You dont?

Are you sure?

I wouldnt be so sure if I were you.

Unless you have had a recent type-specific blood test to test for the presence of herpes simplex antibodies you cannot say with any certainty that you dont have herpes.

You think that only 20 of the population has herpes?

Think again.

You may have heard that one out of every five people has herpes, but that number is untrue and a distortion of the facts. The truth is that at least 60 of the adult population has herpes.

Some people for reasons known only to them decided to exclude people who get herpes above the waist- people who get so-called cold sores on their mouths and faces, from the herpes statistics commonly reported in the media, then reporting only the percentage of people who get herpes below the waist- so-called genital herpes. This makes no sense at all since the scientific literature doesnt classify herpes simplex 1 cold sores as a different disease as herpes simplex 2 genital herpes- but rather as two different types of the same disease which are almost identical genetically, and since many of the new cases of herpes of the genital area are actually caused by people getting herpes simplex 1 on their genitals from oral sex. There really is no such thing as cold sores it is simplex herpes simplex 1 of the mouth or face. And those who have it need not be in denial pretending that its anything other than herpes simplex. The truth is that you can get herpes simplex 1 on almost any part of your body including your nose, your elbows, your fingers, your stomach, your genitals, your anus, etc. The truth is that herpes simplex is herpes simplex and it is only misleading to not include the people with herpes simplex 1 in herpes statistics.

Somewhere between 20 and 25 of the population get their herpes sores below the waist and somewhere between 50 and 80 of the population gets their herpes sores above the waist. If you factor in the number of people who have both herpes 1 and 2 at the same time, you are left understanding that at least 60 of the population has herpes simplex. Which rings true when you consider that 70 of the adult population has HPV genital warts or cervical dysplasia and that 80 of the adult population has had chlamydia at least once.

This is the reality of our times. There is almost no adult who has had more than six sex partners who hasnt caught a sexually transmitted infection. Including yourself. Including myself.

You say youve been tested before for sexually transmitted diseases and are clean?

I wouldnt be so sure. Herpes and HPV are almost never included in routine testing for sexually transmitted infections. Some doctors have the attitude of Almost everyone tests positive for herpes so why bother testing. Unless you have specifically asked for a type-specific blood test for herpes such as the Western Blot test you have probably never had an accurate herpes test. Swabbing for the presence of herpes can and often does render false negative tests. I know that from personal experience. The doctors told me twice that I didnt have herpes before accurately testing me positive for herpes although I had already had a very obvious primary outbreak.

I strongly encourage you to get a type-specific blood test for herpes if you believe that you dont have herpes or are unsure of your herpes status. If you test negative for herpes it will allow you to make some decisions regarding safer sexuality to help keep you herpes free for the rest of your sexual history. If you test positive for herpes it will allow you to decide to treat your herpes and make safer sex choices to help you to not infect others and make this epidemic worse. Not only is it the ethical thing to do it is also the sane thing to do since herpes makes you more vulnerable to HIV and HPV and may have some possible links to certain types of cancer and alzheimers. If you dont know you wont get treatment. Knowledge is empowering. Denial is irresponsible.

You say you are sure you dont have herpes because you havent had an outbreak?

Most people with herpes, maybe up to 70 dont get noticeable outbreaks. You may be having sub-clinical subtle outbreaks or may be shedding virus asymptomatically without symptoms. You could be infecting others with herpes without knowing it.

Dont be afraid of getting a herpes test. Herpes can be effectively treated by a combination of diet, stress reduction and herbal medicine or by drug therapy. There is no cure but it possible to go years between outbreaks.

I still believe that most people when given a choice prefer to the do the right thing. Getting tested for herpes is the right thing.

A great resource for learning about herpes is the international herpes resource center

Christopher Scipio

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2. Herpes Simplex – Are You Getting The Virus?
3. Healing Herpes With Self-Love

If so, they would be overlooking an asset that came into their possession the day they were born. It’s an asset that many of us under appreciate in our callow youth but can see how it pays great dividends as we grow older. The asset I’m talking about is our health. Many people, however, must not think very highly of this strategic asset in their personal portfolio. Why else would they treat their health so shabbily by making poor lifestyle choices such as overeating and under exercising? We’ve all heard about how unhealthy we are as a culture-with obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease at all time highs. Newsmagazines and “2020″-type shows report that we’ve become a fat, sick, and tired people. Is that any way to go through life?

