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Obras por Kurt Schnaubelt Ph.D.

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Month of September 2022: Essential Oils (Health)

“The Healing Intelligence of Essential Oils: The Science of Advanced Aromatherapy” by Kirt Schnaubelt, Ph.D. (2011) Paperback. 233 pages.

I really wanted to love this book because it is a "beautiful" book with quality, slick pages and colored photos, and color-coded side bars with extra information, making for a more pleasurable reading experience.

But, although written by a doctor, this book is not all about just the science. It seems to be more centered on the history of aromatherapy. He does reference a few researches that have been done on essential oils. You can find those listed in the Bibliography for a more in-depth study, if you wish. There are a few specific essential oil recipe blends scattered throughout the book, not indexed, but are on olive green labels. And, you will definitely need a more extensive glossary of "terms" used throughout the book. He provides a small one.

Unfortunately, the author made the cardinal mistake of adding his beliefs on evolution and the "scientific fact" that the earth began 4.5 billion years ago, which is NOT a proven fact...but always raises a red flag for me and pisses me off because they really do need to stick to the "facts" and write on the subject that this book is about. Therefore, I have to add my two scents as well. On evolution, he writes (p. 44):

"...these secondary metabolites were more or less toxic to the mammalian organism. Over time the mammals adjusted by developing an enzymatic machinery capable of processing these indigestible components, so they could safely be eliminated.” NOT TRUE!

[NOTE: Secondary metabolites are the essential oils of ALL plants that protect the plant from herbivores and diseases, whether from it’s aroma or it’s chemical composition or even its dyes. Humans, since the beginning of time, since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, have learned and known about and used certain plants for healing...and, to be sure, we have always had livers to process foreign substances and eliminate waste from the body. It’s just been since about late 1800’s and early 1900’s that we have actually gotten serious and been able to break up and separate the different chemicals to study it’s true effects on the human body.]

According to the Bible, Genesis 1:29: “And God said, Behold I have given to you every seed bearing herb sowing seed which is upon all the earth, and every tree which has in itself the fruit of seed that is sown, to you it shall be for food.”

Therefore, our ability to digest and eliminate plant material (including its oils) have always been a part of our being.

The author is a bit “dreamy” and not very scientific in a lot of his writing. Page 126, on the use of a very potent and multi-purpose essential oil, Niaouli, he writes:

“This oil presents the open-minded individual with an interesting learning opportunity. The unfamiliar notes in this oil become more and more likable as we become aware of its benefits. It thus stimulates essential oil intuition”.

That word…intuition…is not really how I use essential oils. I don't think I have "intuition" when it comes to oils. I want to know the facts. What has been positively proven and what has not and how the heck do you use it. And I want it all referenced to specific research that has been done for me to research further, if I wish.

SECTIONS OF THE BOOK

Part 1 was Biology 101 about cells and how they function and some very science-y stuff about plants and how the body works…all of it completely over my head. A scientist or doctor would really enjoy this section.

Part 2 contains a lot of assorted history on the use and the beginnings of essential oils, leaning more towards Chinese traditions and uses…not a fun read.

Part 3 contains the meat of the book, the very reason why I’m reading this book…“Healing with Essential Oils: Strategies and Protocols”. The few chapters are based on major conditions, and one, in particular, I’m more interested in, is cancer. My mom has gone through treatment for lung cancer, four years ago, and was just diagnosed with throat cancer. So, naturally, I want to know how to use essential oils in tangent with her radiation and chemo treatment to help ease side effects.

This book lists all the different modern drugs used to treat cancer (which would have been helpful if they were included in the Index as well so that when she is administered a drug, I could then look it up to see what kind of symptoms to expect….but they’re not listed in the index). This section does list a few oils that work for different symptoms, but, there’s one major problem, it doesn’t tell you how to use the oils.

Sources for authentic essential oils

These few vendors he provides, apparently, share the same beliefs and concepts outlined in this book. I’ve never heard of the vendors he uses, including his own. They might be worth looking into:

Laboratory of Flowers: Michael Scholes
21010 Southbank Street #630
Sterling, VA 20165
Phone: (703) 433-5841
www.labofflowers.com

Nature’s Gift: Marge Clark
316 Old Hickory Blvd. East
Madison, TN 37115
www.naturesgift.com

Original Swiss Aromatics: Kurt Schnaubelt and Monika Haas
PO Box 6842
San Rafael, CA 94903
Phone: (415) 479-9120
www.originalswissaromatics.com

Essential Therapeutics: Ron Guba
39 Melverton Drive
Hallam, VICTORIA 3803
Australia
Phone: 03 8795 7720
www.essentialtherapeutics.com

END OF REVIEW
——————————————

BELOW ARE A FEW THINGS I ACTUALLY DID LEARN AND WOULD LIKE TO REMEMBER

1. Only 1 drop in a small glass of water is usually sufficient for daily use and maintenance. (p. 133) For example, I take 1 drop Helichrysum in a 4 oz glass of water 2x/day for blood clots. I’m not on any other meds at all. But, I’m prone to blood clots in my legs. It’s genetic and I’ve already had one when I had COVID due to the prednisone prescribed. So far, so good.

2. When you ingest a drug or essential oils or anything else, it first has to be filtered and broken down by the liver into a water-double molecule, then dispersed throughout your body’s blood and cells. If you use a suppository…yes, like in your bum…it bypasses your system and heads directly to your lungs. I NEVER KNEW THAT! This means, that essential oil suppositories can effectively be used for COPD and for severe bouts of bronchitis. (See pages 136-139 on suppositories, using essential oils, and how to make and use them. He actually provides good directions using essential oils, cocoa butter and coconut oil.). Interesting!

3. Essential oils for cancer: Ravintsara, Greenland Moss, Helichrysum, Niaouli, and Myrrh (p. 178-188). Some recommendations given for use after a dose of chemotherapy; others you have to guess how to use or maybe find, yet, another book with answers.

4. Niaouli seems to be a powerful multi-purpose essential oil. I need to learn more about it. A 1990 study showed that Niaouli may help protect the skin from radiation burns, but does not state how to use it. (p. 85) Maybe other books have more specifics on it.

5. German Chamomile, apparently, is recently being accredited to being an effective relief of COPD, but does not give a source for this information. (p. 17) On page 133, he states that 1 drop is usually adequate for most oils, and this includes German Chamomile to help calm a stomach and help with COPD.

BOOKS MENTIONED THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

"Simple Ways of Healing" - by Dr. Pam Taylor (p. 119)
(Dr. Taylor is a practicing naturopathic in Moline, Illinois, and has integrated the use of essential oils and aromatherapy into her practice for many years with great success.)

"Medical Herbalism": The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine" - by David Hoffmann, FNIMH, AHG (last page).
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
MissysBookshelf | Aug 27, 2023 |
A great introduction to the chemistry behind essential oils and their properties. I wish it had included more information about how to use them, alone and in combination with other oils, but there are many other books that provide recipes and this is the only one that gives such detailed explanations of the active ingredients, so that is a minor complaint. Plants have developed an extraordinary number of chemical compounds to protect themselves in their evolutionary history, and these compounds are concentrated in essential oils.… (mais)
 
Assinalado
Eye_Gee | May 8, 2017 |

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Obras
2
Membros
141
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Avaliação
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