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Can Essential Oils & Supplements Help Your Mood?
It’s likely that someone in your family, or circle of friends, is on some type of antidepressant.
In fact, there are about 40 million adults who experience some type of mood disorder and it can be serious. Effective treatments range from medication to mental health counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, lifestyle change, and even aromatherapy.
The problem is that depending on the severity of a mood disorder, medication is not always necessary. And quite frankly it’s overprescribed. We need to pay attention to the facts: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “from 1988–1994 through 2005–2008, the rate of antidepressant use in the United States among all ages increased nearly 400%”.
Here are common side effects one can suffer from antidepressants:
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Anxiety
Is it worth it to suffer if medication is not needed?
Aromatherapy
The use of essential oils is not new; they’ve been around for thousands of years, helping with a variety of health issues. Including emotional health.
When you inhale an essential oil, it travels up your nasal cavity to your olfactory neurons where it meets the olfactory mucous membrane. There, thousands of receptors will identify the smell and the sensory stimulation is sent through the olfactory bulb and into the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system is responsible for memories, emotions and moods.
Don’t forget that you can also use essential oils topically by diluting the oils with a carrier oil (fractionated coconut oil is my favorite) and rubbing on your skin. I recommend the bottom of your feet because they’re the most porous section of your skin.
Essential Oils
Here are the essential oils that I recommend for emotional health:
- Peppermint – studies at the Sense of Smell Institute confirm that peppermint oil has mood-elevating properties that make it useful for alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression (source).
- Melissa – shown to have uplifting compounds that can improve your mood (source).
- Rosemary – rosemary essential oil is widely known as a mental stimulant.
- Wild Orange – multiple studies show that wild orange essential oil can help improve mood and peace of mind (source).
- Clove – one chemical compound in clove oil, caryophyllene, is known relieve symptoms of both stress and anxiety.
- Ginger – because of its warming scent, it works as a stimulant to increase energy, as well as confidence.
- Cinnamon – actually possesses anti-anxiety and anti-depressant properties (source).
- Lemon – a great oil for when you feel a bit down or need a quick pick-me-up.
- Sandalwood – “inhaling the aroma of sandalwood essential oil…is thought to transmit messages to a brain region involved in controlling emotions” (source).
- Bergamot – the flavonoids in the oil stimulate the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. This creates a mild sedative effect, helping relax the body and mind.
- Frankincense – the most versatile oil, frankincense has a calming scent that quiets the mind.
- Ylang ylang – several studies found that ylang ylang effectively fights back “against acute depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and even a nervous breakdown” (source).
- Lavender – because lavender is known to help people get a better night’s sleep, it’s linked to decreasing cases of depression.
- Clary sage – greatly reduces anxiety and depression symptoms.
The Mind – Body Connection
It’s important to remember that when your gut isn’t healthy, your brain cannot properly function at an optimal level. When healthy habits are practiced daily, and your body gets the proper vitamins and minerals it needs, your body’s systems can run smoothly.
When I say daily healthy habits, I don’t just mean using essential oils, eating properly, and getting enough exercise and sleep. Supplements are also needed because unfortunately, the foods we currently eat are not giving us everything we need because our soil is depleted (don’t get me started on pesticides and the processing of food).
So what kind of supplements am I talking about? Well it’s important to take a high-quality multi vitamin/multimineral daily because we need to supplement the food we’re eating with essential vitamins and minerals. And a comprehensive omega-3 supplement that consists of EPA and DHA is crucial because your body need these fatty acids to function, but also they deliver some big health benefits. And finally, an antioxidant supplement helps to fight free radicals that cause DNA damage.
Want my supplement recommendations? My family and I take the following from doTERRA:
- Lifelong Vitality Pack – includes:
- Alpha CRS+ – doTERRA’s proprietary formula that supports healthy cell function, as well as mental clarity and brain function. It contains a variety of vital ingredients, including curcumin from turmeric root, milk thistle, Ginkgo biloba, coenzyme Q10, and more!
- xEO Mega – combines doTERRA’s CPTG essential oils with natural marine and plant-source omega-3 and carotenoids. Take 4 of these per day to improve your heart, joint, brain, eye and nervous system health. Also great for your skin. xEO Mega® includes 800 IU of natural vitamin D and 60 IU of natural vitamin E.
- Micro Plex VMz – provides 22 essential vitamins and minerals to support growth, function and maintenance of cells. This formula includes vitamins A, C, D, E, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.
- PB Assist+ – helps support a healthy functioning digestive and immune system. It encourages friendly bacteria growth and maintains a healthy intestinal microflora balance.
- TerraZyme – a digestive enzyme complex that blends whole-food enzymes and supporting cofactors that you cannot find in most foods we eat.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.