I don’t believe so. Ten years ago, while I was a college student, I learned that if you don’t have your health, you ain’t got nothing. My body was ravaged by several diseases leaving me a bed-ridden 104-pound stick figure who nearly died. Slowly, but surely, I made a comeback by following seven keys that unlocked my health potential Add Blind Link including, eating to live, taking effective whole food nutritional supplements, practicing advanced hygiene, making exercise a priority, reducing toxins in my environment, avoiding deadly emotions and living a life of purpose. Since then, I’ve been inspired to share my message with others through the health and wellness company I founded, Garden of Life which has been named the 14th fasting growing private company in Americal by Inc Magazine, the public speaking I do, the release of several books, including my latest

The Great Physician’s Rx for Health & Wellness.

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As more people suffer with obesity and loss of energy, the concern becomes greater to lose weight. In desperation, people try every new diet that comes out. Some of these are not good for your health and can cause severe problems with continued use.

Another popular method of weight loss is taking diet pills. Sometimes a doctor will give you an appetite suppressant, but these are only meant for temporary use. Many take over-the-counter pills, but these are really only supplements and may not deliver the desired results.

Try a Natural Approach to Weight Loss

If you are dissatisfied with your body and the diets you have tried, why not try a more natural approach? You may not see instant results, but in the long run the results will be more satisfactory. You will have a better level of health and wellness, and a higher level of energy.

With all the additives, preservatives and chemicals in our food and body hygiene products, our bodies are in need of detoxing. Using a cleansing system, usually made up of herbal products, will help remove the toxins built up in your organs and fatty tissues.

Other harmful products that affect our health are cigarettes and tobacco products, sodas, coffee, environmental pollutants and prescription drugs. By detoxing the body you will eliminate these wastes and help the body function in a healthier way. This will give you more energy, better colon health, clearer skin, and help with your weight loss efforts.

Eat Healthy Foods

A good diet of healthy foods is another area that is important. Eliminate harmful foods such as white flour and sugar and refined foods. Eat meat moderately and concentrate on fresh vegetables and fruit. Instead of skipping meals and eating one big meal a day, eat five to six small meals during the day. This is easier for your body to absorb and can be used more efficiently.

It is important to keep your metabolism functioning to lose weight. Exercise is important for everyone, but not everyone wants to run for an hour, or has access to a swimming pool. Find something you like to do. If you don’t like to exercise alone, join a gym and have a variety of activities to choose from. If you have a good place to walk, take a brisk walk several times a week. You may not see instant results, but you will be burning extra calories and begin to tone up.

Healthy Weight Loss

By eating less calories and eating healthier foods, you will keep your metabolism from slowing down. You can still eat enough to get full without eating fatty or sugar-laden foods. All natural and organic foods will satisfy your appetite and help you burn more calories. Taking vitamins and minerals will help avoid any deficiencies.

As you seek weight loss and natural healing, make some changes in your life. Strive to eat healthy and get more exercise. These are the keys to feeling better and living a longer and more satisfying life.

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Dietary supplements can be divided into two main types; nutritional, vitamins and minerals and amino acids and botanical herbal types.

But is it really necessary for someone who is young and healthy to take dietary supplements? You may consider that your diet is healthy enough, but vegetables and dairy food can only be as good as the soil in which they are grown and many farmers will agree that their soil is worn out. Why else do they have to add chemical fertilizers at ever increasing rates? If the soil were farmed organically, instead of with an eye to profit all the time, it would be in much better health and so would we.

Another point to consider is the freshness or otherwise of the products we buy. Most vegetables are at least a week old by the time they get to our homes. Although many are kept in cool storage, this length of time causes the nutritional value to greatly decrease. Fruit is often picked before ripe and put into cold storage for weeks or months, then when it is needed, hit with a gas to make it ripen quickly. This gas is supposed to be safe in small amounts, but it is carcinogenic.

Some dietary supplement exponents declare lack of magnesium to be a major cause of high blood pressure. People who have found the usual blood pressure medications to cause more discomfort than they cure tried out magnesium supplements and in some cases were able to stop using their prescription medication entirely within two months. Of course, you should never do this without consulting your health care professional.

There are some people who claim that dietary supplements do nothing but give us expensive urine. That may be true if you have a super healthy diet and are therefore less likely to be lacking in vitamins, but health-care professionals are increasingly advising extra supplements for those under stress such as illness, pregnancy, or periods of sudden growth spurts.

