Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by rituals, worries, and routines beyond normal expectations or that continue indefinitely without a trigger. As with any mental health diseases, treatment is multifaceted and may include alternative medicine techniques such as essential oil use for symptom relief.
Types of Oils
Aromatherapy uses essential oils, pressed from herbal or plant products, to affect a person's mental state or physical health. The benefits of using essential oils, including relaxation, wound healing, and uplifted mood or energy, have been documented since at least the early 20th century in France by chemist René-Maurice Gattefosse.
OCD sufferers may try chamomile, lavender, or valerian to induce relaxation while rosemary may reduce stress and anxiety. Lavender combined with orange and rose oils can improve and rebalance mood. Although not all of these oils have been studied in scientific trials to prove direct effects on the nervous system, observed anxiety-reducing benefits can greatly improve quality of life for people with OCD, whose behaviors represent extreme anxiety.
Use Essential Oils
Individual or combination essential oils may be diluted and inhaled as aromatherapy---steam ventilation of concentrated oils can infuse an area and provide a long duration of exposure to the oil and its benefits. Alternatively, the oils may be used as homeopathic remedies and diluted into an herbal tincture to take by mouth. The most popular method of using essential oils by aromatherapists is massage, which applies the oil to much of the body for maximum absorption through the skin. By massaging the oils as part of treatment, the benefits are twofold, because massage will also contribute to reduced stress. Similarly, adding a few drops of an essential oil to bathwater can reduce stress and anxiety and rebalance mood.
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