Replied By Anon (City, State) on 12/16/2010
Maybe a lavender sachet in his clothes drawer, or a lavender candle or room diffuser. I wonder if vanilla would work. I get depression, and eating bananas helps tremendously. It feels like morning all day. I have to stay away from gluten, if I have to eat it such as at a party, I have milk/kefir or psyllium before leaving for the party. A Chamomile/Lavender/Lemon balm tea is good, too. Things that help my liver and kidneys help my mood tremendously, too. You might try those things with your poor Dad. My heart goes out to you both. Try Kefir, goat milk, fresh fruit (lots of it oranges, strawberries, kiwi, cherries, blackberries, peaches), fresh green salads (spinach, romaine, red pepper, tomatoes, boiled egg, sardines, a little salt, no pepper, olive oil, amen. ), Cat's Claw, ginger, fresh garlic (no milk with or before it, only an hour or so later), basil/chamomile/catnip tea (no milk till hour later). Failing that chocolate and coffee work. And if all else fails, ice cream... Make a smoothie with frozen orange segments, frozen strawberries, and fresh baby spinach. These heal the body and thereby heal the mind.Replied By Lane (Reno, Nevada, United States) on 11/20/2011
Various essential oils have improved cognitive function in human beings in clinical trials. Jimbo and colleagues used a diffuser to deliver rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning and lavender and orange essential oils in the evening to 28 patients with dementia (including those with Alzheimer's disease). After 28 days, all 28 patients "showed significant improvement in personal orientation related to cognitive function. " Akhondzadeh and colleagues using tinctures of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) and sage (Salvia officinalis) saw significant improvements in cognitive function over placebo in 84 patients with Alzheimer's disease over a four month period. Essential oils high in methoxyphenols (such as clove, cinnamon leaf, rosemary, sage, lemon balm, oregano, thyme, and laurel) appear to provide a particular effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease. These compounds scavenge peroxynitrites (convert them into a less dangerous form) and partially reverse the damage that they do to receptors involved in short-term memory, sleep, mood, smell, alertness, and awareness.
My sisters and I began to give our mother rosemary essential oil to smell four years ago (she has had Alzheimer's disease for seven years). This year we added many of the essential oil listed above. As a result of aromatherapy (she takes no medications), she can recognize her own home again, sleeps through the night, feels comfortable around relatives, has some short-term memory (can spell her own name, can sometimes remember the order of days and month, can complete sayings such as I scream, you scream, we all scream for... Ice cream, etc. ), and is much more alert and aware than before she began aromatherapy. Except for allergies or excessive use (my mother smells the oils for just a few seconds under each nostril every morning), there appears to be few side effects from aromatherapy. Essential oils are one of the few treatments for Alzheimer's disease that has worked both in animal models and in human beings.
Replied By Bridget (New York) on 09/14/2020
I have heard that lavender alters your hormones if taken on a regular basis. I would research this before diving in.