Eliminate Road Rage, Control Your Temper – Avoid the Amygdala Hijack of Your Brain

What do these three scenarios have in common?

  1. Road rage when someone cuts you off
  2. Running away from a hungry lion
  3. Reacting to criticism about your most deeply held beliefs

Surely road rage can’t have anything to do with being chased by a wild animal that weighs 2-4 times more than you. And how could either of the first two scenarios have anything to do with being criticized? Let’s think about it.

Our Top Priority

Our top priority is survival. In order to ensure survival, we rely on portions of our brain, like the amygdala, to identify threats and respond to them quickly. Our response to a threat is estimated to take only 12 thousandths of a second. The response is so fast that your heart starts racing, your blood pressure rises, and you start reacting emotionally before you even can consciously realize what is happening. You may even do things that leave you asking yourself, “What was I thinking?”

The Amygdala Hijack

In his bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman refers to this response as the “amygdala hijack”. One of the most famous amygdala hijacks was when worldwide soccer role model, Zinedine Zidane, headbutted Italian soccer player, Marco Materazzi, in the 2006 World Cup Finals.

Zidane shows us a perfect example of what happens when our rational mind is hijacked by our amygdala. But how can a man go from calmly jogging away to headbutting another man in the chest just a couple seconds later?

It’s the same thing that makes you want to get revenge on the person who cut you off or run away from imminent danger. It is also the same thing that activates when your deeply held beliefs are criticized and condemned.

The (Not So) Sympathetic Nervous System

You are driving on the highway, listening to your favorite song. You’re dancing, singing, and doing whatever it is that you do when no one is looking. Then someone merges into your lane without warning. In less than a second, you go from a state of bliss to wanting to kill the person who just threatened your life. Your heart beats harder and faster, your blood pressure and breathing rate increase, your adrenal glands secrete the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine, and you are ready for battle!

This is what happens every time your sympathetic nervous system is activated. This reaction is commonly referred to as the “fight or flight” response, and it is activated when your brain registers something as a threat.

This response seems overly exaggerated, especially in the context of modern life, but if you consider the environment that we evolved to survive in, it becomes clear why we are wired this way.

Imagine you are foraging for some fresh fruit and suddenly you hear the crumbling of leaves behind you. In less than a second, your amygdala receives the message from your thalamus (the part of the part the brain that relays sensory signals), defines it as a threat, and activates the sympathetic nervous system. As you turn around to see whether if it is a lion or a mouse, your heart is already racing to prepare your body to sprint for your life. If it’s a lion, your body is ready to run away. If it’s a harmless little mouse, you may feel anxious for a couple minutes, but at least you are still alive. You are much better off reacting as if “that’s an animal that will kill me” than “it’s probably just a little mouse.”

Related: The Gut-Brain Connection – How it Affects Your Life

Perceived or Real, It Is Still a Threat.

For most of us who are reading this right now, our safety is almost always guaranteed. So why do we still get stressed?

Let’s go back to the beginning of the article. Each scenario we discussed has one thing in common – a threat. A threat is anything that we think could be threatening to our well-being.  This can include anything from an unexpected noise to a negative criticism about our work. Even a random thought that we have while we are on the verge of falling asleep can be perceived as a threat. As soon as a threat is perceived, our brain fires up our sympathetic nervous system so that we can take action now.

The Origin of Our Perceived Threats

In the first couple years of life, around 1,000 new neural connections are formed every second. This is a fancy way of saying that when we are babies all we do is learn. We learn how to use this sack of meat, bones, and organs that we call a body. We learn about our environment and the people in it and how to get food and safety from them.

From birth through our teenage years, our limbic system (the emotional center of the brain) is constantly undergoing development. This development is shaped by our genes and our past experiences whether they are vicarious or personal. Our future emotional responses are shaped primarily during this phase of development.

Survival First, Happiness Second

As we are developing, our brain is constantly looking for threats to our survival. When there is a risk involved with a certain stimulus, like a thought, sound, taste, or feeling, our amygdala will be triggered so that we can have a fighting chance to survive. Unfortunately, the rational part of our brain is not fully developed until our mid-20s, so the threats that we react to rarely have a rational basis. This is why a seemingly abstract stimulus like the sound of rain may trigger relaxation for one person while the same sound activates the sympathetic nervous system in another.

Anything can be perceived as a threat and trigger a sympathetic response. Many of us live in this state of fight or flight all day long without realizing it, continuing to react to perceived threats as if they are life threatening. On top of that, most of us start our day with a caffeinated beverage like coffee, which activates our sympathetic nervous system even more. Adding caffeine to a body that is already chronically reacting to threats is the perfect recipe for chronic stress, chronic tension, and chronic pain.

Chronic Stress and Chronic Pain

According to the CDC, as of 2012, about half of all adults have one or more chronic diseases. Most, if not all, of these chronic diseases are partially caused by and worsened by chronic stress. Chronic stress is also one of the major causes of chronic pain.

However, stress is necessary for health. For example, exercise is a way of stressing the body that is essential for our well-being. Being exposed to the cold is another stress on the body that leads to positive health benefits. But if you go to the arctic circle and run without stopping, you will quickly perish.

Related: Understanding Stress, Chronic Stress, and Adrenal Fatigue

This is because stress is only good when it is followed by relaxation and recovery. Stress is bad when it becomes chronic. Stress becomes chronic when the body has no opportunity to rest and recover because it is too busy responding to threats. If the body is constantly responding to threats, it can never heal, adapt, and grow, which leads to chronic disease and chronic pain.

Related: What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good

Your Body’s Natural Healing System

To balance the effects of stress that are caused by the sympathetic nervous system, we have another branch of the nervous system that triggers our body to rest and digest called the parasympathetic nervous system. When our environment is free from potential threats, our parasympathetic nervous system takes over.

One of the most important aspects of the parasympathetic nervous system is the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve. It wanders through the center of the body, innervating most of the major organs. When your vagus nerve is active, it reduces your heart rate, improves your digestive function from your mouth to your large intestine, and increases your sense of safety and comfort with yourself and others. Combine this with the benefits of not feeling stressed, and a sense of peace washes over you, peace that you would never feel if you listened to that angry voice that said to headbutt that terrible driver in the chest.

