Healing Sports Injuries With Essential Oils
Interested in speeding healing from hard workouts, and even more importantly, from injuries both acute and chronic? Many athletes pass bottles back and forth filled with crazy smelling concoctions from Chinese herbalists (and other sources) perhaps not knowing that some key ingredients are essential oils. Yes, the same essential oils used in aromatherapy have been used by hard-core athletes successfully to heal faster, and get back into their training program. Here's a look at the most effective oils, and how to mix and apply them yourself to get the results you're looking for.
A quick look at why essential oils work might convince you to at least give them a try. The physiologic aspects of injury are very similar, whether it be tendonitis, a tweaked ankle, a jammed wrist, or even an impact injury. You'll find inflammation and oxidative radicals around the site. Inflammation may be the body's way of actually protecting the area, but in the long run it slows the healing process. The oxidative radicals just happen to be associated with tissue damage -- and your body needs to mop these up. Well, there's a growing body of evidence noting the efficacy of essential oils managing these two processes: reducing the inflammatory response and moping up free radicals. On top of that, certain ketones found in very specific essential oils are known to stimulate tissue regeneration. Put all these actions together and you'll have something that really might speed healing of your injuries.
The essential oils in these cases are going to be topically applied, either in a massage-style oil or just by themselves. Whether the oil is diluted or not depends on the type of injury and the variety of oil being used. And essential oils are best applied frequently in small amounts. You really only need a little to produce the desired result, but because they pass through the body rapidly, you'll want to apply them several times a day for best results.
Certain essential oils CAN be used at 100% strength (also called "neat" application") in certain cases. When an injury has just happened, say out on the playing field, then "neat" application can dramatically reduce the swelling that can occur. This initial swelling is why some athletes will apply ice to an area immediately -- it can have a big impact on how quickly the injury heals in the long run. One leading medical aromatherapist notes that the initial hematoma can be severely reduced or almost entirely prevented from appearing altogether.
The single most important oil for the athlete is Helichrysum essential oil. It manages to do everything at once: stop inflammation, clean up oxidation, reduce pain, and actually stimulate tissue regeneration with its unique chemical profile. If you were to only try one single oil for healing, this would be the one. It's not inexpensive, but as an athlete, knowing what a drag it is not getting to do your thing, its price looks much more attractive. This is the primary oil called for where those injuries have just happened -- using it at full strength in these cases -- as well as for chronic injuries, where you'll dilute it to 10 or 20 percent in a seed or nut oil before applying. But to really speed the healing processes, Helichrysum can be blended with other oils that perform similar functions, but in slightly different ways.
The first root oil well look at is Plai (yes, we pronounce it "play", and no one has corrected us yet!). Plai has been studied as both an anti-inflammatory and an analgesic, with very positive results. It is also an antioxidant -- so you can see, except for the specific tissue regeneration component, its right up there with Helichrysum. Some users are also applying this oil at 100% strength in acute cases; otherwise its most commonly used at 10% strength based in a carrier oil. Plai is frequently combined with other essential oils in the formula to enhance its efficacy.
These last two oils are highly regarded specifically for their anti-inflammatory action: Ginger Root and German Blue Chamomile. The most effective types of these oils are not from traditional "steam distillation" (the process by which most essential oils are made) but from a cold-process called "super critical carbon dioxide extraction". This method creates a more complex, and potentially more healing oil. Both of these oils are used in MUCH lower concentrations: Ginger at less than three percent, and Chamomile at less than two percent. They are generally called for healing of chronic injuries, or acute ones once the injury site has "cooled down" a bit, perhaps after 24 hours.
Creating a formula for chronic injuries is very easy to do, and you'll likely be thrilled with the results. The following formula will be most effective for soft-tissue injuries, though injuries involving cartilage will benefit as well -- just at a slower pace (as is the nature of such injuries!). Use ten percent Helichrysum OR Plai essential oil, and two percent of each of the others, based in ANY carrier oil -- Almond, Hazelnut, even Olive will work. Mix this up in a clean glass container -- a one or two ounce amber or cobalt blue bottle with an eye dropper can be the easiest to dispense the oils from in the long run.