If your tongue is inflamed and you suffer from loss of appetite, shortness of breath, are irritable, forgetful and mentally sluggish, you may have a folic acid deficiency. Folic acid is one of the B group of vitamins and most animal and plant foods are poor sources of it. The exception is liver which most people dont eat a lot of these days. Some habits and diseases like celiac disease, alcoholism and irritable bowel syndrome, also play a major part in causing a deficiency of this vitamin, so if you suffer from any of these problems, ask your doctor if you need a supplement.

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Most everyone experiences some minor episodes of insomnia lasting from one night to intermittent episodes of sleeplessness for a few weeks. This form, called transient insomnia, is not unexpected and almost everyone will face it at some point in their lives. For instance, a particularly stressful week at work might leave someone unable to sleep for a few nights. But, once the week is over, they can get back to sleeping normally.

Some people may also experience acute insomnia, which is a form of short-term insomnia that can strike at some points in peoples lives. For instance, if someone is suffering through a job loss or a difficult divorce, they may experience a persistent inability to get good sleep for anywhere from three weeks to six months. Notice that, in the case of acute insomnia, this is not a nightly occurrence and the sufferer is still able to get good sleep on some nights.

The most severe form of insomnia is chronic insomnia, which occurs almost nightly for a month or longer. This form of insomnia often seems to arise from seemingly nowhere and leaves the sufferer almost no reprieve. Oftentimes, this can leave the person fatigued, but not actually tired enough to fall asleep. This situation can lead to depression, anxiety, an inability to concentrate, and a feeling of just being in a fog all the time. Obviously, this is a bad state for a person to live in and they need to find relief.

While the temporary forms of insomnia can be relieved by relieving the temporary causes of insomnia, this is not a solution for people who suffer from chronic insomnia. Thus, people with chronic insomnia need to find solutions that address insomnia specifically.

Many people turn to sleeping pills in these situations, but these are problematic in some ways. Sleeping pills can be addictive even in their most benign forms and, oftentimes, people will become permanently reliant upon sleeping pill to get their nightly rest.

Other people seek herbal treatments, such as valerian, chamomile or lavender, for relief from insomnia. Many of these herbal remedies are fairly benign, but they can still leave people reliant on them to fall asleep at night.

More traditional remedies for insomnia include exercising in the afternoon, drinking warm milk before bed, avoiding anything mentally stimulating in the evening, and just going to bed early at night and waking up early in the morning. Obviously, it is preferable to start with traditional remedies such as this and move toward herbal remedies or sleeping pills if these do not help.

While insomnia is frustrating for people who suffer from it, it is treatable. There are many remedies out there and people should not be afraid to try them. In most cases, people can simply wait out the circumstances that are causing their insomnia and they will be fine. However, if insomnia is an almost nightly occurrence for a month or more, it is time to talk to a doctor and see what remedies might be suitable.

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The church still has its influence on me. I feel it and walk it everyday and I am happy for it. I learned about love in the church. Not the love you see on TV and in the movies- a bigger love, a deeper love. Thats the one sermon from our Jamaican female pastor that I remember the most. When I was 13 she spoke about love. Jesus was all about love, he was love, he is love.

Bryan Ferry from Roxy music sings Love is the drug that I need to score. I disagree, I dont believe that love is a drug- an intoxicant. That sounds more like infatuation to me. I believe that love is a medicine. The Medicine. For those of us in the sixty percent or more of the population with the herpes simplex virus Love is the most powerful healing tool.

Sarah Mclachlan who went to my alma mater-The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, sings Your love is better than ice cream, better than anything Ive ever had. I would sing instead that My love is better than valtrex, better than famvir or anything Ive ever had.

Don Miguel Ruiz writes that healing requires the truth, forgiveness and self-love. With these three points the whole world will heal. I will write about all three in this brief piece.

