Aromatherapy for pregnant women and children

Pregnancy is a special period in a woman’s life. In the second half of the 20th century, many studies were conducted aimed at studying the psychological and physical interaction between the body of mother and child (Jean Feich, Franz Veldman, Andre Bertin, Marie-Louise Aucher, Brent Logan, etc.). A new direction in pedagogy has emerged - prenatal (intrauterine, prenatal) education. Schools for expectant mothers have been created in different countries: in Italy the National Association of Prenatal Education is successfully operating, in France there is Michel Auden’s “singing” maternity hospital, in Russia Mikhail Lazarev has developed a method for the health and development of children before and after birth using “Sonatal” music. It is in the prenatal period that sensory abilities begin to develop, psycho-emotional reactions are formed, primary socialization and the active influence of morphogenic fields and the noosphere on the fetus occur.

Among the sensory systems, hearing is the most developed. The fetus reacts positively to classical music, listens to the voice of the mother and father. It turned out that the Russian language, according to American linguists, is the most harmonious in terms of frequency characteristics and, due to its wide range, affects not only the development of phonemic hearing, but also the development of other abilities. Since its impact is equivalent to that of music, expectant mothers can read Russian fiction out loud. Research by Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto has shown that music and human speech affect the structure of water and its properties. Considering that the fetus consists of 99% water and is formed in amniotic fluid, sound vibrations play an important role in the formation of the body.

The psychological state of the mother, her reaction to all kinds of stimuli, communication with the fetus (in particular mental) or its absence form a number of characteristic human characteristics that persist for life. According to the works of Jean Sharon, David Bohm, Jeffrey Chew and other scientists, living cells, including those with a field structure, perceive, remember and reproduce information received from the outside. For example, the emotional arousal of the mother causes a rapid heartbeat and motor activity of the fetus, in turn, the proper functioning of the organs and systems of the fetus can have a compensatory effect on the mother’s body (for example, in the case of a lack of insulin in diabetes mellitus). Through “strange” desires, the child’s future passions and interests can actively manifest through a pregnant woman. Thus, with the active interaction of the woman, the surrounding world and the fetus, its primary socialization occurs. Reflections by V. I. Vernadsky about the noosphere (the sphere of the human mind), morphogenic fields of Rupert Sheldrake (fields that preserve the memory of any phenomena in space and are capable of resonating and repeating them under certain conditions) and torsion fields of G. I. Shilov (fields , in which instantaneous dissemination of information occurs without energy transfer) allow us to speak of a continuous energy-information exchange of the fetus not only with the mother, but also with the entire surrounding space.

These facts were known in ancient times. In a symbolic form, the expectant mother received the necessary knowledge during special rituals and mysteries in Vedic India and Egypt, for the creation of a new person was considered a sacred rite. The Slavs especially revered the goddesses Rozhanitsa: mother and daughter. Later they began to be called Lada and Lelya. After the baptism of Rus', the image of the Mother of God became one of the most revered. A woman carrying a child was perceived as a living connection between two worlds: earthly and heavenly. In her womb the mystery of incarnation took place, for man is a spirit who, thanks to his mother on Earth, acquires a body. It was impossible to hold a grudge against pregnant women. 1-2 months before giving birth, the “forgiveness days” began. According to custom, relatives had to repeatedly ask for forgiveness from the pregnant woman and she from them, so that voluntary and involuntary offenses would go away, since an unforgiven offense could lead to a difficult delivery. There were special rules for treating pregnant women, according to which one could not scold her, deceive her, refuse her requests, come to visit without a “sacrifice” gift, and one could only say pleasant things and show only beautiful things. This is how folk wisdom protected expectant mothers.

Today it is known about this period of a woman’s life that on the 20-22nd day the fetus’s heart begins to beat, and from the 4th month nerve and brain canals are formed. This means that the formed nerve cells of the fetus, neutral in nature, must fit into the system of connections and become sensory, motor neurons, etc. It is known that by the time of birth the brain loses some neurons. This fact may indicate that in the prenatal period unique opportunities for the development of many inclinations were missed, because the necessary neural connections occur in the process of purposeful development, learning, and thinking.

