Essential Oils Can Help ADD
(Attention Deficit Disorder)
Attention Deficit Disorder is recognized as a neurobehavioral developmental disorder,
which affects the nervous system development.
It affects about 3 to 5% of children with symptoms starting before
seven years of age. ADD is characterized by hyperactivity and impulsiveness, difficulty
with concentration and focus, among other symptoms.
Essential Oils Can Help
Essential oils detoxify and oxygenate the body. Essential oils contain small molecules that easily penetrate into the body. These oils
contain hundreds of compounds that bring their healing abilities into the psychosomatic
network where they can they be taken in and utilized.
Depending on which essential oil you use, they may be balancing, immune stimulating or
emotionally releasing. In addition, essential oils may be antiviral, antibacterial,
antifungal and more. Essential oils also contain electromagnetic frequency which is
a vital component of their ability to resonate with the bodily tissues and form bonds.
Essential Oils for ADD/ADHD
The objective in working with someone with Attention Deficit Disorder is to reach the limbic
brain, where recorded memories of behaviours whether pleasant or unpleasant are stored. The
limbic brain is the seat of the value judgments that we make, often unconsciously, that exert
such a strong influence on our behaviour. In addition, by accessing the nervous system, you
may be able to enhance nerve transmission of chemical messengers.
Vetiver
Calming, relaxing, grounding, sedative
to the nervous system and a stimulant
to the circulatory system.
Cedarwood
Calming, purifying and high in sesquiterpenes which can stimulate the limbic
region of the brain. It may also help stimulate the pineal gland, which releases
melatonin, an antioxidant associated with deep sleep.
Lavender
calming, relaxing,and balancing to the nervous system.
Lavender is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, analgesic
(pain relieving), and may reduce cholesterol.
Add/ADHD Study: Dr. Terry Friedmann MD
For both ADHD/ADD and Autism, stimulation of the limbic region of the brain may also help treat
these disorders. The aromas from Therapeutic Essential Oils have a powerful ability to stimulate
this part of the brain, since the sense of smell is tied directly to the mind's emotional and
hormonal centers. As a result, the aroma of an essential oil has the potential to exert a
powerful influence on ADD/ADHD and Autism.
In a two year case study (1999-2001), Dr. Terry Friedmann M. D. found significant results
when children that had previously been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD were administered therapeutic
essential oils by inhalation.
The essential oils of Brain Power, Vetiver, Lavender and Cedarwood were used.
The oils were administered in this fashion: one oil was administered by inhalation 3 times per day for 30 days. An inhalation device was also used at night to administer a continuous inhalation of oil.
The inhalation of the oils proved to settle the children's brain waves back into normal patters and improved their scholastic performance and behavioral patterns.
Vetiver increased performance by 100%.
Cedarwood increased performance by 83%
The final results were:
Lavender increased performance by 53%
It is unfortunate that America's children are having to suffer due to these unforeseen
circumstances. There is a real hope for the children of our future with the Therapeutic
Essential Oils and supplements. Essential oils have the ability to detoxify and oxygenate the body,
something that research has been found to help these special children.
Discussion:
This study examined the effectiveness of essential oils in the
treatment of ADHD diagnosed children from the ages of six
to fourteen years.
Treatment outcome results reveal that the essential
oil of Vetiver improves the brain activity and reduces the symptoms
in ADHD diagnosed subjects. Similar results were found with the
essential oil Cedarwood, although not statistically significant.
This lack of significance could be the result of the relatively small
number of subjects in this study. The Lavender group showed no
apparent improvement after the treatment program.
The improvement of the subjects who were treated with
the Vetiver and Cedarwood would have been greater had they not
been compared to the change of the control group after their second
testing was performed. Note that in Table 1, the control group had
some improvement with regards to the beta-theta brain wave ratio.
The control group, however, showed a lesser improvement then
did the treatment group. This overall improvement in both groups
obviously reflects the ability for the subjects to learn the function
of the real-time EEG, thereby improving their brain wave response
the second time that they were connected to the equipment. In spite
of this minor improvement in the control group, which represented
learned familiarity, when statistically analyzed and compared to the
improvement of the subjects who were treated with the essential oils,
certainly in the case of Vetiver, the subjects scored much better in
their post-testing versus pre-testing.
In addition, I received several letters from parents of the
ADHD children stating that their behavior at home had improved
for the better. In several cases, they also stated that school educators
informed them that their performance was observed to improve in the
classroom. The report cards in some of the subjects had reflected this
improvement as well. Since these results were not included in the design
of the study, they will not be included here, but is only mentioned as
an unexpected improvement in the treated ADHD diagnosed children.
In summary, based on this study, I would not hesitate to
recommend the use of the essential oil Vetiver in the treatment of
children diagnosed as having ADHD. I would even consider using
the essential oil Cedarwood in situations where Vetiver was not
available or other cases in which Vetiver was not appropriate.
Certainly, the essential oil Vetiver proved to be the treatment of
choice between the three different oils used in this study.
References
1. Diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Summary (August 1999).
Technical Review: Number 3 (AHCPR Publication No. 99-0049).
Rockville, MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.
Also available:
http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/adhdsutr.htrn (accessed: August 26, 2000).
2. Essential oils desk reference compiled by Essential Science Publishing. Second Edition.
2001.
3. Elia, J., et al. (1999). Treatment of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 340(10): 780-78 8.
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