First the truth. Sixty percent or more of the population has herpes. Its not the 20 or 25 figure thrown out by many who wish to downplay the true impact of the herpes pandemic. In a way its a cynical attempt to divide the herpes nation between those who get sores on their mouth and face from those who get sores on their genitals. It provides a flimsy excuse for people with cold sores to pretend its not herpes, to not get treatment and not to try and prevent others from being infected. Herpes is herpes- its one of the few things scientists and us in the holistic healing community agree on. Figures very widely but it cannot be disputed that between 50 and 80 of the population has herpes simplex 1 and between 20 and 25 of the population has herpes simplex 2, so if you factor in the number of people who have both types, the minimum number of people who have herpes simplex has to be at least 60 and is likely more. This is important because the message needs to get out to people with herpes that they are not part of some marginalized minority. If you have herpes you are part of a herpes nation that is a majority of the population. It is common and normal to have herpes. It is becoming uncommon not to have herpes. It is long past time for people with herpes to come out of the closet and speak up about herpes to help educate the people who dont have herpes and to put a human face on this disease. The stigma only exists because of the shame people with herpes have agreed to carry. There is no need for this, no reason for this. Shame is not a product of love.

It makes no sense to me to be ashamed of getting a virus from an act of lovemaking or kissing rather than getting a disease from self-abuse or catching an air-borne virus from riding on a subway train. Some people do not love sex and therefore wish to denigrate anything that has to do with sex especially sexually transmitted infections. I learned a long time ago in church that true love is accepting and forgiving and inclusive. People with herpes are not lepers and need not allow themselves to be treated like lepers.

The truth is also that there is no cure for herpes and one isnt likely in our lifetime. So herpes is a lifelong viral infection. The truth is that most people who have herpes dont know it because they have never had a type-specific blood test for herpes either out of fear or lack of awareness. Herpes tests are not normally part of a STI screening panel, so unless you demand one you may never get one The truth is that people with herpes can be contagious even when there are no warning signs of the virus being active so safer sex is something that ought to be considered. The truth is that a person with herpes who does not make peace with the emotional and mental consequences of having herpes will not be able to manage their herpes as effectively as someone who does regardless of how much valtrex or famvir they take.

Forgiveness. Some people with herpes are still angry and resentful with the person who infected them. I can understand this because I hear so many stories. So many people are infected by people who didnt warn them of their herpes status. Many people are infected by unfaithful partners. Some have been raped.

Its natural to be angry and bitter when given a life-sentence like herpes. It took me a long time to let go of my negative feelings about my own infection. Everyone is living their own distinct experience with herpes. But I say most sincerely that sooner or later and I hope that its sooner, there must come a time to forgive and let go if you want to be healthy with herpes. Hanging on to the negative feelings not only damages you physically and otherwise often causing more outbreaks, but it binds you to the past, which you will never free yourself from until you forgive.

Forgive the person who gave you herpes if you can. And if you cannot, keep trying until you can. But more importantly forgive yourself. I treat so many people in my holistic herpes clinic who are continually punishing themselves for having herpes. They are angry at themselves thinking that they could have been smarter-full of regret and self recriminations. This is not love. Love forgives, love understands.

Be good to yourself, be gentle and loving and patient as if you were your own child. Forgive yourself and reclaim your self-esteem and self-love.

Do you love yourself? Do you really? If you have herpes and love yourself how would you act? Would you be ashamed of your herpes? Would you stop dating and deny yourself love and sex just because you have herpes? Would you be sitting in a vortex of anger and resentment towards the virus? Or would you life be all about love and peace and balance?

If you loved yourself- how would you eat? Would you smoke cigarettes and take recreational drugs, would you drink coffee knowing that its a trigger for your herpes and bad for your health all the way around?

If you loved yourself and loved others would you practice safer sex with a condom andor anti-viral gel to help protect your loved ones from your herpes, would you practice safer sex to protect yourself from other sexually transmitted infections? Would you perhaps be motivated to speak out and try to educate others on how to deal with herpes if they have it or how to protect themselves from herpes if they dont, especially the young people who are just starting to explore their sexuality? If you loved yourself would you be afraid to warn your sex partners about your herpes status? The bible says that true love casteth out all fear.

You were born with the right to be happy and to enjoy your life and your health to the fullest, having herpes changes none of this.

Christopher Scipio
HomeopathHerbalist
Holistic Herpes Treatment Specialist

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2. Why Everyone Needs A Blood Test For Herpes
3. Herpes- Genital Herpes Tretament

As Dr. Nicholas Perricone, M.D., states in his 2001 book, The Wrinkle Cure When it comes to aging, its not Father Time thats public enemy number 1. Its the very busy, very nasty little molecule called the free radical.

The Free Radical Theory of Aging was published by Denman Harman in 1956. He theorized that aging is a result of free radical damage of the cells of the body. This is also called oxidative stress.

