Diffusers should be used everywhere. I just love the smell. Maybe you know somebody, or are somebody who feels this way. Essential oil diffusers are becoming much more commonly seen in homes, in public spaces and some clinical settings. If you're familiar with diffusing, you're familiar with indirect inhalation methods for administering essential oils. Indirect inhalation of diffused essential oils is less intense than direct inhalation, such as from a cotton ball, as you learned in the last lesson. The diffusion method is generally used for evoking a mood such as: calming, creating ambience or filling the air with a woodsy sent, or to cleanse the air by diffusing essential oils with antiseptic properties. It's possible to get a therapeutic benefit from diffused essential oils, although it may be less intense and not as quick compared to the direct inhalation method. To recall the study in the dental office with the diffused lavender in orange, and it was found to decrease anxiety with patients. The studies certainly appear to indicate that diffusers provided a therapeutic effect. Let's look at a couple of diffusers. There are all types of diffusers on the market, and I'll demonstrate two of them. The first one works by placing a couple drops of essential oil on a disposable pad. Once in place and running, and this runs either by batteries or by plugging in, it has a fan similar to one in a laptop. So, it's pretty quiet and it helps to release the essential oil molecules into the air. I used one similar to this for a number of years and could tell it was effective, because I could feel my sinuses drain when something like eucalyptus was diffusing. Now, this one's a micro diffuser, and it works by placing essential oils in the well with distilled water. So, I have water in here and I don't want to spill it. You just put some drops in. So, when you turn this one on, you'll see a stream coming from the diffuser. The lightest essential oil molecules fill the surrounding air. If you were here, you could smell bergamot that I've just put in here. As with any substance diffused into the air, there's the need to consider safe levels of essential oil molecules to prevent irritation or other undesired effects related to continuous diffusion. Diffusion in a large room is generally safe since essential oil molecules won't reach irritant levels. Other considerations for safe use of diffusion are: the amount of essential oil use and the ventilation of the room, and then how close one is to the diffuser, I'm fairly close rate here. Essential oil safety expert, Robert Tisserand, advises that intermittent diffusion is more effective and safer than continuous diffusion. This is due to our nervous system becoming habituated or used to the exposure over time. He maintains, that while benefits of essential oils don't increase with continuous diffusion, there's evidence that the body becomes stressed in various ways. One suggestion for intermittent use is 30 to 60 minutes on and then 30 to 60 minutes off. Check out the link to the Tisserand institutes information about intermittent diffusion in the next reading. Another safety tip, aromatherapists, massage therapists and others who frequently use essential oils in their practice, need to be sure they're working in well ventilated rooms and take air brakes to decrease exposure time to the essential oils. This safety tip is not limited to diffusion, but should be considered for all types of essential oil delivery methods. If you're considering administering essential oils via indirect inhalation techniques, keep in mind that it is a less intense delivery method than direct inhalation, and that diffusing essential oils is more effective and safer with intermittent use. Irritation or other undesired effects of a diffused essential oils may occur and depends on the room size, the amount of essential oil, the ventilation and distance that you are from the diffuser. Now, check out the next video to learn more about diffusing essential oils in public or shared spaces, and get ready to practice topical application methods in the next lesson.
