After my TBI I’ve been discharged from almost every recuperation service, so I should be recovered from my brain injury, right? It’s not that simple. Some of you might have noticed I’ve had a bit of a gap since my last post. That’s not writers block, it’s brain block! If I’ve done too much, or been stressed it can really throw my poor little injured brain out.
The pain is almost indescribable and yet would probably annoyingly fall into the category of “headache”. But my brain can barely think.
The brain itself can not feel it’s pain, just report on others areas, but when you have a brain injury you do wonder if you’re the odd one out.
The only solution for me when this happens, is to go to sleep, no matter how much sleep I’ve already had. Even then I can wake up and still feel as dizzy, confused and in pain as I did before I went to sleep. This can mean making plans can be very difficult.
I often can force myself if I know it’s not going to be too long, but doing a long journey to visit someone is a real challenge. Driving for 2-3 hours can really take it out of me and mean I’m not great company even when I do arrive. This is a real sore point for me as a lot of my long time friends are from the South West of England, and I now live in the South East. So although I would dearly love to see them and try to catch up, I struggle to make it happen.
Little things that go some way to helping me.
As I regularly become anaemic (being a girl means no matter what I do it happens to me every month.) That can cause real problems for my injured brain. As the brain uses 20% of the oxygen in the blood, iron is essential. Iron is used to help the blood carry the oxygen to were it needs to go. Thus being anaemic stops the brain from functioning properly. So I have to take iron tablets. When I get really low my Doctor prescribes me to take the equivalent of 3 times the average daily dose! Too much iron can be very dangerous, so please don’t do this unless your Doctor advises it. But it goes some way to highlight how bad it is for me.
Essential oils can also assist in this process, and therefore are particularly helpful for those with a brain injury. Some have been shown to increase oxygen in the brain by up to 28 per cent. The most commonly recommended for helping those with a brain injury is Frankincense.
Essential oils, as they are inhaled through the nose, are able to pass through the blood brain barrier near the olfactory nerve. This deeper penetration can help the healing process.
The number of cells which make up the layer surrounding the olfactory nerve is little more than half that which generally makes up the blood brain barrier. This is why inhalation of essential oils can mean they will reach the brain. Therapeutic value and level of purity are important in the medicinal use of essential oils. 100% Therapeutic grade oils should used as lower qualities can have impurities which could do you more harm than good.
To use them you can either diffuse into the room. Or if you are going out you can wear a diffuser necklace with just a couple of drops.
Other oils can be used for other functions:
Anxiety : Basil, Lavender, Ylang-Ylang or Frankincense
Depression: Lemon, Mandarin, Jasmine or Bergamot
Stress: Lemon, Sandalwood, Geranium or Roman Chamomile
However if you suffer from epilepsy, or are at risk from developing epilepsy, there are some essential oils you should avoid. Rosemary, fennel, sage, eucalyptus, hyssop, camphor and spike lavender are not recommended as essential oils if you have epilepsy. This is because these essential oils may trigger seizures in some people with epilepsy. Regular Lavender is fine to used and should not be confused with Spike Lavender. For pregnant women there are also a number of other oils to avoid. For more information please visit:
Complementary therapies by the Epilepsy society.
Also your four legged friend can do you more good than you might have realised. Read TBI: animal therapy to find out more.
11 replies on “Recovering with a brain injury, essential oils may help.”
I can not stand when other people say hey get tired when only people with an ABI have any real clue what ‘Tired’really means. I hear you, Sister! And you just reminded me all the Esential Oils I’m using are right for me! Cheers,H
FISH OILS ARE GREAT FOR THINKING !!!!!!! =D
I have a TBI from a bad WRX car-crash . . .
I’m a TaLenTed WRITER with 4 blogs ‘ ‘ ‘ alwayschillen ‘ ‘ ‘ on Google. . .
I have a TBI that scored 4/15 on the Glasgow Coma Scale . . .
I TAKE FISH OILS TO HELP MY BRAIN !!! =D
Thanks for the tip, knew they were good for lots of things, but it’s good to know they can help the thinking process too.
My diet coach told me same thing regarding my 17 year old son who has a TBI
Yes, I was just a GCS 3/15 at the scene of my motor vehicle accident. My TBI also gave me epilepsy. I must be exceedingly careful with what I do with my body because I have discovered that EVERYTHING interacts with my epilepsy medication. After 7 brain surgeries, I have finally found a medication that sort of helps.
I’m so glad you have finally found what works for you. Just a shame you had to go through trial and error to get there.
I’ve used frankincense for years now, and it helps me sleep. I put it in a diffuser and when I turn it on, the oil helps me feel warmth and very much at ease, almost in a trance to help me sleep.
I can understand why is it feels safe and relaxing ? Perhaps those who struggle to sleep should try it too.
I just bought MindWise from young living. I was wondering if anyone has an experience to share using it? I had a brain tumor removed three weeks ago.
Hey Ann, I’m sorry to hear about your tumor. I would love to know how brainwuse and other oils have supported your healing. Thank you ~ Erin Gates
Gates.ec@gmail.com
I love this for my clients after and brain issue and daily prophylactically to avoid dementia. Parkinson’s Alzheimer’s possibilities.