Immune & Lymph Paths & Oils Flashcards
OVERACTIVE IMMUNITY & AUTOIMMUNE RESPONSES
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
Overactive immune response (inflammatory) can occur in most systems & tissue types. From local response - contact w/ skin eg nickel allergies to full life-threatening anaphylaxis. Some conditions may be inherited eg asthma & eczema.
Allergic response can be so extreme body responds to it’s own tissues as allergens - Autoimmune response/condition eg RA, Type I diabetes, psoriasis, MS.
Use of IMMUNE STIMULANTS are not contraindicated as immune response involves different cells to those responding to microbial invasion. Stress may increase susceptibility to infections.
*Where over-reactivity is in skin - Work at 1% & avoid or use caution with oils linked to sensitivity reactions. ANTIALLERGENIC & ANTI-INFLAMMATORY oils are helpful - Compositae family are indicated.
LIVER & KIDNEY TONICS, DIURETICS & DETOXIFIERS are all useful to support detoxification in the body.
Stress & lifestyle management are important as stress can cause ‘flares’.
ID dietary or other allergens & avoid to reduce placing additional strain on the immune system.
COMPROMISED & WEAKENED IMMUNITY
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
Being constantly prone to minor infections - respiratory, digestive, UG, dermatological - indicates a failure of the immune system. Stress is a likely cause, due to effects of cortisol & repeated abx can intensify problems.
Lowered immunity & depression are linked - chicken & egg scenario.
Short & long term strategies for treating acute & chronic, local & systemic presentations will be useful. Consider lifestyle approaches which may be implicated both positively & negatively - but don’t overwhelm client.
IMMUNE TONICS are an obvious choice along with oils with particular antimicrobial actions on specific pathogens.
Also oils that have a supportive action on the area of weakness - chest, skin, UG, Digestion etc.
The stress-releasing & ‘feel good’ effects of AT are important as the effect of emotional well-being on immunity is profound. (PNI)
ME / CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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 of the nervous system & muscle tissues. No one causative agent has been identified but many ME sufferers have history of enteroviral infection (some have effects on nerves & muscles).
Symptoms: can leave sufferers v unwell & exhausted for years, experiencing severe flu-like symptoms - aching muscles, joints, profound weakness & exhaustion. Commonly - digestive disturbances (Candida often present), IBS type symptoms, poor appetite, extreme sensitivity to strong stimuli. Poor memory, insomnia, depression, anxiety, poor circulation/chilliness, numbness/tingling in extremities, dizziness, faintness, nausea.
Fibromyalgia is common (link?) - if so tenderness in muscles & hypersensitivity to smell = practitioner challenges.
*May be advisable to work at 1% *aroma sensitivity & use lighter smelling oils, smell assessments may be too exhausting for v weak clients.
*Advisable not to work too deeply, too vigorously or for too long in any one session w/ a new client, until strength & tolerance to treatment are known.
COMFORTING, UPLIFTING, CALMATIVE oils, whilst psychologically supportive and useful also need to focus on how condition expresses physically in the client, their general level of strength, vitality & level of hypersensitivity to aromas.
GLANDULAR FEVER
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
Infectious mononucleosis is most common in teens & early 20s.
Diagnosed by blood test showing raised monocytes - specific type of WBC. Condition is caused by herpes type virus - Epstein-Barr virus.
Symptoms: fever, swollen glands, sore throat & sometimes rashes. Blood tests for glandular fever generally done if these common symptoms fail to respond to abx & sufferer continues unwell.
Rest is essential to avoid long term liver & spleen weakness (these are affected by condition).
As high levels of stress & worry (eg around exams) can have a negative impact.
AT is well-placed to support sufferer - using ANTIVIRALS in gargles, baths & rubbed on glands in early stages. As well as promoting stress-reduction & wellbeing through massage with DESTRESSING, CALMING. LIVER TONICS/SUPPORT oils.