Smells play a major role in the process of fetal formation. According to the research of Dr. L. Salzer, “... the embryonic embryo, like the blood itself, contains all the odorous substances belonging to the various tissues and organs of the parents.” Aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, which include essential oils, contribute to the harmonious process of self-organization of the fetus, although there is an opinion that the use of essential oils by children and pregnant women is undesirable or even contraindicated­But. Traditional medicine, based on centuries-old practice, does not make such a ban. Indeed, some essential oils, such as wormwood, cannot be used by women during pregnancy, and mint should not be used by children under 1 year of age, but the contraindication does not apply to all essential oils. In its natural form, aromatherapy accompanies a person throughout his life. Walking in the park, working in the garden, flower garden, staying in the forest - these are natural aromatherapy sessions. The air is always filled with many aromas, and a person is unable to isolate himself from their influence in the city or in nature. The only question is what kind of air we prefer to breathe. Fresh air, moderately flavored with natural ingredients, has never brought harm.

Antibiotics are currently widely used in obstetric and neonatological practice, which often leads to addiction and other negative consequences. With long-term use of essential oils, no side effects or the emergence of resistant strains of microorganisms were observed. The immunostimulating activity of essential oils has been recorded, which is very important for disease prevention.

Bacterial and candidal vaginitis, sometimes in combination with vulvovaginitis, occurs quite often in pregnant women. To treat these diseases, medications are used that do not have the best effect on the female body and fetus. Experimental studies have shown that essential oils in the treatment of diseases of the female genital organs not only have a positive psychological effect, but also help preserve the symbiotic microflora of the vagina. Doctor of Medical Sciences T.D. Zadorozhnaya writes that after the use of aromatherapy agents in smears of the inflammatory type of the vaginal mucosa of pregnant women at 38 weeks of gestation, “in 90% of cases the number of neutrophils decreased and diffuse lymphocytic infiltration remained and the number of macrophages increased.”

A serious problem is the prevention of infectious and colds in pregnant women. Under the supervision of Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor L. E. Tumanova, 48 women used aromatherapy products to care for the nasal mucosa in the prenatal and postpartum periods. “We did not notice any irritant or allergic effects,” she writes, “we did not note the course of the postpartum period in women was smooth, there were no cases of respiratory infection, and this was very important, since these studies were carried out in January - March.” They were used for hygienic purposes and for newborns. After using such aromatherapy agents, “inflammatory infiltration and the presence of microflora in smears were not detected in 20% of cases.” The results obtained allowed the experimenters to draw the following conclusion: “When using oils for hygienic purposes in pregnant women and in the dynamics of the life of a newborn, no allergenic phenomena were noted (no eosinophils were detected), the existing infiltration is physiological in nature. In some observations, there is a tendency towards an anti-inflammatory effect.”

According to research by Doctor of Medical Sciences T.K. Znamenskaya and Candidate of Medical Sciences T.V. Kurilina, in contrast to traditional skin care products for newborns, aromatic products “have a protective effect against adverse factors, do not violate the protective layer, and have a bacteriostatic effect. In children who received the oil, during follow-up, there were no difficulties in nasal breathing associated with swelling after using the nose, the mucous membrane did not dry out, and the number of crusts in the nasal cavity significantly decreased. The nasal toilet was easy and non-traumatic for the child. There were no side effects when using the oil.”

The above facts indicate that pregnant women and infants should not be exceptions to aromatherapy. Essential oils make it possible to cure many diseases without heavy doses of antibiotics, and to resist dangerous infectious diseases without vaccination, which is not acceptable for everyone. It is only important to know which essential oils should not be used in this or that case, and to adhere to the dosage and doctor’s recommendations.