Unwell: Essential Oils - A Wild Watch
Now that I’ve gotten my nap in, let’s talk this Unwell Docuseries on Netflix. Unwell was released on Netflix in the US in mid-August. The docuseries takes a closer look into the wellness industry. Each of the six episodes speaks on a different aspect of health and healing and leaves room to interpret whether or not these methods work or if its all hype. The first episode was on Essential Oils which I am a huge fan of, so I was beyond ready to take a look. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.
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As I said, the series does not have a definitive take on Essential Oils, however, they do lead conversations using facts. The first person to speak is Amy Quarberg, an Integrative therapist at St Johns in Wisconsin. She gives her patient essential oils for anxiety and pain. Her interest in essential oils began when she was asked lots about it so she took an aromatherapy course. In the end, she comments that she believes essential oils can begin to be used in conjunction with opioids as a form of healing, even if its a placebo effect.
We then move over to hear from Julie Marshall who is a Special Needs Mom from Boulder, Colorado. Mrs. Marshall has a daughter with autism who has tried lots of therapies to help her daughter. She is now trying essential oils with the help of Laura Cantelli, a Registered Essential Oil Therapist. Lauren talks about the distillation of essential oils, their benefits, and how to use them. She then speaks on ingesting essential oils stating “There are very few scenarios that I can name where it would be beneficial to ingest essential oil. They can burn your mucus membranes over time and they can cause internal damage”
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From here, we move over to my favorite person in the documentary (sarcasm). Dr. Eric Zielinski is an entrepreneur owning Natural Living Family and Licensed Chiropractor. Let me start by saying this, I can not and will not deny this man’s credibility on the subject. If he owns a million-dollar company then he obviously knows what he is doing. With that being said, I immediately went to see where he practices and could not find it. It is understandable that he may not continue to pop a back or two if he owns a 7 figure company. However, it feels to me like he uses his title of Dr to corroborate his claims on essential oils. I will say that upon further research on my behalf, that Dr. Z focused on research during his time at Life University. He makes it clear that the US Govt won’t let you give medical claims on essential oils if you sell them, which is why he chooses not to directly sell them.
We hear Dr. Z, a Christian based healer, talk about his business being a for-profit ministry that he runs along with his wife. For me, there was one line from Dr. Z that for me, shit his entire credibility. This was when he was talking about the affordability of his products claiming something along the lines that even someone on food stamps could afford a course if they stop buying Starbucks for two weeks. This was tone deaf as hell. It was unrealistic as hell. Lastly, it was disrespectful as hell. Now, once again, in the name of research, I went to see if Dr. Z corrected this statement and this is what was said in an article he wrote about the Unwell Documentary:
“I would like to offer my humble apologies for making an insensitive statement about how anyone can afford our classes, “Even people on food stamps,” I said, if people, “Stopped buying Starbucks for two weeks.”
“When I watched the documentary for the first time, my heart sank when I heard this come out of my mouth. I forgot I even said this. In context to the full story, I was speaking from experience – having been on food stamps for more than three years while earning my doctorate trying my best to provide for my wife and two children. Unfortunately, the context in which my statement was said was cut from the documentary and taken out of context.
Still, there’s no excuse for making an insensitive comment like that. And, for this, I sincerely apologize…” - See the rest here.
Whew. Chile. A MESS. Tbh I’d love to meet him. LOL
Next, they bring in Joy Bowles Ph.D. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Organic Chemistry and Cell Biology and a Ph.D. on the effect of essential oils on cognitive function in dementia. She talks on how she believes essential oils should not be recommended as medicine speaking on how studies are not substantiated claims with medical evidence. For her, essential oils are a coping mechanism, not a cure. She does begin to talk about how MLMs are using the Essential oils for the biggest human experiment.
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS WILD!