Reacting to your triggers will only lead to an even greater stress response now and in the future. The best way to control your stress response is by consciously activating your parasympathetic nervous system.

How to Activate Your Parasympathetic Nervous System:

Mammalian Dive Reflex & a Bowl of Water

All mammals have the mammalian dive reflex. This automatic reflex activates as soon as our face is immersed in water. Its purpose is to prepare us for extended periods of time underwater by activating the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve while restricting blood flow to the major organs. To take advantage of the benefits of this natural reflex, all you have to do is submerge your face in water for as long as you comfortably can.

Smell an Essential Oil

Obviously, carrying a bowl of water around isn’t practical. Fortunately, there are other options. Smell is the only sense that isn’t processed by the thalamus (the gatekeeper of the brain). This is why certain smells can bring up vivid memories and change how you feel in an instant. Some smells that are known to increase relaxation are from the essential oils chamomile, rose, patchouli, and lavender, but there are tons of essential oils to choose from. Find what works for you and carry these with you to help handle stress throughout the day. You can also diffuse essential oils before you sleep and while you meditate.

Start Meditating!

Meditation is a powerful antidote to stress and suffering because it shows you that you do not have to react to your every thought and emotion. By taking the time to meditate, you give yourself permission to stop reacting, which keeps you from firing up your sympathetic nervous system. With enough time, meditation can give you the ability to choose what you react to, sparing your sympathetic nervous system for when you need it most.

Human Connection & Oxytocin

Intimate conversation, hugs, massages, kisses, and sex all trigger the release of a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a variety of essential roles in the body, most of them related to love and connection. When we are connecting with people we trust, oxytocin is released. This makes us feel safe and close with them (much more so when physical touch is involved). Oxytocin also decreases the stress response and inhibits the amygdala’s response to threats.

Sound

Singing, humming, and laughing all stimulate the parts of the vagus nerve that innervate your larynx and pharynx, which will trigger a parasympathetic response. If you don’t want to sing, hum, or laugh, you can receive the benefit of sound through music instead. Listening to music can completely change your subjective experience. Some of the profound effects that music has on us can be attributed to how it activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Obviously, choosing the right music is paramount to this technique.

Breathing

Changing how you breathe is something you can do right now to relieve stress and pain. Slow, controlled diaphragmatic breaths stimulate the vagus nerve and decrease sympathetic activity.

You can learn how to breathe properly and discover the 10 profound effects that breathing has on the body.

Food

What we eat changes how we feel. If we eat food that we are allergic to or food that is overly processed and full of toxic chemicals, our sympathetic nervous system will be triggered to deal with the threat of the food.

On the other hand, when we consume a nutritious meal that is full of vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, protein, fiber, and carbohydrates, we feel satiated and happy due to the increased parasympathetic response.

We can also relieve chronic stress by complementing our diets with the natural supplements and herbs mentioned here.

Nature

Nature is a powerful antidote to stress and a parasympathetic nervous system activator. Although one of the best ways to get a dose of nature is to go hiking, just looking at pictures of nature increases vagus nerve activation.

Self Awareness

What do you do when you are on the verge of headbutting that guy in the chest? You can’t meditate.  You don’t have food on hand. You ran out of your favorite essential oil.  You have no music. Hugging him is not an option, but you can use the power of your prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex provides you with the ability to be conscious of your decisions and their consequences. While your amygdala is mobilizing all weapons for war, you can use your prefrontal cortex to bring awareness to the situation.

To develop self-awareness, direct your focus with specific questions. Dr. Relly Nadler suggests asking yourself five simple questions to keep your body from being hijacked by your amygdala:

  1. What am I thinking?
  2. What am I feeling?
  3. What do I want now?
  4. How am I getting in my way?
  5. What do I need to do differently now?

These questions will help you shift your focus and find a better way to act. If you can’t remember these questions, simply remind yourself of the “future you”. Every one of your actions comes with consequences that the “future you” will be responsible for.

As you change the way you react to perceived threats, the way your brain perceives those threats will change. Eventually, you will only react to circumstances that legitimately threaten your safety and survival.

Other Brain Hijackers to Watch Out For

There are some important things to mention that hijack your brain that are not addressed by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Three of the most prevalent (and stealthy) brain hijackers are heavy metals, B-vitamin deficiency, and chronic pain.

Heavy Metals

Mercury, arsenic, manganese, cadmium, lead, and aluminum are among many metals that are toxic to the body. Each metal disrupts the body in different ways by creating oxidative stress and deactivating our antioxidant defense processes.

Metals like mercury and lead easily cross the blood brain barrier and create chaos by impairing the function of genes and enzymes related to the health and communication of brain cells. This means that heavy metals can impair almost every function of the brain from memory to decision making and impulse control.

Fortunately, we can counteract the negative effects of heavy metals with natural foods and supplements. Allicin from garlic, anthocyanin/flavonoids from cherries, grapes, and berries, catechins from tea, cocoa, peach, and berries, and circumin from turmeric all act as antioxidants and can either chelate or deactivate heavy metals. Vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and E, as well as spirulina and chlorella also have potent antioxidant effects that can deactivate these heavy metals.

Related: Top 5 Foods that Detox Heavy Metals and Toxins – With Protocol

B-vitamin Deficiency

The brain accounts for 20% of the body’s energy expenditure and B-vitamins allow the brain to use this energy efficiently and effectively. When we are low in B-vitamins it dramatically changes how we live our lives. For example, just a mild deficiency in vitamin B1 can cause irritability, emotional disturbance, and memory loss, a deficiency in vitamin B3, B6, or B7 can cause depression, and a lack of vitamin B9 and B12 accelerates cognitive decline.

If you consume meat, fish, eggs, leafy greens, and green vegetables as part of your diet then you are probably getting enough B-vitamins. However, it may be best to have a vitamin B complex on hand if you are feeling depressed, fatigued, or not as sharp as usual.

Related: Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium

Chronic Pain

Pain changes the brain. When we experience pain our decision-making abilities plummet and dealing with the pain becomes top priority. As pain becomes chronic, it creates subtle changes in our medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex. This causes a minor change in personality that may be characterized by reduced adaptability and resilience and poor decision making.

To learn more about chronic pain and how to relieve it, read our article on chronic pain.

