Ep. 105: How Aromatherapy Enhances Hospice Care: Robin Kessler’s Perspective
SHOW NOTES
In this episode of the Vetiver Vibes podcast, host Nikki Fraser welcomes back Robin Kessler, a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist from central New Jersey. Robin, known as the "Queen of Frankincense," previously joined us for episode 16, where we explored the various types and benefits of frankincense. Today, we delve into the profound impact of aromatherapy in hospice care.
Robin shares her journey into the world of aromatherapy, highlighting her passion for volunteering with the sick and how she discovered the healing properties of essential oils. With a focus on safety, she emphasizes the importance of understanding the interactions between essential oils and medications, especially for patients in hospice care who often take multiple prescriptions.
We discuss the distinctions between hospice care, palliative care, and long-term care, clarifying that hospice is specifically for terminally ill patients who require round-the-clock assistance. Robin explains how her role involves assessing patients' medical histories, allergies, and preferences to create personalized aromatherapy treatments that promote comfort and emotional well-being.
Throughout the episode, Robin shares heartwarming stories of her experiences with patients. One particularly moving account involves a comatose woman who found solace in the scent of sweet orange, a fragrance that reminded her of her childhood on an orange farm. This simple yet powerful intervention helped the patient relax and ultimately pass away peacefully.
Robin also discusses her innovative use of aromatherapy inhalers for family members of patients, helping them to remain calm and supportive during difficult times. She introduces the concept of a transitioning patch, which nurses can apply to patients nearing the end of life, allowing them to let go more peacefully.
In addition to emotional support, Robin highlights the physical benefits of using boswellic acid powder for treating bed sores and other skin conditions, showcasing the versatility of her approach to holistic care.
As the episode wraps up, Robin shares details about her book, which serves as a comprehensive guide to essential oils and resins, complete with recipes and practical applications. She also introduces a companion PDF filled with additional recipes, catering to the needs of both novice and experienced aromatherapists.
Join us for this enlightening conversation that underscores the healing power of aromatherapy in hospice care, offering insights into how we can support those at the end of life with dignity and compassion.
Check out Robin’s past episode, Episode 16 - The many types and benefits of frankincense, and how to use them with Robin B. Kessler here: https://youtu.be/xmyNCsr6O-o
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00:00:00 - Welcome to Vetiver Vibes Podcast
Introduction of hosts Nikki Fraser and Rachael Dean, and the podcast's focus on essential oils.00:00:14 - Sponsor Message: Essentria
Information about Essentria, an online school for aromatherapy.00:00:25 - Introducing Robin Kessler
Introduction of guest Robin Kessler, her background, and expertise in aromatherapy.00:01:09 - Aromatherapy in Palliative and Hospice Care
Discussion on the focus of the episode: how aromatherapy supports individuals in hospice and palliative care.00:01:51 - Favorite Essential Oils
Robin shares her favorite essential oils, including PLAI and Copaiba, and their benefits.00:06:09 - Robin's Journey into Hospice Care
Robin discusses her background in volunteering and how she transitioned into using aromatherapy in hospice care.00:08:40 - Understanding Care Types
Explanation of the differences between hospice care, palliative care, and long-term care.00:09:51 - The Role of Hospice Care
Discussion on the purpose of hospice care and the importance of comfort for terminally ill patients.00:11:24 - Aromatherapy Practices in Hospice
Robin explains how she uses aromatherapy in hospice settings, including safety protocols.00:12:32 - Patient Intake and Safety
Details on the intake process and safety measures taken when working with patients.00:16:10 - Personalizing Aromatherapy
Robin emphasizes the importance of personalizing aromatherapy based on patient preferences and history.00:18:54 - Case Study: Concentration Camp Survivor
Robin shares a poignant story about a patient and how aromatherapy helped her find peace.00:24:01 - Case Study: Young Woman with ADHD
Another case study highlighting the positive effects of aromatherapy on a young woman with ADHD.00:29:14 - Case Study: Stroke Patient
Robin discusses her experience with a stroke patient and how she created a personalized scent for him.00:36:52 - Aromatherapy for Family Members
Discussion on how aromatherapy can also benefit family members of hospice patients.00:39:11 - Transitioning Aromatherapy Patches
Robin explains the use of transitioning patches for patients nearing the end of life.00:40:48 - Using Boswellic Acid for Physical Care
Robin discusses the application of Boswellic acid powder for treating physical ailments in hospice patients.00:48:10 - Benefits of Boswellic Acid
Overview of the various conditions Boswellic acid can help with, including skin issues and inflammation.00:51:19 - Conclusion and Book Announcement
Robin shares information about her book on aromatherapy and resin, including recipes and additional resources. -
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Vetiver Vibes podcast, where your hosts, Nikki Fraser and Rachael Dean, certified clinical aromatherapists. We are excited to have you here on today's episode, where you know that you'll get the best essential oil scoop.
