humoral and cell-mediated defenses, known largely as B and T cells, can result in the onset of disease. Once a body has acquired a disease, the capacity of the immune system to maintain wellness is reduced and thus a vicious merry-go-round is created.
Using Essential Oils for Immune Support
Essential oils are commonly associated with reducing mental stress (triggering areas of the brain such as the amygdala) as well as being stimulating (boost the "get up and go" attitude). When taken internally, essential oils can detoxify and tone the body, and as research indicates, are excellent antimicrobials. All these characteristics support a healthy body and thus benefit the immune system. Yet, few realize that essential oils can also bolster the immune system specifically.
Mechanisms to Support the Immune System
Using essential oils to affect the immune system directly is gaining ground in research arenas. For the past two decades, promising research has pointed to the anti-inflammatory properties of essential oils. There is growing evidence that most diseases stem from inflammation. Recent research is currently looking at specific immune mechanisms that are enhanced by essential oils.
Melaleuca EO Helps Out
At the Laboratoire de Botanique in France (2006) researchers were able to identify that Melaleuca alternifolia was able to regulate the amount of inflammatory-causing secretions found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In so doing, natural anti-inflammatory agents, known as cytokines, were still able to be created and thus boosting the body's ability to protect and restore itself. This in itself is quite a finding, especially for individuals suffering from conditions associated with chronic inflammation.
Inducing Natural Killer Cells
Once a pathogen gets into the cells, it is looking to replicate and destroy tissue, often resulting in painful infections. A branch of the immune system is designated to engulf cellular invaders and send lymphocytes (T cells) to destroy these foreign bodies. At Jeonju University, Korea (2008), researchers found that niaouli essential oil (from an Australian evergreen) was able to enhance the effect of cell-mediated immunity (one of two major branches of the immune system). Researchers support clinical use of niaouli essential oil to control infectious diseases.
Redirecting the Immune Response
The Institute of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine in Italy (2008) found that Eucalyptus essential oil actually stimulates a component of the immune system known as macrophages. These immune cells are one of the primary defenses against pathogens invading our human cells. Using in vivo (in rats) and in vitro trials, they were able to pinpoint that eucalyptus essential oil does indeed mimic our natural immune response. Researchers propose that such findings may drive develop of a new family of immune-regulatory drugs/treatments altogether. This could be quite helpful for those who have weakened immune systems due to contracted diseases and effects of chemotherapy.
Concluding Thoughts
In a perfect world where our planetary environment was well tended, our purpose was clear and community supported, and our foods were safe and saturated with nutrition, it is likely that few of us would suffer from disease and frequent sickness. Yet, in these modern times of high stress, environmental hazards, individualism, and processed foods our immune systems are often compromised and in some cases malfunction. Recent research indicates that essential oils are able to boost the functions of the immune system as well as suppress certain components when misdirected. With such capabilities, essential oils seem indispensable and a gift to humanity.
About the Author:
The author regularly employs pure aromatherapy essential oils and Bach flower essence therapy in her practice.
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