Save Your Brain from Being Hijacked

Your brain is designed to keep you alive. It will jolt you out of a relaxed state to save your life from a perceived threat, even if it’s just a snake that you saw on a YouTube video. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system, you will be able to control your sympathetic nervous system and prevent amygdala hijack. With practice, you will only use your sympathetic nervous system when it is legitimately warranted.

Heavy metals, a deficiency of B-vitamins, and chronic pain can also stealthily hijack your brain. Foods like garlic, turmeric, berries, and chocolate and vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and E can keep heavy metals from damaging your body and brain. It is also important to ensure adequate B-vitamin intake by eating meat, fish, eggs, leafy greens, and green vegetables and supplementing with a B-vitamin complex if you feel depressed or fatigued. And for those who have chronic pain, even if it has been around for decades, it can be relieved and function can be improved with the guidance of the right health practitioner.

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How Health Affects Body Odor

What do people smell like? If you live in a developed country, your answer is likely to mention a perfume or a soap or some variation of a product designed to keep people from smelling. The modern person is terrified of smelling “bad.” The personal care market in the U.S. is projected to take advantage of this fear to the tune of 11 billion in revenue by 2018. But these products merely cover up the way we smell. None of them address or fix the way we smell.

Why Do We Smell?

We smell because of our bacteria.  The sweat produced by the apocrine glands at our armpits, genital area, and other select body locations is largely odorless until it’s broken down by our bacteria into thioalcohols. These thioalcohols are sulfur based compounds, which helps explain why some people smell strongly of onions or garlic. Scientists have identified the bacteria that breaks down into largest amount of thioalcohols, Staphylococcus hominis, but they aren’t sure about the role of the other bacteria on the skin.

Smells are incredibly useful in ways we aren’t even aware of and don’t fully understand. Smells help you recognize family, find a mate or partner, and identify stress or potential danger. In the face of stress, signals from the nose change the way you react to visual cues. The sensitivity to negative facial expressions, for example, increases when the nose smells stress signals. The nearness to stress signals also increases the body’s startle reflex and instinctively causes us to avoid or withdraw from the stressful smell. If you’re a lady, smells can also influence your monthly cycle. Women who smell signals from other women in the ovulatory stage of their cycle are more likely to experience lengthened menstrual cycles.

Smells and Your Health

Sick people have a different odor. Dogs know it. An organization called “Medical Detection Dogs in the U.K.” is using dogs and their noses to detect early warning signs of both prostate and breast cancer. Dogs can also smell changes in blood sugar levels. While humans may not be able to smell illness on that level, unhealthy smells do register. Researchers in Sweden elicited an immune response in volunteers to see if the smell of the response could be detected later. Those who smelled both the T-shirts worn by the volunteers experiencing the immune response and an unworn T-shirt reported that the worn shirt smelled less healthy and less pleasant.

The body gives off multiple warning smells for a variety of conditions. Since your smell is determined by your bacteria, and bacteria determines your overall health, paying attention to these smells can serve as an early warning system. The type and location of the smells can tip you off as to potential health issues.

A persistent sweet or fruity smell in the mouth can be a sign that the body is releasing large amounts of ketones, a sign of diabetes. On the other side of the smell spectrum, “bad” breath smells can indicate that the body is having difficulties processing out toxins properly, releasing them through the mouth instead.

Smells in the groin area, while potentially embarrassing, can also be excellent indicators of a health issue. Pee that smells like ammonia could indicate a urinary tract infection. Especially strong fishy or musty smells are evidence of a bacterial infection, although the actual infection could run the gamut from various sexually transmitted diseases to yeast or Gardnerella infections. Most people have a subtle smell down there, but noticing a stronger than usual musty, fishy, or sour smell allows you to do something about it, like ramping up the cranberry lemonade and the raw veggies and cutting back on the sugar (see Detox Cheap and Easy).

Now let’s talk some shit. While there are lots of caveats and exceptions, for the most part, how gross a bathroom smells after a #2 is dropped is indicative of how poor one’s health is.

Related: Natural Cure for Yeast Infection

Smell also plays a role in how other people perceive you. We’re subconsciously able to smell and identify immune responses. We’re more attracted to the smell of a healthy person. People are more inclined to identify with or seek out a person who smells healthy.

The Impact of Deodorant

If smells tell us so much, why do we cover them up? Because we’ve been conditioned to be terrified of the way we smell. Early deodorant advertising campaigns capitalized on the fear of rejection, first telling women they couldn’t get a man due to their smelly underarms and later convincing men their smell was unprofessional. Deodorants and other scented personal care items are considered a must in the modern world.

There is the distinct possibility that the products that make us smell acceptable in society actually damage our bodies. The lymphatic vessels that enable the spread of breast cancer are located in the armpit where aluminum and paraben-laden deodorants are applied. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin. Parabens are known to have estrogen-like effects and encourage cells in the breast to grow and split. Deodorant may not be the cause of cancer, but an overloaded and toxic lymphatic system is never going to result in good things.

In addition to exacerbating health issues, deodorants wipe out defenses. They don’t discriminate; they kill both the smelly and the beneficial bacteria. Matters are not helped by the increasingly sterile environment we live in, where antibacterial soaps and handwashes ensure that good bacteria is gone before it has a chance to do anything.

Related: How To Make Your Own Natural Deodorant at Home – Recipe

Making Better Choices

Nothing is going to improve your smell like eating well. Upon hearing that bacteria is the reason you smell, it’s easy to want to get rid of it for causing bad smells, but the flip side is the important part. The bacteria causes the good smells, too, and that can be cultivated. A diet consisting of mostly organic, fresh, raw produce with minimally processed food and refined sugars will feed beneficial bacteria. Better bacteria leads to better body odor. Products with aluminum and parabens kill all of that good bacteria and leach into the body, disrupting the body’s working and potentially leading to serious disease. Reading labels and choosing better products or making your own chemical-free products are solutions that will not only leave you smelling better, you’ll feel better.

The Smelly One

No one wants to be the smelly one. But the definition of smell can be relative, as someone who is used to the natural, healthy smell of the body will find perfumes and scented deodorants overwhelming. These products will also never be able to completely mask the body’s natural signals, leaving the user to forever bandage a wound that won’t close.

