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| Article: Essential Oils and Acupuncture for Sinus Pain - by Richard C. Honour, PhD and Tracy L. Honour, MS, LAc | ||
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By reason or by chance, the co-evolution of plants and animals over
millions of years seems to have resulted in some interesting forms of
codependence that are at least biologically mysterious, if not cryptic
or otherwise obscured from view. A case in point is our observation that
the direct application of a formulation of plant essential oils to
specific acupoints elicits a wholly unanticipated, albeit favorable,
physiological response. An elderly gentleman from France on a quest to find relief from facial and jaw pain, plus the symptoms of systemic toxicity, sought our thoughts on the matter. His experience with conventional medicine had not been favorable. He suspected an underlying, chronic, perhaps Staph-incited infection of the head, face or jaw bones, but antibiotics provided no relief. He took the advice of several alternative practitioners, and to their antimicrobial and detoxification regimens, again with minimal relief. He next had his teeth removed, as suggested by his dentist, also without good effect. The detoxification regimens helped only temporarily. Through substantial trial and error, he learned that massive self-doses of Vitamin C and other common vitamins helped control the pain temporarily, but the gastrointestinal consequences were intolerable. We suspected there may be an inflammatory process at work and offered several month’s supply of our Astaxanthin product. He found that two Astaxanthin softgels per day replaced the effects of his vitamin regimen, and his overall well being improved. However, the jaw pain persisted. It was clear that his voice had the resonance of chronically infected sinuses. We suggested that he try the Eulara topical antimicrobial essential oil formulation, Viruses. Our personal experience has been that in the Spring pollen allergy season, or the Summer grasses allergy season, or the wet Fall and Winter mould seasons, we can relieve the allergy symptoms by applying the Viruses formulation topically to the skin, directly over the affected sinuses. The Eulara formulation for the product Viruses is derived specifically to manage topical viral infections, such as Herpes outbreaks. At the first sign of any tingling, redness or other beginning stages of a Herpes outbreak, for example, the immediate topical application of the product either halts its progression or at least reduces the time and severity of the event, while the interval between episodes is extended. Concurrent with the Herpes effect, it is noticed that the product rapidly penetrates the skin of the face, providing a favorable effect on the sinuses, especially on sinus congestion. There may be an anti-infective activity here, as well, but that has not yet been demonstrated. Following this lead, we offered Viruses to the gentleman and suggested that he apply the formulation topically several times per day directly over the sinuses of the forehead, cheek and in front of the ears, as well as along the painful jaw areas. Within a few days he reported marked decongestion and clearing, plus further relief of the jaw pain. The specific points of application of the essential oil formulation correspond directly to the acupoints: Urinary Bladder 2 (UB 2), over the frontal sinuses; Stomach 2 (ST 2), high on the cheek bones over the maxillary sinuses; Stomach 3 (ST 3), just below the cheek bones, also over the maxillary sinuses; Large Intestine 20 (LI 20), along the lower crease of the nose just outside the nostrils adjacent to the maxillary sinuses; Stomach 5 (ST 5) on the lower jaw bone just forward of the angle of the mandible; and, to the three points in front of the ear, San Jiao 21 (SJ 21), Small Intestine 19 (SI 19) and Gall Bladder 2 (GB 2), all adjacent to the sphenoid sinuses. When the essential oil formulation, Viruses, is applied topically to these points, the eyes water, the sinuses drain and the nasopharyngeal and other upper respiratory regions drain and clear rapidly, relieving the associated sinus pain. An acupuncturist would likely select these same points for sinus care, and would also likely needle certain selected distal acupoints to encourage further flow, thus decreasing stagnation and relieving the associated discomfort. Whether the noted effects result from the well known mucolytic and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils by themselves, or if the effects are related to activation of these same points by the inherent biological activity of the essential oils remains unknown, but the observations and the favorable effects are real and merit further attention. For more information about Eulara’s essential oil formulations, such as the products Astaxanthin and Viruses, please review the Eulara web site at www.eulara.com. For additional information about the management of sinus disorders and other chronic conditions by acupuncture, please refer to the web site www.eastwindacupuncture.com. |
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Richard C. Honour, PhD, is a scientist and biopharmaceutical
executive with more than 35 years of experience. He holds a Doctorate from the
University of California, specializing in microbiology and botany. His
specialties include the development of new technologies and products for the
treatment of infectious diseases and cancer, with special emphasis in natural
products from traditional medicine. Dr. Honour is currently Chairman and Chief
Science Officer for Eulara (Seattle, WA). The products Astaxanthin and Viruses,
plus the other Eulara skin care products and dietary supplements may be reviewed
at www.eulara.com |
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