Today, a great deal of experimental evidence supports the premise that length of life is determined by the crucial balance of antioxidants with free radicals in the body. Oxidative stress is being shown to be at the root of disease and aging.

One example is that the life of the fruit fly was up to 30 longer when it was genetically altered with an addition of enzymatic antioxidants. Not only that, but the altered fruit flies also showed a reduced amount of age-related oxidative damage.

Studies of humans have also shown evidence of free radical damage playing a large part in human aging. One 1996 study compared markers of free radical damage in the blood and found evidence of the highest oxidative damage associated with the disabled elderly, an intermediate amount with the healthy elderly, and the lowest levels with the healthy adults.

The study also found that higher blood levels of antioxidant Vitamins C and E were associated with less disability, and signs of free radical damage were associated with more disability.

We need to rethink our concept of aging. We accept disease, disability, senility, wrinkles, and all the other many signs of aging as natural. Instead, we should view this as unsuccessful aging ie., aging associated with deterioration, disease and disability.

Successful aging is what happens when the human body is able to fight off oxidative stress, and continue to regenerate and repair itself. Successful aging is getting older healthily, without significant pathological conditions.

What the evidence is telling us is that it is crucial we take antioxidants and free radicals very seriously if we want to age gracefully and avoid the many pitfalls of unsuccessful aging.

Even young people can be victims of unsuccessful aging, if they are not providing their bodies with the necessary balance of having have enough dietary antioxidants to fight off the free radicals.

In our modern culture, many of us are guilty of not getting adequate nutrition. Its ironic, when we are the richest we have ever been that we should be feeding our bodies so poorly.

An interesting example of how a person can seriously damage their body with the wrong diet was seen in the Documentary Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock who ate only McDonalds for a month. In just 30 days of having a junk food diet as his sole source of nutrition, his health was spiraling downwards and out of control.

The fact that he gained 25 pounds in a month was the least of his worries. He experienced a toxic liver, a significant increase in cholesterol, headaches, depression, a lower sex drive and poor skin. He returned to normal after his experiment ended.

Unfortunately a great many of us continue to do damage to our bodies, by smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, eating junk food, and not eating our vegetables. When the media began warning us of free radicals, many of us did not understand the massive damage we were causing our bodies or how to prevent it, especially as most of the signs of damage are invisible until it is too late.

Free radical damage is accumulative and spreads like wildfire over time. Do your body a favor. Feed it a diet rich in antioxidant nutrition. Make it a habit, eat your fruits and vegetables, take your vitamins, and try to stop or cut down on damaging bad habits. You will thank yourself in 20 years.

Use antioxidants wisely to age successfully. Maybe like the fruit fly, you too can live 30 longer.

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With the new year upon us, everyone I know is looking for a fun and easy way to get fit. Here’s a solution I’ve developed that doesnt involve costly equipment or a ton of time.

Before you commit, first ask yourself Would you like to

Lose weight?
Improve endurance?
Tone muscles?
Enjoy long range health?

Did you know that you can reap these benefits and more just by walking? You can! But, what most people dont know In effort to achieve a certain result quickly, it pays to use a specific program or a combination of them.

After you’ve make the commitment to a walking program, next youll need to establish your goals. Ask yourself Whats my main fitness priority? Then you’ll need only match up your goal to one of these five programs. Choose from weight loss, cardio conditioning, muscle toning, long term health or a combination of all of these.

Heres a thumbnail sketch of each simple program

Weight Loss

Benefits Flatten tummy, shrink hips, tighten thighs, reduces excessive fat.

Type of walk Moderate; 45-60 minutes, daily.

Calories expended 2,000-2,500 per week.

Cardio Conditioning

Benefits Strengthens heart, improves aerobic endurance, helps you perform better during other aerobic activities and helps you recover more quickly from physical exertion.

Type of walk High intensity, brisk pace; 20-30 minutes 3-4 days per week.

Calories expended 800-1,000 calories per week.

Muscle Toning

Benefits Improve muscle strength, endurance, body firmness and increase metabolism.

Type of walk Moderate, with resistance; 20-70 minutes 2-3 days per week.

Calories expended 500-3,000 calories per week.

Notes Use hand weights-light hand or wrist weights and swing them in a controlled manner. When doing so, flex your arm muscles, keeping them as close as possible to your upper body.

