Dia duit agus fáilte – that’s Irish for hello and welcome – to this RA and autoimmune blog. Today I want to talk about essential oils for joint pain and how aromatherapy treats symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
I trained as an aromatherapist in 2005-2006 and have used essential oils for so many things over the years and that list might surprise you – burns, warts, skin care, cleaning products, migraines, chakra healing and so much more.
After I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, my attention and most of my energy turned to my diet and the radical shift my functional medicine practitioner encouraged. And making those changes was challenging and, at times, exhausting; I needed support and extra doses of loving kindness (mostly from myself.) Read this post.
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My aromatherapy story
In 2016, shortly after being diagnosed with RA, my life turned upside down and I found myself struggling not only with the disease itself but also with the demands my lifestyle shift put on me. It was time to rely on those practices that had sustained me for many years/decades – yoga, meditation, walking and essential oils.
I used my Aches & Pains essential oil blend in warm Epsom Salts baths and my Sleepy Time blend to help me fall, and stay, asleep. A few drops of grapefruit or spearmint on a cotton ball perked me up when brain fog became intolerable and I used lavender oil in the car diffuser whenever we had to drive the 90 minutes to my doctor to ease the stress of the long trip.
As a certified aromatherapist, I have worked with clients to create personal healing essential oil blends. I have used essential oils when I worked as an energy healer and I often recommend that my coaching clients and yoga students enhance their personal journey with aromatherapy.
I have given people my aromatherapy blend recipes over the years, especially since I closed my retail business. Sharing this new post “Essential oils and joint pain” here on is my way of sending out healing energy to even more people. Please feel free to share these essential oil blends with friends and feel free to send requests for specific remedies and blends in the comments below.
What is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the holistic healing practice of using essential oils to heal the body, mind and spirit. It is a gentle method that works effectively for myriad health concerns and has been used for centuries to heal and promote wellbeing. It is a wonderful natural treatment for physical ailments as well as for mental and emotional concerns.
Essential oils are used either singly or in blends, depending on therapeutic need. There are several common ways to receive an aromatherapy treatment, all of them enjoyable and gentle. Perhaps the two most popular ways are in the bathtub at home or on the massage table at your local studio; both encourage deep relaxation and leave the body feeling soothed and nourished.
Aromatherapy is a great example of synergy (when the final product/combination/blend is greater that the sum of its parts) and I prefer to use an essential oil blend when possible.
How can I use essential oils for joint pain and other RA symptoms?
Essential oils are powerful remedies for joint pain and inflammation as well as for a wide range of maladies and the blends I created have worked wonders for many of my clients. It is very important to find a reputable brand of therapeutic oils.
When I make essential oil blends, I usually double or triple the recipe and store it in a dark glass bottle for future use. As long as the proportions are about the same, make each blend according to your needs and wants.
Just a quick note of caution: fragrance oils are NOT essential oils and have no therapeutic benefit at all. In fact, some of the ingredients used in fragrance products are toxic.
General safety guidelines for using aromatherapy and essential oils
- 30-40 drops in a full-sized bath
- 10-15 drops in a foot bath
- 7-10 drops in 1 tablespoon carrier oil
- 1-5 drops in a diffuser, depending on size of room
Other ways to use essential oils include inhaling them from the bottle (e.g. Eucalyptus for a stuffy nose), a drop on the sole of the foot (e.g. migraine essential oil blend), in a diffuser (e.g. Sleepytime blend in the bedroom) and directly on the skin (e.g. lemon oil for warts, lavender for burns and Australian sandalwood for cold sores.)
Essential oil blend recipes for RA
Aches & Pains: 10 drops lavender, 5 drops rosemary, 5 drops eucalyptus, 5 drops clary sage (omit if pregnant) and 5 drops peppermint.
Chronic-pain-body Massage: 2 Tbsp almond or other light carrier oil plus 8 drops lavender, 8 drops eucalyptus and 5 drops thyme.
Winter bath: 10 drops rosemary, 6 drops ginger and 4 drops frankincense.
Summer bath: 10 drops eucalyptus, 4 drops lavender and 6 drops chamomile Roman.
Joint stiffness and tenderness: 10 drops lavender, 5 drops rosemary and 15 drops cypress.
Sleepy Time: 12 drops orange, 3 drops ylang ylang, 6 drops vetiver, 6 drops lavender, 3 drops chamomile Roman
The best ways to use essential oils for chronic joint pain and other rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
Achy, stiff and painful joints
- Aches & Pains essential oils blend in an Epsom Salts bath
- RA massage blend for a gentle hand or foot self-massage
- Winter bath blend in an Epsom Salts bath
- Summer bath blend in an Epsom Salts foot bath
Inflammation
- I wrap my hands and wrists in warm compresses with a few drops of lavender plus either chamomile Roman or eucalyptus.
