Digestive VP Paths & Oils Flashcards
MOUTH ULCERS
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Red raised pustules with white/yellow pus centres.
Important to ascertain - is this dental/oral accidents or indicative of compromised immunity?
May also be linked to cycle, nutritional deficiencies - Zn, B12, Folic acid, food allergies and stress, so treat accordingly.
Topical treatment with ANTISEPTIC, VULNERARY, ANALGESIC oils as a mouthwash.
4 drops + salt in warm water - stir to mix, swish around mouth for 30 seconds, spit, repeat. Do NOT swallow!
2 or 3 times a day.
Tea tree
Myrrh
Lavender
ORAL THRUSH
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Candida albicans causes white plaques on gums, tongue & inner cheeks.
Indicative of immune deficiency but may also be linked to diet.
Immune suppressive meds, chemotherapy & inhaled steroids often implicated as are antibiotics & anti-ulcer meds.
Attention to diet is crucial - Reduce & avoid sugars & yeasts. Eat live & fermented foods to replenish gut bacteria.
Topically Tea Tree mouthwash as ANTIFUNGAL
4 drops in warm water - stir to mix, swish around mouth for 30 seconds, spit, repeat. Do NOT swallow!
2 or 3 times a day.
GINGIVITIS / PYORRHOEA
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
These are stages in Periodontal Disease that can lead to loss of teeth, caused by bacterial attack on plaque around teeth.
Initial presentation - slight bleeding on brushing teeth.
Can be prevented by good dental hygiene. it can be more virulent if immunity is severely compromised.
Can also be linked to deficiency of Vit C, so good intake of fruit & veg is vital.
Topical treatment of ANTISEPTIC, ANTIBACTERIAL, VULNERARY oils in a mouthwash w/ salt.
Tea Tree + Myrrh.
Where severe pain an analgesic 5% cream can be externally applied Valerian, Peppermint (antineuralgic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory)
HALITOSIS
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Bad breath can have many causes - dental decay, sinus or throat infections, digestive disorders, toxicity & poor elimination or purely eating ‘smelly’ foods.
Where the condition is a sign of underlying pathology, the cause needs identifying & treating.
Where smelly food is the cause DEODERANT oils in a mouthwash can be useful.
Peppermint, Geranium, Fennel is a pleasant ‘aesthetic’ mixture.
INDIGESTION
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Indigestion can be used to describe a range of symptoms - nausea, flatulence, heartburn, discomfort, stomach cramps, bloating.
ID triggers using a food & symptom diary.
Chronic indigestion needs referring & investigating as may be indicative of a more serious issue other than ‘Stress’ or ‘eating bad foods in an unhealthy manner’.
Indigestion also common in pregnancy.
ANALGESIC, ANTISPASMODIC, CARMINATIVE oils
Stress management is important if stress is indicated & EOs having emotional effects - Calmative, Euphoric etc.
Digestive herb teas drunk after meals are helpful - peppermint, ginger, chamomile, fennel, lemon balm. Infusions of cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds & scrubbed orange peel.
Teaching clients self abdominal massage & use of warmth (hot water bottle) can be useful.
Peppermint - Analgesic, Antispasmodic, Carminative
Cardamom - Analgesic, Antispasmodic, Carminative
Roman Chamomile - Analgesic, Calmative, Sedative
NAUSEA & VOMITING
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Vomiting - body riding itself of toxins - natural process needed unless severe or chronic.
Staying hydrated is vital & drinking warmed rather than cold or iced water. An infusion of Caraway seeds can settle the stomach.
Nausea - particularly morning sickness - fresh ginger tea, caraway seed infusion, peppermint tea can all help.
Inhaling ANTIEMETIC or STOMACHIC oils may be helpful.
Peppermint - Antiemetic
Ginger - Antiemetic
DIARRHOEA
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Many causes of diarrhoea - commonly it’s stress-linked, caused by dietary irritants, infections in GI tract.
It may also be a symptom of various digestive conditions eg IBS, Colitis, or Crohn’s disease; of other systemic conditions like hyperthyroidism or side effects of medications.
It’s an attempt to purge the body & should not be interfered with unless it’s excessive.
