Essentials oils are aroma producing oils which come from flowers such as the rose, from leaves such as basil, twig, bark, fruit rind and many other parts of plants. Although experts say that extracting the oils can be quite time consuming and complex and requires a large amount of patience on behalf of the person carrying out the work the benefits at the end are great. Certainly you need to recognize and accept that if you want to get about 5 tsp of oil from rose petals it will take about 220lbs of petals to do it and this is why pure Essential Oils are so expensive. Although the effectiveness of the oils is not comprised as it only takes a few drops to generate the effect required. However there is a cheaper alternative namely synthetic oil, however they do not offer the person the same healing properties as their natural counterparts.

Essential Oils work by stimulating a person’s olfactory system and later on the brain or limbic system. The Fragrance along with other properties and effects relating to the oils will determine how a person’s body system and its parts are stimulated. Whilst having a Massage using these oils they are not only absorbed by the body but are inhaled at the same time and eventually when being absorbed through the skin they will reach the organs and body system of the person being treated. The time it takes for the oils to absorb through the skin can be from as little as 20 minutes and take as long as 2 hours or more and there it is wise to avoid taking a shower or Bath straight after any Massage so that the maximum effect is received from the Massage therapy.

The time that the effect lasts on a person can vary from 3-24 hours to 2-3 days or even as long as week. Oils that have a short live time span in regard to their scent are Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Thyme and Bergamot whilst Hyssop, Lavender, Balm and various other oils can last between 2 to 3 days. The oils that take as long as a week to completely evaporate are Jasmine, Sandalwood, Ginger and Cedar Wood.

Many people when using Aromatherapy are looking to achieve a sense of calm in their lives and these people will look to using a combination of three types of oils to help with this and they will base them on how long they last. They can be used by mixing them into a warm Bath and will help the person to become relaxed and calm, they will help to eliminate the Stress and depression that they are feeling as well as both energizing and soothing the body of any aches that they are feeling. Certainly by using Essential Oils during a Massage will help increase the healing and calming effect that the person is feeling. However any Massage carried out using Essential Oils must also include a carrier oil to help prevent irritation and skin reactions on the person being treated. Such carrier oils that are used to help dilute the Essential Oils are avocado oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, wheat germ oil, almond oil, soya oil and hazelnut oil.

There is mounting evidence that omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil supplements not only help prevent cardiovascular diseases in healthy individuals, but also reduce the incidence of cardiac events and mortality in patients with existing heart disease. A new study, published in the August 11, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, extensively reviews data from a broad range of studies in tens of thousands of patients and sets forth suggested daily targets for omega-3 consumption.

“This isn’t just hype; we now have tremendous and compelling evidence from very large studies, some dating back 20 and 30 years, that demonstrate the protective benefits of omega-3 fish oil in multiple aspects of preventive cardiology,” said Carl Lavie, M.D., F.A.C.C., medical director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention, Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, and lead author of the article. “The strongest evidence of a cardioprotective effect of omega-3s appears in patients with established cardiovascular disease and following a heart attack with up to a 30 percent reduction in CV-related death.”

Dietary intake of fish oil can also decrease the risk of atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, heart attack, sudden cardiac death and even health failure. Dr. Lavie adds that although there is a smaller benefit in reducing heart failure death—9 percent mortality benefit in a major recent randomized controlled trial—this is still very impressive given patients’ grave prognosis.

“If we translate this finding, it means that we only need to treat 56 patients for four years to prevent one death,” he said. “And we are talking about a very safe and relatively inexpensive therapy.”

Most of the evidence for the cardioprotective benefits supports the use of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), the long-chain fatty acids in the omega-3 family. According to Dr. Lavie, EPA and DHA work by getting into the membranes of cells and, in doing so, may help to improve the heart’s electrical activity, vascular tone, plaque stabilization and blood pressure, among other benefits. Studies show that the reduction in CV events is inversely related to the tissue level EPA and, even more so, DHA.

Based on these findings, and because the body does not produce its own essential fatty acids, the authors recommend that healthy individuals should consume 500 mg daily of omega-3 fish oil containing EPA and DHA, and people with known heart disease or heart failure aim for at least 800 to 1,000 mg daily.

“There are clear health and heart benefits associated with increasing one’s intake of foods that are rich in Omega-3s, including oily fish like salmon, sardines, trout, herring, and oysters” said Dr. Lavie “Patients should talk with their doctors about whether a fish oil supplement is needed to get the right amount and, in turn, benefit from the associated cardiovascular protection.”

