MENTAL ILLNESS AFFECTS ONE IN FOUR PEOPLE
So its more than likely mental illness will touch the lives of most of us. That one in four is only for those reported much mental illness goes unreported, where people struggle along, frightened of the stigma attached to mental illness. Mental illness is no different from a physical illness, the changes that cause it are organic in origin, often due to an inbalance in neurotransmitters, those are chemicals that facilitate nerve transmissions, akin to the hormone imbalance that causes diabetes. So why is there this stigma? Why is there so much ignorance around? Why do people refuse to talk about it, when it affects so many.In these days of recession many of us are suffering from stress, stress, anxiety is a type of mental illness, why is it ok to say you are stressed and anxious? but OMG you daren't say you are suffering from depression or that you are Bi-Polar or worse that you suffer from Schizophrenia. If you break your leg and people see you with a cast on you will receive all the sympathy going but if you tell someone you are suffering depression, what tends to happen, you tend to be shunned. Well now is the time to take the lid off, be open and discuss this can of worms. These biast opinions are the result of ignorance and a lack of knowledge and understanding. For those who call people who suffer from any kind of mental illness crazy, Well I have news for YOU, You are not immune, it can strike YOU and at anytime.
Stress
The dictionary definition of stress is: a constraining or impelling force, effort or demand upon physical or mental energy. A stressor is a person or situation that makes you become stressed.
We are more likely to suffer stress in society today than that of our ancestors.
70% of all illness to day is now directly attributed to stress.
Modern society with all its pressures traffic congestion, over-crowding, noise, fears and general uncertainties about work, mortgages and family life present situation after situation where the state of stress is ever present.
Stress is an everyday part of modern life, everyone experiences at sometime or another and everyday stresses are not necessarily harmful. A certain about of stress keeps us motivated and stimulated to make life more enjoyable and interesting.
It is the effect of long-term stress that can be positively harmful to our bodies.
When do stress levels become harmful?
The factors that seem to make any situation dangerously stressful are:
• Lack of predictability
• Lack of control
• Lack of outlets for frustration
For when these elements are present even simple situations can become stressful and produce a reaction that is completely out of proportion to the cause.
It is not the situation but our reaction to it that creates the stress in our lives.
The problem with us humans we have this tendency to dwell on the past and worry about the future and this takes our attention away from the present. Yet it is in the present moment that we have the greatest clarity to deal with any situation. We should enjoy our life in the present for in holding on to the past and holding back the future we create fear and ultimately stress.
Growth in our lives is usually preceded by change the problem is handling change can be difficult in the short term and life-changing events such as:
• Bereavement
• Moving House
• Debt
• Ill Health
• Difficult Relationships
• Stressful Work
• Family Problems
Have been identified as the most likely to cause negative or harmful stress. Even positive events such as:
• Marriage
• Pregnancy
• A child starting school or University
May cause you stress and can ultimately lead to illness. Your personality and coping mechanisms will largely determine how you deal with these daily stresses and strains.
MPB (c)
Stress: What Can We Do To Help Oursleves?
Aromatherapy can help HOW DO ESSENTIAL OILS WORK ON THE HUMAN BODY
What are the specific effects of Aromatherapy?
Using Essential Oils affects the Human Body
• Pharmacologically, essential oils are chemical and so are humans. Once essential oils have been absorbed into the body, either through the skin or inhalation, the chemicals in the oils enter the blood and other body fluids and interact with the chemistry of our bodies e.g. hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters are all chemicals and the presence of another chemical (the essential oil) can affect the way they work.
• Physiologically: physiology is the way our body works. Essential oils can affect this by changing the chemical messages and impulses sent around the body and thus changing the way the systems of the human body function e.g. if an oil has relaxing and de-stressing properties, it may help to relieve the symptoms of stress displayed by our bodies e.g. slowing heart rate and breathing rate or encouraging tense muscles to relax.
• Psychologically: the way essential oils affect our mind is more difficult to describe, mainly because everyone’s mind id different. However, our sense of smell is closely linked to our memory so that particular smells can cause particular responses: e.g. if you dislike the smell of Roses, Rose oil is unlikely to relax you; if Jasmine reminds you of a good holiday then its smell will bring back happy memories and provoke a positive response.
General effects of Aromatherapy
There are certain effects from using essential oils which result from most treatments, especially since relaxing and/or hands-on application methods like massage and baths are very common in aromatherapy. General effects include:
• Reduction in Stress & Tension
• Feeling of Well-being, Balance and Calm
• Antibacterial effects of oil help the body to heal and support the immune system.
How do Essential Oils Penetrate the Body?
There are two ways that oil can safely penetrate the body:
1. Smell/Inhalation
2. Absorption via the skin
Ingestion, i.e. swallowing them is not safe.
Smelling & Inhaling Essential Oils The Nose & Olfactory Tract
The Olfactory Tract
Smell is the fastest way for Essential Oils to penetrate the body. The molecules travel up the nose and there are two results: they send a message to the brain and nerves which respond to the new smell and they pass into the blood stream via the lungs and the respiratory system. In order to understand how this works, it helps to understand the structure of the Olfactory Tract.
Structure
Most of the nose is concerned with breathing: inhaling air into the body and exhaling it out, however it is the organ of smell and thus very important in a therapy based on the power of aromas!
At the top of the nose there are two areas of pigmented tissue known as Olfactory Membranes. They contain the olfactory, or smell-sensing cells, which have fine hair-like protrusions called cilia. The olfactory cells connect to nerves in an area known as the Olfactory Plexus. Once triggered, these nerves send messages along the olfactory Nerves to the Brain, particularly the Limbic System.
This is the area of the brain that deals with Memory, Emotions, Our Basic Instincts and Mechanical Functions.
Function
When essential oil molecules pass over the olfactory cells, it is thought that these cells trigger receptor areas, which send an impulse via the olfactory plexus and nerves to the brain. Here the information is processed and interpretated (with either positive or negative associations).
Depending on the interpretation, the brain sends messages to other parts of the body to elicit a response e.g. Grimace! The brain may also react to different chemicals in an essential oil and produce particular effects e.g. a relaxing or sedative substance may cause the brain to send out a message of relaxation either to the whole body or a particular part.
How do Oils Penetrate the Skin?
Essential oils are absorbed through the skin. In order to understand this, it helps to understand the skin’s structure.
Being the largest human organ it is water resistant, but extremely minute substances, such as the molecules of an essential oil, can enter the tiny pores of the Epidermis, as well as penetrating through the hair follicles and the sweat glands. From here they enter the blood capillaries in the dermis. Once the oil reaches the blood and the circulation it is transported around the whole body.
MPB (c)
