Enjoy your Summer Holidays and keep healthy by preventing and treating those minor ailments and inconveniences which so easily can spoil a well planned family break.

Although we are all aware of the dangers of sun bathing without adequate protection for our skin, if you, like me, enjoy laying on a beautiful beach, perhaps without too many shady places, or forget to top up your sesame oil blend to prevent excessive tanning, one of the members of your party may be affected by either of the following distressing ailments, which, may be easily treated by the use of our aromatherapy arsenal.

If you are preparing some travel kits for your clients on what to rake with them if they are going to spend their holiday in high temperatures, either at home or abroad in some tropical paradise you may wish to consider the prevention and treatment some common ailments due to the change of environment, food, sea and sun.

First of all it is important to think of the effects of the sun on the skin and on health due to de-hydration, therefore your approach must be twofold, to prevent the effects of the sun on the skin the use of SUNSCREENS with ultraviolet A and B blocks is recommended, there are a vast number of products on the market with specified sun protection factors, they are a quick way of ensuring protection, however an alternative and easy way of preparing your own aromatherapy sun protection lotion is as follows:
Aloe vera gel 50gr
Cold pressed Sesame seed oil 250gr
Spike Lavender Lavandula latifolia E.O. 15 drops
True Lavender Lavandula angustifolia E.O. 15 drops

Apply before sunbathing on the first day of your holidays to prevent sunburn and allow your skin to adjust gradually to tanning.

If you have neglected to apply a sunscreen and are suffering from various degrees of sunburn, not suntan, depending on the severity and extent of the damage you may have varying degrees of sunburn, ranging from a reddish area to, in more serious cases severe sunburn with dehydration.

SEVERE SUNBURN
If you fall asleep in the midday sun and you wake up with extensive red patches and blisters, which cause a great deal of burning pain and anxiety
in addition to
Lavender Wild Lavandula angustifolia
Roman Camomile Chamoemelum nobile
Niaouli Melaleuca quinquinervia viridiflora
Everlasting Helichrisium italicum ssp serotoninumin
In a 3% dilution in Rose hip seed oil Rosa rubiginosa and Hazelnut oil Corylus avellana forma genuina, the choice of these cold pressed carriers is due to their unique skin compatibility and their U.V.protection, as, depending on the areas of sunburn, it may be inevitable to be further exposed to the rays of the sun.
For example the following blend may be tried:
Niaouli Melaleuca quinquinervia viridiflora E.O. 10 drops
Lavender Wild Lavandula officinalis E.O. 10 drops
Roman Camomile Chamoemelum nobile E.O. 5 drops
Italian Everlasting Helichrysium italicum ssp serotoninum 5 drops
Rosehip seed Rosa rubiginosa and Hazelnut Corylus avellana forma genuina cold pressed 50/50 carrier base 148.5 ml.
This should be applied 3 times a day to the areas of skin affected.
Note: You may, of course use 150ml, however for accuracy 148.5 will give you an exact 3% dilution.
Before retiring at night, a cooling lukewarm bath with 2 drops each of True Lavender Lavandula angustifolia and Himalayan Cedarwood Cedrus deodora, or with 2 drops each of Frankinsence Boswellia carterii and Camomile Roman Chamoemelum nobile will help to relax and have a good nights sleep.

If, the blistering is not present or minor, carefully monitored exposure to the sun, with adequate sun protection may restore you have a good time during the rest of the period.

SUN STROKE
Is a condition which may develop from prolonged exposure to very high environmental temperature and sunshine, although uncommon in our climate, summer may bring some unusually hot days, when it is easy to end up with a severe headache, nosebleeds, shivering and symptoms which may be confused with a cold or worse. These symptoms are due to a sudden drop in blood pressure due to general vasodilatation, in severe cases this may also manifest in involuntary shaking movements of the upper limbs, a feeling of guidelines and general malaise, cold sweat and clamminess. This symptoms usually start suddenly and a good aromatherapy treatment is by inhalation of a blend of 2 drops of Sandalwood Santalum album and 2 drops of Mandarin Citrus reticulata and 2 drops of Lemon Citrus limonum on a handkerchief. Ask the sufferer to take 3 or 4 deep breaths, this will help to restore the temporary imbalance. This should be followed by a cold compress on the forehead and back of the head, like a bandanna, made with 4 drops of Lavender Lavanduula angustifolia or Rosewood Aniba rosaeodora var amazonica, bed rest for a few hours is always recommended. If the sufferer feels hungry than a light meal is recommended, the main consideration is to drink plenty of fluid to prevent dehydration which may make matters worse.
A good tip for the treatment of a nose bleed is to apply an ice cube to the root of the nose and insert a cotton wool swab with one drop of Lavender Lavandula angustifolia in the affected nostril.

