What is cancer?

Cancer is a severe condition that affects more and more people especially in western countries. Cancer can be any of many different conditions where the body’s cell duplicate and grow uncontrollably, invade healthy tissues and possibly spread throughout the body. Contrarily as we usually think, it is estimated that 95% of cancers result from damage to DNA during a person’s lifetime rather than from a pre-existing genetic condition.

The most important factor leading to this DNA damage is DNA mutation. DNA mutation can be caused by radiation, environmental chemicals we take into our bodies, free radical damage or DNA divisions errors.

If the body is working properly, the immune system can correct the mutations by repairing the damage DNA or by killing the mutated cells. When the DNA mutation is severe enough that it allows the cell to bypass these controls, however, the mutated DNA can be copied to new cells that continue to replicate and create more and more new cells uncontrollably, leading to a cancerous growth within an individual.

What is Aromatherapy?

Essential oils have been around since the beginning of time. Throughout history, essential oils were used to cure diseases, relieve symptoms, and help people feel better after long illnesses. They are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants and have amazing medicinal properties.

Aromatherapy is a natural modality that can help patients cope with chronic pain, nausea, stress, and depression. It also has been used to stimulate the immune system, fight off bacterial infections, increase circulation, alleviate headaches, soothe sore muscles, and help you sleep at night.

Essential oils can also be used to prevent cancer or to help fight the disease and alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Frankincense 

For over 5,000 years, Frankincense essential oil has been used to support the immune system, fight infection and cure diseases. Frankincense helps regulate the cellular epigenetic machinery, which highlights its ability to influence genes to promote healing. A 2013 study by University of Leicester researchers indicated that frankincense contains a compound AKBA (acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid) that targets cancer cells, including ovarian, brain, breast, colon, pancreatic, prostate, and stomach cancers.

Clary Sage

Sclareol, the primary component of Clary Sage essential oil, has promising anti-cancer effects in laboratory evaluations. During studies dating back to 1999 to just last year, it has been shown to impact the way that cancer cells proliferate by literally killing through a process known as apoptosis, a process triggering the cell to commit “suicide,” more formally known as programmed cell death.

Lavender

A lot of studies show that Lavender essential oil is effective against cancer. 2015 research on linalool (one of the main component of Lavender essential oil) revealed that linalool had an inhibitory effect on the growth of human melanoma cells. A 2014 study demonstrated that Lavandula angustifolia essential oil exhibited significant cytotoxic effects against malignant cervical cancer cells. It had the same effect on both estrogen- and progesterone-receptor positive breast cancer cells. Chinese researchers observed as well that Lavender essential oil can protect brain cells again stroke and injury!

Lemongrass

Several studies have evaluated the potential cancer-fighting properties of Lemongrass essential oil. But where Lemongrass really seems to shine, particularly in light of the growing cancer epidemic, is in its ability to destroy cancer cells. A 2009 study published in the journal Chemico-Biological Interactions revealed that Lemongrass essential oil is effective in targeting at least 12 different human cancer cell lines. A more recent study published in the journal Pharmacognosy Communications reveals that lemongrass is also effective against cervical cancer. Researchers found that Lemongrass not only stops cervical cancer cells (as well as several other types of cancer cells) from spreading, but it also initiates cancer cell apoptosis.

Myrrh

Myrrh has also been found to have anti-cancer benefits. A 2011 study found that myrrh was able to reduce the proliferation or replication of human cancer cells. Researchers found that myrrh inhibited growth in eight different types of cancer cells, specifically gynecological cancers.

Peppermint & Spearmint

In 2014, the journal BioMed Research International published an article uncovering that Peppermint and Spearmint is highly effective at managing common side effects people from medical cancer therapies, especially vomiting and nausea.

Thyme

The journal Molecules published a study in 2010 that evaluated how cancer cells were evaluated could stand up against ten powerful essential oils. Included was thyme and it stood out from the crowd as the most beneficial against prostate, lung carcinoma, and breast cancers.