Social
media has been exploding over the last year with claims that
essential oils have cured all sorts of diseases and illnesses.
Obviously, this is a total scam. Even worse, essential oils are being
pushed through multi-level marketing (also a scam) with companies
such as doTERRA and Young Living.
What
is the real story about essential oils and multi-level marketing? As
our friend Lazy Man has said: No, Your MLM Health Product Doesn’t
“Work.” (This most definitely includes Medifast, Herbalife,
Xyngular, Isagenix, Usana, and any other MLM with a “health
product.”)
Essential
oils are the oil of particular plants, and can come from the flowers,
leaves, roots, bark, or peels of plants. They are called “essential”
because they contain the “essence of” the plant’s fragrance,
but not because they are essential for any health needs. Essential
oils have been used for years in aromatherapy, household cleaning
products, and some personal care products. They smell good,
which can be relaxing and can also enhance different cleaning
processes. They may also help moisturize skin, assist in the
treatment of conditions such as acne, and enhance the appearance of
skin.
The
controversy about essential oils relates to their supposed medicinal
properties. Some claim they have antioxidants, antrimicrobials, and
anti-inflammatories. I don’t doubt that essential oils may have
some of these properties on a small scale. But essential oils most
certainly do not heal broken bones. While the oils can help with
minor burns, they definitely do not heal serious burns. They don’t
cure autism, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, arthritis, multiple
sclerosis, cancer, or any other potentially serious illnesses. Some
of the advice being offered by pretend doctors and pretend scientists
can be downright dangerous. (And essential oils shouldn’t be
ingested EVER or used without diluting them first.)
Harriet
Hall, MD, who we have quoted here before, takes doTerra to task for
its unsupported claims about essential oils:
They
say modern science is validating “the numerous health and wellness
benefits of essential oils” but they don’t identify those
benefits or offer any evidence. No clinical studies are cited, and
there is no research section on their website.
The
published evidence is sparse to nonexistent. There are clinical
studies to support a few of the recommended uses, but they are
generally poorly designed, uncontrolled, and unconvincing. Research
is difficult, because patients can’t be blinded to the odors, and
mental associations and relaxation could account for most of the
observed effects.
And
Dr. Hall points us to some really interesting information about D.
Gary Young, the founder of Young Living. Be careful who you trust.
Dr. Hall writes:
I
first heard of essential oils years ago in connection with Gary
Young, described on Quackwatch as “an uneducated huckster with a
track record of arrests for health fraud.” Gary Young and his
Essential Oils are still in business despite the devastating critique
that has long been featured on Quackwatch. The record of misdeeds
there makes for painful reading. Among other things, he practiced
medicine without a license, was arrested repeatedly, did bogus lab
tests, and contributed to the death of his own child by performing an
underwater delivery and holding the newborn infant underwater for an
hour. His judgment about medical matters is obviously not very
trustworthy.
I
did some very brief research on these claims, and found additional
information on Mr. Young in this article and this article, both by
Eva Briggs, MD.
Roy
Benaroch, MD (yes, an actual doctor!) writes about essential oils:
Is
there any reason to think there are broad health benefits from
essential oils, as a group? Many of them smell good, and I imagine
that used in a sort of aroma therapy they might be relaxing to people
who like the smell of lemon, cedarwood, patchouli, or hyssop. But
statements referring to essential oils collectively as having
near-magical health benefits are just plain silly.
Some
essential oils probably do offer health benefits, but many can be
harmful if used incorrectly; and since selling these is intertwined
with questionable business practices, it’s unlikely that Kayla is
going to get reliable or balanced health information from local
distributors. Don’t waste your money or endanger your health—stay
away from the multilevel marketing of essential oils.
In
order to make the products look legitimate (or look like they’re
superior to other products out there), MLM companies are prone to
lying, exaggeration, and misleading. One such example is doTERRA’s
claim that their products are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade. What
does CPTG mean? Absolutely nothing. It’s a phrase that doTERRA made
up and got a trademark on. In essence, doTERRA is saying “our
essential oils are high quality because we say they are.”
It
is common for the representatives of multi-level marketing companies
to make all sorts of false claims about the healing properties of
their products. These essential oil companies are no different, and
the Food and Drug Administration has taken notice. Young Living
received a warning letter from the FDA last year, telling the company
that representatives are not permitted to make drug claims about the
products. doTERRA also received a warning letter from the FDA
last year, pointing out that the essential oils “…are not
generally recognized as safe and effective for use under the
conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in their labeling.”
Both
product lines were falsely pushed to cure or prevent ebola:
The
website www.theoilessentials.com reportedly wrote “[T]he Ebola
virus cannot survive in the presence of a therapeutic grade Cinnamon
Bark and Oregano essential oil.”
The
website www.essentialsurvival.org wrote “Thieves [a proprietary
Young Living blend] oil can be . . . applied topically on the skin to
help the body fight off infection . . . If Ebola was going
around in my area . . . I would apply it to my feet and armpits
2x/day or more and take it in capsules at least 2x/day for preventive
purposes,” and “If I were exposed to Ebola or had reason to
believe I could be sick with it, I would use some of these oils
every 10 minutes for a few hours, then cut back to every hour for the
rest of the first day. Then I would use them every 2 waking hours of
the day for at least a week, or longer if it was known I was sick.”
A
doTerra distributor wrote “Many Essential Oils are highly
Anti-viral. I list here a few of them those (sic) oils that
could help prevent your contracting the Ebola virus . . ..” on a
Twitter account credited to “MrsSkinnyMedic.”
There
were also claims that doTERRA and Young Living essential oils cured
all sorts of other illnesses, such as “…Parkinson’s disease,
autism, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, insomnia, heart disease,
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dementia, and multiple
sclerosis,” according to the FDA letter.
Here’s
the bottom line: Essential oils do not cure illnesses or medical
conditions. They possibly make people feel better, and may have a
minimal effect on very minor skin conditions. But that’s it.
Essential oils won’t heal your cancer, broken bones, migraines,
dimentia, fybromyalgia, autism or anything else. And if used
incorrectly, essential oils can be dangerous.
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