TRAVELLERS TUMMY:
We have all had some experience of diarrhoea due to changes in the water and the diet, most of the time it is due to the heat and food to which we are not accustomed, rather than an infection or enterocolitis. The diarrhoea may be associated with a certain degree of abdominal pain and tension, to avoid dehydration arising as a secondary consequence it is useful to remember to drink plenty of fluids and keep down the consumption of alcohol.
Frequent sips of a cold infusion (herb tea) of Lemon verbena Lipia citriodora and Lemon balm Melissa officinalis with some ice cubes made with bottled water will prevent dehydration.

A good aromatherapy formulation for the treatment of the abdominal cramps and the intestinal spasms is:
5 drops of essential oil of Sweet fennel Foeniculum vulgare var dulce
5 drops of essential oil of Coriander Coriandrum sativum
5 drops of essential oil of Cardamom Eletaria cardammomum
5 drops of essential oil of Ginger Zingiber officinale
10 ml of cold pressed Rosehip seed oil Rosa rubiginosa
29 ml of cold pressed hazelnut oil Corylus avellana forma genuina
The formulation may be applied to the abdominal area every three hours the first two or three days. Hopefully there symptoms will have settled within the following day.

If symptoms do not disappear it is important to go an seek medical advise as it may the an infectious gastro-enteritis or gastrocolitis which requires a more drastic treatment.

INSECT BITES AND STINGS
Insect stings and bites can spoil an otherwise pleasant picnic or walk in the countryside, a vary useful gadget to take with you is an air suction pump or ventouse, now available from chemists, this will immediately of the draw any poison, dirt or damaged tissue to the broken skin surface and help its elimination, then, apply 3 drops of a ½ and ½ blend of Spike lavender Lavandula latifolia and Everlasting Helichrisium italicum to the site of the injury and repeat tree times a day during the next 4 days. This same procedure will also ensure the steady healing and repair of small wounds due to puncture wounds on the feet from jellyfish bites or sharp stones on the sea bed.

Should this injuries and bites affect small children, then half the dosages, and use 5% dilutions in a suitable carrier oil such as hazelnut oil or macadamia nut oil.

SPRAINS AND FALLS
On holiday it is very easy to suffer minor accidents which if untreated may lead to pain and discomfort, yet again I would like to mention that two essential oils which should always be packed in the first aid travel kit are Everlasting Helichrisium italicum and a lavender which is very high in ketones, Lavandula stoechas, 2 drops of each on a cold compress applied around the sprain or bruise, twice a day will speed the recovery period and reduce it to 2 or 3 days at the longest.

Author's Bio: 

Dr. Vivian Nadya Lenart de Lunny qualified as an MD in 1973, later she followed specialisation studies in Cardiology and Pathology in Bolivia, Argentina and the UK She then obtained Postgraduate Diplomas in Holistic and Scientific Aromatherapy Colour Therapy, Psychotronics and Reiki II. She was awarded a Doctorate in Alternative Medicine in 1991.
Currently she lives with her family in Canada. She is a well known international Aromatherapy and Holistic Medicine Consultant, Author and Educator.
Vivian has served on the Executive Council of the |International Federation of Aromatherapists from 1991 to 1999, a Fellow and joint Director of the English Societe de L’Institut P. Franchomme. Her main interests lay in the fields of Aromatherapy and Vibrational Medicine (including colour and crystals) Education and Clinical Research, as she feels they go hand in hand.
Dr. Lunny may be contacted by phone or fax:
1(country code) 604 568 7303
E mail doctorvivian@shaw.ca or at her website at: www.realessencesoflife.com