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How I Started Using Essential Oils For My Crohn's

It wasn't until I got involved in social media that I realized how polarizing essential oils can be when it comes to health. Thankfully, I was introduced to essential oils before I was introduced to the stigma of using them.

I had just gotten home from my longest hospital stay and the worst flare to date since my diagnosis of Crohn's disease in 2011. I entered the hospital at 83 pounds and left weighing 94 pounds, mostly because I gained tons of water weight and was being pumped with steroids. My normal weight is between 130-135 pounds.

Experiencing a horrible Crohn's flare

While at home recuperating, I was plagued with all the symptoms of a bad flare. Terrible nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, urgency, lack of sleep, fatigue, and beyond. Although I had overcome the horrible fevers and excruciating pain which led me into the hospital, I definitely was not out of the woods yet.

Naturally, I was on a high dose of prednisone which gave me sleepless nights. And weirdly, I was given Valium to help me cope with the transition from hospital to home. And I say weirdly just because I had never been offered that before, but to be honest, I was glad I had it because it helped me a couple of times when the anxiety would plague me hard.

I was desperate for IBD symptom relief

Overall, I was a hot mess and I was not feeling well. Everything I seemed to eat made me sick and I was just desperate to feel better. Desperate to just have some peace.

On the first day at home, I was in bed with incredible nausea. The kind that you just have to ride out with your eyes closed because if you get up and move slightly, you will for sure vomit. A family member had some peppermint essential oil on hand and told me to apply it on my abdomen, as it should help alleviate nausea.

Well, not only did it alleviate it, it completely took it away. I was in shock and honestly thought it was a fluke. But at the moment, I didn't care in the slightest! I was free from nausea.

Sure enough, it wasn't until a couple of hours later that nausea hit me hard again, along with abdominal cramping. I took the oil and applied it again. Goodness, did I feel the most incredible relief. From then on I was hooked.

Essential oils for Crohn's

I asked my family member if there was oil to help with sleep. Before I knew it, I was diffusing oils in my bedroom every night and applying them on the bottom of my feet before bed to help me get to bed. I had the most amazing experience inhaling the amazingly calming aroma as I drifted to sleep. I found the diffuser to be so helpful and it truly helped me catch some Zs even while on the dreaded prednisone.

From then on I have been using essential oils on a daily basis in some sort of capacity, whether diffusing or applying topically. From my personal experience, oils work for me and provide me incredible relief. I do buy expensive oils that are of therapeutic grade and are meant to be applied topically, some you can even ingest although I haven't tried that one yet.

Not all oils are made equally. I have used oils from big box stores which are much more budget-friendly but really don't give me results except smell nice.

I just wanted to share how I got into using essential oils because I have had such success with using them as a tool to help alleviate my symptoms. If you are interested in finding something completely natural that will help ease the symptoms of Crohn's disease or IBD, in general, I highly recommend looking into oils. Do your research and find a company that has experience and science on their side. When produced correctly and purely, essential oils are extremely powerful and beneficial to the body.

Essential oils can help IBD, but they are not a cure

And just as a last remark, please know that as with all other things, essential oils are not a cure for IBD. If someone tells you that, well it's just not true. However, they can be used as an incredible tool to help alleviate symptoms and help you feel better which is what I appreciate about them most!

They can certainly help aid the body in healing, but again, it isn't a magical serum that will take your Crohn's or IBD away on its own. And of course, if you are thinking about trying them for the first time, be sure to let your doctor know.

How about you? Have you ever tried essential oils? If so, share your experience below.

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This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The InflammatoryBowelDisease.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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