Propaganda - What Would it Look Like?
Propaganda is defined as the deliberate spreading of information, ideas, or rumors to help or harm a person, group, or organization. In regards to essential oils, it has become the spreading of inaccurate information in order to gain company allegiance and increase sales, among other goals. The messages presented on this page have been found to be manipulative, false, and potentially dangerous by our community of professionals (which includes certified aromatherapists, reputable trade publishers, institutional directors, marketing experts and general practitioners) concerned with upholding truth, morals and ethics in this particular field of holistic health. The information contained here is designed to help you identify potentially false and dangerous information regarding the use of essential oils. We encourage you to form your own informed conclusions by comparing this and all the information contained on this website to other credible, reliable sources of information. Let's take a brief look at: Blogs and Websites Memes and Posters Sales Rebuttals Online Articles Blogs and Websites
From benign and friendly to sleek and professional, and even sometimes with a powerful religious slant, uneducated and dangerous information is finding many channels online through which to reach potential customers and, in turn, potential employees. Here are a few examples of each to show you that the marketing and layout surrounding the information may make it more believable, but does not make it more credible: Blogs: Uneducated consumer testimonials: http://www.oil-testimonials.com/ - An extensive collection of testimonials from a popular essential oil sales company, including testimonials on receiving their essential oils intravenously as administered in clinics outside the U.S. The belief here is that if enough people say it, then it must be true. Don't be fooled. Inaccurate FAQ sessions: http://www.heartfelthullabaloo.com/faqs.html - An example of an FAQ page where almost every answer is dangerously misleading and glaringly inaccurate - just a trainwreck of misinformation to those involved in the safe and ethical uses of essential oils. How can this happen? All information was learned from an essential oil sales company, not an accredited institution of education. Religious slant: http://sleekforever.net/2014/05/21/young-living-essential-oils-are-safe-to-ingest/ - This blog takes the trusting of essential oil sales companies to a cult-like level of devotion, mixing owners, oils and experiences with references to God, Jesus, and natural healers. Includes testimonial of essential oil poisoning. Websites: http://aromaticscience.com/ - Extremely professional looking site published either by or in affiliation with a popular essential oil sales company. Includes half-excerpts of clinical trials, that, when reviewed in full, show vital information on the safe and effective use of essential oils has been omitted from some of the presented excerpts. In addition, "in vitro" (petri dish) results are presented to lead you to believe the same result would occur "in vivo" (within the human body) - for more information on the difference between these two please visit the topic on our page, "The Library". Half information is intentional propaganda - please review FULL articles of studies and clinical trials cited for complete and accurate information. Memes and Posters
These online images may look professional and slick, but don't be fooled. Professional-looking marketing materials do not guarantee professional advice. Here are a few examples of risky (if not dangerous) advice displayed on bright, flawless, and even downright adorable ad layouts: |
Sales Rebuttals
Rebuttals are pre-scripted answers written by sales companies and rehearsed by sales reps in order to overcome objections to buying a product. Because they are practiced and saved until just the right time, they sound like off-the-cuff yet credible answers, as they are designed to do. Their goal is to get you back on the path of agreeing to what the salesperson is saying so you more easily agree to buy the product, too (known in direct sales as "yes-yes" mode). Some common rebuttals found to be used in the multi-level marketing of essential oils are listed below: Q: Can you overdose on essential oils? A: You can overdose on water if you drink enough. Analysis of the answer: That's not what I asked. Q: Are there any side effects to ingesting peppermint essential oils straight from the bottle? A: When we stop drugging our kids for ADHD and feeding them pharmaceuticals then I'll start worrying about eating peppermint oil. Until then I trust what God has given us. Analysis of the answer: A triple-layered confusing response that also does not answer the question asked. Let's break this down into its separate parts. First, it would make more sense to simply learn about the safety of ingesting peppermint oil before eating peppermint oil, let alone instruct others to do the same. Next, drugging children has nothing to do with the question at hand. That's fear mongering - associating a completely unrelated and disproportionately devastating idea to disrupt logical, rational thinking. Finally, nature also provides nightshade, oleander, daffodil bulbs and jasmine berries, and if you're ready to eat a big salad of all that, you should at least take a basic botany class. Q: The handling of vanilla oil has been reported to cause headaches and loss of eyebrows. A: People have eaten vanilla ice cream for years with no ill side effects. Analysis of the answer: Vanilla ice cream is flavored by vanilla EXTRACT, which in its purest form is a diluted mix of the essential oil and other plant constituents extracted from the vanilla bean in alcohol. Imitation vanilla extract uses vanillin, naturally or synthetically produced, to achieve its vanilla flavor. Either way, extracts must contain at least 35% alcohol by law, meaning neither of these are as concentrated in naturally occurring constituents as pure vanilla essential oil. For more on the differences between essential oils, extracts, and tinctures, visit our FAQ's page. Q: Can you ingest essential oils? A: "If the oil is 100% pure, unadulterated, therapeutic grade, with nothing synthetic or chemical added, it is safe to ingest. [Our company] assures that kind of quality from the time the seed is put in the ground to the time the oil is put in the bottle. No other company does that." Analysis of the answer: Regardless of manufacturer or supplier, NO essential oil is completely safe to ingest without the risk of side effects. The information presented on this website applies to the safe use of ALL essential oils, and especially to the pure, undiluted, unadulterated, high quality oils offered by today's top essential oil sales companies - ALL of them, regardless of company, supplier, purity, quality, manufacture, or "method" of instruction. In addition, here is Dr. Cole Woolley, VP of Research & Development at Young Living Essential Oils, not exactly saying they grow and distill ALL their own plants anyways: "We source our essential oils from around the globe, many of those sources being our own farms that are located in seven different countries." (from: http://www.learningabouteos.com/index.php/2013/10/13/3rd-party-test-results-for-peppermint-essential-oil/) Q: I read an article online that said eating essential oils could be dangerous. A: It saddens me that people feel the need to spread fear unnecessarily. Analysis of the answer: Yes, fear mongering is rampant both online and in mainstream media. However, properly educating you on the potential side effects of essential oils is not fear mongering. In conclusion: It is wise to research any questions you may have before buying any product. Of course you have the right to say "no" to buying any product, let alone having undiluted essential oil dropped on your tongue or rubbed on your skin at a home sales party. But direct sales pitches are specifically rehearsed and designed to overcome your objections on-the-spot to get you to buy before you begin to doubt the salesperson and change your mind. If you feel pressured into buying anything, that should be a warning sign to get away from the situation so you can reassess it later with a clear mind. As the FTC notes: "...pressure to decide on-the-spot about trying an untested product or treatment is a sure sign of a fraud. Ask for more information and consult a knowledgeable doctor, pharmacist, or other health care professional." (from: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0167-miracle-health-claims#shadysellers) Articles
By now it's no secret that almost anything can be published somewhere online, but did you ever consider that might include professionally spun misinformation? Here are a few brief reviews of internet articles found to be lacking journalistic integrity (articles reviewed by a marketing expert and BA of Communications Rhetoric and Media Studies from the Pennsylvania State University): (section in progress - more coming soon) With professional graphics, lax laws, no ethics checks or journalist integrity required, and money at heart, the internet is quickly becoming a direct sales company's utopia. But the tried remains true, "buyer beware."
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**The information on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
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