AROMATHERAPY

Working in an office can damage your health - and that's official.

In The Office Environment Survey' funded by the Health Promotion Research Trust 80 per cent of the 400 workers questioned reported feeling unwell as a result of working in a particular office.

The most commonly reported symptoms are listed below, along with the essential oils I recommend that you use to dispel them in a room method:

• Other contributors to 'sick building syndrome' are dust extractors which give off a discharge, carpet cleaning fluids, the chemicals used in furniture and furniture veneers, and poorly maintained photocopies which emit ozone and nitrogen dioxide. Things get really out of hand when all these elements interact with each other and you end up with a building that causes all the usual problems plus itchy skin, rashes, nose bleeds, tightness in the chest, and shortness of breath. There are, however, things you can do to make your life safer.
• If the sun is hitting the veneer on wooden furniture it might be causing a gas to be emitted and that might be the cause of your allergy or sore throat. Simply moving the furniture around might help. Keep an eye on the maintenance schedule for all the office equipment and if necessary have a word with your Union health and safety representative. 
• All the above are more likely to occur in air-conditioned offices, and, according to Dr Alan Hedge, lecturer in environmental psychology at Aston University, BIrmingham, people who work in offices with apparently sophisticated air-delivery systems have twice as many colds, coughs and sore throats as those who work in offices with natural ventilation.
• Humidifiers that are faulty are breeding grounds for bacteria, and we have all heard about the buildings that spread Legionnaire's disease to their unsuspecting occupants. Use natural ventilation where ever possible and ionisers where not. Large-leaved  green plants improve the quality of the air , and provide a resting place for your eyes and mind when they are reeling from the buzzing electrics in the concrete jungle

• The essential oils could have been made for allevisting many of the 'office induced' illnesses. They combact bacteria and viruses which is so vital in the winter months when whole offices can go down one after the other, like skittles with flu. Indeed, on this score alone, if bosses were to invest  in room diffusers and a few anti-viral oils they would get their investment back within a week.
• Essential oils cn help in other ways besides lessening absenteeism through viral and bacterial illnesses, in ways that make productivity and efficiency greater while making everyone fell a lot better. Use any of the oils listed at the beginning of this section. The permutations are almost endless, so experiment and create different formulas for different days. Monday morning might need a different combination to Friday afternoon, for example! Most of the room methods can be used in an office.
• If you have air conditioning, a humidifier is vital- but as humidifiers can cause more problems than they solve, it is essential to use the oils with them. You can use essential oils in small humidifiers that hang on radiators or sit on the floor, in room diffusers, water-bowls, on cotton wool-balls on a radiator or other source of heat, or in the light bulb or plant-spray methods.
• Even in a large open-plan office your own little area can be catered for. If you do share space, the aroma sensitivity of your office-mates will have to be taken into consideration because aromas can conjure strong emotional reactions.
• 
  You might love the smell of cardamom, but it might remind them of an incident they would rather forget, so they will not like it. Do get feed bac k on the aroma effects of those around you, because with nature's essential oils there is so much choice that everyone can be happy. The citrus essential oils smell very pleasant and few people object to them.
• An excellent combination wold be equal parts of lavender and grapefruit - lavender is an antibiotic with slight anti-viral properties which also creates a calm and tranquil atmosphere, while grapefruit stops you falling asleep on your paperwork and clears up stale air. Together they smell great, please almost everyone, help concentration and allow inspiration to take place.
• Reference:The Fragrant MInd : Valerie Ann Worwood 

Our working environment is usually the place over which we have least control . Fluorescent lights bear down on us as we work, already red-eyed from the inadequate air-conditioning system. The man two desks away has got a bad case of flu and can't stop sneezing. The woman between you is smoking.

The air in the office is stale, and getting staler. You have a headache, feel tired, your ears are blocked and there is pressure in your head. Look at the clock .. only five hours and twenty -two minutes more of trying to look efficient and bright.But sitting in a modern office, even looking into a flickering VDU screen all day, is not the most hazardous way of spending one's working life.