Nikki: This episode is brought to you by Essentria a leading online school for aromatherapy. If you want to learn more about how to become a clinical aromatherapist, check out the courses at www.schoolofessentia.com. Welcome to this week's episode of Better Vibes. Nikki Fraser here with Robin Kessler. Welcome. Thank you. Robin is a certified professional and trained clinical aromatherapist in central New Jersey. She has learned the chemistry of how the individual components of the essential oils may help your body to repair itself both physically and emotionally. Robin's specialty is working with those in hospice and also using frankincense feces. Being the queen of frankincense, we had Robin on for episode number 16, the many types and benefits of frankincense and how to use them. But in today's episode, we are going to talk about aromatherapy and how it can support people in palliative and hospice care. Welcome to the podcast again. Thank you. Always happy to have repeat people on. And I mentioned, we talked to you quite lengthy last time about frankincense, the many different kinds of frankincense. You've actually done a mini course for us also on frankincense and how, you know, they're not all the same. And as much as you are the queen of frankincense, you also work with hospice. A lot of people who are in hospice, palliative care, End of life and I'm assuming with that and we'll get into that some maybe how to support some loved ones with people There and in all of that which we will dive into but before we dive into that We always like to ask our guests. What is your favourite essential oil and I I'm going to guess what it is But I'll let you answerRobin: Guess what? You're not going to guess what. Oh, are you going to surprise me? Yeah, an essential oil is different than with a resin. That's true. So my favourite, there are two favourites. One I'm highly allergic to, but it works fabulous on different people. My husband swears by it, but I have to wear gloves because the one you're allergic to is the one that's the best. And the other one I also like. So the one that I'm allergic to that is wonderful is Play, P-L-A-I. Okay. And it's got a beautiful smell and it's excellent for any type of heavy duty inflammation. You know, when you're really, really in pain, it's like, it's wonderful. It really is. Too bad I'm allergic to it. But, But it is, I use it for a lot of different people and I actually put it in the infusions of the, when we get into Bustwellic acid in that so it becomes even stronger. So if you broke your leg or you cracked your hand, something where you really did a lot of damage, this is an instant cure. It takes away the pain almost immediately.
Nikki: I'm not going to have to look into that one. I've never tried that one.
Robin: It's PLAI. So I remember what country it comes from, not from the United States. So, and the other one is Copaiba. C-O-P-A-I-B-A. There's two types. There's the essential oil and there's the oleic resin. So the oleic resin is the sap that comes from the tree and they don't make it into an essential oil. They basically don't allow it to harden, and they put it immediately into a bottle, and it stays liquid. It's more of a syrupy type. But then, if they allow it to harden like regular resin, then they will distill it and make it into an essential oil. I happen to like the Yoli resin better. I find it's a little stronger. you used less, even though the essential oil's nice, I tend to go with the, and I accidentally got it, I didn't realize that I had gotten it, because I got it from a company, and I thought it was the essential oil until I read it and saw that it said Ole Resin on it. And I said- That's a nice bonus surprise when you- I turned the bottle over, I turned the bottle over and I'm waiting for it to come out. And the thing is not pouring out. And then I looked at the bottle and said, wait a minute, something's wrong. I realized that it wasn't the essential oil. But I've had used both and I just happened to like that better.
Nikki: You know, sometimes the mistakes or oopses turn out to be, you know, blessings in disguise of you discover something that you actually like. So that's an awesome, awesome story. Thank you.
Robin: Yeah, I happen to really like it. I use it a lot. It's very similar to CBD. It has some of the constituents in it that CBD has.
Nikki: Nice.
Robin: So if you can't have CBD in your country, this is an alternative. Nice try. Nice, nice. Because it does have a couple of the chemicals in it that CBD does have. So you're getting, you know, the benefits without the drug.
Nikki: Yeah, absolutely. So today we are going to be talking about hospice care. And I'd love to know, how did you get into working with aromatherapy and hospice care?
Robin: I've always liked to volunteer for those that were sick. When my kids were little, I used to volunteer in nursing homes all the time. So I liked working with people. Back then, I didn't even know from aromatherapy. but, uh, but it was more hand on hand on talking to the patient, uh, reading to the patient. And I really enjoyed it. When I got into aromatherapy, I realized, well, guess what? I can use a lot of the essential oils. This is before I even got into Frankincense, but I could use a lot of the essential oils to help different patients. And I found a company that was looking for a neuromotherapist. And when I went to their office for the interview, they were using a multilevel marketing company. And they put all the oils out and I said, no, no, no, no, you can't use those. And they said, why? I said, because it develops a very big liability. How do you know the people are not allergic to it? How do you know that some of these oils cannot be used with certain medications? And for all you know, you could be making them sicker and you don't even realize it's coming from the essential oils.
Nikki: And usually that population has a lot of medications that they are on. So it's extra important to be cautious.
Robin: It's extra important. And since they didn't know they were relying on the multi-level marketing rep who knew nothing and was not certified, they got very nervous. And everybody that they interviewed were not certified aromatherapists. So I said, I don't care who you use, whether you use me or not, but you need to be safe. And that's how we got to me. Awesome. Awesome. That's a great story.
Nikki: And it is.
Robin: Safety is important. I've been with them for about six years.
Nikki: Nice, that's awesome. And so we talk a lot, we mentioned that we're going to talk about hospice care. So what's the difference though between like palliative care, hospice care, long-term care? I find a lot of them are kind of interchangeable, people use them interchangeably, but they are actually different. Could you kind of explain the differences?
