A review of a web site selling Young Living oils for animal health. That disreputable organisation, via their distributors, are now targeting their sales at pet owners.

From the web pages of:
http://www.thewholedog.org/EOCats.html
Go there to see the original article summarised below.
Proof that this site is a Young Living oils distributor is on:
http://www.thewholedog.org/yleo.html

Almost identical claims are on the sites below as well as on others: www.aromanotes.com/drjeannie/ www.aspenbloompetcare.com/2005/10/using-essential-oils-with-cats.htm www.katberard.com/hol_essentialoils.htm www.catsitters.net/cats.html www.essentialoilremedies.com/aromatherapy-for-animals.htm www.dianaewald.com/Animal_Therapies.html www.webdeb.com/oils/animal-remedy.htm

Y.L.=Distributor claims.
M.W.=My comments.             Please note that the article below is mainly about cats.

First paragraph of their article.

Y.L. "(Young Living) True, pure essential oils are distilled from plants as subtle volatile liquid, the life-force", M.W. Marketing hype. Any 'life force' in plants is not to be found in cooked, essential oils.

Y.L. "the regenerating and oxygenating immune defense properties of plants" M.W. Any oxygen in essential oils has a negative effect on them, creating dangerous skin sensitising chemicals. In addition, the "immune defense" system of plants is not just in the essential oil.

Y.L. "containing vitamins, minerals, enzymes and hormones". M.W. Plants contain these substances, but distilled essential oils DO NOT.

Y.L. "They have a very unique lipid structure including oxygenating molecules that gives them the ability to penetrate cell membranes and transport oxygen and nutrients inside each cell of the body within only 21 minutes of their application and, in some cases, within seconds". M.W. Typical Young Living lies and misleading marketing. There is no evidence in traditional medicine or modern science, for ANY of these claims.

Second paragraph of their article.

Y.L. "Shelf life of pure essential oils is a minimum of 2000 years" M.W. This is very dangerous advice. Many essential oils degrade after 6 months or so and form substances harmful to the skin.

Y.L. "as shown by the oils retrieved in King Tut's Tomb". M.W. Essential oils were NOT retrieved, only aromatic unguents which never contained distilled oils.

Y.L."Essential oil frequencies range anywhere from 50 MHZ to 340 MHZ (Rose Oil)". M.W. This is pseudo science and is 100% meaningless, just designed to lure the gullible.

Y.L."Clinical research has shown that essential oils can quickly raise the frequency of the body" M.W. What clinical research? Where published? Just more misinformation.

Y.L."Every molecule of essential oils have the ability to: "increase oxygenation of the cell by 21%"; M.W. Nothing but lies "take nutrients into the cells"; M.W. Nothing but lies "remove toxins from the cells"; M.W. Nothing but lies " increase the immune system within the body". M.W. Some might, but certainly not "every molecule"

Y.L."One drop of Therapeutic essential oil will penetrate every cell within the body within 21 minutes". M.W. Same heap of lies as in paragraph 1.

Third paragraph of their article.

Y.L. " some constituents, such as aldehydes found in lavender and chamomile are antimicrobial and calming. Eugenol, found in cinnamon and clove, is antiseptic and stimulating. Ketones, found in lavender, hyssop and patchouli, stimulate cell regeneration and liquefy mucous. Phenols, found in oregano and thyme oil, are highly antimicrobial". M.W. This is all theoretical chemistry and faulty, as pointed out by other articles in my articles archive.

Fourth paragraph of their article.

Y.L. "They also contain a bioelectric frequency that is several times greater than that of herbs and food. Thus, these oils have a profound effect of raising the frequencies of the human and animal body -- aiding in the prevention of diseases". M.W. ALL marketing hype to lure the gullible and without a shred of evidence.

Fifth and Sixth paragraph of their article.

M.W. Repetition of all the above to snare the gullible.

[NOTE REGARDING USE ON CATS]

First paragraph.

Y.L. "Research the constituents of the essential oil and consult with an Aromatherapist or Natural Animal Health Practitioner before you use it". M.W. Most aromatherapists are not trained in animal aromatherapy and thus do not have a clue on these issues. I attended a lecture given by two "qualified" animal aromatherapists. They were telling people to rub benzoin oil onto the paws of a dog to "detoxify its liver". These people had no idea that benzoin oil does not exist, or that benzoin is a terrible sensitizing agent in humans let alone on dogs. So this recommendation by this Y.L. distributor, is simply a cover-their-back exercise. Y.L. "PLEASE do not just start applying oils to your cat, especially if they are not therapeutic grade such as the Young Living oils are". M.W. Young Living oils are no more "therapeutic grade" than most in the oils trade. This is hogwash as old emails in my archives articles prove. In the past, they made such claims even when the oils they were selling then were grossly adulterated.

