Essential oils are recently in the limelight of the alternative medicine scene. Professional aromatherapists have said for years that essential oils' greatest gift to mankind will be the treatment and prevention of infectious illness -- and now science is fully validating this claim. Plus oils have also been scientifically shown to make people happier and lower their stress levels (among a great many other therapeutic actions). What's the easiest way to use these wonderful natural medicines for yourself and your family? Simple inhalation! And what's the best way to do this? By using an essential oil diffuser. Here's a look at all the medicinal benefits of inhalation of essential oils, and a guide to choosing the right diffuser for your needs.
The Data Is In: The Science of Aroma Medicine
The big interests in home use of essential oils is twofold: 1) They can bring calm to overexcited youngsters while acting as antidepressants for everyone. 2) They have proven antibacterial and antiviral actions; they are able to destroy these microbes in the air, while simultaneously support the strength of our immune system. There's a good bit of scientific data backing both these claims available for free viewing at PubMed.Gov -- start by simply searching for "essential oil" and see where it takes you. Again, the easiest way to reap these benefits of essential oils is to use a diffuser to release the oils into the air in your environment. A diffuser simply evaporates oils faster than they would naturally, getting a therapeutic concentration into your living or office space -- but there are many diffuser styles -- we'll help you find the one best suited to your needs.
Diffusers For Antiviral/Antimicrobial Action & Immune Support
In order to best disinfect the air in your surroundings, you can imagine you'd need a little bit more essential oil than what evaporates from an aromatherapy candle. To get this amount of output requires a "nebulizing" diffuser. To "nebulize" an essential oil means to make a very fine mist, which quickly and easily evaporates. Some diffuser manufacturers claim their diffusers make smaller droplets of mist than others, but the truth is they all will work. The droplets all "disappear" completely upon leaving the diffuser, without any residue around the machine. To best conserve your oils while still creating these therapeutic effects, you'll want a timer system too -- some come with them built-in, though the most versatile will be external, fully-programmable timers you can find online or in a hardware store.
The nebulizers come in two styles: "cold air" and "ultrasonic." The cold air units use only air pressure to diffuse the oils, and output the highest concentration of any diffuser type. The ultrasonic is essentially a small water-humidification unit, where oils are mixed with water and then evaporated. Both styles typically have output controls, so you can turn up or down the amount of oil being diffused. They are also both exceptionally quiet.
Diffusers for "Aroma"therapy: Anti-Stress and Emotional Support
For simple aromatic use -- where oils are used for uplifting your spirits, calming or helping your children sleep, or just making your environment smell fantastic, a "fan" or "warming" diffuser is totally appropriate. The fan diffusers work by blowing air from a small fan over a pad that has been saturated with essential oils -- the warming diffusers work the same way, but with a little bit of heat (they don't get so hot as to burn anyone, and are safe to use around kids). The fan units will emit a quiet hum when on, the warming units will be silent -- and the fan units will generally emit aroma into a moderately-sized space, while the less-expensive warming units are suited for a single room.
Conserving Your Oil Supply: Use A Timer For Best Results
The best way to use the least amount of essential oil for your needs is to use a timer -- either built-in to the diffuser or a readily-available appliance timer. For ANY application, whether simple aromatic use or medicinal needs, one need only be exposed to the diffused oils for a few minutes at a time. Aromatically, your "smell scent" will become quickly accustom to the aroma, and you'll start to think the diffuser isn't working anymore. Running the diffuser for only a few minutes every half an hour lets your nose "forget" the oils are in the air. The same principal works for disinfecting the air and immune-system support -- there's no need to over-saturate the air with essential oils. They are so potent that there's no need to continually diffuse a high concentration for these results.
So What Would You Like To Smell Today?
Each essential oil has a unique chemistry; the unique chemistry of each oil gives it its aroma and its therapeutic action. For emotional support -- oils that make you happy -- consider the "Needle" oils. Oils distilled from Spruce, Fir, and Pine needles are very popular to give your home the scent of being deep in the forest. You can imagine how pleasant that may be! Other anti-depressant oils include the citrus oils (virtually all the oils pressed from the peels of citrus fruit are considered very uplifting) and some people really enjoy the florals: Rose Geranium, Rose, and Neroli. Lavender essential oil is THE most studied oil for calming and rest. There are many resources on the Internet to help you find the oils you enjoy smelling, with the psychological energetic profile you're interested in. Most oils in this category are safe for all ages -- only Peppermint, used for invigorating mental activity, is not recommended for use with younger children.
For immune support and air-cleaning, there are many oils highly regarded for their antimicrobial actions. Bay laurel is very nice, and scientifically shown to be an effective anti-viral. "Plain" Lemon and Rosemary oils are excellent antibacterials, as is Lemon Tea Tree (very potent), Lemongrass, and Eucalyptus Radiata (shown specifically to help our white blood cells function better). Most oils that are sharper and brighter will be effective, but be careful as there are some herb-oils that are too strong to diffuse, like Oregano and Thyme, along with the spice oil Cinnamon. In any case, use your judgment with the aromas: if they seem to intense, they are -- and either switch to a different oil or turn down the diffuser output. Also be aware that children are MUCH more sensitive to essential oils than adults -- adjust your use as necessary, and consult a reputable guide to using essential oils with children.
Conclusion: Diffuse Your Oils for Best Results!
Getting started reaping the many proven benefits of essential oils is exceptionally easy to do with a diffuser. One machine, a few oils and away you go! Not only will you be supporting your family's health and happiness, but you'll soon have friends and neighbors commenting on how great you smell (the oils tend to very pleasantly linger around you for a while, and you'll be surprised at all the great reactions you'll get). The start-up costs are very low; just be sure not to skimp on the oils themselves. Only true essential oils will have the important medicinal benefits -- and these oils do smell the best. Use your intuition in your selections, and you're sure to make the most of your venture into aroma-therapeutics.
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