Essential Oils

Specialties School

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Flare, ASN, BSN

4,431 Posts

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

i rather like when my office reeks of Sanitex and Lysol. I feel like i am really earning my pay then. When people come in and say "oh! it smells like a nurse's office in here!" i reply with "what should it smell like, a bakery? a gas station? a gym?"

kidzcare

3,393 Posts

Soooo sweat socks and Axe?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

trytounderstand

101 Posts

We only use them in Restorative Therapy but only with a Doctor's o.k. and it's not a high concentration so we don't get it wafting down the halls. But peppermint really does help with pain for some of our Residents.

The use of aromatherapy is really a science by itself and shouldn't be done by anyone without proper training because, yes, they can be dangerous.

I have and do use essential oils for myself not for anyone else. I have done a lot of research and I know what works for me and am very careful in their usage. Essential oils have been used as medicines for centuries. For instance lavender which does help with anxiety, migraines etc in some people can also interact with any medications a patient or anyone is taking. If you are already on anxiety medicine for example once the lavender has been absorbed by your body whether rubbed on, diffused in the air or left on surfaces from being diffused can increase the effect of the anxiety medication. For instance lavender has a calming effect, it also slows your heart rate, can also relax and make some people feel drowsy common sense would tell you if you are on anxiety medication, heart medication, benzodiazepines there is the chance that the effect could be greatly increased. That is just one of the examples. Rosemary can increase blood pressure so if you are diffusing or applying to someone who has high blood pressure they could be affected. Tea tree oil can cause seizures in people and pets.

While they have their place and can help improve your health and well being, care must be taken because as in all things what is good for one person may not be good for someone else and may actually be dangerous.

Also as far as air fresheners such as glade, scented candles etc some of those are actually chemical based and you have someone who has chemically induced asthma walk into a room and they will be effected immediately.

In doing my research I found this interesting article

List of Harmful Essential Oils | LIVESTRONG.COM

Tracy0924

10 Posts

The biggest problem I've seen is people ingesting the essential oils. You should never do that...they are NOT edible. Therapeutic grade, what does that even mean?

BeckyESRN

1,263 Posts

The biggest problem I've seen is people ingesting the essential oils. You should never do that...they are NOT edible. Therapeutic grade, what does that even mean?

I had a 5th grader a few years ago that used to sit in class licking the roller ball to his essential oils container. Mom said that the oils are all natural, so they can't be harmful...:banghead:

Cattz, ADN

1,068 Posts

Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..

I must have developed a reputation for how I feel about Essential Oils. I was walking out of Church yesterday and was within ear shot of a conversation between 2 ladies talking about them. One of the ladies looked at me, and said..."Oh, I was thinking about you as we were having this discussion!! (..with a little chuckle added.) I said (light heartedly right back to her) " I don't want to hear about them, they are an abomination :)" ...then, I did a little disclaimer. "BUT, I do think there is something to Peppermint for belly aches and opening up stuffy heads. BUT, that is why we have a peppermint disk to suck on!" I still rarely have them in my office, for student use, though. I don't like the choke hazard.

pedi_nurse

247 Posts

Specializes in CPN.
The biggest problem I've seen is people ingesting the essential oils. You should never do that...they are NOT edible. Therapeutic grade, what does that even mean?

Nothing. It's made up trademark.

I especially hate it when people suggest putting menthol containing oils on infants for congestion. It's like, sure it can help some, but it can also cause bronchospasms, leading to resp distress in those little airways.

Anyway, I'm in the "I agree oils can be helpful, but that makes them medicinal, and thus the neighborhood mom with no medical/aromatherapy training shouldn't be spouting off stuff they 'researched' on the internet" camp. In other words, no oils around students.

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN

2,066 Posts

Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
Therapeutic grade, what does that even mean?

If you use a multi-syllable word to describe something, it automatically becomes better and more effective. If you use a word associated with medicine, even more so.

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