Robin: Yes, hospice care are those that are terminally ill, and cannot help themselves at all. They need help. They need medication. They can't administer it themselves, or they're not capable of administrating it themselves. And they bring in nurses to take care of them and it's round the clock. So they could be in a nursing home, but it's an extra step. So they're there for when the person is about to die and they make sure that the patient is very comfortable. So that's hospice. The pulmonary care is more for those that can still take care of themselves, but they need extra care. Very similar to a caregiver. So somebody will come in and do their laundry, will do their, everything they can't physically do, and also help them make sure that they take their medications, will also make sure that they're getting physical therapy, but they can't be on their own. So they really need the extra help. Long-term care is basically the same as palmolive. It's basically the same thing. And at long term, usually with hospice, it's not long. The person can die within days. The person can die within weeks. Normally, they're in hospice no more than three months. If they find that for some miracle, something happens and they're bouncing back, then they go into palliative care. So it worsens and then they have to come back into hospice again.
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
Nikki: And it really sounds like hospice is there so that they can pass with grace and dignity and people around them so that they aren't by themselves, which is really, really nice.
Robin: As long as you go to a good hospice, there are bad ones. I've been to bad ones. where I refused to treat the patient because they really were not taking care of them correctly. So I didn't want to be associated with them at all.
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
Nikki: And unfortunately you see that in palliative care, long-term care, hospital, like you see that with all kinds. Yeah. Unfortunately.
Robin: My reputation was important and I, they refused to listen to me and I saw the care was horrible. And I reported, I actually reported them to the hospice organization. and because they weren't taking care of the patients, never mind aromatherapy.
Nikki: Yeah, you need basic needs met first before any complementary care that's going in with it. So when you are working with people in hospice care, how are you using your aromatherapy in the hospice care centers with clients?
Robin: I have access to all their medical records. I had to take a course through the hospice. I had to learn how to use their equipment, what to do in an emergency, what if the person faints on me. what to do in an emergency, who to call, how to, you know, they have fire drills. I need to know what to do. So there's a book this big and I had to basically be certified in that before I could even consider touching a patient. I'm allowed through aromatherapy and through their own certification. I'm allowed to touch their hands. I'm allowed to touch their face. I'm allowed to touch their feet. I cannot touch any other part of their body without a nurse there and authorization from the family. So, and I try not to. I usually instruct what needs to be done. I take an intake form, just like our regular intake form. In the beginning, before they were computerized, it was one of my intake forms. They had to fill out the whole thing. That was a pain because now I had to read it all And I had to, most of it was not typed, so it was handwritten. So I had to, it was crazy trying to get it done. Then I got it computerized and I go onto the portal and I look up all their medication because most hospice patients are on at least 40 different medications. Right, yeah. I look up all their medications. I see what will mix with what essential oil, what I can use, what I cannot use, if they have any allergy to certain plants. because you never know what if they're allergic to lavender, you can't give them lavender.
Nikki: Or even just the carrot oil, right? If you have a nut allergy, like for myself, my nut allergy, almond oil's out.
Robin: Right. So it depends on if they have any allergies. Once I get that settled, I need to know if they're on oxygen. because, you know, our centrals have flashpoints. I can't blow up the nursing home. No, not advisable. Not advisable. And I'm not a fly on the wall, so I have no idea where they're putting it if they're sitting on top of the oxygen tank. So I need to know. That's the most important. I need to know that from the nurses. They will tell me, and it's in the chart, whether or not there is oxygen. I need to, I have to get permission. Now I have open permission, but you have to get permission from the doctor that is associated with the hospice center. But he loves me because I helped him. So since I helped him with his back aches, I don't have to show him anything. So, but normally you do. Everything has to be passed through the doctor. Depending on the doctor, if he finds like this one that I'm doing, that he knows that I'm not going to kill the patient, then he's fine because most doctors have no clue about aromatherapy anyway.
Nikki: No they don't but once you have that trust built right and you've been there for six years um so a lot of times it's just it's that time aspect of proving yourself over and over that the the you know your formulas are working you're keeping the patient always first and foremost safety is the priority.
Robin: And I go to the family What smells does the patient like? What did the patient do before they got sick? What hobbies did they have? Did they work in a garden? Where did they work? What did they do? I want the whole rounded aspect of the patient so that I could figure out what to make them. Because once I have it set of what oils I could use because of all their medical problems, then I battle, well, now I got this down pat and I take notes. Now we have to figure out, what the patient likes. The patient doesn't like lavender. And even if I put a little drop of lavender, the body's going to know it and they're going to reject it.
Nikki: Yeah. And no one wants to use a blend that they don't like the aroma of. Correct.
Robin: So for instance, there's a couple of them and I'm in the process, I'm trying. to write the book on my memoirs with hospice is the first patient I had gotten, she was in the concentration camps in Germany. And they had to actually tie her down because she was scratching and making horrible marks in her face and screaming something wicked. When I went back to the family and she was comatose, she wasn't awake at all. When I went back to the family and found out the history of what she was when she was younger, she was a teacher when she got older, but I wanted to go back to see why she was screaming. And when she was little, her parents had an orange farm. And she would sit under the trees, pick the oranges and read. And she loved the smell of orange. And that put her in a happy place. I said, okay, let's do sweet orange. Sweet orange is very calming. I'm not even going to add anything but sweet orange.
Nikki: It's one of the safest oils. It's so calming.
