Essential Oils to Boost the Brain and Heal the Body: 5 Steps to Calm Anxiety, Sleep Better, and Reduce Inflammation to Regain Control of Your Health.
Boundless Life
Exploring Citrus Oils and Nervous Health
This chapter examines the complex interactions between citrus essential oils and skin health, emphasizing their phototoxic effects and the importance of lymphatic drainage. It links vagus nerve toxicity to chronic health issues and explores how specific essential oils can support detoxification and overall wellness. The discussion also highlights the role of essential oils in enhancing brain function, pain relief, and dream recall through various application techniques.
I thought I knew everything there was to know about essential oils. I've been using them ever since my father, Gary Greenfield, introduced me to the incredibly powerful oil of oregano nearly 18 years ago. I quickly adopted oil of oregano as part of my health regimen—using it for everything from supporting my immune system to balancing my gut microbiome to cleaning my teeth. I've also done tons of podcasts about essential oils, including:
- The Wizard Of Essential Oils Strikes Again: The Hidden & Magical World Of Little-Known Plant Extracts For Digestion, Relaxation, Libido, Immunity & Much More! with Dr. Nick Berry.
- Everything You Need To Know About Essential Oils For Fat Loss, Performance, Smart Drugs, Scar Healing, Detoxing And More, With Dr. Sarah Lobisco.
- The Best Book That Exists For Learning About The Healing Power of Essential Oils And How To Use Them: Soothe Inflammation, Boost Mood, Prevent Autoimmunity & Much More, With Dr. Eric Zielinski.
- Psychoactive Sleep Edibles, Essential Oil Wizardry, Cosmic Orgasms & More With Dr. Nick Berry
I am constantly diffusing essential oils in my bedroom and office; sniff oils like peppermint, rosemary, and cinnamon pre-workout; rub oils into the feet of my children before they go to bed at night; and basically check every box of being a full-on, card-carrying essential oil hippie.
But, after recently reading the book Essential Oils to Boost the Brain and Heal the Body: 5 Steps to Calm Anxiety, Sleep Better, and Reduce Inflammation to Regain Control of Your Health by my friend Jodi Cohen, I wound up learning a host of new information and uses for essential oils I had previously been unfamiliar with. So naturally, I just had to get Jodi on my podcast.
Jodi is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist, functional practitioner, and founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, where she has combined her training in nutritional therapy and aromatherapy to create unique proprietary blends of organic and wild-crafted essential oils. She has helped over 70,000 clients heal from brain-related challenges, including anxiety, insomnia, and autoimmunity.
Her website, vibrantblueoils.com, is visited by over 500,000 natural health seekers every year, and she has rapidly become a top resource for essential oils education on the Internet today. Jodi believes that just as your cell phone or laptop slows down and drains the battery when too many tabs are left open, your brain fatigues when poorly functioning systems or ailments drain its energy.
Complaints of brain fog, fatigue, and ADD/ADHD are on the rise and growing every year. All of these factors can block your brain's ability to detoxify and heal. If toxins are not eliminated, they recirculate in the brain, leading to inflammation, which further compromises your brain. What's more, formal diagnoses of brain-related health challenges like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS are increasing exponentially.
Here's her good news: Plant-based essential oils are a powerful self-care tool for transforming your life and healing on many levels, even when prescription drugs have failed. In Jodi Cohen’s five-step protocol outlined in her book, the body's natural systems are jump-started with essential oil recipe blends that can:
- Alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression
- Improve sleep
- Calm pain and inflammation
- Increase energy, sharpen focus, and improve memory
- Improve digestion and promote weight loss
- Strengthen the immune system
Armed with Cohen’s five steps in her book, and this podcast, you’ll be able to start your own essential oils regimen immediately and be on your way to a healthier body and brain.
During this discussion, you'll discover: -The Vibrant Blue Oils blend Jodi used during the interview that improves body circulation...09:05- Circulation blend
- Black pepper to a circulatory blend enhances synergy of the blend
- Helps with oxygen flow, thought, reactivity, etc.
- Datis Kharrazian
- Master Cleanse fast
- BioGeometry Protection Of Your Home, Plant Medicine, Parenting, Stacking Rocks, Stages Of Human Consciousness & More With Paul Chek.
