By Haylee Holt
In today’s society, young individuals are constantly in search of the latest trends for a zen lifestyle. Healthy habits have surpassed taking a yoga class or sipping on a green smoothie. Essential oils are the health industry’s newest fad, being sold in almost any store you walk into. But how can we know if we’re just being distracted by a trend or actually using a beneficial product?
Essential oils do more than keep you calm; they are able to replace medications for disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Aaron Schneider is a student at Kent State who has been struggling with this disorder for over 10 years. Different essential oils helped aid his symptoms in a way that was side effect free.
“I took ADHD medication for 10 years to help with my symptoms,” Schneider says. “Eventually I was just tired of depending on medication that resulted in unwanted side effects. I switched to the premade essential oil blend, InTune from Doterra, and immediately noticed results. I just rubbed the oil ruler against the bottom of my feet, and it enhanced my focus drastically.”
Essential oils are also a natural substitute for dropping money on over-the-counter cold medicine. Schneider uses peppermint oil as a remedy for daily pains such as headaches, stomachaches, overheating and muscle soreness.
“When I had an insane headache, I didn’t have to take Ibuprofen or any other drug,” Schneider says. “I rubbed peppermint oil on my temples and across my forehead.”
Schneider puts the oil next to pressure points and rubs it by the bloodstream. He recommends to apply the oils the same way one would apply cologne. There are also peppermint beadlets and pills as an alternative to soothe body aches.
A 2010 research study also showed the use of essential oils creating an uplifting effect and being a way to cope with depression and anxiety, according to the American College of Healthcare Sciences. Additionally, essential oils can help with focus by leveling out one’s mood, as well as body hormones with regular use, according to Natural Ideas writer Janice Taylor.
Although people like Schneider find relief using essential oils, Lindsey Clemo is a registered nurse at LewisGale Medical Center who finds medication more beneficial at times.
“Medications are a quick fix; essential oils take time,” Clemo says. “In my field, I feel that more people would desire to be treated with medications, not saying that this is right or not. Working in the emergency department, people seek the quick fix to everything, whether there truly is a medical issue or not occurring.”
Clemo says that essential oils are beneficial for a lifestyle habit and solution to certain types of medical problems, but they can’t fix everything that medication can.
According to Reverie Farms and Soaps, “essential oils won’t fix everything. Many people assume that they will and they can just stop exercising, eating healthy and taking care of themselves. Essential oils help us, they don’t do all of the work for us.”
The use of essential oils ultimately depends on preference and patience. For all you trendsetters searching for a natural way to find a health fix for headaches, stomachaches, overheating, soreness or even disorders, consider incorporating essential oils into your lifestyle.
