In this newsletter we will try to help you further your knowledge and use of essential oils.

Physical Ailments

Earaches and Hearing Loss

Earaches can be external, involving just the ear and ear canal or they can be internal, involving the middle and inner ear.

Infections involving the outer ear and canal can be self-treated with the use of essential oils but the more serious type of infections involving the middle or inner ear need medical attention. Outer ear infections can be either fungal or bacterial.

Essential oils can still be helpful for middle and inner ear infections but you should seek help from your doctor, especially if you are unsure what type of infection is causing your pain and inflammations. If you have a perforated ear drum you could do more damage than good by self treatment. Please see your doctor.

If you have an ear infection essential oils that relieve inflammation and pain such as Lavender, Tea Tree. and Roman Chamomile are very helpful. For an easy to make ear oil
Lavender - 8 drops
Tea Tree - 8 drops
1 tablespoon Olive or Sweet almond oil You can add up to 4 drops Roman Chamomile too if desired.

Blend well and then rub a little of this oil blend around the outside of your ear and also down the side of your neck. You can use the same blend on children but for children under 5 years old, cut the essential oil amounts in half.

For infants use only 1 drop each of Lavender and 1 drop of Tea Tree with the 1 tablespoon of carrier oil..
If your ear infection is due to a cold or flu - that is causing congestion of your upper respiratory tract, you might get relief by using essential oils for congestion and just breathing them in. Peppermint , Eucalyptus and others will help to relieve congestion.
Sometimes chronic ear infections can lead to hearing loss. Also as everyone ages there can be loss of hearing.

We are often asked for recipes for use to see if essential oils can help with hearing loss.

There are two recipes we have that folks tell us has given them some results to varying degrees.

Cypress - 10 drops
Helichrysum - 10 drops
Marjoram - 10 drops
Roman Chamomile - 10 drops
Carrier oil such as Olive oil or Sweet almond - 1 ounce

Blend all essential oils and add to the carrier oil. Then apply a few drops around and behind the ear and down on to the neck around the ear.

Apply 2-4 times a day until improvement. You may need to use for up to 10 days.

Another recipe
Helichrysum - 10 drops
Rosemary - 3 drops
Marjoram - 15 drops
Roman Chamomile - 10 drops
Carrier oil such as Olive oil or Sweet almond - 1 ounce
The main essential oils used to treat ear problems such as infection and inflammation are: Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Tea Tree, Helichrysum, Eucalyptus, Marjoram, Rosemary, Juniper.

Emotional Concerns

Relaxation

Restless and you want to relax. This is the perfect time to use essential oils to help you relax. Lavender is often considered the number one essential oil for relaxation but there are several others when used alone or blended give you a more relaxation atmosphere. Roman Chamomile is used a lot, especially around children and babies. It's smell is not overpowering, but very soft and soothing.

A simple blend for relaxation is
Lavender - 5 drops
Roman Chamomile - 2 drops
Ylang Ylang - 1 drop

Once blended, simply diffuse using your favorite diffuser. The quantity in this recipe is for a small room. You can easily make more to have blended for more than one time. Remember to label your bottle!

If you have been very physically active and would like to relax mixing a few essential oils from this group and adding a few to the bath or shower should help you to relax. Rosemary, Roman Chamomile, Bergamot , Marjoram, Lavender, Geranium , Fennel, Thyme (especially if exposed to others who are ill around you).

If you have been busy working and it has been more mental or emotional then to the above essential oils you may want to add one of these Sandalwood, Basil, Helichrysum, Cardamom, Patchouli, Palmarosa, Vetiver and Rose Otto .

A couple more helpful recipes for relaxation -

Neroli - 3 drops
Mandarin - 8 drops
Ylang Ylang - 3 drops
Blend well and diffuse.

Bergamot 10 drops
Rose Otto - 2 drops
Roman Chamomile - 3 drops
Blend well and diffuse

Both of the above recipes can be added to 2 ounces of distilled water, shake well and use in a spray bottle for a room freshener.

Here is a wonderful Bath blend for relaxation

Lavender - 3 drops
Basil 2 drops
Marjoram - 2 drops
Fennel 1 drop
Vetiver - 1 drop
Add to a warm bath, soak for 10 minutes or more. Repeat as needed!!

