Workplace wellness has been defined as any program that aims to improve the health of employees and their families while reducing health-related costs.  These programs are linked to greater productivity, less presenteeism and absenteeism , and a reduction of long-term health care costs. Companies are now implementing comprehensive wellness programs focusing on injury prevention and lifestyle modification, encouraging employees to focus on key behaviors such as physical activity, improving eating habits, reducing stress, and ceasing tobacco use. The rationale for wellness programs is that encouraging health habits now can prevent or lower the risk of serious health conditions later. Similarly, adopting these same habits can help those with an existing health condition manage it. “Sadly, one-third of the world’s workforce suffers from preventable chronic diseases in any given year. This triggers lost workdays and lower employee productivity. In the U.S. alone, the cost of this economic loss is estimated at more than $1 trillion annually. It’s double that for the entire world.” i

A professor at the University of Colorado-Denver School of Medicine recently mentioned that “in order to address the employee’s full-person needs, you have to address both the physical and the mental components of health.” ⁱⁱ The stigma attached to having a health related issue or taking unwanted (and often unpaid) time from work is such that employees may be reluctant to seek treatment. This is especially true when considering the fear associated with current economic conditions and job stability. Consequently, many physical and mental health disorders go unrecognized and untreated, which are often precipitated or accentuated by stress. This affects, not only the health of the individual, but eventually the career of the individual, and the bottom line of the employer, because of the significant reduction in the employee’s productivity at work. Fortunately, peer review studies demonstrate that there are proven (and inexpensive) modalities that can help the employee control his or her stress, thereby improving job performance.  Implementing these modalities requires a shift in attitudes by both employers and employees about the nature of wellness in the workplace and the recognition that such a worthwhile achievement takes effort and time, which will be amply rewarded because of increased productivity and the employee’s taking control of managing extraordinary stress from the job.

Physical activity, backaches and “anatomical” wellness has been studied and discussed for decades. The effects of the accumulation of chronic stress on a person’s body is now being studied in detail.  Credible peer review studies confirm that chronic stress materially interferes with an employee’s ability to be productive.

An employer can, and should, participate on a meaningful basis in addressing its employee’s full-person needs!

In the early 90’s, we began to be bombarded with all sorts of new products for physical fitness (as we still are), one component of maintaining wellness, and controlling depression and anxiety.  Unfortunately, unless the person is a “gym rat”, utilizing these products for fitness and stress control takes a substantial amount of time, which in today’s environment is a luxury many people don’t have.

There are time efficient modalities available to assist in coping with stress.  The proven evidence-based modality with which we are most familiar is the use of essential oils (Aromatherapy). Aromatherapy has been described as the therapeutic use of pure essential oils in physical and emotional healing, to promote health and enhanced quality of life.

Essential oils have been used for thousands of years for their exquisite aromas and natural healing powers, being applied either topically or by way of inhalation (the olfactory method). With today’s sophisticated, scientific diagnostic tools, we are now learning the science behind essential oils. The use of quality, non-commercial grade essential oils can provide astounding results, whether they are used on a frequent and regular basis for stress control, to strengthen the immune system, or for a specific psychological or anatomical purpose. By harnessing their therapeutic properties, essential oils work to improve our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.  Of course, if you are able to find them, quality, non-commercial grade essential oils, even though more costly, are the best to use.

Massage has also been studied over the last couple of decades with great intensity. A search of peer review articles by credible institutions reveals the science behind the physical and emotional benefits of massage, whether used alone or in conjunction with essential oils.

An employer can provide essential oils with, or without massage, or massage with, or without essential oils, as these are proven and recognized modalities that will have a beneficial impact on wellness of the person which, in turn, will result in the employee being more efficient in the workplace.  While the touch aspects of massage are welcomed by nearly everyone, its effects are generally magnified when using an appropriate essential oil. Unfortunately, though, unlike an essential oil or essential oil synergy, which can be carried in a person’s pocket and used throughout the day as needed, a massage therapist can’t.

Providing the appropriate essential oils or synergies to the employee, for use at home or in the workplace, will not only help with wellness in the workplace, it will also have a beneficial impact on its bottom line.

ⁱ  McCallister, Michael. “World health is critical; so is workplace wellness.” The Washington Post (2011): 7 par. Online. Internet. 29 Jan. 2011. Available: washingtonpost.com

ⁱⁱ  Harnett, Carol. “The Screen Actors Guild Abandons Mental-Health Benefits.” Human Resource Exexcutive Online (2011): 28 par. Online. Internet. 23 Jan. 2011. Available: hreonline.com

It has been reported that as human beings we tend to gravitate to places that offer unique experiences with better than expected results. Over 35 million Americans have some level of anxiety when it comes to going to the dentist, and the use of quality essential oils offers a relaxing and unique experience that not only enhances patients’ moods, but may help with their anxiety.

