SCIENCE! Lavender

Today, we have guest blogger Dr. Kalin Albrecht, DPT, PT, CSCS, CKTP commenting and educating us on Lavender oil. Check out our SCIENCE! Essential Oils post for our general thoughts on oils. When discussing and planning for wellness, behavior is a tremendously important and often overlooked aspect. Depression, anxiety, poor sleep, busyness, and stress are all detriments to wellness. Therefore, the calming effect of something as simple as Lavender oil is a welcome and wonderful therapy for overall wellness and contentment.

Lavender: The Calming Oil

Lavender has been used for medicinal purposes dating back to medieval times. Abundant and native to multiple regions of the world (northern and eastern Africa, surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, southern Europe, The Middle East, Asia, India; you get the picture), Lavender had been sought after as an anticonvulsant, antidepressant, and a sedative, to name a few, by the physicians of that time.  It was also looked to as a pleasant fragrance in many soaps and perfumes, used in crafts, and even used as flavoring for food.

Fast forward to current times. Lavender has been found to help with relaxation and sleep quality, combat anxiousness, and treat burns and insect bites. It also helps balance mood disorders, earning the epithet “the calming oil.”

There is gaining scientific evidence supporting the utilization of Lavender oil for all of these issues and ailments. You want science? Take a look at this article published in the journal Evidence Based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine and accessed through the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. We have an effective non-pharmaceutical way to better manage anxiety. A means to better provide the ever sought after, always elusive calm and relaxation that too few of us ever achieve. Easily accessible and at an affordable price, we have a viable option to reduce our inner storm and all the secondary byproducts of significant stress. 

Ask yourself this: if you were less stressed, would you eat as much? If you were less worried, would you have more restful sleep? If you felt better, would you be happier? While we all know physical health and wellness is important and encouraged, our society and work ethic neither necessarily nor adequately support mental and emotional health. Absolutely some need medical assistance, and Lavender oil certainly does not and should not replace medical therapy or be used to treat any disease.

So as one chooses to begin their own wellness journey consider this: maybe taking a few steps towards emotional balance will be as crucial as taking those steps on the treadmill for physical balance.  Consider a walk outdoors, try some meditation, take a yoga class (or, let’s be real, find a yoga app and do that at home in your pajamas), or join the growing popularity of using essential oils such as Lavender to help you find a better sense of calm during your otherwise hectic days.