COUGHS & COLDS?...... NOT IN OUR HOUSE!

Well it looks like autumn has well and truly arrived! An immune boost with essential oils at this time of year can be a very easy, yet vital thing to do.

It may seem like your little one has one cold after another all winter. Young children haven’t built up their immunity to the 100’s of different cold viruses that are around. That’s why they can get as many as 8 to 10 colds each year before they turn 2 years old. And going back to nursery or school after the holidays means that your child will be coming in to contact with a whole new host of bugs.

Eating a balanced and healthy diet and taking plenty of exercise can also help but with a few essential oils you can face the winter ahead.

An essential oil burner is a great thing to have in the house and can be used in the bedroom, the front room or my preferred location, the hallway. This way you pass it all the time, walking around the house as you go about your daily routines.

At the first sign of a cold add to the water reservoir 2 drops of Cardamom Elettaria cardamom, 2 drops of Lemon, Citrus limonum and 2 drops of Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus globulus, and light the candle. Watch that the burner doesn’t run out of water, it should last a good few hours. 

Each one is different so read the individual instructions that should come with the burner. Always buy one that has a glazed inner surface.

If your little one does come down with a cold Myrtle, Myrtus communis is a great decongestant and can be used with babies as young as 6 months old. Myrtle can be added to Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia in an essential oil burner and can be used at bedtime.

A ½ hr before bed add the drops of each essential oil to the water reservoir, (see below for amounts) light the candle and close the bedroom door. When your child goes to bed blow out the candle and their room will be full of the decongestant properties of Myrtle and the antiseptic and sedative properties of Lavender, hopefully stopping the cold in its tracks or shortening it considerably. This can be repeated nightly.

For infants up to the age of 2 just add 1 drop of each essential oil, for toddlers you can use 2 drops of each oil.

My 2 quite often go to school with one drop of Myrtle on their collar if they have a cold, or to act as a preventive against all those runny noses! A word of warning though, Myrtle can stain so keep away from anything white!

Coughs and colds are an inevitable part of childhood, but by using the above advice you could find that your nights are less broken and that if you do succumb to the odd cold you may get over them a lot quicker than before!

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact Jo at jo@fromtheseed.co.uk.  from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond,  for more info visit www.fromtheseed.co.uk

MUSIC FOR MASSAGE & RELAXATION

Many clients come to me with stress related ailments. Stress can affect the body in many ways, so every client will have very different needs and requirements which their therapist must be aware of.

However, there is one aspect of the treatment that I offer which I find useful in treating almost all patients. It is something that makes a considerable difference to the client’s susceptibility to the therapy; and that is the use of music.

Finding the right music can be tricky. With the stop-start nature of most albums going from one track to another, the mood can change suddenly, which can disturb the flow of the massage. Fortunately for me, when I needed music, help was at hand, my husband is a composer!

I wanted something atmospheric, soothing and gentle. Something that would last me for an entire session without any gaps, silences or sudden changes of mood.

We collaborated on this project for a while and produced three albums of relaxation music for use during my aromatherapy massage treatments, Seascape, Forest Song and Astral Journey. The music worked brilliantly. Each CD lasts for 60 minutes with a further 10 minutes of ambient sound to wind down your treatment. The music creates a continuous calming atmosphere with no interruptions or changes of pace. Having the right music really adds to the overall treatment. 

They can also be used between treatments for relaxation purposes and many of my clients have since purchased copies of these unique albums for that particular reason.

Two of these albums were originally marketed and distributed through Tisserand Ltd and over 10,000 copies were sold in the UK. 

All three are now available to buy direct from the supplier www.wattsmusic.co.uk/shop.htm

If you would like to know more email contact@wattsmusic.co.uk

 

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact  jo@fromtheseed.co.uk.  from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond,  for more info visit www.fromtheseed.co.uk

FIRST AID SUMMER ESSENTIALS

If you are planning a trip abroad or just staying in England for your holidays you may very well be packing a first aid kit, especially if travelling with children.

Did you know you could supplement your kit with a few essential oils and use them for various ailments?

All you need is a little know how.

Sunburn - something we all try to avoid but sometimes fail. Children’s skin is very delicate and needs a high factor screen even if staying in England, if however, there are a few red shoulders you could use Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia or Roman Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis, to soothe the redness and reduce the pain.   Lavender, is a natural analgesic and applied gently to the skin can be very soothing. Chamomile is a natural anti- inflammatory and can soothe the burn. Both of the essential oils must not be applied directly to the skin you must first dilute them in a cream or oil. Aloe Vera is a wonderful sunburn soother and is a great medium for adding essential oils. Take a good dollop of cream, Aloe Vera or a teaspoon of vegetable oil and add 1 drop of Roman Chamomile, or Lavender, to your chosen base, mix in your hand and apply to the sore area. This can be repeated twice a day.

