The jury is still out on the health benefits of essential oils. I'm not a fan of essential oils and such, for a very good reason. I'm allergic to them (plants, herbs, flowers, soil and yes, tea and floral infusions) the same way I react to shellfish. The usual rashes appear quite fast, swelling of eyelids and lips, weird headaches (I don't usually get them), nausea and vertigo. I don't like exercise studios that put out diffusers with too heavy a mix. While I appreciate a nice scent at the friends' homes, I cannot have that three candles (one is usually okay) or diffuser puff on for the entire duration of the visit. I will leave with a slight headache or nausea.
If huge amounts are ingested or breathed in, my windpipe will constrict, and I will need a shot from the EpiPen before hauling myself into the emergency room. This is probably why my home holds no scents or automated mist diffusers, except for those reed diffusers. Those will do, and I tend to choose the citrus oils or lemongrass, which are kinder to my allergies. Also, I HATE LAVENDER-SCENTED ANYTHING.
Essential oils appeal to our smell receptors but I highly doubt it affect biochemical markers or our stress levels. Massages with essential oils leave me with rashes. I don’t have insomnia. Neither do smells relax me. Hahaha. But now, I'm taking a hard look again at essential oils, to soothe the dog’s anxieties and calm her down. I'm highly resistant to giving the dog injections or meds. She has fear anxiety and canine noise aversion. It translates into panting, shaking and trembling, and occasionally culminates in the form of liquid poop or pee. Scratching? Bloodied paws and floor? Yup, been there, and that has been suitably managed. I'll do all I humanly can to manage it. I'm not hot about feeding her any drops of essential oil either. Nothing ingestible. I prefer to feed her whole foods.
Since I needed essential oils that won't kill me, I had to do some research. things to come was introduced to me when kind shopkeepers gifted a cute bottle to us at Christmas. I used it as a room mist but didn't regularly put it on Choya's bedding. Began to do so these few weeks, and she seems okay with the scents so far. I thought she seemed less nervous in the nights. The frenetic digging of her bed has lessened in intensity, although she still wakes us up at least thrice a night with that, and having either the man or I shout at her- 'Choya stop it!' Occasionally, I have to get up to straighten her blankets and remind her not to dig, and then she'll settle in for another round of sleep before she digs again. AAAARRRRRGH. Of course when the thunderstorms hit in the night, all goes out of the window. She turns into a nervous wreck upon hearing thunder.
Bought more bottles of mists. I like it that things to come is a Singapore brand and blend their own products. Their brand philosophy appeals to me. I'm happy to try out more of their mists and roll-ons. There's a lavender-patchouli blend that I'm very suspicious of. It's not about how strong the scent is. It's about how my smell receptors and brain nerves react to them. We'll see how it goes. things to come offer hiba wood blends, which I like.
What I really really want is cannabidiol oil, or CBD oil. CBD oil comprises CBD and a carrier oil (usually hemp or coconut). It doesn't contain THC which has the psychoactive compound that gives humans that 'high' when consumed. But since CBD is a cannabinoid too, Singapore deems it illegal. The cannabis plant contains at least 113 cannabinoids. I'd really like to have this oil when Choya becomes a geriatric Shiba-ken. It would definitely alleviate a lot of pains and aches aging dogs experience. But I highly doubt this would be a viable option since our laws on drugs will take forever to get anywhere progressive.
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