It all comes back to the bacteria. Treat your microbes right, and you just might save a lot of money on colognes and antiperspirants. And if somebody ever says about you, “He thinks his shit don’t stink!” you can know with confidence that it probably smells a lot better than theirs. Check out the recommended reading below for more on your microbes.

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Sulforaphane – Why Your Cells Need Cruciferous Vegetables

Sulforaphane is a miraculous compound that enhances brain function, promotes healthy fat distribution, and greatly reduces the risk of cancer, brain diseases, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It is like a health insurance policy for your cells. And guess what? It’s all natural. Sounds like another supplement sales pitch, right? That’s what I thought when I first heard about it, but then I dug through the research.

In a scientific article published by Dr. Thomas W. Kensler and his colleagues, sulforaphane is described as one of…

…the most potent naturally occurring inducers of Nrf2 signaling.”

Nrf2 is a cytoprotective (cell-protecting) pathway that protects your cells from oxidative stress and removes toxins from the body. This means that nrf2 plays a key role in preventing and reversing common health issues like:

  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Cancer
  • Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and other brain diseases
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • ALS
  • Autism and other behavioral disorders
  • Chronic pain
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Asthma

The best part is that you won’t have to climb to the top of a mountain or scavenge the Amazon jungle and sit through a 6-hour ceremony to reap the benefits of nrf2. All you need to do is eat cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. Sulforaphane will be yours.

Related: Foods, Vitamins, and Herbs That Kill Cancer

Where Does Sulforaphane Come From?

Technically, sulforaphane does not naturally occur in cruciferous vegetables. A healthy, mature broccoli plant, for example, will contain no sulforaphane. However, as soon as the plant is damaged an enzyme called myrosinase is released that reacts with glucoraphanin, a compound that is sulforaphane’s precursor.

This process is not a gift from nature to ensure human health, it is actually the plant’s defense mechanism. Sulforaphane is designed to be toxic to the plant’s predators. In fact, it can be toxic to humans in large quantities. For example, when we ingest the majority of our calories from raw cruciferous vegetables, we can impair our thyroid function.

However, in small quantities, sulforaphane creates a hormetic effect. A hormetic effect is what happens when we gain beneficial effects from something that would be toxic or lethal in higher doses. For example, daily cold exposure triggers brown fat production. This is a healthier version of fat that increases our energy and heat production. This means that cold exposure has a hormetic effect on our bodies, but if we are exposed to frigid temperatures for too long, we will begin to accumulate frostbite instead of brown fat.

Although you won’t get frostbite from eating too many cruciferous vegetables, very high intakes of these vegetables have been found to cause hypothyroidism. This is because compounds in cruciferous vegetables called glucosinolates can be broken down into goitrins in the body. These goitrins interfere with the production of thyroid hormones causing hypothyroidism. However, if you maintain an adequate iodine intake, you will need to eat a lot more cruciferous vegetables to experience adverse effects. Fortunately, you won’t have to eat a tremendous amount of cruciferous vegetables. The benefits of sulforaphane can be experienced by eating just 3 to 5 servings per week. In fact, doing this may prevent cancer.

Cancer Prevention? Yeah, That Too

If you dig through the literature on sulforaphane, you will find an abundance of studies on cancer. Sulforaphane has been found to prevent the formation of breast, prostate, colon, skin, lung, stomach, and bladder cancer. One study found that a diet of three to five servings per week of cruciferous vegetables is sufficient to decrease the risk of cancer development by 30% to 40%. It was also found that consuming one portion of cruciferous vegetables per week is associated with a significantly reduced risk of oral cavity and pharynx, esophageal, colorectal, breast, and kidney cancer.

These profound effects are not only due to sulforaphane’s cell protecting properties. Sulforaphane also has the capacity to be selectively toxic to malignant cells, while simultaneously enhancing the detoxification of aflatoxins and airborne toxins like smoke. It also has been shown to have potent affects on the brain.

Brain Transformation

Sulforaphane is essential for brain health, especially in healing damaged brains. In cases of traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease, sulforaphane has been found to improve memory and learning abilities. Scientists think that this may be associated with its ability to promote neurogenesis and reduce the aluminum load in the brain.

Autism is also positively affected by sulforaphane. In one study, autistic children that supplemented with sulforaphane showed an improvement in social interaction, abnormal behavior, and verbal communication.

Related: Increase your IQ with the Right Foods, Herbs, Vitamins

Fat Loss & Gut Health

Studies have found that sulforaphane triggers the creation of brown fat in mice. Brown fat is a healthier form of fat storage that actually increases energy consumption.

Sulforaphane also improved the gut flora of mice compared to other mice that were fed the same diet without sulforaphane. This may mean that sulforaphane can change our body composition by promoting brown fat storage and a healthy gut flora while staving off unhealthy, inflammatory white fat.

Related: Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases

And There’s More

Studies have also found that sulforaphane aids in the reversal of fatty liver disease, preventing lung damage from inhaled toxins, reducing hypertension, and improving mood.

Okay. That’s it.

I am sure there is more, but that is enough of the science for today. Let’s get practical.

How to Get More Sulforaphane

Simply eating cruciferous vegetables is not enough to guarantee that you are getting sulforaphane in your diet. Many different environmental factors can cause glucoraphanin to not be converted into sulforaphane. And glucoraphanin is useless to the body.

One environmental factor that reduces the production of sulforaphane is heat. Studies have found that exposing cruciferous vegetables to temperatures higher than 158 degrees Fahrenheit deactivated the myrosinase enzyme leading to a sharp decrease in sulforaphane production. This suggests that cooking your cruciferous vegetables will rob you of the benefits of sulforaphane. But before you make a raw kale salad or have some raw broccoli to get your daily dose of sulforaphane, it is important to note that myrosinase activity decreases as the cruciferous vegetable matures. Luckily, there is a much easier and tastier way to increase the amount of sulforaphane in your meals.

The Best Source of Sulforaphane

Even if you eat raw broccoli or cauliflower, you are still getting 10 to 100 times less sulforaphane than when you eat 3-day-old broccoli sprouts. In fact, one ounce of broccoli sprouts can convert to as much sulforaphane as one-and-a-half pounds of mature broccoli. This is mainly because myrosinase activity is increased in young sprouts compared to adult plants. This increase in enzyme activity helps ensure that the vulnerable sprout can protect itself into adulthood.

