Aromatherapy & The Immune System

It is no secret that the world
is a toxic place. Every day we are
exposed to innumerable diseasecausing
agents. The quality of the air
we breathe and the water we drink is
no doubt in decline. Our meat is full
of hormones and antibiotics & our
produce is sprayed with harmful
pesticides. Bacteria have become
resistant to even the strongest
antibiotics. Every year there’s a new flu
shot and millions of us head to the
doctor to get vaccinated. Many find
themselves sick anyway because the
shot only works against last year’s
“bug;” this year the bug has “mutated.”
In addition to all these factors,
prolonged periods of stress have
become the norm for many. Not only
do we have to deal with everyday
stressors (traffic jams, family problems
and demanding jobs) but we can now
add a bad economy, the threat of
terrorism and pending wars to that list.
In the mad rush to survive we forget
about taking care of the emotional side
of ourselves. In light of all these factors
it’s no wonder that disease takes hold.
The human body, with its
intricacies, beauty and mysteries shows
a remarkable ability to survive. Cells,
organs, proteins and hormones, each
one essential to our body’s proper
function, all work together in order to
keep us alive and healthy. At the core
of our ability to stay alive lies our
immune system, a system of
astonishing complexity. Researchers
discover something new about
immunity virtually everyday. However,
many questions remain unanswered.
Two concepts, nonetheless, seem to
have withstood centuries of research
on the human body: balance and
integration. In health, all of the body’s
systems and functions are in balance
and well integrated. No process in the
body occurs in isolation; complex
processes are dependent on seemingly
small ones, showing the body’s
extraordinary degree of integration.
When physical discomfort occurs the
body reacts in ways that will bring it
back to equilibrium, demonstrating its
innate desire for balance. However,
many factors can upset this
equilibrium. This lack of balance sets
off a chain of reactions that can cause
disease.
Thus, the question arises: Can
we help our bodies maintain or achieve
balance and integration? The answer
is a resounding: Yes! Disease does not
occur in a vacuum. There are
environmental, nutritional, emotional,
mental and genetic factors that play a
role in our health. Addressing disease
as a manifestation of a dysfunction of
the whole person, not just of our
physical health, is the key to a healthy
life. Alternative practices offer a
holistic view of health. Among these
is aromatherapy, an art and science
that seeks to enhance the body’s own
ability to heal and attain balance
through the use of essential oils.
Aromatherapy offers us a
multilayered approach to health that
addresses the body, mind and spirit.
What is the immune system?
Alternative Medicine, The
Definitive Guide states that “the
immune system is a complex network
of specialized organs, cells and
substances that acts as the body’s
primary defense against disease and a
wide variety of bacterial, viral, and
fungal infections, all of which we come
in contact with simply by breathing,
eating, and the acts of everyday living.
In addition, on a daily basis many cells
are damaged or killed due to trauma,
toxins, microbial attack, and other
processes in the body. The immune
system is responsible for removing such
cells, a task it can only perform if
healthy.”1
The immune system protects
us against the millions of viruses,
bacteria, parasites and fungi to which
we are exposed on a regular basis. In
addition to this, it protects us from our
own unhealthy cells (free radicals) by
disposing of them before they can
reproduce and become a problem.
So how does the immune
system accomplish this? How does it
defend us against all these enemies?
The processes involved in immunity
are so complex that researchers have
just begun to understand their
intricacies. They tell us, however, that
immunity begins at the cellular level.
The cells primarily responsible for
keeping us healthy are our white blood
cells. To understand these cells we
need to take a closer look at the
composition of blood.
Blood Composition
Often referred to as “the river
of life,” blood is the transportation
vehicle for substances responsible for
sustaining life and promoting
wellbeing. Blood carries oxygen from