- FUM pen
- Jodi's daughter was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her son was diagnosed with depression
- Collapsed emotionally after her son was under proper care
- Ingesting what she thought was the proper nutrition (trained as a nutritionist)
- A friend gave her a gift of essential oils; said her gut was damaged to not ingest the nutrition she was taking in
- Muscle testing technique to narrow into the most effective remedy
- Suffering from insomnia
- Pineal gland doesn't secrete melatonin when cortisol is released in excess
- Researched essential oils and realized two things
- Very little was researched on how essential oils balance physiology
- Existing research was too complicated
- Oils can be used for preventative medicine
- Clinical practice inconsistent with the research
- Topical application does not have a systemic benefit
- Behind the ears for vagal nerve stimulation
- Above the kidneys on the lower back for the adrenals
- Clinical practice was inconsistent with what the research said
- Research on topical application says it is not very effective
- Applying topical application on a sore knee after a workout has an almost immediate effect but a topical application on the knee does not relieve soreness on your neck
- Kevin Tracey, surgically implementing devices behind the ear to activate vagus nerve
- FDA has approved this for epilepsy, migraines, and such
- Stimulatory oils to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system (experiment with blends)
- Parasympathetic blend for the vagus nerve; trigger a systemic response by stimulating the vagus nerve
- Adrenal blend for the adrenals
- Acupuncture and oils alleviate stagnation and congestion with the energy
- Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto
- Plant constituents involved in flavonoid synthesis
- Terry Wahls wrote foreword to Jodi's book
- Advocates plant diversity and essential oils
- Good for the digestive process, act as prebiotics
- Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple by David Stewart
- Breast cancer treatments target hormone receptors and prevent cancer cells from metastasizing
- Endocrine-disrupting chemicals
- Essential oils are fat-soluble, can access the cell and clean cell receptors
- Reflex points are on the bottom of the feet and ears
- Big toe correlated with the brain
- Err on the side of caution with a carrier oil
- Parasympathetic blend has clove and lime for the vagus nerve; use as an acupuncture needle
- Only pressed citrus blends may have potential for harm to the skin in the sun (distilled isn't as harmful)
- Vagus nerve infection hypothesis
- Mouth is a hotbed for most infections
- The jaw drains near the earlobe where it intersects with the vagus nerve
- Dr. Christine Schaffer of Immanence Health in Seattle
- Topically applying oils on the neck has many benefits
- Lymph is like a one-way street
- Different oils work differently as carrier oils
- Fractionated coconut oils for the vagus nerve
- Jojoba oil for slower, yoga-type effect
- Most essential oil research looks at blends, not single oils
- Circadian Rhythm blend, with rose geranium, grapefruit, melaleuca, myrtle, lavender, myrrh, balsam of Peru, with fractionated coconut oil as carrier
- Pineal gland releases melatonin in response to darkness
- Melatonin is great for detoxifying
- Blood-brain barrier doesn't protect the pineal gland; blood flow is very high in that area
- Glyphosate, aluminum, and fluoride from the water hits the pineal gland harder than other parts of the brain (impedes ability to release melatonin)
- Most remedies can't get into the brain due to the blood-brain barrier
- They remove calcification, congestion
- Remove chelation in the brain area
- Skin above the ears is very thin, ideal place to apply oils
- Things imbalanced in most people (as discussed in the book):
- Stuck in the parasympathetic fight or flight state of the nervous system so they can't heal
- Lack of sleep; sleep is when the brain detoxifies; the brain cleans house during sleep
- Energy
- Immune modulation
- People report better recall of dreams and even erotic dreams using the Circadian Rhythm blend
- Essential oils improve blood and lymph flow, relieve inflammation
- Peppermint is efficacious for pain relief
- Parasympathetic blend, with clove and lime, calms pain signals
- Smelling as a general anesthetic - takes priority over all your senses
- Nose cells are actually brain cells; calms your nervous system that way
- Topically apply peppermint, basil, lavender, and frankincense for immediate relief
- Different types of cinnamon oil depending on where on the plant it comes from
- Cinnamon bark for appetite suppression
- Topically apply in inner cheek, diluted with coconut oil
- Oil pulling is a great strategy
- Jodi's oil pulling strategy:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 30 drops of either peppermint or cinnamon
- Cinnamon oil is also a great mosquito repellant
- Thieves oil
- BGF oral health podcasts:
- It’s All In Your Mouth: How Your Teeth Are Impacting Your Immune System, Sleep, Performance, Inflammation & Much More (& What You Can Do About It With Holistic Dentistry), With Dr. Dominik Nischwitz
- Is Charcoal Toothpaste OK, 8 Crucial Mouth Beauty & Oral Health Tips, Peptides For Oral Care, The Invisible Dental Flow In Your Mouth & Much More With Nadine Artemis.
- 403: Teeth Care Tactics, How To Time Your Protein For Muscle Gain, Biohacking Night Shift Work & Much More!