Heat Rash – again in the same way that Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, and Roman Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis, can assist with sunburn they can also be used for heat rash or prickly heat. Run a tepid bath and add 1 drop of each to a small amount of base oil, no more than a tea spoon, and add to the bath water just before getting in. Make sure that you give the bath a good stir before getting in and supervise children.

Stings or Bites-  annoying and itchy and fairly common in the summer. Again essential oils can bring relief to the itch. If the skin is broken it’s important to wash the area but again Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, could bring relief. It is a natural antiseptic and an analgesic. 1 drop applied neat to the area will bring about some respite from the itch and or redness.  

Tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, is also a good essential oil to pack in your first aid bag It can be used on stings and bites in the same way as Lavender. It is also a good antiseptic and you may want to add 1 drop to a cloth to wipe over surfaces in hotel rooms and bathrooms or even over a table top.

Upset Tummy – unfortunately again a rather common ailment when travelling.  A soothing tummy massage can work wonders for a number of symptoms from diarrhoea to constipation to trapped wind or bloating.  By adding Essential Oils you can enhance the effect of the massage. Add 1 drop of either Roman Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis, or Mandarin, Citrus reticulata, to 5ml/teaspoon of vegetable oil, warm up in your hands and massage in a circle around the navel in a clockwise direction.   This can be applied twice a day.

 

I am hoping that you won’t need any of the above but being prepared is just as important. So by adding just 4 Essential Oils to your usual first aid travel kit you can be ready for anything!

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact Jo at jo@fromtheseed.co.uk.  from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond,  for more info visit www.fromtheseed.co.uk

AROMATHERAPY PRE HOLIDAY TIPS

Hurrah its summer and you are hopefully looking forward to your long awaited and well deserved getaway!

However travelling with children is very different from when you went away with friends or partner BC (Before Children)! How much stuff do you need to take? If you are travelling with babies it may seem that you are taking the entire contents of your house!

However help is on hand with some essential oils and a few remedies that may get you all off to a great start, and in a few weeks I will be posting a blog on what oils to add to your first aid kit for those little holiday ailments! Start the holiday relaxed and even feel calm before you set off. I know that the packing and leaving is quite stressful so read on for a few tips!

The night before

You- have a soak in the bath with 2 drops of Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, and 2 drops of Geranium, Pelargonium graveolens , added to 5 ml of base oil or a small cup of full fat milk. The oils will help disperse the oils evenly and the full fat milk will make you feel like Cleopatra! It does need to be full fat as that fat content also helps to distribute the Essential oil. Add your blend just before getting in and sit back and relax for 15 min minimum.

Lavender is a sedative and relaxant and Geranium is a hormone balancer and emotional regulator. Sounds perfect to help you sleep before you big getaway

Kids – Make up a blend to also help them sleep, curb that excitement and they will also wake raring to go.

Again using Lavender, but this time add Roman Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis to your base oil make up a blend following the instructions below.

Babies up to age one you will need 40ml of base oil and just one drop of each oil.

For toddlers age 1-2 you will need 20 ml of base oil and one drop of each oil

For kids 2-12 you can add 1 drop of Essential Oil for every 5ml of base oil

Then at bed time spend a few moments massaging your child over their tummy or back whatever feels good to them and talking about the holiday. Be guided by them, even a few minutes doing this will aid their sleep and why not take the remaining blend with you to settle them once you get there in a new environment. If you are travelling abroad make sure you pack in your main luggage as there are still restrictions on taking liquids in your hand luggage! However, if you are planning a long haul flight transfer the blend into a 100ml see through bottle, available from chemists, and you could do some easy foot or hand massage on the flight again to soothe and calm your kids!

The Journey

Travel sickness is a huge worry to loads of families; I know my kids have both suffered from hot and long car journeys which can be made so much more bearable by the  simple use of Lemon, Citrus limonum, Essential Oil. The oil refreshes and revives and definitely quells motion sickness.

 

Add 2 drops to a cotton wool pad or ball and place in the car 20 min before leaving.  I usually place it on the dash board. You will then be travelling in a lightly scented car which can be replenished every 3-4 hours.

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact Jo at jo@fromtheseed.co.uk.  from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond,  for more info visit www.fromtheseed.co.uk

OXYTOCIN, BREAST FEEDING & MASSAGE

Oxytocin is the hormone released as you breastfeed and research shows that breastfeeding helps mothers bond with their babies. It is released into the blood during labour to promote lactation and floods the brain during a feed.

A recent study undertaken at Warwick University showed that during  breast feeding  the extra release of Oxytocin created a ‘positive feedback loop ‘; this is when the nerve cells detect the hormone so the hypothalamus produces more. (A little like how milk is produced a great supply and demand system.) The hypothalamus is an ancient part of our brain that controls body temperature, thirst, hunger, anger, levels of pleasure and tiredness.  All basic survival needs. When Oxytocin is released it make us feel nurtured, cared for and calm, lowering levels of cortisol which is responsible for our fight & flight response. It is sometimes called the ‘love hormone’ and we actually produce it even when not breastfeeding and men produce it to.