The increased activity of the myrosinase enzyme in broccoli sprouts also helps you to convert the glucoraphanins from other vegetables in your meal to sulforaphane. You can reap these benefits with every salad by garnishing it with broccoli sprouts. Dr. Rhonda Patrick suggests adding around 2.5 ounces of broccoli sprouts to your daily smoothies, salad, or snack.

Supplementing with Broccoli Sprouts

Buying a broccoli sprout supplement may seem like the best option, but don’t let the tempting price of $10 a month fool you. This will cost you 20x more than buying broccoli sprouts in the store, and supplements can’t even guarantee that the myrosinase enzyme will be present or active.

When you buy fresh broccoli sprouts you can at least guarantee that you are getting sulforaphane in your diet. Store bought broccoli sprouts will cost you about $1 per ounce or you can easily grow them at home for the cost of around 9 cents per ounce.

Related: You Need Sulforaphane – How and Why to Grow Broccoli Sprouts

Conclusion

Sulforaphane is a compound that comes with a list of beneficial effects that gets longer as we continue to study it. You can reap the benefits of sulforaphane by eating around 5 servings of raw or minimally cooked cruciferous vegetables a week. However, the simplest and most effective way to consume sulforaphane is by eating broccoli sprouts.

Just one ounce of broccoli sprouts converts to as much sulforaphane as one-and-a-half pounds of mature broccoli. A reliable source of broccoli sprouts is your local organic food store, but this added expense can easily break your grocery budget. The cheapest way to supplement your diet with broccoli sprouts is by growing them at home. After 5-7 days you can have up to a half pound of sprouts for 10x less than the cost of broccoli sprouts in the store.

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B Vitamins Can Offset Damage From Air Pollutions

Billions of people are exposed to dangerous fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, from diesel fumes, wood burning stoves, and chemical reactions between other polluting gasses. PM2.5 particles are incredibly tiny, with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometers. They can lodge deep in the lungs and cause heart and lung problems, and they are thought to alter genes associated with the immune system. How do you protect yourself against something with that has the ability to change your DNA? You take B vitamins.

Researchers in the U.S. discovered that four weeks of B vitamin supplementation limited the PM2.5 effects by 28-76% at ten gene locations. Though limited by their small sample size and the high doses of B vitamins in the study, scientists nevertheless saw a connection. The B vitamins made a difference both in epigenetic changes and on a mitochondrial level.

Looking for B Vitamins

B vitamins give us our energy. They provide essential support for neurotransmitters and nerve tissue. The specific B vitamins used in this study were B6, folic acid (or B9), and B12. The inclusion of folic acid and B12 is especially interesting as they are some of the building blocks involved in repairing DNA, and they are involved in the metabolism of every cell in the body. Despite common fear that if you have the gene for something you automatically get it, the body can be influenced. Genes change.

Gun Seeks Magic Bullet

So the question becomes how do we get enough B vitamins to offset that pollution, to support all of those essential processes in the body, and to keep our genes intact or improve them? While we can produce B vitamins in the gut, it doesn’t happen without the right foods or the right gut environment. Fresh, organic vegetables and fruits replenish B vitamins, but the amount of nutrition to be found in our food is declining overall. There’s also the issue of assimilation. A digestive system that isn’t working properly won’t be able to use those vitamins to their best effect. The good news there? Maintaining the same produce rich way of eating that provides and creates B vitamins is the best way to have a healthy digestive system.

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Lower Cholesterol and Prevent Heart Disease Without Drugs

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. On the surface it sounds dreadful, but this fact becomes good news when we realize that heart disease is preventable and, in some cases, reversible.

Heart Disease is Preventable and Can Be Reversible

Although there are many genetic factors that determine your risk of heart disease, it is still preventable and can be reversible. This is because the most common cause of heart disease, atherosclerosis, is caused by factors that are under our control.

Although atherosclerosis is technically the buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries, this does not mean that fat itself is the only factor to consider. In fact, many studies have shown that low-fat diets do not reduce the risk of heart disease at all.

Fat is Not Clogging Your Arteries

Atherosclerosis is not caused by fat clogging your arteries. Fat isn’t the problem. Atherosclerosis isn’t even the problem, it is the solution to the problem that is caused by oxidized LDL cholesterol.

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LDL – The Misunderstood Lipoprotein

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is commonly referred to as “bad cholesterol”, but it is actually necessary for our survival.

Think of LDL as a superhero with a very short temper. LDL brings nutrients like cholesterol and vitamins to our cells, saving their lives from those evil free radicals. Unfortunately, if the LDL interacts with these free radicals in the blood, it begins to oxidize.

The now oxidized LDL goes on a temper tantrum causing damage to the endothelial cells (cells that line the inside of our blood vessels). The endothelial damage triggers macrophages (immune system cells) to try to keep the oxidized LDL from doing any more damage.

The macrophage convinces the oxidized LDL to hand in its superhero costume and become an inert, non-toxic fatty plaque that resides between the walls of the blood vessel. Our body creates this plaque to keep the oxidized LDL from damaging more cells, which is why atherosclerosis is part of the solution.

Product Recommendation: Lipicept Cholesterol Support • 120c – HCP Formulas

(Don’t) Just Take a Statin

After hearing that there is indeed a link between LDL cholesterol and heart disease, it is tempting take whatever we can to lower our cholesterol. This is why cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are consistently among the top-selling prescriptions in the world.

One reason why statins are so prolific is because they work. In fact, They have been found to consistently lower plasma LDL levels by 25–35% and reduce the frequency of heart attacks by 25–30%. This is nothing short of miraculous, at-least until you learn what statins actually do.

Recommended: How To Reverse Fatty Liver Disease (Diet Plan Included)

The Dark Side of Statins

Statins work by inhibiting an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase. When this enzyme is inhibited, cholesterol production by the liver is stopped, which leads to lower LDL levels in the blood. At the same time, inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase impairs our ability produce coenzyme Q10 – a molecule that is vital for cellular health and mitochondrial function.

Coenzyme Q1o allows our mitochondria to produce energy efficiently so our cells can survive and thrive. When our levels of coenzyme Q10 are low, the ability of our muscles to function and recover plummets. This causes muscle pain and inflammation, which also happens to be the most commonly reported adverse effect from taking statins. What a coincidence! Other common adverse effects from taking statins related to a lack of coenzyme Q10 are a decrease in cognitive function and liver damage.