Beauty and Skin Care

Psoriasis

What is Psoriasis? It is caused by a rapid growth of skin cells that tend to pile up on the skin. The rate of growth is so rapid that the body can not keep up with the normal rate of shedding of the cells. This then results in the silvery scales of psoriasis. Psoriasis can be hereditary. Other health problems can be linked to psoriasis such as poor protein digestion and impaired bowel and liver functions. Outside factors such as stress can also cause outbreaks. There are other factors that can cause outbreaks too.

According to the Encyclopedia of Natural medicine some other things you can do to help are: Increase your Omega 3 Fatty acids and Vitamin D by exposure to sunlight. Using Ultraviolet lights will also help. Small amounts of natural sunlight or use of tanning beds may also help.

Aromatherapy can help too. Using essential oils to reduce stress, combat bacterial infections and in skin care. As for what essential oils that are beneficial: Lavender , Roman Chamomile and Neroli. Not only are they good from the emotional aspect they are also good for the skin and psoriasis.

Put 8 drops Lavender
5 drops Roman Chamomile
1 drop of Neroli
in 2 ounces Sorbolene Cream.
Blend well. Apply as needed.

For a soothing bath try
2 cups Dead sea salts
Bergamot - 4 drops
Roman Chamomile - 2 drops
Helichrysum - 2 drops
Tea Tree- 2 drops
Add all ingredients to a bathtub then soak for 30 minutes. Repeat several times a week until skin improves.

If you are going to be in the sun within 4 hours of using this bath, then omit the Bergamot as bergamot is a photo sensitive oil and can cause unpleasant colorations to your skin if exposed to the sun.

Around the House and Garden

Plant companions

Did you know that your house plants can benefit from the use of Essential oils?

Especially during this time of the year they can be more stressed due to fluctuations in air temperatures, humidity levels and low levels of natural light.

Simply add a few drops of Lavender or Thyme to your watering can. Remember more is not better. Just a drop or two to a couple of quarts is all that is needed. Just like people plants get chemical imbalances and can benefit from the use of essential oils.

Any hydrosol, the true water left over from the distillation process can be used as a plant spray. They are quite safe to use, but can and should be diluted before using in the watering can.

Oh and don't forget, it is very important to talk to your plants, for sure when watering them. Daily if possible. It is proven that plants, like humans and animals thrive and grow more when talked to daily.

NEW Feature - PRODUCT PROFILE

This issue - Thieves blend

Starting with this issue we are going to profile one of our products. We hope to be able to give you a little more information about how some of the product will benefit you or your family members.

Thieves blend is a wonderful blend of several very germ battling essential oils. It is a blend of essential oils consisting mainly of Clove bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Lemon, and Rosemary.

These essential oils are known for their great action to deter viruses and bacteria. In studies conducted both here and abroad, it was found that several of these essential oils have superior ability to kill various species of microorganisms, including several Staphylococcus and Streptococcus strains among many others.

Of course, when you mix them all these essential oils together you will get their synergistic effect and have an even more powerful blend.

As legend has it, back in the 15th Century - during the time that the Black Plague was rampant, a band of thieves would rub oils on their bodies before robbing from the dead and dying. They themselves were never afflicted by any ills.

From a personal stand point, we ourselves use Thieves blend in our own home and on ourselves when we have been exposed to people ill with the flu or colds.

Simply diffuse in the air. It is a rather pleasant smell. It reminds me of Dentyne gum - the original formula - I'm sure due to the amount of Cinnamon in the blend. Or, mix several drops in a little carrier oil and massage on the bottom of your feet - especially at bedtime. Put on a pair of socks so you don't slip if you should need to get out of bed.

If you haven't tried Thieves blend , now is the perfect time to have it ready just in case you are exposed to the dreaded flu this winter season!

PS. Purifying blend is also full of wonderful essential oils to be used during this cold and flu season.

Recipes to try

BIRCH HILL HAPPENINGS NEWS

Hello Everyone,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We hope everyone survived the hectic month of December and all the activities that surround this time of the year.

Now that the partying is over it's time to make our BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Thanks to all of our faithful customers and visitors our aromatherapy business has grown so that Alan has been able to join Penny FULL TIME at home!! YEAH!!

