Good Oil, not antibiotics!
When discussing antibiotics there are generally two main concerns that we tend to hear mentioned from the medical profession. Firstly the increasing occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and secondly each individuals increasing resistance to antibiotics.
Did you know that each time you take a course of antibiotics your body begins to develop a resistance to them? Frequent usage means there is a gradual progression to stronger and stronger antibiotics. Or, that, our habit of turning to antibiotics as soon as we get a sniffle is fuelling the development of bacteria that are not affected by antibiotics?
Of more concern to natural therapists however is the damage that results to your intestinal bacteria from a result of antibiotics. Hippocrates allegedly said that “all disease begins in the gut”, one of the key requirements for gut health is bacteria, so long as it is the right bacteria. Unfortunately the antibiotics prescribed by medical practitioners are non discriminating, killing both the good and the bad bacteria, leaving us open for more sinister pathogens to take root in the gut.
Increasingly medical researchers are under pressure to find and develop new antibiotics. In this quest they are turning to substances that have long been used for exactly this purpose in natural and alternative medicine. One recent study from the Technological Educational Institute of Ionian Islands has been testing the use of essential oils for just this purpose. They have found that thyme and cinnamon were two oils that are particularly effective as antibacterial agents with thyme being able to destroy all bacteria within 60 minutes.
Essential oils represent a power full method of combatting all forms of pathogens, not just bacteria. While essential oils such as tea tree, thyme and cinnamon are effective against bacteria other oils such as lemongrass and cumin are effective against parasites or look at tea tea and geranium against topical fungal infections. With essential oils it is easy to combine a number of oils to create a high potency, broad spectrum blend for your specific needs.
From personal experience we have used oils such as eucalyptus and tea tree extensively while travelling internationally in planes crowded with people coughing and sneezing from the flu. Not being able to do steam inhalations in a place we would rub a few drops of oil between our hands and place over our nose and mouth to provide a smaller version of an inhalation every couple of hours. A very minor investment to avoid the post travel sniffles that generally follow international travel.
An example of the potency of essential oils can be seen in the store of the Thieves oil blend. During the 1400’s a group of thieves used a solution of essential oils applied on their hands, ears and temples to ward of the bubonic plague allowing them to break in and ransack the houses and the dead and dying without effect. When they were eventually captured they were given leniency in exchange for the formula.
Just as importantly, the use of the antiobacterial, fungicidal and anti parasite properties of essential oils do not breed antibiotic resistant super strains of flues and do not destroy our bodies own beneficial bacteria. During winter, essential oils can be regularly used to boost the immune system and keep bacteria and viruses at bay without damaging effects on the body.
With winter just around the corner if you haven’t taken the time to investigate the health properties of essential oils now is the time to do so.
Passion4Health is a wellness clinic located in Browns Plains, Brisbane. At Passion4Health we focus on management and maintenance of optimum health through an integrated lifestyle approach.
Passion4Health provide diet and nutritional advice, massage, lymphatic drainage, iridology and live blood analysis.
Find out how you can reduce chronic disease and maintain optimum health by calling us now on 07 3800 1993.