Robin: It's so calming. It's not phototoxic, because that's another problem. Because if they're put next to the window and the sun is shining in, they can wind up with massive burns. I said, you know, this is great. I'm only going to use this oil because this will bring her back to the happy side. So what I do is I normally make, I don't make drops. I don't make infusion of drops because if the comatose I don't want the nurses to put it on them because I don't know how much they're going to use. I can't take that chance. I can't take that chance of them pouring the whole bottle and smearing it all over their bodies. I don't want that. So I make it in a spray bottle. And I take vodka. Vodka is very interesting. I did a little research on vodka. Vodka can be stimulating or calming, depending on what essential oil you put in it. I never realized that. Yeah, it works wonderful. And what I do in the vodka to emulsify the essential oil, because the vodka is not enough, I put a couple of drops of Dr. Broma's liquid castile soap. Enough so that it'll spray out, but enough to mix the oil. And I usually do that first before I pour the vodka in. And I'll only do it if there's no oxygen, because it's alcohol. And it's essential oil. So I don't need a boom. And what I have them do, and the caregiver who comes up, and the nurse that comes up, and they have volunteers through hospice, is I tell them, and they get a sheet with instructions that goes into their chart, goes into their chart for the nurses, and goes on the wall in the room. and I have them spray it around the pillow. And also, in hostas, they're always cold. So they have the blankets all the way up to their neck. So I have them spray the blankets. In this case, I was there when I did it, because most of the time I'd go. And I was there, and I did this spraying. And I noticed, because her hands were clenched in the restraints, and within 15 minutes of her smelling this, now remember, she's comatose, but the brain is still active. I noticed her hands opened up. Okay, so that was the first, feeling, smelling this orange. When she was in the concentration camps, they used her for the experiments. So she was a basket case. When she came out, when she was freed, she went to New York to family and they had to put her through a terrible PST. and they put her through a psychologist because she was a mess. And she went to college and became a teacher. And then she developed, from being in the gas chambers, she developed lung cancer. just from being in the gas chamber. So all the screaming was when she put herself back in the concentration camp instead of putting herself in a happy place. She didn't want to be where she was to begin with. And I explained to the nurses to try to spray her three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening. Because it's a very calming role also. The second day, she stopped screaming. So they were able to take off the restraints. The third day, she was smiling. About five days later, she passed. But she passed, I mean, she was dying. So she passed, but she passed comfortably.
Nikki: I was going to say she wasn't in fear necessarily in her mind and she was calm and relaxed. And to be able to pass that way versus what she was experiencing beforehand, like that's just… It was just amazing.
Robin: There was another woman who's young. She's in her 40s. She's got very bad ADHD. and they couldn't handle her at all. And they put her in a nursing home because she would throw massive fits and they didn't know what to do with her. But when she was little, they would take her to the beach and the beach was the only place that calmed her down. But when she got older, she was just totally out of it. And she would bang her head and she would bang her hands. And they said, I don't know what you're gonna do for her. So, but I found out that she loved the beach. So I said, you know what? Maybe I'll make a spray that has to do with the smell of the beach. So I said, I researched what could smell like beach spearmint.
Nikki: Okay. See, I'm thinking almost like a coconut oil lotion type something, but that's not a spray because you've got like that coconut sunscreen you often refer to as beach.
Robin: But yeah, spearmint I can see. No, she likes the sand and the water. Yeah. Spearmint has that effect. I could see that. Yeah, I could see that. So I figured, you know what, I'm just going to do spearmint and see. what happens. Let's try one before I try another. Oh, and I put spearmint and amaryllis. Amaryllis is a beautiful calming oil. It's a sweet smell. So the sweet with the sharpness of the spearmint mixed together And I went around having a whole bunch of people smell this to see if it smelled like, if I thought it smelled like a beach, I want to see if somebody else thought it smelled like a beach. So I had my husband smell it. I had my girlfriend smell it. And I said, what do you think it smells like? Does it smell like the ocean? And they said, yeah, it smells like the ocean. So that's what I made. And for the first time, when I sprayed it on her, and I actually sprayed it on her, because she was sitting in a wheelchair most of the time. So I sprayed around her shoulders. She hardly talked. She never talked. But I'm sitting there, and I'm talking to her. And all of a sudden, she turns to me, and she says, beach. And she smiled from here to here. Oh, that just melts your heart. And the nurses couldn't believe it. She had calmed down. She was coherent. Of course, it didn't last that long.
Nikki: No, but that's why you do it multiple times a day.