Long Term Health

Benefits Done consistently, this walk will increase energy, reduce stress and fatigue, improve risk of heart disease, improve mood, improve self-esteem and ad years to your life.

Type of Walk Consistent walks; 30 minutes, daily.

Calories expended 2,000 per week.

Have It All! Mix And Match

Type of walk Choose one program each day, 4 times per week or check out some of the great walking videos here

My Moms story When I was a teen-ager my mother and I used to exercise together. After some years, however, my Moms priorities changed and she found herself about 30 pounds overweight. Once she made the commitment to make a change, she used the combination of a daily walk and a sensible diet. The result? She lost one pound per week for 30 weeks and is back to her thin self once again!

A couple things before you begin. Most importantly, before you begin any fitness program, check with your doctor. Also, to make your walking workout a positive experience by investing in proper footwear. You will want to have flexible sneakers, walking shoes or what I usually recommend cross-trainers. They are available at all sporting goods stores make the investment, youll be glad you did!

And speaking of proper form, most people also do not realize that there is a way to walk for the greatest benefit. Its easy! First, strike the ground with your heel, rolling your foot to your toe. Then, push off with your toe. Repeat this with your opposite foot.

That’s all there is to it! With a little effort and your new flexible shoes “made for walkin’” you are well on your way to reaching your healthy goals for the new year!

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While some of the most highly regarded therapeutic grade oils may seem expensive at first, they are effective in such small concentrations as to really make them worthwhile. And their efficacy is well-known; that’s why so many laboratory-made preparations use components of essential oils in their formulas. With a one or two ounce bottle to mix in, and an eye dropper, you can easily mix your own blend with the aroma and actions you desire most.

There are a few essential oils most often used in skin care recipes you can pick and choose from among these depending on your desired results. Other essential oils may be added to enhance the aroma of your blend; many oils used to do so are also are know to relieve tension or bring about a healthy state of mind and most natural clinicians will tell you that beauty starts from the inside-out. So make something you love the smell of that also helps your skin glow!

These few primary skin care oils include the following Helichrysum italicum the oil of this flower is one of the most highly regarded in aromatherapy for it’s great versatility. It has a pleasant aroma, it contains rare ‘di-ketones’ which stimulate the skin’s natural metabolism, and is a powerful anti-inflammatory all tissue damage and aging is associated with inflammation on a cellular level. Lavender oil ‘true’ or ‘French’ Lavender is the most used oil in aromatherapy today because of it’s great multitude of effects. Like Helichrysum, it contains regenerative ketones; it reduces inflammation; it speeds wound healing; AND it has an aroma very well known for its relaxing effects easing tension while healing your skin could you ask for more? Next up is Rosemary of the ‘verbenone’ type. It also contains ketones that the cineol type does not and is known as a circulatory and metabolism stimulant, increasing the flow of nutrients in, and waste products out, of your skin cells. Palmarosa essential oil is included in many blends for it’s gentle cleansing and antiseptic properties. And last but not least, Carrot Seed oil is the premier oil for regenerating tired, lifeless skin often a result from too much stress or high levels of pollutant exposure.

There are several other oils with positive effects on the skin some will be mentioned in the blends below, these just happen to be the most often used. With research, you can find essential oils that will address particular skin conditions that are not covered here. Further, there are in fact hundreds of essential oils available, each with it’s own unique composition and aroma. Adding a little to your blends simply for their fragrance influence is highly recommended. A few drops of precious oils like Jasmine, Neroli, Sandalwood or Rose can create that aromatic combination you simply love, and will want to wear all the time.

The essential oils are almost never applied to the skin undiluted Lavender is a rare exception. Instead, they are added to what are known as ‘carrier’ or ‘base’ oils. Diluting the essential oil in carrier not only stretches your dollar, but the oils actually are more effective this way! Research has shown that most essential oils have the most dramatic therapeutic effects at concentrations of less than 5 of the total blend. And the carriers have their own positive effects; besides helping your skin absorb the essential oils, they provide nutrients such as essential fatty acids, and vitamin compounds which enhance the skin’s health.

