Suzie Webb Wellness BLOG!

Aromatherapy Awareness Week is an annual national campaign hosted by the International Federation of Aromatherapists (IFA) to raise awareness of the clinical benefits of aromatherapy. Returning for its 13th year running, it seeks to educate the public about the difference aromatherapy can make to your life and the lives of people in your care. As we emerge from lockdown, there is increasing evidence that the many ramifications of the pandemic has had a negative impact on the Nation's mental health. To address this challenge, this year's Week is an opportunity to highlight how the unique therapeutic qualities of essential oils can bring balance to our mental well-being naturally, as well as being a key therapeutic intervention in healthcare. 

This campaign is brought to life by a multitude of individuals and companies who come together to organise events and activities throughout the UK, drawing attention to the important role aromatherapy has in healthcare management. This awareness campaign is a unique opportunity for all clinical aromatherapists and service suppliers in the industry to do something pro-active to raise the profile of aromatherapy.

1.  Digestion - speeds up digestion and activates enzymes.
2. Controls pathogens - makes an unfriendly environment for pathogens to survive. 
3. Increases the absorption of minerals and vitamins - like calcium, magnesium and iron.
4. Decreases gas, bloating and indigestion by speeding up the breakdown of food.
5. Decreases acid reflux - as it helps the valve close to prevent the acid in your stomach rising up.
6. Releases bile/enzymes  - especially 'congested' bile - which in turn helps to breakdown fat. 
7. Breaks down protein - the ACV helps make the enzymes to break down protein into amino acids.
8. Blood sugar levels improve -  because less insulin is produced and this assists in weight loss.
9. 
   

Grief can affect our health in so many ways – here are a few.

Broken Heart Syndrome is not just folklore – it’s a real medical condition. The sudden loss of a spouse or loved one can cause a jolt of intense emotion and trigger hormones that lead to sharp chest pain and trouble breathing.  Your heart may not pump blood as well for a while.  It can feel like a heart attack, but it usually doesn't damage your heart or block your arteries. Most people get better within a few days or weeks.  

One of the many hormones released is cortisone - which is called the stress hormone - and your body may release more of it than usual into your blood stream in the 6 months after the loss of a loved one.  High levels of cortisol over a long period can raise your chances of heart disease or high blood pressure. 

The Base Chakra in Grief & Trauma - Essential Oils - The base chakra and is associated with our most basic needs of survival, safety and security, including our biological need for food, water, shelter and procreation. 

It's also associated with the sense of safety that comes with knowing we belong to a community, a tribe, a place and a planet - consciously or unconsciously. 

The base chakra's main function is to channel energy upwards from the earth into our feet, legs and spine to help us remain grounded, stable and connected, and this is what happens when it is functioning optimally. 

When it isn't functioning optimally, we don't feel safe and able to trust our own experiences.  In grief, our ability to enjoy basic sensory pleasures is diminished.   

I was first introduced to the chakras (which can also be described as 'energy centres'  in 1997 during my training in clinical aromatherapy.   Since then I have worked extensively with essential oils as an aromatherapist and on a personal level worked with the chakras during my yoga sessions.   Now, almost two years into my journey after the passing of my husband, I have started to work with the chakras in the context of grief and trauma.

There are seven main chakras.   Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning ’wheel’ or ‘circle’.  This word is accepted in the practice of energy work and energy medicine to be an all-encompassing term describing vital centres of energy that exist within each of us.  These vital parts of us are not visible to the human eye and are considered ‘subtle’ energy.  

However, whilst the chakras may not be visible, they are not only essential but crucial to our ongoing development and overall health as human beings, especially for those living in grief and those impacted by trauma.

Did you know that your bones are living tissue and can rebuild themselves!   There are many things you can do to keep your bone density stable or indeed improve it - at any age – and whilst weight bearing exercise at the gym is recommended- there are many of other ways you can improve your both health.   Weak and brittle bones do not have to be part of aging.  

When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear

I received news yesterday of the passing of a dear friend.  The wave of emotions when someone you care for dies can really knock the stuffing out of you can’t it?

My friend, teacher and mentor was David Stewart PhD, he was born in 1937 and died on the 13 October 2020.   

The impact Dr Stewart had on my life was huge!   I was born into the Roman Catholic religion and went to Sunday School and church until I was 15 years old.   Then at 15, my sister, who was 22 wanted to marry the man she loved.  I remember going to the Catholic Club with my sister to talk to the priest, and I remember him telling her she couldn’t marry the man she loved because he wasn’t a Catholic.