Robin: Multiple times a day, it really helped. Then there was one more that was really good. I went into the nursing home. He had a stroke, right? But he was totally coherent from the neck up. But he couldn't move the whole right side of his body. And he couldn't move his leg either. He could only move one end. And he could eat, but he hated being there. He used to work in a quarry. And they told me, when you go into his room, do not go close to his bed, because he will hit you. So I said, oh God, God knows what this man is going to be like. And I looked up everything, and I found out that he worked in, I spoke to his brother, who was in California, who never came to visit him. His parents were dead. And for his own feeling of making him feel better, the brother, he would send him peppermint patties and Hershey Kisses. That's his way of making himself feel better. He loved peppermint patties and Hershey Kisses. When they went to feed him, he would throw the food at them. And the only thing he would eat was the Peppermint Patties and the Ocean Fishes. When I got the information from the brother that he worked in a quarry, and he was in World War II. When he got home, he found his wife in bed with another woman. So that ticked him off altogether. That got him very angry. And then in the quarry, something happened and he wound up with a massive stroke. And his brother had no choice but to put him in hospice. So I didn't know what to make. So I figured, let me have a first visit with him and see what he wants and what he could use. So I stepped back and he goes, come closer. And I said, well, I said, I'd rather talk to you from here. Cause I wasn't afraid. He had the long rod stick cause that's how he picked everything up. I didn't want to be hit by him. But as I'm walking in, I eyed a box on the side open of the Peppermint Patties and the Hershey Kisses. So I said to him, oh, you like this type of chocolate? And I go, I love Peppermint Patties. So he said to me, you do? And I go, yeah, I don't really eat that much because I don't like to have a lot of sugar. But when I have one, I really savor it. So now he's eyeing me to see if I'm full of it. So he says to me, well, I would like a Hershey Kiss, and you can take a Peppermint Patty. I'm not allowed to give any food without permission from the nurse. So I said, well, let me ask the nurse if you can have it. And if you can have it. I have no problem giving it to say walk down the nurse said give him whatever he wants. We can get them to eat so if he'll leave it, whatever he wants. So I took it out and I handed him. Through the stick, the peppermint patty, I mean the Hershey Kiss, and this is like a big one. And the peppermint patty was about that big. Oh, wow. I open it up, he's watching me, all right? And I go, oh my God, this is delicious. And he saw on the face that I was serious. So at that point, you could see the tension in him calm down. So then he asked me, who are you and what are you doing here? And I said, I know you don't want to be here and I can make you something. that will make you feel like you're not here. I tell them I'm an aromatherapist and I make different scents to make people feel better. And I told him how long I was doing it and all the other people that I treated. And he said, okay, I like dirt. So I said, dirt? He said, yeah, I worked in a quarry and I love the smell of dirt. Make me dirt, okay? So I said, okay, you gotta give me a few days to figure this out and then I'll be back. So I leave and I'm going, what the hell is dirt? So I go out to the garden and I pick up dirt and I smell it. And I go, you know, that smells like patchouli. So I'm wondering, dirt and patchouli have a very similar smell.
Nikki: Oh, see, and I don't think so at all. Because I don't like patchouli, though. I think that's why. I don't like patchouli either. But I love dirt. And to me, I go right to vetiver. To me, dirt, mulch, dirt, vetiver, mmm, roll in it.
Robin: Patchouli came to me.
Nikki: Yeah.
Robin: So I said, you know what? To cut the smell of patchouli a little bit, because I don't know if he's going to really like patchouli. Let's see, what can I use? So I said, you know what? I'm going to use tangerine, because it's not as strong as sweet orange. But it might blend nice with the patchouli. But I'm going to make the patchouli the prominent and the So I did it as a drop by drop because I wanted to smell it.
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
Robin: Instead of doing it dilution-wise. Yeah. It's more important to get the smell out of it. And sure enough, to me, it smelled like dirt. Nice. So I go marching down with the spray bottle, right? And I said to him, I made you dirt. So he goes, get out of here. I said, no, this is dirt. So I said, can I put it on your hand and let you smell it that way? He's wearing long sleeves. So I put it on his clothing and let him smell it. No. I said, OK, I'm going to put it on mine. And then you can smell my hand. And he smelled my hand and all of a sudden he got dead silent. And he goes, oh my God, you made me dirt. There were four nurses standing out there listening to this. And I said, okay, can I spray you? And he said, yes. You could see the tension in him just fade away. So he had me sit with him. He gave me his whole life story. Everything I could possibly learn about him, he told me. I couldn't even get away because he let me sit next to him. He wanted a magazine because he could use the other hand. I picked it up. I handed it to his hand, not even a stick. He fell in love with me. I sprayed him once. I only sprayed him. I sprayed him here. So I said to him, it's getting dark. I don't like to drive in the dark. So I'd like to leave. And he goes, can you spray me again? I said, no. The whole room reeks from it. You've got to at least let the nurses come in here. It was a private room. They couldn't put him in a double room. He probably would kill the person next to him. He said, will you come back? I said, most definitely. I might not come back for a few days, but I will. Because I had other patients in that nursing home anyway. I walk out, four nurses get on the ground and kiss my feet and said, oh my God, what did you give him we wanted? And I have to give it to them so that they could spray him. And I said, this is the miracle. You spray him two to three times a day. And I'm telling you, he won't hit you. And sure enough, when I came back, one of the nurses that saw all this and was using it on him said, oh my God, you changed him. He's like a new person.
Nikki: And those are the stories.
Robin: And he's eating. And he's eating.
Nikki: And it's just it like there's and I'm sure you could go on and on and those are the these are the times where it's like you really see the effect of aroma can have on someone and how It is the smell but it's also they're getting the therapeutic benefits They're getting all the other benefits with it that of how powerful aromatherapy really can be And with them it's very hard because they're so angry. Yeah, and they know Yeah, they know they're at the end of their lives also. They know that they're, you know, there's not much time left and they just, you know, to be able to relieve and give that peace is so profound.
Robin: With those that are on oxygen, I use hydrosol.
Nikki: Yeah. Yeah. That would be a much safer option. Absolutely.