According to the literature, most people can live with having some anxiety about going to the dentist. For those with dental phobia, however, the thought of a dental visit is terrifying. Someone with a dental phobia will avoid dental care at all costs until either a physical problem or the psychological burden of the phobia becomes overwhelming. This not only has a direct effect on the patients’ health, but it also has a tremendous impact on the bottom line of a dental operation. In fact, The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends stress reduction techniques in dental offices, particularly for patients with anxiety or heart conditions.

Direct experience is the most common way people develop dental fears. Most people report that their dental fear began after a traumatic, difficult, and/or painful dental experience. [i] In spite of this, painful or traumatic dental experiences alone do not fully explain why people develop dental phobia. According to the literature, the perceived manner of the dentist is an important variable. Dentists who were considered “impersonal”, “uncaring”, “uninterested” or “cold” were found to result in high dental fear in students, even in the absence of painful experiences, whereas some students who had had painful experiences failed to develop dental fear if they perceived their dentist as caring and warm. [ii]

Health Providers throughout the country are creating welcoming and relaxing environments for their patients by incorporating the amenities and services of day spas. Dental spas offer general and cosmetic dentistry services in a spa-like atmosphere to ease the fear and anxiety associated with dental visits.

As everyone knows, or should know by now, essential oils have a positive psychological effect. This is not only validated in a published research study that was done with The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, School of Medicine which confirms that essential oils and aromatherapy “positively affect mood”, but it has also been addressed in another study which investigated the impact of orange and lavender on anxiety, mood, alertness and calmness in dental patients.

Two hundred patients between the ages of 18 and 77 years (half women, half men) were assigned to one of four independent groups. While waiting for dental procedures, patients were either stimulated with ambient odor of orange or ambient odor of lavender. These conditions were compared to a music condition and a control condition (no odor, no music). Anxiety, mood, alertness and calmness were assessed while patients waited for dental treatment.

Statistical analyses revealed that compared to the control group both ambient odors of orange and lavender reduced anxiety and improved mood in patients waiting for dental treatment. These findings support the previous opinion that odors are capable of altering emotional states and may indicate that the use of odors is helpful in reducing anxiety in dental patients.[iii]

Coupled with the relaxation benefits and drawing power to get patients in for treatment, incorporating the use of quality essential oils can also contribute to patient safety while making the dental staff’s job easier. “According to many dental professionals, relaxed patients pose less risk of injury and are easier to work with than tense, unhappy individuals squirming in their chairs”.[iv]

References

As the literature states, “the term ‘deep tissue’ is often misused to identify a massage that is performed with sustained deep pressure. Deep Tissue massage is a separate category of massage therapy, used to treat particular muscular-skeletal disorders and complaints, and employing a dedicated set of techniques and strokes to achieve a measure of relief.

Deep Tissue massage is designed to relieve severe tension in the muscle and the connective tissue or fascia. This type of massage focuses on the muscles located below the surface of the top muscles. Deep Tissue massage is often recommended for individuals who experience consistent pain, are involved in heavy physical activity, such as athletes, and patients who have sustained physical injury.”

Despite the relatively recent acceptance of Aromatherapy in the United States, the use of pure, therapeutic grade essential oil for medical applications is customary throughout much of Europe. Certain essential oils distilled from flowers, plants, and trees have been recognized for their broad range of actions, which can support healing of everyday injuries. Certain essential oil compounds are known to prevent and relieve blood clotting (which is beneficial for bruising), stimulate tissue regeneration, act as a powerful anti-oxidant, and have been reported to reduce inflammation. This combination of effects may help with injuries such as sprains and strains, bruises, tendonitis and the like.

The reason certain essential oils can work on so many muscular and connective-tissue injuries is that they all share similar cellular pathology. At the injury site, on a cellular level, you’ll find inflammation and oxidative radicals associated with tissue damage. Whether the inflammation is apparent or not, its there, it hurts, and its slowing the healing process.

Although the oils are not considered a natural cure-all, each plant does offer chemical compounds with unique effects. While some of the compounds in these oils are beneficial when used alone, when they are mixed with other essential oils, they create a synergy, with a completely different chemical composition. It has been shown that the synergy, if created with compatible oils, enhances the efficacy of the individual oils being used.

Even though the individual constituents of certain essential oils have been shown to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral in nature, and have a relaxing and analgesic effect on the contracted or inflamed muscular tissue, unless the therapist who is applying them is otherwise licensed to practice medicine, he or she is not able to make any medical claims concerning the effects of the essential oils.

By incorporating the use of therapeutic grade essential oils in your daily practice, you offer a unique effective alternative modality that any dedicated athlete would greatly welcome.