Some of the more commonly used carrier oils in skin care are as follows First is Hazelnut oil pressed from, obviously, Hazelnuts. This is considered the most gentle of the carrier oils, suitable for all skin types. It often serves as the primary base oil in blends, making up a majority of the mixture. Next is Rosehip seed oil, pressed from Rosehip seeds grown in the mountains of South America. This well researched oil not only has a wealth of essential fatty acids, but contains trans-retinoic acid, a compound similar to the active ingredient of Retin-A a well known wrinkle cream, but without the drying side effects. Lastly we’ll mention Evening Primrose oil, often included in blends for aging skin and for eczema it has one of the highest known concentrations of gamma-linolenic acid GLA, an essential fatty acid which may be crucial to optimal health.

So there are the primary ingredients, and the reasons behind them. With these, and a few of your own personal touches, you can create a great variety of blends. To go ahead and start mixing, acquire a one or two ounce dark glass bottle to mix in, an eye dropper and a small funnel you don’t NEED this, it just makes the whole process a lot less messy. For the first recipe, we’ll start with a blend that’s for daily use for all skin types. It’s created to give the skin health and vitality, while keeping it clean and beautiful Pour one ounce of Hazelnut oil into your mixing bottle double all the ingredients if you’d like to make two ounces. Add fifteen drops about 23rds of a milliliter Thyme essential oil of the Linalool chemotype be sure to get this kind, as other types of Thyme are to strong to use on the skin. The add fifteen drops each of Rosemary verbenone, Neroli or a high-quality Petitgrain distilled from the same plant as Neroli with a lower cost, Spike Lavender almost a cross between true lavender and sage excellent for it’s antiseptic properties. While originally created as an acne-clearing blend, it did so well for so many folks it is now used as a basis for healthy ‘normal’ skin as well.

For overly sensitive and damaged skin from chemicals or other means and for skin with weak capillaries showing spider veins may be a symptom, start with a 511 ratio of Hazelnut, Rosehip Seed and Evening Primrose oils 35 ounce Hazelnut, and 15th each of the other oils. Add fifteen drops each of German Chamomile, Helichrysum italicum, true Lavender, and Roman Chamomile. This blend will enhance the regenerative capability of the skin through the action of the Helichrysum and Rosehip seed, provides nutrients through in the Rosehip seed and Evening Primrose, and reduces the inflammation which accompanies any type of damage and aging.

For clearing excessively oily and acne-prone skin, to one oz. of Hazelnut oil, add fifteen drops each of Myrtle essential oil use the green, rather than red, variety, Eucalyptus Dives, Spike Lavender, and Rosemary verbenone. The Myrtle is special in that it dissolves the sebum clogging skin pores, and the Eucalyptus calms the output of the sebaceous oil-producing glands.

If your skin has no particular ‘condition’, but appears tired, lifeless, pallid, or ‘worn out’, try mixing one-fifth ounce of Rosehip Seed and four-fifths ounce Hazelnut oil. Then add 15 drops each of Carrot Seed essential oil also known as Queen Anne’s Lace or Wild Carrot, Lemon verbena which helps the skin detoxify, Niaouli gently tightening the skin, and Rosemary verbenone this creates an excellent restorative blend. For aging skin needing firming that can be used around the eyes try this more gentle variety Mix in five ounces of Hazelnut oil and one ounce of Rosehip seed oil, add fifteen drops of each of Myrtle essential oil green, Cistus or Rock Rose and Rosemary.

So there are a few tried-and-true aromatherapy skin care blends to use in your natural beauty regime. You can easily mix and match the oils described to create your own blend, and add any oils you really like the aroma of be aware that a FEW essential oils are VERY strong, and should not be used on the skin the more common of these include Cinnamon, Clove, Oregano, and Red Thyme consult with a knowledgeable practitioner if you are unsure about the safety of any oil. A word about purchasing oils for your blends do NOT use anything labeled as a ‘fragrance oil’ these are synthetic reproductions of essential oils that will likely cause an allergic reaction. DO seek out a reputable source. And oils, like wine, do vary greatly from maker to maker. A higher price can mean a significantly nicer oil though not always one that is sweeter, or more well-rounded only a few oils should smell ‘medicinal’ Spike Lavender is a little ‘camphorus’ in general but a good Rosemary verbenone should have a very appealing scent . Despite the initial outlay, you are more likely to continue to use a blend that you really like the aroma of, and that has therapeutic effects. Though once you find the oils you adore, you’re more than likely to continue the practice of making your own blends for some time to come.

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1. Easy Home Remedy for Moisture control of Skin
2. A Short Guide To Aromatherapy
3. Carrier Oils In Aromatherapy