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We meet Allison Huish who is a doTerra distributor. DoTERRA is an MLM or Multilevel Marketing company. Think Mary Kay or Avon. The first thing I notice is her applying essential oils directly to her skin. This made me cringe, but I am hoping that she was using a product diluted in a carrier oil. She uses her experience of using frankincense and close to “cure” a brain tumor she had as a child. She speaks on how the US government does not want us to use essential oils in favor of Big Farma. Let’s be honest there is probably some truth to this. Let it also be noted that Mrs. Huesh puts essential oils in water that she serves her guest. Let me tell you why this is dumb.
YES, some essential oils have been approved for digestion.
HOWEVER, she puts lemon, lime, and orange in the water
LEMON, LIME, ORANGE.
Let’s talk financially about why this is dumb.
Next, let’s talk about why more fancy isn’t always better. Essential oils are processed products. Yes, essential oils may be more potent, but none the less, they are processed. If I am ingesting something, I want something as close to natural as possible. What I don’t understand is why someone would “spend” $45.33 to ingest something that is not natural compared to ingesting the organic ingredients at $13.47. I mean, the reason may be to sell more products by legitimizing the products through their overuse. I just think it’s a tad over the top.
Whew, back to the documentary. Rachel Monroe, a journalist, then leads us into the discussion on Essential Oils and MLM. This is where it takes kind of a true-crime turn. We start with establishing doTERRA and Young Living as MLML companies. We are shown Young Living conventions which are described as a “spectacle”. We then are given background information on Gary Young, the founder of Young Living. They go into his education (or lack thereof), practicing medicine without a license, as well as a story involving the death of his daughter during an at-home water birth.
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We then hear from a former Young Living Consultant named “Connie”. She is given a fake name to conceal her identity and we never see her face. Connie and her lawyer Austin Tighe claim that Young Living is a pyramid scheme and go into detail on the class-action lawsuit against the company.
We get one more MLM horror story from Stacey Haluka who was an essential oil distributor. She speaks on suing her MLM over not properly training her how to use them. So, how was she using them? She was ingesting them and using them topically on her skin multiple times a day. When she began to experience rashes and bad side effects from overuse of the oils, her rash became worse and worse after she was told by Facebook Groups that its was just her body detoxing. She then talks about how things in mass quantities are not good for us even if they are natural. To me, this is the one take away you should get from this episode along with the last segment.
In the last segment, we return to the home of Julie Marshall who has been using a blend of essential oils meant to promote sleep in a diffuser in the room of her daughter. The oils have been helping her daughter rest through the night since she began using them. Julie speaks on how they are not an end all be all and the importance of doing the research to find which oils work best for your family.
To me, this was the perfect way to end the documentary. Generally speaking, this is what i think are some important takeaways from the documentary:
Essential Oils are not meant to cure illnesses and ailments, but instead are best used as a supplements.
Everything is good in moderation
MLMs are glorified capitalist cults.
Look, I know this is a hot take, but honestly look at how cults operate and tell me MLMs don’t fit that profile
Do your own research. Please don’t take anything “medical” at face value and talk to your doctors about essential oils.
DO NOT INGEST ESSENTIAL OILS. I don’t care if a company says it’s okay. That same company probably has a warning that the FDA doesn’t allow for their products to be used medically. Also, other than fish oil, when has it ever been a good idea to just eat oil?
Understand where you are sourcing your essential oils. Those working under an MLM company are there to sell you their products. I myself decided to take a second look at who I had sourced some of my essential oil products.
And if your curious where I stand on essential oils after this documentary?
This image was downloaded from Google Images
I still think they are a valid tool if you use them for what is essentially the placebo effect. Until there is scientific evidence that essential oils work, then I can only give you anecdotal evidence on their benefits.
I’d never ingest them directly or use them topically without being mixed into a carrier oil.
I would however use them in bath soaks, body scrubs, and in a diffuser.
And BOOM. There you have it. A play by Play on Unwell’s first episode on Essential Oils. If you have any questions about the documentary, feel free to reach out and comment below! You can also watch the docuseries here. I may casually watch the rest of the docuseries, but will not be writing on them. If you like what you read, sign up for my newsletter so you are first to know when self-care blogs are posted!
Until next time :)