CANDIDIASIS
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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 - most commonly genital & oral thrush, also occurs in intestine and can penetrate blood stream and cause sensitivity reactions in body = headaches, muscle aches, exhaustion. GP check up important as symptoms are common in other conditions like stress or ME etc.
Predisposing factors: Abx, Steroids - as hormonal Pill/HRT change pH of vaginal secretions, or as antiallergenic in autoimmune or allergic conditions, as long term steroids decrease immune system.
Diabetes & severe immune deficiency (eg AIDS) are also v prone.
If condition is systemic a radical dietary change may be called for (Nutritionist advice is needed), Avoiding sugars (inc. hidden eg lactose in milk), yeasts & other fungal foods & fermented products. Regimen can be difficult, may need supplements.
Oils - ANTIFUNGALS indicated where oral or genital. As delicate mucous membranes - more aggressive antifungals may not be appropriate.
Itching & local irritability need ANALGESICS & ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES.
Where systemic IMMUNE STIMULANTS & TONICS useful. Whole person approach - emotional wellbeing can be compromised by ill-health & the need for extreme dietary control.
Tea Tree - Antifungal, Immune stimulant,
Palma Rosa - Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory
CANCER
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
Conventional treatment advances means the condition no longer means ‘terminal illness’ per se. Surgery, Chemo & Radiotherapy, while treating cancer, may result in people feeling much worse from treatment than they did on diagnosis.
AT by treating the person holistically can create an environment where pts own healing potential is engaged and can help treat symptoms of treatments themselves. AT treatment protocols need careful consideration - clients need to check with specialists & GPs before treatment. Though massage often recommended by oncology units to support conventional treatments.
As clients often on heavy cocktail of drugs *cut blend strength to 1% & work w/ gentle liver-supporting oils may be advisable.
- Where a cancer is Hormonally Dependant - advisable to avoid Citral-rich oils (prostate) & Anethole-rich oils (oestrogen-dependant).
- Deep pressure massage or percussive techniques over tumour sites should be avoided
- Avoid massage directly on skin cancers.
- If client receiving Radiotherapy, avoid massage directly over site for 6 weeks after last radiotherapy session as skin is fragile & may break.
Vitally important to work w/ client & their ‘acute in chronic’ presentations & not ‘the cancer’ - eg can’t sleep before hospital appt, oral thrush due to meds.
Consider role of AT, massage & oils have to play:
- PROPHYLACTIC, IMMUNE BOOSTING - Chemotherapy can lead to lowered immunity.
- ANTIMICROBIAL - dealing w/ infections that arise eg oral thrush.
- Improving immune response by improving emotional wellbeing (PNI)
- Supporting carers & family members who may welcome AT for themselves.
- Dealing w/ other side-effects from treatments eg nausea
- Supporting emotional effects of diagnosis & treatment
- Spiritual dimension of oils - ability to bring ‘lightness of being’.
- The profound effect of touch in bringing us into feeling ‘whole’ however broken pt may feel.
If client is v. nauseous with reactions to medications - avoid using ‘favourite smelling oils’, when they are actively feeling nauseous - may form memory of feeling nauseous w/ the aroma & may override prior pleasurable association.
Also strong aromas may trigger a nauseous response.
HIV / AIDS
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
HIV+ means presence of antibodies to HIV in blood stream, though can take 3 or more months after infection to show up on blood test.
V. difficult to ‘catch’ - sharing of intimate body fluids - sexual, blood, breast milk. For practitioner normal H&S precautions apply - don’t massage over areas of broken skin & lesions, don’t massage if you have broken skin or lesions on hands or arms. And as clients severely immunocompromised - do not work with client if you have a cold/cough or minor infection as clients v. vulnerable.
Modern medicine v good at managing the condition, those with the condition should take lifestyle action to enhance their immune response - stress reduction, diet, exercise, PNI.
AIDS - Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome is not a condition itself but a syndrome or pattern of symptoms & conditions, Can be 8-10 years between infection & development of AIDS, depending on health & lifestyle factors.
