Summary
The carpal tunnel is an area of the wrist where the
flexor tendons pass through to the fingers. The median
nerve also passes through this tunnel and is surrounded by
the flexor tendons. The tunnel formed by bones of the wrist
and the transverse carpal ligament. The median nerve
is of special importance since it carries sensation to the
three fingers and controls the movement of the thumb (it
does not go to the little finger).
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the condition where the median
nerve is irritated or pressed causing numbness, weakness
and/or tingling and even painful sensations. This
nerve travels from the neck through the shoulder and elbow
onto the wrist so the irritation may occur in any of these
areas. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome specifically refers to
pressure or irritation originating in the wrist area.
Causes for this include:
·
Repeating the same movement of the wrist, especially if
the wrist is bent down.
·
Wrist injuries
·
Bone spurs
·
Some types of arthritis
·
Pregnancy or obesity make create such pressure
·
Some even note that smoking can reduce blood flow to the
median nerve causing Carpel Tunnel Syndrome!
Oils, blends & products
recommended:
Oils & Blends:
Healing: cypress (circulation), frankincense,
helichrysum (nerve damage), lemongrass (connective
tissue), marjoram (muscle tissue)
Pain: Deep Blue, wintergreen
Essential oils based
products: MJ Assist
Also consider:
Basil, birch,
clove, oregano
Suggested protocols:
One or two drops to the wrist area 2 or 3 times daily
applied to the wrist area where the nerve irritation is
occurring. Deep Blue for pain followed with
cypress, helichrysum, and lemongrass if available. The
experiences of others suggest other oils combinations will
also be effective.
Remember also that the median nerve originates at the
spine and travels thru the shoulder and elbow so that the
nerve damage in some cases could be in an area other than
the wrist and applying oils to the point of the damage would
be necessary.
Experiences and Testimonials of others
Kendra - What
do you use for carpal tunnel?
Rob – Let me share my personal
experience with EO's and carpal tunnel. A few years
ago, before doTerra oils as a family we used other oils and
I personally got to a point that I couldn't use essential
oils anymore. This was because I would have a severe
allergic reaction to severely to many oils. When doTERRA
oils were introduced, I was thrilled to realize that I could
use them as much, and as often as I liked. As a result,
every morning and every night I was applying essential oils
to my kids, my wife, others, and myself. Even before this
time I had suffered a lot from carpal tunnel and had just
learned to live with it. So as I was initially using
my new found treasure of doTerra essential oils I was not
specifically working on my carpel tunnel but I realized one
day that it was gone. Completely! It made me realize
that just their daily use in no particular oil, order, or
method had been therapeutic for my carpal tunnel.
I realize that is hard to set up a protocol from this for
someone else but that was my experience. Now with more
experience if I were to help myself specifically for that
problem I would consider lemongrass, basil, wintergreen,
cypress and frankincense topically - daily or twice daily.
Upon flair-ups I would use these oils followed by warm
compress.
If more pain relief was necessary at the beginning
consider clove or marjoram for their analgesic properties.
Remember in some cases you must deal both with symptoms
(pain, cough, etc.) and the root cause separately.
Pat - I know a lady who is just starting
to use marjoram and Deep Blue for her carpal tunnel. The
marjoram is for the tendons and muscles and the Deep Blue
for the pain. I should also suggest to her that cypress
will increase circulation that in turn will speed healing.
I also know of another person who successfully used Deep
Blue and frankincense.
Kendra – I
have read that helichrysum is also effective. Do you
have information about helichrysum and carpal tunnel?
Rob - Helichrysum provides a full spectrum of helping
properties. It has a compound called eugenol (1-2%), a
phenol with analgesic properties that contributes to the
oil's pain-relieving assistance.
Tamalu - When Mark was suffering from CPS, we used
Deep Blue and lemongrass more than anything.
Those connective tissues start to inflame
and swell, becoming brittle over time. Deep
Blue will bring cooling and healing, and
Lemongrass's ability to provide the tools to
restore strength and elasticity to those
tissues is fantastic!
Also feel around in the neck along the
spine. If there is swelling or pain along
the spine, especially shooting pain, it is
highly likely that you are not dealing with
carpal tunnel at all, but an undiagnosed
neck injury which is causing nerve damage
and radiating into elbow and wrist. It is
imperative to get the heat out of that spine
to prevent any further damage and begin
repair. For this, I use Deep Blue, Balance,
and the new Past Tense. Stretching exercises
for the neck (gentle, gentle) are so
helpful, as you will likely find neck
movement is limited.
Some of the symptoms of a neck injury
include: chronic sinus issues, headaches,
sleep apnea, sciatic pain, and gastric
distress, among many others. Many of us are
walking around with neck injuries and health
issues that we just can't get on top of
because the pain or symptoms lie elsewhere.
Brooke - I actually have very
painful thumbs! After I paint or do
other things with them too much I can't
even lift a plate. If someone even
bumps my hands it feels like they've
broken into a million pieces! I have
found tremendous relief from using the
oils. I have used almost all of the
ones you have mentioned here. Birch,
Deep Blue, and lemongrass have worked
the best for me - but also the PastTense
has really worked well, and I use it the
most! Some of them I can stand the
smell better than others (don't really
like lemongrass). Marjoram is in the
Past Tense too. I have recently started
trying the MJ Assist - so we'll see if
that give any relief too.
Ready, Set, Grow