All the essential oils mentioned here have a track record for healing and inflammation reduction of soft tissue injuries. Many people find them far more effective than any pharmaceutical preparation they've ever tried. If you find yourself frequently nursing an injury incurred from sports, its really worth the effort to mix up one of these blends at least once and give it a whirl. Like so many users, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised with the results.
A quick look at why essential oils work might convince you to at least give them a try. The physiologic aspects of injury are very similar, whether it be tendonitis, a tweaked ankle, a jammed wrist, or even an impact injury. You'll find inflammation and oxidative radicals around the site. Inflammation may be the body's way of actually protecting the area, but in the long run it slows the healing process. The oxidative radicals just happen to be associated with tissue damage -- and your body needs to mop these up. Well, there's a growing body of evidence noting the efficacy of essential oils managing these two processes: reducing the inflammatory response and moping up free radicals. On top of that, certain ketones found in very specific essential oils are known to stimulate tissue regeneration. Put all these actions together and you'll have something that really might speed healing of your injuries.
The essential oils in these cases are going to be topically applied, either in a massage-style oil or just by themselves. Whether the oil is diluted or not depends on the type of injury and the variety of oil being used. And essential oils are best applied frequently in small amounts. You really only need a little to produce the desired result, but because they pass through the body rapidly, you'll want to apply them several times a day for best results.
Certain essential oils CAN be used at 100% strength (also called "neat" application") in certain cases. When an injury has just happened, say out on the playing field, then "neat" application can dramatically reduce the swelling that can occur. This initial swelling is why some athletes will apply ice to an area immediately -- it can have a big impact on how quickly the injury heals in the long run. One leading medical aromatherapist notes that the initial hematoma can be severely reduced or almost entirely prevented from appearing altogether.
The single most important oil for the athlete is Helichrysum essential oil. It manages to do everything at once: stop inflammation, clean up oxidation, reduce pain, and actually stimulate tissue regeneration with its unique chemical profile. If you were to only try one single oil for healing, this would be the one. It's not inexpensive, but as an athlete, knowing what a drag it is not getting to do your thing, its price looks much more attractive. This is the primary oil called for where those injuries have just happened -- using it at full strength in these cases -- as well as for chronic injuries, where you'll dilute it to 10 or 20 percent in a seed or nut oil before applying. But to really speed the healing processes, Helichrysum can be blended with other oils that perform similar functions, but in slightly different ways.
The first root oil well look at is Plai (yes, we pronounce it "play", and no one has corrected us yet!). Plai has been studied as both an anti-inflammatory and an analgesic, with very positive results. It is also an antioxidant -- so you can see, except for the specific tissue regeneration component, its right up there with Helichrysum. Some users are also applying this oil at 100% strength in acute cases; otherwise its most commonly used at 10% strength based in a carrier oil. Plai is frequently combined with other essential oils in the formula to enhance its efficacy.
These last two oils are highly regarded specifically for their anti-inflammatory action: Ginger Root and German Blue Chamomile. The most effective types of these oils are not from traditional "steam distillation" (the process by which most essential oils are made) but from a cold-process called "super critical carbon dioxide extraction". This method creates a more complex, and potentially more healing oil. Both of these oils are used in MUCH lower concentrations: Ginger at less than three percent, and Chamomile at less than two percent. They are generally called for healing of chronic injuries, or acute ones once the injury site has "cooled down" a bit, perhaps after 24 hours.
Creating a formula for chronic injuries is very easy to do, and you'll likely be thrilled with the results. The following formula will be most effective for soft-tissue injuries, though injuries involving cartilage will benefit as well -- just at a slower pace (as is the nature of such injuries!). Use ten percent Helichrysum OR Plai essential oil, and two percent of each of the others, based in ANY carrier oil -- Almond, Hazelnut, even Olive will work. Mix this up in a clean glass container -- a one or two ounce amber or cobalt blue bottle with an eye dropper can be the easiest to dispense the oils from in the long run.
All the essential oils mentioned here have a track record for healing and inflammation reduction of soft tissue injuries. Many people find them far more effective than any pharmaceutical preparation they've ever tried. If you find yourself frequently nursing an injury incurred from sports, its really worth the effort to mix up one of these blends at least once and give it a whirl. Like so many users, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised with the results.
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