Hydration is crucial & for severe diarrhoea replenishing lost vitamins & minerals are also needed.
Brown rice & it’s cooking water, carrot soup, aloe vera juice, acidophilus are all helpful to normalise gut.
ANALGESIC if pain, ANTISPASMODICS, possibly ANTIMICROBIALS where there’s infection, ANTI-INFLAMMS if colitis.
Where stress-related & chronic presentations CALMATIVE, SEDATIVE or EUPHORIC oils to balance ANS.
Local application gently to abdo - may not want massage pressure!
Carrot Seed - Antispasmodic, Carminative, Sedative
Neroli - Antispasmodic, Carminative, Sedative
Black Pepper - Antispasmodic
CONSTIPATION
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
May present as infrequent defecation, which is painful & w/ hard stools. Straining can cause haemorrhoids.
Causes (often in combination) - Inadequate fibre, consumption of food that clogs the GI tract, poor hydration & lack of exercise. Constipation is common in pregnancy.
Can also be a side effect of iron supplements.
Other meds esp. Antidepressants & strong analgesics increase the tendency to constipation, stress, menstrual cycle & hypothyroid can also contribute.
Improving lifestyle factors & self abdo massage. Dried fruit compotes, live yoghurt, aloe vera juice are all natural methods to improve gut function.
Habitual use of laxative preps likely weaken bowel tone & exacerbate the problem.
Self massage w/ ANTISPASMODICS, ANALGESICS (where pain), APERIENT & LAXATIVE oils.
Black Pepper - Antispasmodic, Stimulant
Sweet Marjoram - Antispasmodic, Laxative
Bitter Orange - Antispasmodic, Aperient, Digestive stimulant
Peppermint - Analgesic, Antispasmodic
COLIC
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Presents as waves of abdo pain which come & go.
Commonly associated w/ infants, also occurs in adults, often as a presentation of ‘Indigestion’.
Certain foods may provoke it in sensitive individuals, eg ‘gassy’ foods like pulses & brassicas.
Drinking digestive herb teas is useful - Peppermint, Ginger, Lavender, Dill, Caraway or Fennel seeds.
Self massage w/ CARMINATIVE, ANALGESIC, ANTISPASMODIC oils
Peppermint - Antispasmodic, Analgesic
Cardamom - Antispasmodic
Roman Chamomile - Antispasmodic, Analgesic, Carminative
For INFANT colic nursing mothers may need to adapt their own diet - decrease sugary & spicy foods, foods linked w/ intolerance & gassy foods to see effect.
For infants massage abdo w/ 1d Anthemis nobilis in 20ml carrier oil (0.25%).
PEPTIC ULCER
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Includes ulceration of the oesophagus, stomach (gastric) and Duodenum.
A dietary approach avoids ‘irritants’ like tea, coffee, alcohol & sugar. Also avoid smoking - all forms of peptic ulcer are commoner in smokers.
Examine eating patterns too - little & often is recommended - but still needs to be irritant free!
Stress worsens the condition, therefore stress management is important.
Areas of tenderness = implications for massage, in positioning the client and administering abdominal massage.
AT support as w/ all chronic conditions needs to be geared to the whole person.
Where there is ‘active’ pain, warm compresses of ANALGESIC, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTISPASMODIC oils.
Yarrow - Anti-inflam, Antispasmodic, Analgesic
Peppermint - Analgesic, Antispasmodic, Anti-inflam
Roman Chamomile - Analgesic, Antispasmodic
IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Regarded as a ‘functional condition’ i.e. no anatomical cause. More commonly affects women. Symptoms should be investigated to rule out any other conditions and not ‘self diagnosed’.
Presentations may include abdo cramping, bloating, flatulence, alternating bouts of constipation & diarrhoea.
Avoiding dietary irritants is advisable (use food & symptom diary to ID), and Peppermint is hugely effective - replace caffeine with peppermint tea may effectively manage the condition!
No specific cause or pathogen & otherwise healthy, but can be a problem with ME & Candidiasis. The ‘culprit’ is improper muscular contractions of the large intestine (ANS activity).