- Shifting the nervous system into parasympathetic
- Improving sleep and detoxifying the brain
- Fueling the brain with energy; lymphatic flow
- Reducing stress, improving mood, weight loss, and increasing energy
- Modulating the immune system
- Inhale through the left nostril as an antidote to anxiety attacks
- The Healing Code by Alexander Loyd
- Apply on the forehead for hypothalamus to "reboot to factory settings"
- The adrenals and the thyroid are controlled by the hypothalamus
- The hypothalamus is the "CEO of the endocrine system"
- Brain inflammation is responsible for fatigue, memory loss, pain
- Immune cells in the brain are different from immune cells in the body
- Frankincense can turn off inflammatory cascade in the brain (similar to CBD)
- The most efficient way to apply oils is at the base of the brain
- Morning exercise, oil pulling - peppermint with coconut oil
- Enhance circulation with Circulation blend mentioned above
- Combine with Lymph oil
- Parasympathetic state optimizes digestion
- Parasympathetic blend before meals
- Circadian rhythm blend before bed (in an Epsom salt bath)
- Your skin is your largest organ
- For relaxation before bed, combine in a bath (mix in the tub so the oil doesn't float on top):
- 2 cups of baking soda
- 1 cup of Epsom salt
- 3 drops of lavender
- Any essential oil diffuser will work fine; be sure to clean regularly with vinegar so you're not diffusing mold, and avoid overuse
- Linda Buck research on effects of rose oil on olfactory receptors
- Stay in the parasympathetic state as much as possible
- Jodi's free gift "Boost the Brain" (an entire chapter from her book on the vagus nerve)
- Ensure the oils you use are organic
- Jodi Cohen:
- Essential Oils To Boost The Brain And Heal The Body
- Healing With Essential Oils
- Vibrant Blue Oils
- Free Chapter "Boost the Brain"
- Podcasts:
- The Wizard Of Essential Oils Strikes Again: The Hidden & Magical World Of Little-Known Plant Extracts For Digestion, Relaxation, Libido, Immunity & Much More! with Dr. Nick Berry.
- Everything You Need To Know About Essential Oils For Fat Loss, Performance, Smart Drugs, Scar Healing, Detoxing And More, With Dr. Sarah Lobisco.
- The Best Book That Exists For Learning About The Healing Power of Essential Oils And How To Use Them: Soothe Inflammation, Boost Mood, Prevent Autoimmunity & Much More, With Dr. Eric Zielinski.
- Psychoactive Sleep Edibles, Essential Oil Wizardry, Cosmic Orgasms & More With Dr. Nick Berry
- BioGeometry Protection Of Your Home, Plant Medicine, Parenting, Stacking Rocks, Stages Of Human Consciousness & More With Paul Chek.
- It’s All In Your Mouth: How Your Teeth Are Impacting Your Immune System, Sleep, Performance, Inflammation & Much More (& What You Can Do About It With Holistic Dentistry), With Dr. Dominik Nischwitz
- Is Charcoal Toothpaste OK, 8 Crucial Mouth Beauty & Oral Health Tips, Peptides For Oral Care, The Invisible Dental Flow In Your Mouth & Much More With Nadine Artemis.
- 403: Teeth Care Tactics, How To Time Your Protein For Muscle Gain, Biohacking Night Shift Work & Much More!
- Books:
- The Cure In the Cupboard By Cass Ingram
- Hidden Messages In Water By Masaru Emoto
- Chemistry Of Essential Oils Made Simple By David Stewart
- The Healing Code By Alexander Loyd
- Other resources:
- FUM Pen
- Essential Oil Diffuser
- Oil Of Oregano
- Master Cleanse
- Fractionated Coconut Oils
- Oil Pulling
- Coconut Oil
- Thieves Oil
- Magnesium Bath Salt
- Baking Soda
- Datis Kharrazian
- Kevin Tracey
- Terry Wahls
- Dr. Christine Schaffer Of Immanence Health
- Linda Buck Research On Olfactory Receptors
- Vagus Nerve Infection Hypothesis
- How Essential Oils Detoxify The Pineal Gland
- 3 Essential Oil Blends To Mend Cell Receptors
-The Boundless Cookbook: Coming soon! Optimize your physical and mental performance with nutritious and delicious Greenfield family recipes. This is your roadmap to a culinary journey that includes ancient food and wild game preparation tactics, biohacked smoothies, meat rubs, cocktails, desserts, and beyond—without any restrictive diet, limited ingredients, or tasteless “health foods!”
-Kion Lean: Support for normal blood sugar levels and healthy energy metabolism, even after large, carb-rich meals. Ben Greenfield Fitness listeners, receive a 20% discount off your entire order when you use discount code BGF20.
-Joovv: After using the Joovv for close to 2 years, it's the only light therapy device I'd ever recommend. Give it a try: you won't be disappointed. For a limited time, Joovv wants to hook you up with an exclusive discount on your first order. Just apply code BEN to your qualifying order.
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-Seed Daily Synbiotic: A formulation of 24 unique strains, each of which included at their clinically verified dose, to deliver systemic benefits in the body. Save 15% off your order when you use discount code BEN15.
Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Jodi or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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