Traffic police and city taxi drivers breathe in more than their fair share of lead pollution; farm workers have high exposure to pesticides; various industrial dusts cause all manner of lung problems, from bronchitis to pneumoconiosis and asbestosis and the new 'hard metal disease'. The factory lines produce more Repetitive Strain Syndrome than Wimbledon produces tennis elbow, and young commodity brokers are literally burnt out by thirty.

Later on in this chapter we shall be looking at remedies for many of the common illnesses that derive directly from the working environment - including the emotional ones - and finding ways of dealing with pre-exam or pre-interview nerves. But let us first cheer ourselves up by looking at some of the essential oils that can transform the working environment and make it fit for the working man and woman.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie Anne Worwood

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie Ann Worwood

Rabid Bites and Scratches-Your Basic Travel Kit

Rabies is a viral infectio that is transmitted by the saliva of an infected animal, usually stray dogs and cats. Litle kittens popping their heads over the tops of cardboard boxes may look very sweet in the market but don't even think about touching them or going near. Licks on a small cut or open wound and licks on the mouth, nose or lips can also transmit the virus, so do make sure your children  are well aware ofthe dangers. Wash thoroughly as outlined for animal bites, then apply thyme and the strongest alcohol you have. Get to the hospital as soon as possible.

FISH
Poisonous fish and marine animals carry their venom mainly in their tentacles and spines. These ca be extremely painful to extract and the risk of infection is always a problem, espically in the polluted waters.
Any visible spines should be removed and the area bathed in salt water, then apply neat thyme. For stings, wash the area in cold water and apply neat chamomile immediately.

PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR
The stings are extremely painful and cause shock, cramp and vomiting. Remove any of the remaining tentacles and wash the area with whatever water you have. Then apply neat lavender all over the area and as the tissues absorb it, apply some more. When you get home wash the area with soap and water and apply chamomile, and continue applying lavender and chamomile every three hours for twenty-four hours. Keep the person warm and in bed or rested. Give plenty of warm liquids and Rescue Remedy(a homeopathic preparation that is widely available). Massage the whole body with the following oil once a day.

JELLY FISH
The small common jelly fish can give a slight sting with a reddening effect. Wash the area thoroughly as soon as you can with soap and water and apply 1 drop of chamomile or lavender oil and then ice.

SEA URCHINS
If you happen to be unlucky enough to tread on a sea urchin the most important thing is to get all the spikes out. As these are extremely brittle and break easily, do be careful about it - and make sure that whatever you use to dig them out is sterilised first. After removing all the spikes and washing the area thoroughly apply 1 drop of neat thyme every three hours, for twelve hours. If the spikes prove difficult to get out buy a Paw Paw fruit, use the inside of the skin as a poultice. The enzymes in the fruit help to dissolve the traces of spike left in the skin and also soothe the area. The pain can be treated by using equal parts of these oils.

STING RAYS
Treat the sting as for sea urchins but apply lavender oil immediately, in addition to the thyme. The pain can be intense and last up to forty-eight hours.

BEES
Bee stings are painful and may cause fever and headaches; an allergic reaction can further cause swelling, redness and rash. Try to remove the sting and apply a cold compress of chamomile to the area. Leave it for several hours if possible but if the sting is in an awkward place just hold the compress to it for as long as possible. In both cases, apply 1 drop of neat chamomile three times a day for two days.

WASPS
Being alkaline, it helps if wasp stings are treated with cider or wine vinegar: into 1 teaspoon put 2 drops each of lavender and chamomile essential oil, mix well and dab on to the bitten area three times a day.

SPIDERS
Dilute three drops of lavender and 2 drops of chamomile essential oil in a teaspoon of alcohol. Blend well together and apply to the area three times-over one day should suffice.

THE BLACK WIDOW
Lavender oil is reputed to neutralise the poison of this very nasty spider. Apply 10 neat drops to the area every two or three minutes until you get to the hospital.