It is also important to mention that having low cholesterol comes with its own side effects. Hormonal imbalances like low testosterone, increased fatigue, increased frequency of sickness, and reduced ability to digest fats may result from having low cholesterol. This is because cholesterol provides us with the building blocks for sex hormones, stress hormones, and bile salts that are necessary for survival.

There May Still Be a Place for Statins

Although statins do come with many risks, they may be helpful for people have genetic risk factors for heart disease. But even if you do have a family history of heart disease, you can still address it more effectively by naturally increasing the activity of your LDL receptors.

Recommended: Probiotics, Bacteria, and Our Health

The Best Way to Reverse Heart Disease

Our liver contains many of our LDL receptors. When these receptors are active, they draw excess LDL cholesterol back to the liver, giving it less of a chance to get oxidized and cause problems.

We can increase LDL receptor activity in 4 ways:

1. Reduce The Concentration of Cholesterol in the Liver

The liver is the regulator of cholesterol levels in the body. It produces cholesterol and sends it out to the cells using LDL particles and removes cholesterol by turning it into bile salts and excreting it in the feces.

When we eat high fiber foods like split peas, lentils, artichokes, peas, and broccoli, the fiber prevents the bile from being reabsorbed. This forces the liver to increase its LDL receptor activity to bring LDL cholesterol back to the liver and synthesize more bile.

This approach to controlling LDL cholesterol levels is not just theory. Studies show that heart-attack survivors who adopt a high-fiber diet reduce the risk of a recurrence by about 40 percent, compared to survivors who make no dietary changes. According to the American Heart Association Eating Plan, you can reap the benefits of fiber by increasing your fiber intake to 25 to 30 grams a day.

Studies have also shown polyunsaturated fats like omega 3s and 6s to decrease cholesterol, but this comes with the risk of increasing the oxidization of LDL. This is because polyunsaturated fats are easily oxidized, which can lead to an increase in oxidants and free radicals in the body. These compounds will then interact with LDL causing it to oxidize. For this reason, it may be best to limit the consumption of all polyunsaturated fats if you have heart disease.

2. Decrease Your Levels of Inflammation

Inflammation is the process that our body carries out to heal itself, and LDL cholesterol is an important player in this process. Whenever there is damage or trauma, the liver increases LDL output and decreases LDL receptor activity so that the LDL stays in circulation and aids the healing process. This is why when we are stressed, sick, or hurt our cholesterol levels will tend to be higher.

When our cells are constantly undergoing trauma due to our own immune system (autoimmune disease) or chronic toxic stress (due to emotional stress, environmental toxins, and/or dietary toxins), our system will be in a chronic state of inflammation with high cholesterol.

To reduce your inflammation, focus on removing toxins from your environment and diet, increasing the quality of your sleep, reducing emotional stress, and increasing your level of low intensity activities like walking or yoga. You can also supplement with anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric or vitamins like vitamin E and C to reduce oxidative stress.

You can track your inflammation levels by measuring your C-reactive protein levels with a blood test. C-reactive protein is created by the liver when there is inflammation in the body, so it is a great indicator for the level of inflammation in the body. Keeping your C-reactive protein level Below 1 mg/L is commonly suggested, but Dr. Chris Masterjohn suggests that it is best to keep it lower than .07 mg/L.

Related: What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good

3. Improve Thyroid Function

If you are feeling depressed, losing your hair, and you have high cholesterol, you may need to improve your thyroid function. Low thyroid function leads to increased levels of cholesterol, while increased thyroid function may increase LDL receptor activity and decrease LDL cholesterol levels. This leads us to the conclusion that improving thyroid function, if you have an under-active thyroid, will reduce your risk of heart disease.

To improve thyroid function it is important to first reduce inflammation, which shuts down thyroid hormone production. It is also important to make sure that you are eating nutritious foods that leave you feeling satiated. When we are satiated from a nutrient dense meal, our thyroid gland gets a signal from the brain that we have enough energy. The thyroid gland responds to the signal by releasing thyroid hormones that improve cellular function throughout the body.

Sleep is also an important factor in improving thyroid function. Make sure you are sleeping at around the same time every night and getting enough sleep, so that you can wake up refreshed rather than tired.

Related: Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid

4. Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease and for good reason – insulin, LDL receptor activity, and thyroid function are intimately linked. For example, when the cells are resistant to insulin (a hormone that helps to stabilize high blood sugar), like in people with type 2 diabetes, it leads to a decrease in thyroid function and LDL receptor activity because the body is perceiving that food is scarce. The result is high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and an even higher risk of heart disease. On the other hand, thyroid function and LDL receptor activity increases when the cells are sensitive to insulin, which leads to stable blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and almost no risk of heart disease.

To increase your sensitivity to insulin, it is important to increase your activity level and decrease the amount of refined foods in your diet. Increasing your activity level by lifting weights, doing body weight exercises, and doing interval training will substantially improve your insulin sensitivity. Replacing refined foods with vegetables and fruits will increase your vitamin and fiber intake, which will help increase your insulin sensitivity and decrease your cholesterol.

Related: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

How to Measure Your Results

To see if your personal heart disease reducing lifestyle program was effective, check your total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio on your next blood panel. Your total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio should between 3 and 4 to ensure healthy cholesterol levels and a substantially reduced risk of heart disease.

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Monsanto Might Be in Big Trouble

Monsanto is currently embroiled in a lawsuit from farmers claiming that glyphosate caused their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, contradicting the EPA’s finding that the chemical is “…not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” On Tuesday, documents from the case were unsealed, including an internal email exchange at Monsanto that implies they wrote portions of EPA studies on the herbicide. According to one email, “…we would be keeping the cost down by us doing the writing and they would just edit & sign their names so to speak…” Another email specifically mentions portions of studies that would be ghostwritten by Monsanto employees, as opposed to regulatory agencies.

