Book review: 'The Essential Oils Apothecary'

The information provided in this article is for educational purposes and is not meant as medical advice. It is the opinion of the writer and of the author of the book being reviewed. The information is not meant to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health professional.

Dr. Eric Zielinski, also known as “Dr. Z,” and his wife, Sabrina Ann Zielinski (“Mama Z”), offer guidance in addressing chronic health conditions through the use of essential oils in their new book, The Essential Oils Apothecary.

Nearly 200 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic illness, and over 40 percent have two or more chronic illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Not only are there few books on the topic of managing these chronic illnesses, but even fewer talk about natural therapies as a way to help alleviate the symptoms.

The Zielinskis, who are Samaritan Ministries members, hope to address that lack with their new book.

Personal experience

The couple are no strangers to chronic illness. Dr. Z suffered from depression, anxiety, panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, and substance abuse. Mama Z struggled with an eating disorder and was on 10 prescription medications at one point. After giving their lives to Christ, they believe He took them on a journey of healing and freedom that they are still enjoying today.

“To be unhealthy or unwell emotionally, mentally, or physically is to be vulnerable at the deepest level of your humanity,” Dr. Z writes.

Dr. Z and Mama Z are passionate about coming alongside those with chronic illness and offering another tool that may help them feel better. The Essential Oils Apothecary is filled with practical tips and recipes, encouragement, and useful information and scientific data supporting the use of essential oils to help with these sicknesses.

‘Forest bathing’

The book opens with the concept of “forest bathing” based on a YouTube presentation by pulmonologist Dr. Roger Seheult. Could simply “being in nature” boost the immune system?

The idea of forest bathing is basically to be outside and physically interact with creation through the five senses. In doing so, we are exposing ourselves to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released into the air by the plants and trees—that smell you experience when taking a whiff of a plant or flower.

But what does forest bathing have to do with essential oils? It turns out that “essential oil” is the more common term for those volatile organic compounds.

Clinical trials have shown that “VOCs in nature have a profound, measurable effect on enhancing immune function by increasing the quantity and activity of natural killer cells, among other health benefits,” Dr. Z writes.

Further studies he cites show that participants using aromatherapy diffusers experienced similar effects to being out in nature. According to the Zielinskis, essential oils usage offers many benefits, from lifting your mood and calming the nervous system to treating illness and boosting the immune system.

EOs are not a Band-Aid

The Essential Oils Apothecary is not your average “use this oil and all your troubles will go away” kind of book. Dr. Z says it’s about ways to possibly prevent chronic diseases and how to help your body heal if you’re already suffering. But he adds that essential oils are not a Band-Aid to slap on a sore while continuing to do the very thing that caused the sore in the first place.

The disease-busting healthy lifestyle hacks found in the book’s Appendix A are the foundation on which the use of essential oils are built. Practices like eating well, maintaining your ideal weight, regular exercise, not smoking, managing stress, and limiting alcohol are all cited by major health agencies as tools to prevent chronic disease, according to Dr. Z. He further says that the number of deaths from chronic disease could possibly be reduced if people would simply incorporate healthy lifestyle choices along with essential oils use.

“Using essential oils while living a ‘fast-food’ lifestyle is like taking one step forward but two steps back! In other words, for essential oils to help you enjoy abundant health and wellness—free from chronic disease—it is vital to use them within the context of a healthy lifestyle,” Dr. Z writes.

What is chronic disease? Well, that depends on who you ask. Every organization from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to the World Health Organization (WHO) and in between defines it a bit differently. For the sake of the book, Dr. Z looks to the WHO’s definition.

Chronic disease, he writes,

• has its origins in a person’s youth.
• takes decades to become fully established as epidemics.
• requires a long-term and systematic approach to treatment.
• has many opportunities for prevention—even reversal.

Besides familiar illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, the WHO includes mental disorders, vision and hearing impairments, bone and joint disorders, and more in their definition of chronic disease. The book discusses many of these conditions.

What has made us so sick?

The book is divided into three parts. The first part is spent defining terms, citing the admittedly limited but promising research into the subject, how to get started using essential oils in everyday life, and which and how toxins have made us so sick.

One of the main culprits harboring toxins is air. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, no matter where you live, indoor air is two to five times more polluted than the outside air. We spend 90 percent of our time indoors inhaling viruses, pollen, dust, odors, and harmful gases and chemicals. What’s more, according to the authors, the American Heart Association claims that poor indoor air can cause both heart problems and some types of cancer. Dr. Z cites similar reports finding that poor indoor air quality is linked to autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive impairment.