TICKS
you will only notice the tick by its swollen body attached to your skin.Do not pull it out. A cigarette placed on its body will make the tick drop off, or1 drop of thyme will also do the trick. Then apply 1 drop of neat lavender every five minutes, to a totasl of ten, to avoid infection and reduce pain and swelling.

HORNET BITES
Follow the treatment recommended for bee stings, or use lavender neat three times a day.

GNATS AND MIDGES
Dilute three drops of thyme in 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar or lemon juice and apply to the bites. This will stop the irration. s an alternative, dab on neat lavender.

BED BUGS AND FLEAS
The imoirtant factor top avoid here is the risk of infection. Bathe the bitten area aand apply neat lavender. Alternatively, dilute 3 drops of thyme in cider vinegar and apply over the bitten area. Eucalyptus is another option - use as you would lavender.

CHIGGERS AND JIGGERS
These are burrowing insects which attack mainly through the feet. They lay their eggs in burrows under the skin and also spread infection. If red lines appear up the leg or there is swelling in the lymph glands see a doctor. Add 10 drops of thyme to a teaspoon of any alcohol and apply it to the area every three hours. The next day and thereafter apply neat lavender three times a day.

SANDFLIES
Sandflies can cause phebotomus fever which usually last about three days after the bite. Apply neat lavender as soon as possible after the bite and to prevent fever massage the whole of the body twice a day for a week.

Diluted in 30ml vegetable oil
If you cannot get a container for this quantity quickly, use 3 drops of each oil in a dessertspoon of vegetable oil.

The parasite carried by sand flies is responsible for this and for orential sore (oe Leishmaniasis) which can cause long term-ulceration of the nose and mouth with chronic illness, fevers and leisons that look like leprosy. Avoid all areas where sandflies are breeding and wear protective creams and oils wherever they are to be found.

MOSQUITOES
The area you are visiting determines the severity of a mosquito bite. Malaria is carried by the Anopheles mosquito which now lives in over one hundred countries and is emigrating to more while at the same time becoming resistant to the usual medications.

Dengue fever is a viral infection carried by another type of mosquito. It stands to reason that as several serious viral and bacterial diseases are transmitted by mosquitoes, other as yet unidentified transmissions may be taking place. As you can never know who that mosquito diving around your room, bit, before he  started taking a swipe at you, it is only sensible to take all precautions possible to avoid gettng bitten yourself.

And when you put on your protective oil don't forget your face - it might be life- saving as well as face-saving!

If you have already been bitten use neat lavender oil on the bite. If you've been bitten over a large area take 1 cup of cider vinegar or the juice of two lemons and add to it 10 drops of lavender and 5 of thyme.

Put the mixture in a bath,  swishing the water around before you get in. Afterwards, apply neat lavender oil to all the bites. Each night rub your body with the oil formula given for sandflies above, adding 5 drops of lemongrass to the mix.

SNAKES
Lavender has long been effectively used against the venom produced by adders in the mountainous regions of Europe, and it is about the best essential oil to use from the travel kit until you can get help.

You will want to identify the snake but do not be tempted to touch it or take any gambles in an attempt to kill it. Few people going on holiday will have read up on the local snakes, although if you have been bitten  you will wish you had.

If the skin has two distinct puncture marks the odds are that it is poisonous, but if you can see small rows of teeth-marks and the skin is not punctured then you are probably lucky. In any case get help quickly.

Wash the bitten part with whatever liquid you have available  - water, alcohol, Coke or essential oil if that's the only liquid you can find, anything to try and remove the poison by washing. But do not move the bitten part as this might disperse the venom. apply lavender essential oil - as much and as often as you want to - this is an emergency. Tie a bandage around leg or arm to slow down the circulation.

PLANTS
Plants contain many irritants in species such as stinging nettles, poison ivy and so forth. These can cause uriticaria  - white blotch areas on the skin with raised wheals of flesh. Intense itching is also another problem. Apply soap and water as soon as possible to wash the area and then apply eucalyptus, lavender, or chamomile, either neat or on a compress. A cold compress with 2 drops of one of these essential oils often stops the irritation within a few hours.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy : Valerie Anne Worwood