Second paragraph.

Y.L. "Cats need just a fraction of an amount of essential oils that a dog would". M.W. Not true, even small amounts of applied tea tree oil have poisoned certain breeds of dogs.

Third paragraph.

Y.L. "Place a drop of oil on the palm of your hand". M.W. Even one drop of the wrong undeleted oil - if used regularly - can damage the skin of the person doing this. Depending on the oil, the skin can also be severely irritated.

Seventh paragraph.

Y.L."Essential Oils when Diffused (cold air diffuse only) will remove metallic particulates and toxins from the air, increase atmospheric oxygen, increase ozone and negative ions in the area". M.W. Nothing but lies!

Testimonies of Cats

M.W. It is unwise for me to comment on each one of these claimed reports. I cannot tell if they are genuine, or simply marketing hype to sell product. Anyone can make up such stories, but even if genuine, they remain anecdotal unverified and unreliable. If they are genuine, then they indicate a shocking amount of animal experimentation by pet owners led by the claims of the Young Living oil distributors. Some of that experimentation is illegal in many countries. Please note that undiluted essential oils should never be used on cats. There is no reliable safety information for essential oils used on cats. Such use could cause more harm than good. Also, beware of pet product suppliers who produce formulations that may have more essential oil in them than is desirable. If they will not tell you how much essential oil is in the formula, I would not use it. Certain essential oils would be good to treat infections, but these distributors are implying that only Young Living oils are effective and that is just plain lying.

Summary:

Although the article is supposed to be about cats, it does mention dogs as well and other pages on the site refer to the use of essential oils on dogs. It even includes a page written by the fraudster Gary Young and refers to him as "Dr." a purchased fake qualification. In the case of dogs, It has been shown that the enzymes which influence the bioavailability of drugs and other substances, vary enormously among the different breeds. Therefore, when using essential oils on dogs, the results will be unpredictable and potentially harmful. As both Dogs and cats tend to groom themselves by licking their fur, the ingestion of any externally applied essential oils is guaranteed. What any effects or side effects might be, will depend on the volume of oil ingested, the oil/s and on the metabolic pathways of the particular breed of dog or cat. Some will have no problem while others can be poisoned. Dogs and Cats in the wild would rarely consume plants containing essential oils. Evolution has therefore not equipped them to cope with eliminating certain toxins found in aromatic plants. The skin of dogs and cats can absorb substances far more readily than humans. While the volumes of oil absorbed this way will be relatively low, it adds to the volume they will absorb via licking their fur and paws. If expressed bergamot oil or Lime oil for example, were used on an animal with thin hair, and it was running around in the bright sunlight, the chances of a photo toxic skin reaction are high. If the animal got even a smear of expressed citrus oils on their nose, then severe skin irritation or even burns are a possibility. These are just a couple of examples of proven adverse reactions to certain essential oils. It has been stated by some Young Living distributors, that "there is no evidence that essential oils are harmful to dogs". That statement alone proves their ignorance as such evidence is available and has been for many years. Below are just a few of the references available on the toxicological effects of essential oils on animals. All the above does not mean I am against any use of essential oils in animal therapy as some can be useful. What I am against is the lies and hype spread by Young Living distributors in order to make money from gullible pet owners, and in particular, them advocating the undiluted use of hazardous essential oils. Young Living was established by a confidence trickster and is still run using his name. He now resides outside of the USA and as such is beyond criminal proceedings.

VILLAR D. et al.1994. Vet. Hum. Toxicol. Apr;36(2):139-142.

Villar D, Knight MJ, Hansen SR, Buck WB. PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE. PMID: 8197716. "Melaleuca oil toxicosis have been reported by veterinarians to the National Animal Poison Control Center when the oil was applied dermally to dogs and cats. In most cases, the oil was used to treat dermatologic conditions at inappropriate high doses.

Bischoff and Guale. J. Diagn. Invest. 10: 208-210 (1998). Report on poisoning in three cats treated with undilutesd tea tree oil.

Knight, M.J. & Villar, David. Toxicity of melaleuca oil and related essential oils applied topically on dogs and cats. Vet Human Toxicol 36(2): April 1994, p139-142.

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