Other toxins include tap water; electromagnetic fields caused by cell phones, microwaves, and other modern conveniences; household cleaning products; and cosmetics and personal care products.

As many toxins as there are, there are almost as many ways to incorporate essential oils into a daily routine through inhalation by diffusing them throughout the home, applying them topically, and taking them in a capsule. But Dr. Z warns readers of their potency and cautions correct usage through a carrier oil and following the recipes.

One of the simplest and safest ways to use essential oils and the oldest form of aromatherapy is by diffusing them throughout the home. Dr. Z recommends starting with his Immune-Boosting Blend for diffusers. The first part of the book contains many more instructions and recipes for using essential oils for basic daily living.

Helping chronic conditions

But what about the person already in the throes of a condition or disease? How can essential oils help in those situations?

Part two covers chronic conditions like sleep disorders and insomnia, stress and anxiety, depression and substance abuse, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, and libido and erectile dysfunction. Each chapter is dedicated to one of these conditions and starts with a definition of terms, what may be underlying causes, suggested behavioral changes, statistics, and how essential oils can help.

For instance, the CDC estimates that between 836,000 and 2.5 million Americans suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and many of them have fibromyalgia as well. Neither CFS nor fibromyalgia has any known cure, affect more women than men, and are symptom-based diagnoses, meaning their existence can’t be proven.

Mainstream medicine prescribes a plethora of pills to treat the myriad symptoms of both conditions, but Dr. Z questions how much they typically help. Dr. Z takes a different approach and first encourages readers to check their hearts for unforgiveness, saying that forgiveness is “important when it comes to beating disease, especially CFS and fibromyalgia.”

Studies have shown patients who practice forgiveness regularly lower their risk of heart attack, improve sleep, improve cholesterol levels, and reduce pain, blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and stress.

For instance, the authors quote Dr. Karen Swartz of the Mood Disorders Adult Consultation Clinic at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, who says “There is an enormous physical burden to being hurt and disappointed.” Dr. Z continues the thought:

Anger and chronic feelings of being wronged put one into a sympathetic fight-or-flight state, which increases heart rate and blood pressure and dampens the immune response. This puts you at risk of developing virtually every chronic disease discussed in this book!

After doing that spiritual “heart check,” Dr. Z recommends taking a 2 percent dilution of an essential oil or blend specific to the need and applying it where the problem is or over the chest and neck. For CFS and fibromyalgia sufferers, doing so may help relieve fatigue and pain, giving the patient more mobility and better sleep limiting further fatigue and pain.

Sufferers of SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), a condition linked to chronic fatigue, may find relief from peppermint essential oil, which has been shown to help soothe gut inflammation. Peppermint essential oils can be used in the authors’ Get-Up-and-Go recipes for body oils, roll-ons, or in a capsule. Or you can take the culinary approach that Dr. Z recommends and include it in his recipe for a matcha latte.

Most prevalent diseases

Finally, section three of the book discusses the chronic diseases most prevalent today and which he says also make up the “vast majority of preventable deaths in the world.”

Conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, bone and joint disorders, diabetes and obesity, cancer, and many more are discussed in this section.

The chapter on cancer is a good example of Dr. Z’s approach to incorporating essential oils into the treatment of certain conditions. Nowhere in the chapter does he claim the use of essential oils will treat or cure cancer, but rather he offers examples on how oils can support the patient going through cancer treatment.

For instance, d-limonene, a prominent component of citrus oils, is a confirmed anti-cancer agent. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s open chemistry database, PubChem, limonene fights tumor growth by causing cancer cells to self-destruct. Including citrus oils as part of your cancer support is as simple as following the recipe for the citrus blend on page 102 of the book and using it in the recipes that call for it.

Each chapter covers a specific condition and, when applicable, includes any research done in the use of essential oils for that condition, a reminder that a healthy lifestyle is foundational for the prevention of disease, warnings to check potential drug interactions when combining essential oils (a full list is provided in Appendix B), and a discussion on essential oils, their use, recipes, and more. Dr. Z includes detailed information of various oils throughout the book, leaving the reader more informed and hopefully more confident in their use of essential oils.

Dr. Z’s closing remarks best sum up his heart for the reader:

Chronic conditions make life more difficult, but we have more resources than ever—including essential oils—to join with medical assistance to greatly restore and optimize our health and give you and your family the abundant life you so deserve.

Kathryn Nielson is a Communications Specialist with Samaritan Ministries.

More

Dr. Z's list of the top 10 most powerful essential oils.

Dr. Z is on a nutrition mission for the Church.