We hope to provide you, our customers with better and even faster service than before. Although we won't be in the office 24 - 7 (we do need a little time off on weekends and in the evening) we will be available in the office from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Thursday and 9:00AM to Noon on Fridays. Of course - don't forget we are in the Central Time Zone.

What does this mean? Well when you send us an e-mail question or concern, we should be able to get back to you during those hours instead of the next day. (Al was only here until Noon each day and since he answers the e-mails you only had about a 4 hour window each day to get a reply). Now he has several more hours to get an answer back to you.

If you do need to phone us we should be able to get back to you more quickly. You might still get our voice mail though as we could be talking to someone or we could be out of the office (having a bite to eat or off to the Post Office to mail out your orders! And occasionally to run an errand or two.).

Our next goal is to increase the amount of Information on Aromatherapy. We want to include more subjects in our Health and Beauty index, Recipes files and then to add a new Index - profiling all the Essential oils. To give you more information to help you find essential oils that are just right for you. The better informed you are the more you will be able to use the oils for your health and well being and for those around you.

If you have any other suggestions or comments of how to improve our website, PLEASE let us know. We want to be the best source for aromatherapy information available in ONE place but we will need your help.

If you see new products you would like us to carry, or subjects you would like us to have information on, just anything, please let us know. We want to help you learn more about aromatherapy and what it can do for you.

As for new items this month. We have now made available in larger quantities several of the more rare and precious essential oils. It seems than many of you were buying 3- 10 ml bottles of some of them during the past several months so ... we took it as a hint that many of you would like to see them in 30 ml or 50 ml bottle sizes.

Also for those of you that may not have noticed we have added Hyssop, Black Spruce and Eucalyptus polybractea as known as Eucalyptus Blue Mallee (a eucalyptus oil high in eucalyptol).

Our pricing for the Personal Nasal inhaler was able to be reduced, since we can purchase in larger quantities, and so as is our custom, we pass the savings on to you our customer.

Remember the Personal inhaler does not need to be used for treating just physical ailments such as nasal congestion, headaches, or such. But you can use them to put essential oils like lavender or calming blend or mint energizing blends depending on your need or mood. Maybe you want to use For Women's blend if you need to help your hormones. These Personal inhaler are very discrete and handy.

We also have a glass replacement bowl for tealight candle diffusers. So if you have a tealight candle diffuser that uses a separate bowl (like the soapstone ones) and the bowl accidentally broke, you will be able to purchase a new glass bowl to use.

Of course there are other tealight diffusers out there that you might need a replacement bowl for too.

Well, I think that's about all for this time. (E-mail Al if you want, it will make his day. He is so Happy to be working with Aromatherapy full time now and hopes to be able to help you with all your questions!! )

As always, if we can help you with any aromatherapy question please send us an E-mail at bhhinfo@birchhillhappenings.com and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

‘til next month,

Yours in Aromatherapy,
Alan and Penny

PS It's Al's Birthday on January 8 - 52 years young!!

E-mail us at bhhinfo@birchhillhappenings.com

**Resources for information in this newsletter (including recipes) and others were obtained from the following sources:
"Aromatherapy A Lifetime Guide to Healing with Essential Oils" by Valerie Gennari Cooksley
"500 Formulas for Aromatherapy" by Schiller and Schiller
"The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy" by Schiller and Schiller
""The Fragrant Veil" by Elisabeth Millar
"The Fragrant Mind Aromatherapy for Personality, Mind, Mood, and Emotion" by Valerie Ann Worwood
"Aromatherapy An A-Z" by Patricia Davis
"Aromatherapy for Vibrant Health and Beauty" by Roberta Wilson
"Aromatherapy through the Seasons" by Judith Fitzsimmons and Paula M Bousquet
"Advanced Aromatherapy The Science of Essential Oil Therapy" by Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D.
"Aromatherapy Companion" by Victoria H Edwards
"We have a large reference library and confer with many books while answering questions on Aromatherapy.
"Practical Aromatherapy for Home and Garden Decoder"
"Aromatherapy Decoder"
"Advanced Aromatherapy Decoder"
The Decoders are available from Birch Hill Happenings