Robin: It's better than nothing.
Nikki: Yeah. And now what, I was gonna say, what about like loved ones, staff? Because as you said, staff goes through a lot. They go through the wringer.
Robin: not so much the staff, all right?
Nikki: The staff also… Like if they wanted to come to you, that would be like, they could, but like the loved ones, like… They get an inhaler. Nice, yeah.
Robin: And because they feed off each other. Yeah. So if the loved one is off the wall, then the person that's so sick, becomes even more agitated. Absolutely. They pick up on that. If I do it for them, and I have to go through the same thing, I have to get an intake form from them. Absolutely. I need everything from them, even though some of them are healthy, some of them are not. I need the goods and the bads, no matter what. Absolutely. And I give them an inhaler. Perfect. Because there are a lot that can draw. And there's a lot when they're about to die, they don't let go because they're so afraid that what is gonna happen to the family member that they won't let go. And if I treat the family member and now the family member is nice and calm, then they'll let go.
Nikki: And you hear that often of people passing when no one's around for that reason of, you know, everyone has said their goodbyes, but they're just waiting so that the person doesn't have to necessarily live through it.
Robin: Well, I do something else also. I make a transitioning rope. Nice. I make a generic for male and female. And the nurses carry it in a three mil bottle with a patch. with an aromatherapy patch. And they know when the patient is about to die. And they put it on right here. I have them put it on right here so that they can smell it. And it allows them to let go. Especially with those crazy family members that are feeding on them and they don't want to let go. This allows them to let go. Absolutely. Absolutely. Nice. So every nurse carries it and I make extra that goes into their refrigerator so it stays better. And they have about, I send them about a hundred patches, probably about a month, every month I send them patches. And when they know they're going to die, they put it on.
Nikki: That's really, really nice. So that again, right, they have that that ability to pass with something that supports, that support, that calming.
Robin: I picked oils that are calming. I like Amaryst. It's a very nice, calming oil. I use Rose because Rose is calming. I use what's called Pettigreen Neroli. It's an amphlorage. where they do the petals and the leaves, and they distill them together. It's much cheaper than neroli, because neroli is a fortune. And I mix them all together. Sometimes if I don't use rose, I use geranium, rose geranium. And I will mix that together. And then, as I said, it's the pure oil, no carrier oil to it, because it goes on the patch. Yeah. There's no reason to put carrier oil in it. And I just tell the nurses, not more than one or two, because it's strong.
Nikki: Yeah, you don't need more than that. And especially if it's up on, like by their collarbone. Right, because it's friction and absorbs. Exactly.
Robin: And I tell them if you get it on your skin to make sure you wash your hands immediately with the water. Don't wait until you go out and then, because it will burn. So, and it works well.
SPEAKER_03: Nice.
Robin: Nice. And then the other part of what is used for hospitals, not just spray, but they have bed sores. And there I do not use essential oils. I use the basalic acid powder.
Nikki: I was going to say, I'm like, I knew you use the powder, the Baswellic acid powder a lot for different aspects. And I was just going to ask, what do you often use that for? And so any, any physical sores type thing would be when you would use that? It's a, yeah, there I see it. Nice.
Robin: It's a cream. I have a simple basic lotion cream and I mix 35% B.A. Baswellic acid into the cream. Cause that's more gentle than the 70% and it's applied to the bed source and it really helps. It makes a major difference. I had a client who had, what I did is I didn't even put it in here. I used it with Tamino oil. and I mixed it in that and he had under his arm, he had a bacterial infection and it was oozing and he would, it was all inside his body and he was dying, but he was in so much pain he could not raise his hands up at all and using Tamino oil because it's got its own properties, anti-inflammation properties. It's used a lot for those that have, what's the disease? not chicken pox, the other one, it's shingles. And it does bring down the inflammation of shingles, the tamino oil. So I figured, you know, let's put the BA in it and see what happens. And I mixed it up, the nurses applied, and it brought down all the inflammation and the redness. Unfortunately, it had poisoned inside his body. But at least he was comfortable before he As I said, it's great for bed sores. I also use it in the lotion for their hands are very, very dry and scaly.
Nikki: Well, the air in those places, it's all recycled air. It's all pumped, pumped, pumped. So like the air is not the best. It's very drying.
Robin: They have pain in their hands. So we'll massage it on their hands. I will massage it on their feet. And the, if I'm allowed, I'll massage it on their legs. Otherwise the nurse will do it. Yeah. And we've gotten great results results.
Nikki: Amazing. And I just want to clarify for everyone listening, this is not the essential oil. This is an actual powder. reminding people that there's, basalic acid isn't actually in the essential oil. This is actually in the powder itself. Just so that all listeners are very, very crystal clear on that.
Robin: What it is, is I'll explain what it is. It is when the oil is, when the resin is distilled, it's distilled for the essential oil and the hydrous oil. What lays behind is this gook. And this gook from the resin has what's called basalic acid extract in it. And it's considered, the chemical name for it is AKBA. And it's too heavy a molecule to go into the distillation, into the essential oil and into the hydrous oil. It stays behind. And this particular gook, when it hits the air, it becomes a hard block. And what they do is they dry it. And once they've completely dry it, they powder it down. So it looks like, I'm gonna give you a bigger version of it. It looks like this.