Dr. Lavie and his team came across only a few negative studies, including a recent one that showed no benefit in post-MI patients, but it has raised the possibility that omega-3 fatty acids may not provide as much additional protective benefits in low-risk patients already receiving extensive and rigorous post-MI therapies. “It was a one-year study that enrolled fewer than 4,000 patients and the majority were using aspirin, clopidogrel, statins, beta-blockers and ACE-inhibitors—the best of modern medicine,” he said. “It may be that their risk was so low to start, that a larger study with longer follow-up would be required to better assess the true efficacy of omega-3 in such relatively low-risk patients.”

Authors say further studies are needed to investigate and determine optimal dosages, as well as the relative ration of DHA and EPA that provides maximal heart protection in those at risk of cardiovascular disease, and in the treatment of atherosclerosis, arrhythmias and heart attacks.

Interestingly, culture has historically played a role; sometimes dubbed the “Eskimo factor,” research shows cultures that have traditionally supported a diet rich in fish oil (Asian and Alaskan American populations) had a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and mortality, including a reduced prevalence of atherosclerosis and heart disease, compared to European and United States populations where consumption of fish is lower. Ironically, the introduction of Western dietary practices into Asian and Native American cultures may be diluting the cardioprotective benefits enjoyed by these populations by both reducing the overall intake of fish oils, as well as overwhelming its benefits with other deleterious dietary practices, including high intakes of saturated and trans fats and cholesterol.

Recently scientists around the world have confirmed the anti-bacterial and anti-mycotic effects of black seed oil. Health practitioners in various countries around the world are using the oil against inflamation of all sorts as well as fungi infections. Even a remarkable reduction of blood sugar levels has been found by scientists. Black Seed extracts have been found help tostimulate bone marrow and immune cells, so writes the scientists of the Cancer Immuno-Biology Laboratory and adding that it raises the interferon production, protects normal cells against cell destroying effects of viruses, destroys tumour cells and raises the number of anti-bodies producing B cells.

All these functions make the Black Seed oil the ideal candidate for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Scientists are now busy finding the effects of the Black Seed oil in regard to various other human health conditions. Dr.Med.Peter Schleicher, an immunologist, in Munich who in 1986 happened to be nominated the youngest member of the World Academy of Scientists, examined black seed oil in his institute to find new therapies for chronic illness and its effect. His findings are identical to those in previous studies by earlier researchers. Schleicher says, by using Black Seed oil, valuable unsaturated fatty acids, for example Linoleic and Gammalinolen acids, get into the organism. By that it is possible to reach a synthesis of important immune regulating substances derived from Prostaglandin E1. Linoleic acid stabilizes the cell membranes and Prostaglandin has the effect of inhibiting inflamation. By that the immune reactions are stopped which cause the illnesses and which otherwise could be the start of many many chronic illnesses like acne and hayfever right up to cancer. In addition, the excessive T-cell function of the person suffering from allergies are stabilized through the substance in black seed oil and the abnormally rising immune reactions through supressed anti-bodies. The excessive immune system is normalized and the large cell degranulation decreased.

Studies also testify that an immune system which has gone wrong can again be regulated by the strong effect of the oil. Schleicher, meanwhile, has tested the effect of the oil on 600 patients. As a result he confirms the cure for allergies at about 70% of the patients. Amongst them are allergies against pollen and dust, acne and neuro-dermatological illnesses, asthma patients, etc.. who generally have a weak resistence and are prone to suffer from infections. For that reason Dr.Schleicher in Munich is going to include the oil with his preventative treatment against colds and influenza.

In the Middle East and South Asia, this oil has been used for thousands of years as a remedy for all sorts of allergies, inflamation and menstruation problems, boosting moral, depression; but especially against bronchitis, asthma and neuro-dermatitis as well as poor digestion and even impotency. The Prophet Mohammad (s) stated in his “Hadith” that black seed oil cures every illness except death. No wander then that a little bottle of the oil was even found in the tomb of the legedary Pharoah Tutankhamen..!

In the West the effect of the oil has been used for a long time against wind, dysentry, stomach and lungdisease, jaundice, diuretic problems and to increase nursing mother’s milk. Due to the triumphant advancesin chemistry the oil has been forgotten until recently. According to Dr. Schleicher the reason why this oil is so exceptional is that its component parts act in unison to produce an optimum effect for so many complaints. But one has to make sure that only the pure and tested oil is being used.

Schleicher’s colleagues have reacted very positively after the publication about his success with patients who haveused the oil. Professor G. Rietmuller, Director of Institute for immunology at the University of Munich believes that this plant extract works positively on the immune system and could be used as a bio-regulator. Professor Michael Meurer of the Dermatology Clinic in Munich has for a long time been convinced about the success of this oil. From his experience the oil help stop inflamation and helps with neurodermitis.

At the International Cancer Congress in New Delhi last Autumn the anti-tumour effect of black cumin oil has been introduced to many scientists and doctors.