Can A Person Haven an Allergic Reaction to an Essential Oil?
Our bodies do have “reactions” to essential oils. That is why we find them so desirable and benefit from using them. But some people are so toxic that the reaction is often too intense. This is known as a "healing crisis." In the case of anyone with "allergies", the true reason behind it is that the body is so toxic that any little thing causes it to dump through their skin, nasal passages or whatever. These “reactions” are actually a good sign that the body is attempting to get rid of junk. The problem is that people take stuff to "stop" the allergies. These things only stop the body's detoxification process.
Pure, high-grade essential oils can cause cells to dump toxins faster than a person’s body can eliminate them so they end up circulating in the blood and eventually lodge themselves again in cells. They may feel horrible because their body is having to deal with the toxins anew. I a case of this nature, you’d need to proceed slowly and work on speeding up the body’s eliminating processes by cleansing. It’s imperative to drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily, and very beneficial to add LYMPHATIC CLEANSE to this water to help facilitate moving the toxins out of the lymph system.
Mistaken Identity
Occasionally someone may react in an unpleasant manner to an essential oil, but such a reaction is never allergenic. Essential oil reactions are temporary, therapeutic and indicate the initiation of a cleansing, healing process.
Pure, therapeutic essential oils distilled from plants are free from allergens. With few exceptions (poison ivy), allergens are proteins or polypeptides, both of which are composed of amino acids. Essential oils contain no proteins, polypeptides or amino acids so, therefore contain no potential allergens. Interestingly, someone can be allergic to a particular plant, like goldenrod, but have no allergy to the essential oil distilled from that plant since the aromatic oil contains none of the plant proteins or amino acids that are the source of the allergenic reactions to the plant.
Allergies are malfunctions of the immune system, and almost all have to do with proteins and polypeptides, which the immune system labels as antigens (foreign or hostile invaders). In the case of allergies, most of the time the protein or polypeptide is actually harmless and should have never been identified as an enemy antigen. The immune system has made a mistake by labeling it as something to attack. An allergic reaction is when the antigen-antibody reaction is inappropriately intense. Allergens are not the cause of allergies—they are the triggers. The problem is with the immune system. Essential oil antibodies have never been found in anyone. Unless antibodies are produced and stored in the body, there can be no allergic reaction.
Therapeutic-grade essential oils are detoxifying to the body, which is a good thing. When detoxification takes place at a rate greater than can be eliminated through our kidney’s, colon and respiration, then allergy-like symptoms can occur.
Allergic vs. Detox Reactions
Allergic and detoxification reactions seem similar, but long-term they are very different.
Allergic reactions almost always worsen with repeated exposure. Given enough time and cleansing of the system, detox reactions to essential oils will cease, and the oils that caused the reaction will no longer do so.
When a detox reaction happens, stop using the oil for a time or reduce the quantity in order to slow down the release of toxins. Focus on cleansing procedures with lots of water, fiber and fresh foods to flush out the toxins. A cleansing fast is usually helpful. As you gradually use the oils again, the toxins will eventually be flushed out and you won’t have unpleasant reactions anymore. Detox reactions are temporary and beneficial. They are the beginning of healing in a body invaded by toxins that may have eventually resulted in a serious, chronic disease.
Some adverse reactions may be caused by an interaction of the essential oil with residues of synthetic, petroleum-based personal care products that have leached into the skin. Avoid personal care products containing ammonium or hydrocarbon-based chemicals. Other compounds that present concerns are sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol (common in everything from toothpaste to shampoo), and aluminum salts found in many deodorants.
Of particular concern are the potentially-hazardous preservatives and synthetic fragrances that abound in virtually all modern personal-care products. Some of these include methylene chloride, methyl isobutyl ketone, and methyl ethyl ketone. These are not only toxic, but they can also react with some compounds in natural essential oils. The result can be a severe case of dermatitis or even septicemia (blood poisoning).
The Importance of PH in Health
People with acidic body conditions (low PH) are more prone to unpleasant detox reactions, such as skin rashes, than those with a more alkaline (healthy) body chemistry. Acids attack oils and destroy them, which means an acidic system does not respond to essential oils as well as a healthy, alkaline system. Acidic people may respond negatively to the scent of essential oils saying, “That stinks,” or “I can’t take that smell,” or “That essential oil gives me a headache.” This reaction is not because the oils themselves are unpleasant. What is unpleasant is that the oils have stirred up toxins which need to be eliminated. It is the toxins that cause the unpleasantness. When a person’s acidity and toxicity levels are reduced, they will find that they actually like and enjoy the very fragrance they formerly could not tolerate.
Those that soak up essential oils like sponges are alkaline people whose bodies readily accept and utilize them.
Incorporating essential oils into one’s daily life will increase the alkalinity of the body. The aggressive part of an acid are the free hydrogen ions H+ that cause bodily damage whenever they circulate. When a therapeutic-grade essential oil enters the body, its molecules “sacrifice” themselves to the acid, engulfing and neutralizing the H+ ions, which allows the PH level to be raised to a healthier, alkaline state.
Acidity creates an environment where we become vulnerable to disease and runaway yeast and fungus overgrowth, which produces mycotoxins as a poisonous by-product. By balancing the body’s pH and creating a more alkaline environment, you can rein in the microbial overgrowth and choke off the production of disease-producing mycotoxins.
Even though essential oils are neither alkaline nor acid in and of themselves, their effects upon a person is to alkalize their bodies and move them toward a higher state of health.
Testimonies
1. I used to hate to go into a gift shop that sold candles because it would ultimately cause me to go into a sneezing attack and I would feel awful. What I’ve learned is that that was not an allergic reaction to a true essential oil aroma, that was an allergic reaction to petrochemicals manipulated to smell like true essential oils like Lavender. When someone has a negative reaction to fake lavender, their body was crying "Uncle! I can't take anymore." It was so filled with junk that the addition of new junk caused it to spill over.
You cannot have an allergic reaction to a true therapeutic-grade essential oil.
2. When I first started using essential oils, I had one older child that said he’d get a headache every time he smelled them. I explained how it is impossible to be allergic to a true, pure essential oil and encouraged him that he was just very toxic and needed to try to smell a little every day until they didn’t bother him anymore. It took a while, but now this child will actually ask me for an oil when he has a headache!
3. In the late 70s I became very sensitive to chemicals and allergens. Over a period of a several years, I became unable to use any scented commercial products plus I was experiencing major problems with food allergies, digestion, and awful fatigue.
Due to an almost universal reactivity to chemicals in the environment, I couldn't even focus, and I was in so much fear as to how I would manage to continue living on the planet. A good friend of mine kept suggesting that I try using essential oils, but it was impossible for me to trust that I would be able to handle essential oils or trust that they were indeed pure. Those of you who have had serious bouts with chemical sensitivities will understand. I moved many time due to environmentally toxic living spaces, was fired from several jobs and forced to quit several others due to chemicals. I was a mess and my situation was awful.
I wish I could tell every chemically sensitive person to try these oils now. I wish I didn’t wait so long; they do work. They help clear the brain fog (POTENTIAL), clean up the intestines (DIGESTION SUPPORT), decongest the liver (LIVER/GALBLADDER) protect (PEPPERMINT and VETIVER, which is awesome for this), improve sleep (PEACEFUL) and over time generally lesson one’s sensitivity to chemicals. I still avoid chemicals like the plague, but everyone who is health conscious should do this, but I can tolerate a certain level of toxicity that I ever have before thanks to these wonderful oils. They are truly amazing.
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