Nikki: So yeah, so anyone on our YouTube can actually see it. So yeah, it's just beautiful powder.
Robin: It's just like baby powder. That's the consistency that it is. And then they found that you could get more boswellic acid out of it. So we use an ethanol, organic ethanol solvent to pull more of the boswellic acid out. And we can pull around between 70 and 75% boswellic acid out of it. And that higher percentage is excellent. This has been used, the BA, the AKBA has been researched and studies have been used on certain skin cancers and internally for certain other cancers through vitro. And no one's really tested it through internally except for me. But the 70% works, and so does the 35, but the 35 is just milder. And the 70% will work on eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, works on fibromyalgia, pain.
Nikki: A lot of pain, a lot of skin conditions.
Robin: Muscle pain. We found out it works on colitis. We have those that are using it for colitis. They're taking the capsules that I sell internally. And we found it works for sinus, including I had a client, actually the aromatherapist, and she goes, my sinuses are killing me. I tried every essential oil you can think of and it's not helping. So I said, you know what? You have the powder. I said, you have the 70%, right? She goes, yeah. I said, do me a favor. You have any carrier or else? She said, yeah, you don't need to strain the 70%. I said, take two Q-tips and shove them up your nose. Put them as high as you can get without getting into the brain, without hurting. Leave it in there for five minutes, then take it out. Do it three times a day. We're so happy there's nothing. Well, all of a sudden the floodgates opened. She started blowing her nose like there was no tomorrow. And she said, you know, the pounding in my head stopped. And she got rid of the infection. nice yes it's also antibacterial and it's antimicrobial works on the autoimmune system so what it was wonderful so that's amazing it gets rid of scars it's it helps with dark spots I'm going to physical therapy for my leg. So I gave it to my physical therapist, but she's got eczema. So I said, Try this, tell me if it works. And it's clearing up her eczema.
Nikki: Yeah, so it really sounds like, you know, the sprays are amazing for that emotional support that, um, not just mental health but like really that emotional aspect of relaxing and bringing peace.
Robin: Well you can't use inhalers on them because most of them can't can use it themselves. Yeah, exactly. You can't shove it in their nose and say breathe.
null: No.
Robin: You know what I mean? Some of them are comatose. Yeah. So you can't get them to inhale. Exactly. But if you spray it in the air or you spray it around them, they're bound to get it in somehow.
Nikki: Absolutely. So it sounds like, you know, that the spray is amazing for that versus using this is really great for that physical aspect of anything that comes up while in hospice care of just, again, soothing the skin, soothing sores, soothing, because, you know, you can have that emotional imbalance before passing, but the physical, you want to be relaxed also. You don't want to be in immense pain 24-7 before passing. And so being able to alleviate some of that pain would absolutely be nice.
Robin: When they're in extreme pain, they give them morphine. But morphine has a lot of side effects. Sure does. So it makes them very nauseous. It makes them very hyper. It might be helping with the pain, but disoriented yeah no i try to work on those aspects because i know they're not in any pain because if they're on morphine they're not in any pain yeah i have morphine when I was in the hospital and it was like taking CBD. You have no pain.
Nikki: But a lot of side effects, like you said, people are nauseous, people are just disoriented and they don't feel like themselves necessarily either.
Robin: So this way, that's what doctors feel. That morphine, helps those that are about to pass. They all use it. It's not, and I think it's used in almost, it's used all in the United States. I don't know if it's used in any other countries.
Nikki: I'm not sure in Canada to what extent they use it. I'm sure it is used. I don't have a doubt about it, but as to what extent, I'm not sure.
Robin: But it's the only one they know of that makes them dopey enough so that they have no pain.
Nikki: so but just being dopey doesn't mean you're getting rid of the anxiety no exactly right there's still all the other things that go along with it so that's where aromatherapy plays in absolutely absolutely um just recognizing the time any um Anything else you want to share? I know you have, I was going to say, yeah, your book.
Robin: My book. This book is for everyone, whether you are a beginner, or whether you are an advanced aromatherapist. Because most aromatherapists have no clue about the resin. No. We don't learn about resin. We learn essential oil. And even essential oil, we don't know that there are at least 18 different species of essential oil that can be used and what each species does, because each one does something different. The book gives you a
Nikki: step by step.
Robin: Yeah, it'll it'll go a little blurry just because with the background but yeah the with pictures yeah they're blurred oh you can see a little bit with pictures because resin is colored so black and white doesn't cut it and in the back I give you recipes. Nice. So, uh, because some, uh, resin is edible.
Nikki: Yes. Yeah. I see you. I know you often share on your own personal Facebook, um, different things that you make with the resin and desserts and, and a few drinks and things. And I, I'm always like, Ooh, they always look delicious. They are.
Robin: So you get, uh in towards the back but you get every uh frankincense resin that's popularly used yeah and i explain each one I give you the Latin, I give you the constitutes of it, I give you everything, how to use it, which is the most important, where it comes from, what country it comes from, and in the back are all the pictures, and of course my references. But when I came out with the book, I had come out with more recipes. So I asked people, what do you want? You want another book? Or do you want an e-book or do you want a PDF? They all said PDF. And I said, why? And they said, because we could print out the PDF. And whatever recipes we want, we can print them out, make our own little book. Yeah. OK. So I have what's called a companion. And it's called the Companion PDF. It's digital. It's on my website. And all it is is recipes. There's about 120 recipes in there. Oh, wow.