So what’s the connection with massage? Well when you receive a massage you and your therapist also produce Oxytocin. I teach adults and mums and babies how to do massage and I have been witness to a very common sight,  students watching a demonstration quite often yawn and sometimes struggle to concentrate as the teaching room becomes awash with Oxytocin. They almost feel as good as the demonstration body.

Scientists are looking at producing a synthetic Oxytocin to help with depression, some childhood behavioural disorders and shyness.

Well you know what?  Massage is much easier to do and something that everyone can learn, so why produce something synthetically when our body is totally capable of producing it naturally.  Studies show that children who have the ‘massage in schools programme’ concentrate much better, adults who have regular massage feel better able to cope with modern life stresses and patients with long term illness report a better quality of life when they receive regular massage.

 

So why not take note of this recent research and let something so natural as breastfeeding and the hormone that it produces keep us feeling good long after we have weaned our babies and spend a little time every few days massaging our children and loved ones to keep that bond and to enhance our well being.

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact Jo at jo@fromtheseed.co.uk.  from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond,  for more info visit www.fromthe seed.co.uk

REVIEW:TODDLER MASSAGE

After a phenomenal and very successful body massage from Jo I decided to book my daughter in for a session of toddler massage.

My daughter has some major sleep issues and I was advised that massage is a wonderful way to ease a child into a relaxed and fulfilling long sleep. Having spoken to Jo about my daughters sleep issues at my massage, Jo had blended a beautiful oil for use in our session.

We were provided with a crib sheet to use at home, We started the session with my daughter sitting on the massage couch with her dolly and Jo showed her on her dolly George what she would be doing to her, my daughter thoroughly enjoyed this part and kit really put her at ease, as did Jo with her friendly motherly nature. When it came time to massage my daughter she really put Jo and I through our paces as she is very head strong and will do what she wants.

She was not to keen on the height of the massage couch so we set up camp on the floor, my daughter seemed to really enjoy the arm and leg massage and doing three little piggy’s on her toes, she especially adored doing the sun and moon massage on her tummy, she has a herniated belly button and this really eased some of the aching it causes. My daughter felt so free with the massage and in Jo’s warm friendly environment she felt the need to strip off entirely.

When we left my daughter fell asleep in her buggy within minutes of walking and slept for a good two hours, I am using the gentle back stroking and to settle her down on manic nights we do the piggy’s on her toes and some gentle leg and arm massage. I am finding she is sleeping far better and more often than not she is now sleeping through the night, so we now have a very happy and harmonious household.

HOW AROMATHERAPY CAN SUPPORT A NEW MUM AND HER ABILITY TO BREAST FEED

Breast feeding is one of the most natural things to do. We are able to sustain our babies from the production of our milk and create a long lasting bond. So why is it sometimes so hard to achieve this natural process?

New baby’s and mums have to learn how to do it properly. The baby needs to latch on in the correct way and mum needs to be comfortable and prepared to give her baby a fulfilling feed. If the mum is tired or stressed in anyway her ability to lactate may be compromised. If she is already looking after a toddler or deprived of sleep then this will affect her ability to feed.

Research shows time and time again that breast feed babies are healthier and even show better brain development.

An article recently reported in The Observer 13.3.11 states that ‘As little as four weeks of breastfeeding for a new-born infant has a "positive and significant effect" on brain development’

So why in this enlightened country are only  35% of UK infants  exclusively breastfed at one week old, 21% at six weeks, 7% at four months and just 3% at six months. A lot of it is pressure from women being forced back to work and also people’s attitudes to women breast feeding in public. This is something that we really need to change and encourage women to breastfeed whenever possible.

Support is paramount for this to be achieved, an understanding partner; a health professional to assist the mum in her ability to feed and the mother’s overall wellbeing.

Aromatherapy massage can be extremely beneficial at this stage of a women’s life. The post natal period for a woman is sometimes a very tough transition. Women find themselves in a position where they are often isolated and alone in their new found role. Seeking out help and receiving regular massage could be extremely beneficial for the mum and therefore enhancing her ability to care for her new baby. Essential Oils have properties that can revive, sedate, enliven or uplift. Massage should be performed in a side lying position to assist with over all comfort and essential oils should be diluted at 1% blend for application.

Breast feeding can make a woman’s shoulders and upper back feel achy so focus to the head, neck and shoulders can be very beneficial to ease any discomfort.  Arms may feel tired from holding and carrying an infant and legs may feel heavy from lack of sleep.  Seeking out a professional aromatherapist in the early days of motherhood may assist a new mum to make the transition to parenthood, provide support and give her the strength and confidence to care and nurture her baby.

If you would like personal or professional advice on any of the above, you can contact Jo at jo@fromtheseed.co.uk  

for more info visit www.fromthe seed.co.uk

from the seed offers bespoke holistic care from conception to baby and beyond in fiveways, Brighton