Stress is hugely implicated in IBS so apply stress management techniques. AT is very helpful, combining stress relief & oils with digestive actions.
ANTISPASMODIC, ANALGESIC, CARMINATIVE oils for self abdominal massage at home. Combine in treatment with NERVINES, CALMATIVES, SEDATIVES, EUPHORICS, TONICS.
Neroli - Nervine, Sedative, Antispasmodic, Carminative
Lavender - Nervine, Sedative, Calmative
Cardamom - Antispasmodic, Carminative, Analgesic
Peppermint - Antispasmodic, Analgesic
CROHN’S DISEASE
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Inflammatory condition, commonly first presents in teens or early 20s, as pain and diarrhoea with blood.
Cause is inflammation & ulceration, generally at end of Ileum. Malabsorption of nutrients due to intestinal obstruction is common.
Medical treatment may include antibiotics, steroids & sometimes surgery. Possible auto-immune connection, immune suppressants may be used.
Dietary modifications - avoid irritants, esp. refined carbs. EFAs are useful (& probiotics). Professional nutritional advice is advisable as malabsorption is common.
Other connections w/ this condition include a tendency to arthritis, urinary disorders & kidney stones.
Can be debilitating - stress reduction is important! Support ANS using NERVINES, CALMATIVES, SEDATIVES, TONICS, EUPHORICS home & treatment use. ANTISPASMODICS, ANALGESICS, CARMINATIVES helpful for local home application as hot compresses etc. Also ANALGESICS, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY attention to the whole body.
COLITIS
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Inflammation of mucous membranes in colon (colitis) which can lead to ulceration (ulcerative colitis). Presenting as diarrhoea with blood & possibly weight loss w/ unknown cause.
This highly debilitative condition may also have an auto-immune link & be treated with steroids as well as pain relievers and in severe cases, surgery.
Colitis can sometimes be a precursor to colon cancer - as always any rectal bleeding should be investigated.
As w/ Crohn’s dietary modifications, EFAs & probiotics are all useful.
Stress reduction, whole body & ANS support w/ NERVINES, CALMATIVES, SEDATIVE, TONICS, EUPHORICS, ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES.
ANALGESICS, ANTISPASMODICS, CARMINATIVES, ANTI-INFLAMS for local home use - gentle self massage, hot compresses.
DIVERTICULITIS
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Inflammation of the pockets (diverticuli) in the colon. Can present as abdo pain, tenderness, bloating, alternating bouts of constipation & diarrhoea. The inflammation of the diverticuli can lead to rupture, bacterial infection, anal bleeding. Diverticulitis can also be diagnosed with colitis - known as ‘diverticular colitis’.
As diverticulitis is rarely seen in the undeveloped world where diets are simpler, high in fibre & without refined foods, the importance of naturally occurring fibre in the diet is emphasised.
Early diverticular disease can present similarly to IBS, clients with the presenting symptoms of pain and bowel irregularity need investigation.
As w/ Crohn’s & colitis whole body approach is needed for stress relief & ANS support w/ NERVINES, CALMATIVES, SEDATIVE, TONICS, EUPHORICS, ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES.
ANALGESICS, ANTISPASMODICS, CARMINATIVES, ANTI-INFLAMS for local home use - gentle self massage, hot compresses.
GALLSTONES
What is it?
What advice would you give a client?
What EOs would be appropriate?
What would you prepare and how would you advise them to use EOs?
Deposits formed in the gallbladder, where bile is stored before excretion into the GI tract.
Linked to a high fat diet, obesity and food intolerance.
Presenting as severe right side pain, may radiate out into right shoulder blade, particularly after eating fatty foods.
EOs will not dissolve gallstones, they can support whole body & emotions for those feeling anger at the condition or dietary changes they need to make.
Consider oil use for ‘tendency to form deposits’ ie Terpene rich oils, CHOLERETICS, CHOLAGOGUES, and aiding functions of elimination by DEPURATIVES and supporting kidney function with DIURETICS.
Dietary changes required - reduce high fat foods, increase dietary fibre & water intake.
Rosemary - Choleretic, Cholagogue
Juniper - Diuretic, detoxifying
Lemon - Depurative, Diuretic,