Nikki: I didn't realize there was that many.
Robin: The combination of the book, And plus, because I came out with plus. My famous Farianna cookies are not in the book, because I made them after I made the book. So everybody said, well, that's not fair. Put it in the book when you send it. I said, get the companion. It's not expensive. And either is the book. I wanted it to be. not expensive so that you could buy it. It's $24.99, $24.99 on my website. If you don't live in the United States, on my website where the book is further down is a link to my publisher who ships all over the world. They do have a publishing house in Canada. Not only will the book be the whatever you do with dollars, but it will also, your shipping will be less. Going from Canada to Canada, not the United States to Canada.
Nikki: Yeah. Which always makes a huge difference with Canada and US shipping. Normally, and now it's even worse. It is. It is. We won't even get into that.
Robin: That's a whole other can of worms. But this way you can get the book. The only thing I can't do is sign it. If you're in the United States, I can sign it. But other than that, I can't sign it. But it's very informative. I have people that look in the book constantly. If they're not sure, they'll go back and look it up. The companion, you can't copy it because it is copywritten. I copy wrote the companion. And it has an ISDN number to it also. But you can print it. Perfect. Awesome. So you can't copy it. But you can print. I made it printable. Awesome. And those that are not in the United States that cannot get the book at all, they can't in their country, like in Somalia and Somaliland, they won't ship there. I make it downloadable. Okay. Print it. You can't copy it, but you can read it on a computer. Perfect. Or on a iPad.
Nikki: Tablet, anything like that. Yeah.
Robin: Anything that does PDF. Yep. So I made it for those that can't get it. Because in Africa, they can't get it.
Nikki: Yeah. There's quite a few different countries that it's just hard to ship things to them, honestly. Even China.
Robin: They can't get it in China. They don't ship to China. Yes. Oh, but they could get it off my website because it's downloadable. Perfect. Yeah. They have to pay USD. So as long as they can pay PayPal, they can get it. Yeah. Because PayPal is international. Yeah. I think PayPal also does China because somebody in China bought it from me.
Nikki: Yeah yeah you can as long as you have an account then you can use that for anything. Before we we chime off any last comments that you would like to share with our guests?
Robin: If you're going to go into hospice you must be certified. You must because you have to learn how to use these oils correctly. If you're not certified forget it. Most of the, the, and I know in Canada, it's the same way. Cause some people told me that you, uh, if you're not certified, then they have a major liability because I have liability insurance. I have product insurance. So if you're not certified and you make something that's going to hurt that person, they're going to sue you. They're going to also sue the hospital center, but they will also sue you. Yeah. So you def, and even if it's not suing, you need to know what you're doing.
Nikki: Safety aspect of it. Um, you know, the, your, your insurance aside liability insurance, you should always have that. Um, if you're, as soon as you're, you know, you're, you're certified, you're making blends, you need to have liability insurance. And if you're making any kind of product to sell, um, lines, anything like that, your product insurance on top of that, absolutely. But, you know, hospice care, like you said, there's, you know, so many different medications, so many things to take into account, so many health concerns.
Robin: If you're not an aromatherapist, you won't know that.
Nikki: Exactly. It's, you know, and we say it all the time that essential oils are powerful. It's plant medicine. You can't just use it willy-nilly with people.
Robin: And they're so highly toxic. That's what people don't understand. It's so highly concentrated. One little drop can destroy you. I mean, if I put one drop of PLEA on my skin, one drop, I break out a massive rash all over my body. That's one drop.
Nikki: Yeah, exactly. They're so powerful and people don't realize that. So I think that is amazing advice and absolutely something that should be followed. You know, working with different populations, hospice, one of those, it is super important to have that qualification behind it. And now if people want to get in touch with you, if they want to follow you, get your book, get the basalic acid powder, if they want to start, you know, learn where they can get that, How can people find you? RobbinsResidencePlus.com. Awesome. And we have that in the show notes too. We've got your website.
Robin: That's where the thing is. Everything's there. Perfect.
Nikki: Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. I know myself, I've had family members in hospice care. A lot of people know someone who has been in hospice care. And it's, you know, having another tool in the toolbox to help with the person themselves, the loved ones is always absolutely needed. So thank you so much for coming on today. And again, if you want to learn more about the frankincense, you can go back and listen to episode 16, where we had Robin on all about frankincense. Otherwise, thank you to all of our listeners and have a wonderful day. Bye, everyone. Bye! Essentia also has its own course regarding dementia and aromatherapy. Now it is not hospice care but it is very very similar in a lot of the approaches that we can take using aromatherapy with dementia or hospice or palliative care. very similar in a lot of the practice. So if you want to learn more about how to use essential oils with dementia, hospice, palliative care, feel free to go to our website www.schoolofessentia.com and go to our mini courses and you will see the course there regarding dementia and aromatherapy. Thank you again. Have a wonderful day. Bye.
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SPEAKER_00: This podcast is for information purposes only. We are certified clinical aromatherapists and holistic health professionals. If you have a medication concern, please refer to your health team. Everyone's health is unique to themselves, so the topics and suggestions stated may or may not apply directly to you.
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