Employers continue to show acceptance of complementary and alternative medicine as companions to, or in lieu of, traditional, allopathic care. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust, employers are providing insurance coverage for acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage in greater numbers. In fact, coverage for acupuncture jumped from 33 percent to 47 percent between 2002 and 2004, and the percentage for chiropractic jumped from 79 percent to 87 percent during that same time.

Labyrinthine Peace

Need a moment for peace, reflection, or exercise? Walk a labyrinth. At first glance, these configurations look similar to mazes — large circular structures with spiraling walkways. But further inspection reveals a unicursal, or single, path that leads to a center and out again — less a puzzle and more a right-brain task.

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness can lead to a bevy of emotions, including denial, anger, confusion, and depression. To help with this possibly difficult time, the United States Department of Health and Human Services has created a website titled Next Steps After Your Diagnosis: Finding Information and Support. Included are support-group locators, phone numbers for health information, 10 important questions to ask your doctor, clinical trials, and outcome research.

Avoid Completely

--Any essential oil for which you do not have information.

--Bitter almond, boldo leaf, buchu, yellow camphor, brown camphor, sassafras, calamus, horseradish, mugwort, mustard, pennyroyal, rue, savin, savory, tansy, thuja, wormseed, wormwood.

Avoid With Pregnancy

--Aniseed, basil, birch, wintergreen, cedarwood, clary sage, cypress, geranium, sweet fennel, jasmine, juniper berry, sweet marjoram, myrrh, peppermint, rosemary, common sage, thyme, hyssop.