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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Essential oils during the childbearing years-Orange Oil

Not much research has been done on orange oil, but most sites that I've looked at believe orange oil is safe in pregnancy and there is some anecdotal uses for it that I think are useful.

While peppermint is great for nausea during labor, it's not good to use during pregnancy as it may cause contractions.  Orange oil, on the other hand, is safe to use(though I would not recommend using it internally until it's safety has been verified during pregnancy), and one of it's uses is for nausea.  This makes it a good oil to use for morning sickness(along with a few others that I'll mention later).  Place a few drops of ornage oil on your pillow to help alleviate symptoms.  I would recommend using a vaporizer as that can be used more consistently throughout the day as needed.  During labor, it may be useful to mix orange oil with peppermint to get the added benefits of both oils.

It may also be useful for water retention.  So for those that tend to retain water, this could be used throughout the pregnancy.

One of it's most useful properties is the ability to bring about a sense of well being and help with stress.  Some studies have also shown a more positive mood and higher levels of calmness when orange oil was defused in a roomThis would be one that I would use for the second stage of labor or for a tired mom at the end of the day to help rejuvenate them.  Taking a warm bath with orange oil at the end of the day may be a good stress reliever.  Some research has been done to suggest that orange oil helps reduce stress, but other research has shown no difference.

This is another one that is useful for hypertension.  For those who have problems with high blood pressure, I would try orange, or clary sage before moving to more medical procedures.

This oil has also been purported to help with insomnia related to stress.  This is one that I would use when you wake up at the 3am hour and start worrying about the day:)

Precautions:  the main problem with orange oil is that it is photosensitivity.  Here's a good definition:
Photosensitivity: Some oils can also cause skin reactions if used on skin that is then exposed to ultraviolet light. These reactions are known as phototoxicity or photosensitivity and can vary in severity from mild brown blotches to severe burns. Reactions depend on ultraviolet light, rather than sunlight itself, and so exposure of the skin to daylight, even on a cloudy day, may well be enough to trigger a reaction. http://www.naturalhealthcourses.com/Reading_Room/contraindications.htm

http://www.karmakerala.com/ayurveda/pregnancy-therapy.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11134689
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21125006
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211673
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16095639
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/orange.htm
http://www.purelinatural.com/SweetOrangeOil.html
http://www.jessicawild.com/angel/?page_id=25
http://www.livestrong.com/article/433505-benefits-of-essential-orange-oil/

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Birth is a Journey: Does it have to be life changing?


  • One woman might have to climb on an overfilled boat, risking her life and nearly dying as she escapes over the ocean to come to this land. This experience could certainly be life altering. It may very well color the rest of her life, positively or negatively. (I overcame this amazing struggle and here I am triumphant! OR Holy crap, that was SO hard I don’t know if I can go on! By the way, neither response is “right”. No one would judge the woman with the 2nd response.)
  • One woman may buy an airplane ticket, sit on a comfortable 747 and fly to America with a nice smooth flight and landing. She is happy to be in America. Those welcoming her are glad she is here safe and sound. She may only travel by plane 2-4 times in her life, so it is pretty memorable. But the journey itself probably wouldn’t be life changing; it would simply be a journey.
  • One woman may learn to fly an ultra-light plane to lead a flock of geese into America teaching them to migrate. This experience could certainly be empowering and life altering.