Essential Wellness with Essential Oils

Essential oils are pure, potent plant compounds that are pressed or distilled from the seeds, stems, roots, bark, fruit and flowers of various plants. These oils are beneficial for the whole body, mind and spirit. In many cases, ONE drop of an oil contains as much healing power as 28 teaspoons of the dried herb! In addition to being powerful, offering multiple simultaneous benefits, doTERRA essential oils are also safe and effective for people of all ages and animals to be diffused into the air, applied topically, or taken internally. Keep reading for more science on essential oils below or check out our classes tab to discover when the next informational class will be offered in the Santa Fe area!

Here's a great video to explain more about doTERRA essential oils. If you like what you see, you can visit my doTERRA website to browse for specific products.

Inhaling Health

When any scent is inhaled, the odor molecules travel up the nose where they are trapped by olfactory membranes that are protected by the lining inside the nose. Each odor molecule fits like a little puzzle piece into specific receptor cell sites that line a membrane, known as the olfactory epithelium. When stimulated by odor molecules, this lining of nerve cells triggers electrical impulses to the olfactory bulb in the brain. The olfactory bulb then transmits the impulses to the gustatory center (where the sensation of taste is perceived), the amygdala (where emotional memories are stored), and other parts of the limbic system of the brain.

Because the limbic system is directly connected to the parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance, therapeutic-grade essential oils can have profound physiological and psychological effects. The sense of smell is the only one of the five senses directly linked to the limbic lobe of the brain, our emotional control center.

Scent stimulates nerves to fire in the emotional center of the brain, but it also stimulates the master gland to release hormones. Hormones affect the fight or flight response, as well as digestion and heart rate. In this way, essential oils can affect us in many ways all at once, just through their fragrance.

Anxiety, depression, fear, anger, and joy all emanate from this region. The scent of a special fragrance can evoke memories and emotions before we are even consciously aware of it. When smells are concerned, we react first and think later. All other senses (touch, taste, hearing, and sight) are routed through the thalamus, which acts as the switchboard for the brain, passing stimuli onto the cerebral cortex (the conscious thought center) and other parts of the brain.

The limbic lobe (a group of brain structures that includes the hippocampus and amygdala located below the cerebral cortex) can also directly activate the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is one of the most important parts of the brain, acting as our hormonal control center. It releases chemical messengers that can affect everything from sex drive to energy levels.

The production of growth hormones, sex hormones, thyroid hormones, and neurotransmitters such as serotonin, are all governed by the hypothalamus. Thus, the hypothalamus is referred to as the “master gland.” Essential oils–through their fragrance and unique molecular structure–can directly stimulate the limbic lobe and the hypothalamus.

Not only can the inhalation of essential oils be used to combat stress and emotional trauma, but it can also stimulate the production of hormones from the hypothalamus. This results in increased thyroid hormones (our energy hormone) and growth hormones (our youth and longevity hormone).

A therapeutic-grade essential oil can increase cellular oxygen up to 21 percent (and certain oils even up to 28%) – no other plant component comes close!

For more information or to place an order, please visit my doTERRA CPTG® essential oils web site at www.mydoterra.com/sarahvalencia or contact 505-328-7277.

Watch this video about the oils being used in the Emergency Room at Vanderbilt University Hospital!