Suspect Everyone

Federal judge Vince Chhabria, who is based in Northern California and is overseeing the litigation against the company, has indicated that, “My reaction is when you consider the relevance of the EPA’s reports, and you consider their relevance to this litigation, it seems appropriate to take Jess Rowland’s deposition…” Previous documents released in the case included a letter from a long-time EPA employee, alleging that Rowland and other colleagues played “political, conniving games with the science to favor the registrants.” Other emails directly from Rowland indicated that he would quash another assessment of glyphosate from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, among other things. Rowland’s testimony will be key for the plaintiff, as his time as the chair of the Cancer Assessment Review Committee coincides with the release of the EPA memo that disputes the World Health Organization’s classification of glyphosate as probably carcinogenic. A subpoena will likely be necessary to interview Rowland, as he has declined a previous, voluntary request.

The EPA is also concerned about their standing in this lawsuit. Raven M. Norris, the attorney representing them this case,  stated, “The agency has legitimate concerns about being pulled into private litigation…They want to be able to maintain their impartiality.” If the already released documents are any indication, impartiality is already off the table. They are left fighting for plausible deniability.

Monsanto has maintained its defense of glyphosate, and Bill Heydens, one of the alleged ghostwriters, has given sworn testimony about his original emails, claiming, “It was things like editing relatively minor things, editing for formatting, just for clarity, really just for overall readability to make it easier for people to read in a more organized fashion…”. Rowland will hopefully provide the other side of that conversation, but it is likely his testimony will protect the company.

A Vulnerable Position for the Agricultural Giant

Complaints and studies against Monsanto and glyphosate have been piling up for quite some time now. While the WHO has reclassified the chemical after extensive research, the U.S. regulators have lagged behind with a different script. The EPA may be able to claim that they were unaware of this manipulation, though plaintiff attorneys have suggested that the EPA “may be unaware of Monsanto’s deceptive authorship practices.” But there really isn’t a good position here. If Rowland implicates Monsanto and saves the EPA, Monsanto’s $66 million dollar merger with Bayer might be in jeopardy. If Rowland follows the money (history indicates probably) or martyrs himself, the EPA looks incompetent. For the rest of us, we’ll get a better picture of who is pulling the strings when this case is decided.

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Understanding Essential Oils: A Complete Guide For Beginners

Have you relied on a plant for healing today? You probably did without even realizing it. It’s easy to take these anchored down organisms for granted, but the truth is that many plants are filled with an arsenal of chemicals that can help or hurt us, depending on how we decide to put them to work. Humans have been using plants for their medicinal properties for thousands of years, but no part of a plant has ever been more valued than its essential oil.

Used medicinally, recreationally, and even religiously, essential oils have been an important part of cultural rituals since the beginning of human history. You too can benefit from the potent powers of healing plants, so long as you take the time to learn the facts about essential oils. From this guide, you’ll learn what essential oils can do (and what they can’t) for your health, how to use them and the kinds you should buy. No matter what your long term goals are for using essential oils, this guide will get you started.

What Makes an Oil Essential?

Put simply, an essential oil is the part of a plant that smells strongly. The aroma comes from the chemical content of volatile oils, which means that they are made from terpenes, or hundreds of carbon and hydrogen-based compounds intermixed. Unlike “true” oils (like olive oil), essential oils are far lighter and tend to vaporize when exposed to air.

A good way to understand essential oils is to think of them as the blood of plants. Like blood, essential oils seal cuts and trigger hormonal responses in plants when they are threatened. These oils are so essential for plant vitality that without them, plants would die.

Unlike human blood, essential oils only come from specific parts of plants. Some, like cardamon, can be found in seed pods, while others, like ginger, come from the root. Tree resin (myrrh), fruit peels (citrus oils), petals (rose), tree bark (cinnamon), and leaves (eucalyptus) also contains essential oils for some species.

On average, every essential oil contains over 100 components, many of which can change between plants themselves. Once distilled, essential oils become highly concentrated, meaning you need an incredible amount of plant material to make them. For example, one ounce of rose essential oil requires over 60,000 roses, and an ounce of peppermint oil requires more than 16 pounds of fresh leaves.

Looking Closer at the Essential Oil Extraction Process

It’s no simple task to pull essential oils out of plants, but there are several methods that tend to work best. The most popular method is steam distillation, which involves suspending fresh plants over boiling water so that steam can pull out their essential oils. These oils are captured in a vessel that pushes it through a tube, where it cools down and condenses back into a water-oil mixture. Because water and oil don’t mix, the oil can be carefully harvested, leaving 100% pure essential oil.

Another extraction method is expression, which is how citrus essential oils are made. Just like the process of cold pressing olive oils, citrus peels are mechanically squeezed until every last drop of essential oil comes out.

The Benefits of Aromatherapy for Your Body

Plants use their essential oils to keep themselves safe, but humans have long put them towards a different use: aromatherapy. In 1928, the French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse found that his burnt hand felt better when he put some lavender oil on it. He decided to test these benefits out farther and soon stumbled upon the science of aromatherapy, which is the use of essential oils to promote healing and wellness.

Aromatherapy didn’t take off in the United States until the 1980s, but these valuable plant extracts were soon added to lotions, candles, and makeup for their aromatic benefits. Today, there are trained professionals (aromatherapists, physical therapists, and natural medicine doctors) who use aromatherapy to promote healing for a range of ailments.

More than 100,000 aromas exist in nature, but the human nose only recognizes a few hundred. Even so, certain smells can dramatically influence your emotions, feelings, and overall well-being. Many are capable of stimulating immune responses to help you fight off a cold and can dry out mucous to clear your air passageways. Others have nervine properties that calm anxiety, promote relaxation, and soothe tension headaches before they get out of control. Some have stimulating effects that work to wake you up, sharpen your focus, and eliminate mental fatigue.

The Three “Notes” of Essential Oils

Most essential oils are categorized as being a top, middle, or base note. The best blends of essential oils involve mixtures of all three notes to get a well-balanced scent.

Top Notes: Because they are made from young leaves, fresh herbs, and delicate flowers, top notes are the most volatile and fragile. These oils evaporate quickly, but they can quickly stimulate your senses in order to wake you up or snap you out of a bad mood. Some examples include peppermint, cinnamon, and sweet orange.

Middle Note: These well-balanced oils are good for the entire body. They are normally made through distilling the entire plant and tend to create a strong connection between the mind and the body, making them ideal for treating physical problems like stiffness and arthritis. Common examples are nutmeg, juniper, and lavender.

