Anxiety can be triggered by overactivity and dominance of the right frontal lobe of your brain. The right brain processes the emotional aspects of the human experience, giving you empathy and compassion, but in overdrive, the right brain can contribute to heightened emotions and anxiety.
Functional neurologist Dr. Titus Chiu suggests strategically inhaling essential oils [Jeddy's Blend, Lavender, Citrus Oils], through your left nostril to activate your left frontal lobe and balance the over-activity of the right frontal lobe. This creates balance between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, which then leads to feelings of calm and helps halt panic attacks.
Inhalation, or smelling oils through the nose, allows essential oils to efficiently pass through the blood brain barrier in the area surrounding the olfactory nerve. A true blood-brain barrier is 8 cells in thickness. The number of cells which constitute the layer around the olfactory nerve is only 4 to 5 cells thick.
Research shows that the entire process from the initial inhalation of an essential oil to a corresponding response in the body can happen in a matter of seconds. When remedies are inhaled, they go straight into the bloodstream via blood vessels in the nasal cavity. Upon entering the bloodstream, the remedies travel quickly to the brain, thus eliciting a host of intense effects shortly after inhalation.
Direct inhalation, or inhaling directly from the bottle, bypasses the digestive tract and, later, the liver, where the oil would be subjected to digestive processing. This means, you can inhale directly from the bottle – just hold the bottle directly under your nose and inhale 3 – 5 times.