People with HIV experience a variety of symptoms & conditions - some caused by lowered immunity, some by stress & anxiety of diagnosis itself. As many of those which are commonly seen are as a response to stress AT is a useful supportive treatment for HIV:
Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Digestive disturbances, Fatigue, Exhaustion, Dry skin, increased tendency to minor infections, Swollen lymph nodes & tendency to Candida are all common presentations with HIV.
ANTIMICROBIAL, ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIFUNGAL, ANTISEPTIC, ANTIVIRAL, IMMUNE STIMULANT, TONIC oils, depending on presentations, are likely to be useful, as are oils with generally EUPHORIC, CALMING or SEDATIVE actions.
With clients with AIDS the ATist needs to focus on the person with the condition using EOs which may be helpful for symptomatic relief, emotionally, physically & environmentally.
‘Opportunistic infections’ that are common to AIDS are PCP - Pneumocystis jurovecii pneumonia a fungal resp infection causing dry cough, fevers & breathlessness.
TB, Shingles/Herpes, Thrush, Viral infections. Cytomegalovirus can cause blindness, Cryptococcus can cause meningitis, Toxoplasmosis can cause abscesses in the brain, Kaposi’s sarcoma is a specific cancer of cells in the walls of blood vessels.
CELLULITE
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
Puckering & dimpling of the skin can occur anywhere there is adipose tissue, esp. around the buttocks, thighs & upper arms.
Women are more prone than men due to fat distribution.
Cellulite is linked to build up of toxins, causing water retention in tissues.
Factors which predispose are:
- Poor hydration - toxins not flushed out so easily
- Poor diet - processed & refined foods contain more toxins
- Sedentary lifestyle - leads to lymphatic congestion
A helpful approach is through diet & lifestyle:
- Increase fruit & veg - for water & fibre content
- Increase wholefoods & pulses - for fibre
- Regular massage helps soften tissues & encourage lymphatic drainage
- Dry skin brushing improves circulation
- Cider vinegar is helpful to improve digestion
- Nettle & dandelion teas help purify blood
- Fenugreek seeds (internally) reputedly aid fat metabolism & processing
DETOXIFIERS, DEPURATIVES, DIURETICS. Terpene rich oils.
Angelica, Fennel, Juniper, Cypress, Grapefruit, Lemon
Juniper - Detoxifying, Diuretic
Grapefruit - Depurative, Lymphatic decongestant
Lemon - Diuretic, Depurative, Lymphatic decongestant
CELLULITIS
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
Unconnected with Cellulite!
Cellulitis is a potentially serious inflammatory condition affecting connective tissues. Generally caused by bacterial infection (Streptococcus or Staphylococcus). May be superficial & initially caused by an infected wound or insect bite, but if untreated may penetrate to tissues beneath skin, entering blood or lymphatic systems & require Abx.
Diabetics & those immunocompromised are particularly at risk, along with the elderly. Scrupulous cleaning of wounds is advised. Care should be given to minor cuts, minor burns & especially insect bites or stings which cause irritability & scratching.
Redness, swelling, pain, tenderness at site of wound need investigating, especially if there is a fever.
LYMPHOEDEMA
What is it? Symptoms? Causes? 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?
A severe malfunction of the lymphatic system results in fluid build up - usually in the limbs.
It may be primary - eg congenital malfunction of the lymph system.
Or secondary - eg removal of lymph nodes with mastectomy, or venous insufficiency following a DVT affecting blood supply to area.
Where there is any degree of reduced mobility, eg paralysis, lymphatic drainage may need to be addressed.
Severe lymphoedema may need specialist care with diuretics, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) massage & bandaging (compression) to prevent fluid build up.
Massage & EOs helpful in ‘low level’ build up & supportive in more severe cases.
Preventative regular self massage of affected areas if possible. Pay attention to skin care - keep skin supple & prevent dryness as due to inadequate blood supply & lymph drainage the skin is more likely to crack - possibility of infection, particularly cellulitis, to occur.
DETOXIFIERS, DEPURATIVES, RUBEFACIENTS & CIRCULATORY TONICS are all useful.