- Alternatively, you can soak your hands or feet in a small tub with the same oils.
- Other essential oils for inflammation include frankincense, ginger and cypress.
Fatigue and brain fog
Use one of the following essential oil blends in a diffuser in your office, house or car to revive and refresh, naturally:
- 15 drops lavender, 10 drops lemon and 5 drops clary-sage
- 5 drops lavender, 8 drops eucalyptus, 7 drops grapefruit and 4 drops of rosemary
- 3 drops bergamot, 1 drop basil
- 1 drop peppermint
Insomia
Try the sleepy time blend in the following ways:
- 1-3 drops on a tissue tucked under your pillow at bedtime.
- One of my clients put a few drops in his sleep apnea device (check with your doctor about this) and swears it allowed him to sleep properly for the first time in years.
- 4-6 drops in a diffuser in your bedroom
- 20-30 drops in a pre-bedtime Epsom Salts bath.
Read Sleep and RA if you’re having trouble sleeping.
Three essential essential oils
- Lavender oil (steam distilled) soothes burns – several drops directly on the burn immediately or as soon as possible after the burn. Lavender is the all-round workhorse of the aromatherapy world; use when your autoimmune symptoms include aches, pain, fatigue and depression.
- Lemon oil (cold pressed) clears warts – one drop directly on a wart twice daily. Lemon oil is also uplifting and joyous and will soothe a worried mind. Use when your heart is heavy with the burden of an autoimmune disease.
- Eucalyptus oil (steam distilled) eases congestion – close one nostril and breathe the eucalyptus in through the other (switch sides). Another invigorating essential oil, Eucalyptus soothes nausea, cools in the summer and warms in the winter. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties, making it the perfect essential oil to have on hand for anyone with RA.
Three more oils I believe you will use more often than you think:
- Tea tree oil (steam distilled) serves as an anti-bacterial and anti-viral which makes it perfect for use in hand soaps as well as in household cleaning products. I use pure Castile soap in a decorative pump bottle with 20-40 drops each of Tea Tree and Lavender essential oils as hand soap in the bathroom and kitchen.
- Chamomile Roman (steam distilled) is the gentlest of essential oils. Perfect for babies, its kindness also soothes depression and calms anxiety. I often combine this with lavender oil in an Epsom Salts bath when I feel stressed.
- Rosemary (steam distilled) is refreshing and uplifting and its healing properties include pain relief as well as being a heart and nerves tonic.
Other uses for aromatherapy
While himself might raise an eyebrow whenever a new package with those precious bottles full of magic arrives, he also appreciates the power of Australian Sandalwood to heal a cold sore almost before it has developed and he would never say no to an aromatherapy head massage when we watch TV together.
Kidlet #4 uses lemon essential oil whenever he gets a wart and kidlet #2 uses tea tree oil to prevent ingrown toenails. Yes, there are ailments that cannot be addressed with essential oils (ask kidlet #3 about their broken foot!) but my search for a remedy often begins in the delightfully scented cabinet that holds my oils.
2 bonus recipes
For Migraines (Adults only) Do not use if pregnant.
- 3 Lavender
- 3 Clary sage
- 2 Spearmint
- 1 Basil
- 1 Chamomile Roman
One drop on the arch of the foot daily (I used it every evening getting into bed for several years and no longer have regular migraines). Use daily for several months or even years; this is a preventative measure rather than a cure when a migraine hits.
Travel Companion
- 3 Grapefruit
- 3 Spearmint
- 2 Eucalyptus
- 1 Geranium
- 1 Lavender
I often feel nauseated in cars, planes, boats and carry a bottle of this with me that I have shared around planes to great success. I simply hold the bottle under my nose and breathe in the healing molecules. Sometimes, I will put a few drops on a tissue and tuck it under my collar.
Learn more about aromatherapy
My favorite book for the physical benefits of essential oils is “The Fragrant Pharmacy” by Valerie Ann Worwood. It is packed with hundreds (if not thousands) of ways to blend and use essential oils.
Play with the oils – mix a little of this with a little of that, see if you like it. What happens if you blend lavender with bergamot? Be sure to take notes of your experiments!
Final thoughts
I love essential oils, and in addition to all the uses mentioned here, I also use them for my skin care products and for my household cleaning products.
Where can you find quality essential oils? I buy all my essential oils from Liberty Natural in Oregon; Note: most of their oils don’t usually come with dropper lids.
It’s funny how people describe you; one of my favorite descriptors came from a “no-nonsense” type who told me my smell “felt completely true to me”. Now that’s a compliment I’ll take any day of the week – thank you essential oils for serving as my healing perfume all these years.
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