Base Notes: Robust and earthy, base notes are the richest form of essential oil and often come from tree resin. Their heavy, distinctive scents are great for calming anxiety and nerves. Some well-known varieties are vanilla, myrrh, and patchouli.

Benefits of Different Essential Oils

Because there are hundreds of essential oils, this article can’t delve into the benefits of each one. However, below are some of the most common essential oils and their benefits.

  • Rose: As one of the most valuable essential oils in the world, rose oil is great for reducing skin inflammation and as a facial moisturizer.
  • Cypress: Reduces the visibility of varicose veins, helps heal broken bones, and improves blood circulation.
  • Grapefruit: Helps to reduce cellulite when blended with coconut oil, and can work to rev up your metabolism.
  • Frankincense: Works to build up the immune system and reduce inflammation while supporting the brain and possibly helping you fight off cancer.
  • Clove: Protects your body against bacteria and parasites and provides you with antioxidants.
  • Lemon: A powerful ingredient to add to homemade cleaning products, lemon oil can also cleanse your body.
  • Tea Tree: Works to stimulate the immune system and can eliminate bad smells. Also renowned as an anti-bacteria, anti-fungal oil.
  • Myrrh: Can help prevent infections and promotes beautiful skin while minimizing stretch marks. Myrrh is also a natural antiseptic.
  • Ginger: Relieves nausea (especially from traveling) and improves digestion while supporting the health of your joints.
  • Eucalyptus: Improves respiratory issues, especially sinus infections and colds. Also used as a natural way to wake up your mind when you’re tired.
  • Oregano: Helps you recover faster from a cold and is an anti fungal and antimicrobial as well.
  • Sandalwood: Known for boosting energy and renowned as a natural aphrodisiac to increase libido.
  • Lavender: Great for healing wounds, calming nerves, and improving moods. A natural choice for adding to personal care products.
  • Peppermint: An instant way to boost your energy, peppermint also reduces fevers and headaches, supports digestion, and helps you focus on tasks in front of you.
  • Rosemary: Improves brain function and memory and helps thicken hair when added to natural shampoos.

Buying Essential Oils: What You Need to Know

Because essential oils are natural products, their overall quality will change depending on where and how the plant was grown, the age of the plant when it was extracted, and the extraction method used. This means that not every oil is created equal. The best way to ensure you are avoiding inferior, low-grade products is to search for pure, uncut oils that were grown as close to nature intended as possible. Because essential oils are the most concentrated part of a plant, it can be disastrous to invest in some that were exposed to pesticides and other chemicals when alive. For this reason, it’s always smart to buy organic essential oils whenever possible.

Make sure to pay attention to the purity grade of the oil you intend to buy, choosing pure essential oils over synthetic whenever you get the chance. Sometimes cheap oils are diluted with true oils like olive oil, which you can test by dabbing a little on a tissue. If the oil doesn’t evaporate, it’s not truly essential. Price point often isn’t a good indicator of quality because low-grade oils can be sold for more than their value. Another red flag is when every oil from a company costs the same because true essential oils considerably vary  in cost. The best thing to do is to read reviews from previous buyers and learn where a company sources its oils in order to ensure quality.

Oils should be stored in tight closing, dark glass containers (some oils can dissolve plastic) and kept in a cool place. It’s also a smart idea to write the date on the bottles after opening them so that you can gauge their potency over time. When you use them, be sure to use a separate glass dropper for each bottle to prevent contamination, and tightly seal every bottle immediately after use. When stored correctly, most essential oils will last between one and three years.

Tips for Getting Started with Essential Oils

Knowing where to get started in the world of essential oils can be tricky. The best advice is to start small; invest in ten or fewer oils and see how you can incorporate them into your daily life. As you learn about the benefits they provide, you can slowly start expanding your collection to fit your needs.

Because essential oils evaporate so quickly, they usually need to be mixed with a carrier oil before use and many practitioners recommend mixing essential oils with carrier oils to dilute them. Carrier oils are true oils that come from the fatty parts of plants, meaning that they last longer on your skin and prolong the benefits of aromatherapy. Some common carrier oils include olive oil, coconut oil, and jojoba oil.

The most common methods for using essential oils are described below.

Inhalation

The simplest way to experience the benefits of many essential oils is to simply breathe them in. It’s possible to open a bottle and breathe deeply, but you can also use an electronic diffuser to spread the scent around a room. Another option is to create a potent steam by pouring 2-3 cups of boiling water into a bowl and adding several drops of oil. Keep your nose within a foot of the water and cover your head with a towel, breathing deeply to fully inhale the steam.

Topical Application

Many (but not all!) essential oils are also useful and safe to apply directly to the skin. The ears, temples, feet, and upper back are all popular places to try. Just put a few drops in your calm and carefully massage them into your preferred spot with gentle, circular motions. It’s usually best to dilute the oil with a carrier oil, so make sure to do your research first.

Internal Consumption

Some essential oils actually have nutritional benefits that make them safe to use as a food flavoring or dietary supplement. However, this is not an area where you should be experimenting. Before tasting an essential oil, be sure to read the instructions carefully and seek the advice of a medical professional. When in doubt, find another way to enjoy the benefits of your oil.

Therapeutic Bath

If you want to ease the stress of your day away, a bath infused with essential oils can’t be beat. Simply blend several drops of essential oil into a few scoops of Epsom salts (to help the oil spread through the water) and dissolve the mixture into your bathwater for a relaxing experience.

Aromatherapy Massage

Ease tension from your body and clear out your mind by experiencing an essential oil based massage. Just make sure to mix the oil with a carrier oil so that you can actually feel the benefits. Stronger blends are best, so plan on using up to 20 drops of oil per ounce of carrier oil.

Remember: More is Not Always Better

It’s easy to overdo it when it comes to essential oils, so keep in mind that these compounds are extremely concentrated plant chemicals. A little goes a long way because there’s a lot contained within each drop of oil. In fact, just one drop of peppermint oil has the same strength has 28 cups of peppermint tea. So use your drops sparingly and you’ll have plenty of oil left to enjoy for months to come.

In Summary

Essential oils are a world of aromatic goodness. Once you start experimenting with blends and scents, you’ll realize how addicting they can be and keep expanding your collection. No matter if you’re trying to ease some health problems or you’re simply trying to relax, there’s bound to be an essential oil out there that can help you out.

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